Weight Loss

I set out to lose 15lbs a month ago by committing to working out 5-6 days a week and also tightening up on my diet. I am proud to say that to date I have almost met my goal. I started out at 157 and am currently 145. Going to the gym has become a habit. I went from hating to go to hating not to go. I have seen my body transform and my energy level increase and am truly excited for my next goal - toning! Below are before and after pics.




Before


After

09/22/11

I am currently on day twelve of my mini two strand twists. They are itching and I want to take them down; however, I am going to wear them for three weeks as planned. I can do this! Below are pictures on various days.



Day 7


Day 12 of two strand



Day 2 of two strand

Day Three of Challenge

Okay, I am on day three & with this working out daily, my hair sweats, so needless to say, my twists have shrunken. I don't care for it, but I will make the best of it. I use a method to maintain my twists that I saw on facebook wrapping it as if I would if I had a relaxer. I use bobby pins to secure it and when I wake up I unwrap and it does add some depth. So far, so good. I am going to try to maintain!

My Mini Twists

Hopefully I can keep these up for at "least" three weeks. I plan to implement various styles as not to become bored too easily and follow a strict night time routine as to keep them up as long as possible. This will be a REAL CHALLENGE for me and I am interested to see how long I can keep them.

Hand in fro still....

Hair challenges are extremely hard for me as I don't like wearing my hair up all the time. I find it still challenging to keep my hands out of my hair. After all this time of being natural, I've not found a cure for Hand In Fro disease. Everytime I look in the mirror, I find myself wanting to caress my strands with my hands. It is completely irresistable to look at the lusciousness without sneaking a feel. I love how curvy and shapely an unraveled twist looks. I find myself unraveling and raveling just to admire my strands. I must find a way to resist the urge to play with my hair because it is in need of a rest... sigh!

Lord help me to hold out.

Protective Style Challenge

Okay, I am going to buckle down and do this challenge until October 22nd I will be wearing my hair in protective styles. I have experienced some breakage and it is due in part to too much manipulation. When I did notice that growth spurt and recieved compliments, I felt it necessary to flaunt my hair and this resulted in breakage in the front and throughout my crown area. So, for the next two months, I am going to buckle down and cater to my hair.

How to meet that goal:


NO HEAT
NO cutting (unless you have to eliminate single strand knots)
NO dry brushing/combing
Handle your hair with care
Wash when NECESSARY (I will be washing my hair in between protective styles, about once ever 2.5 weeks)
Deep conditioning 2x a month
Sealing moisture into the hair to eliminate breakage and dryness
Keeping ends tucked and in styles that are low maintenance
Taking vitamins and drinking ample amounts of water

Setback

After getting my hair to a point of steady growth, I got lazy and my hair start shedding again, particuarly in my crown area. I am not back on this growth challenge again only wearing protective styles and hoping to replenish the health of my hair. I am sad, but I acknowledge it is my fault.