I did loose the weight

....And gained 2KGs of it back. Ideally I want to loose another 10KG. I'm going to fast tomorrow to make up for my horrible eating today

I binged and gained 3.5KG

The whole month I've lost only 1KG. I was so annoyed because my fitness pal says my net calories per week is in the region of 300 calories.

I'm not sure what is going wrong.

Sigh.

Anyway, friday and saturday I eat everything I wanted to eat and now today, I'm up from 72KG to 75.5.

Today is going to be a detox day.  I won't give up. I just have to accept I loose weight really slowly.

Feel super weak

I had insomnia again and woke up around 3am. I tossed and turned, got a little sleep until 5.45am.

I had  no energy and my stomach was growling with hunger overnight.

Once I had a coffee with milk and grapes I felt a little better. About mid morning I eat two eggs with salad and a table spoon of mayo. It really helped.

I had the energy to go for a near 10km walk. After 7km I started feeling weak but kept going until I got home. I was so exhausted and finally went to bed for about 2 hours. MFP says I burned 711 calories,

 I'm actually struggling to eat now which is sort of a good thing. I have no appetite for food at all, but I have to eat to keep my energy up. I drank loads of water and herbal teas too. I think I've even dropped a few ounces during the day, but tomorrow's scales will tell me the truth

Breakfast - 157 calories
Coffee with milk and 200g grapes

Lunch - 283
Boiled eggs x2
Mayo
Salad with balsamic dressing

Dinner
Boiled eggs x2
Brocoli

Snacks
Peanuts and 2 tangerines

Lost half a pound

I eat more than my required calories yesterday. I hardly had energy to run yesterday, so I walked for about a 1/4 of the 4.6 km run.

Still I managed to loose 0.3KG. So now 75 kg.

Yesterday's meals were:

Breakfast - 195 calories
2 boiled eggs
2 coffees

Lunch - 270 calories
Salad with 2 boiled eggs
Handful of thai flavoured nuts

Dinner - 200
Fish and veggie soup x2

I couldn't sleep so I had 2 shots of rum - 160 calories

I felt so weak this morning and I was hungry throughout the night. And, I woke up early - around 3am and slept a little more until 5.30am.
I had a cup of green tea and 200g of grapes. I felt so much better afterwards

After 9 days I'm 1KG down

Yesterday my I eat just under 600 calories

Breakfast - 160 calories
Soy Latte (150 calories)
Shot of Aloe Vera Juice

Lunch - 120 calories
Vegetable soup with 50g  of king prawns

Dinner - 165 calories
Fish & vegetable soup
Side salad & balsamic dressing (45 calories)

Snacks
Mint humbug - 30 calories
Sugar free mints (14 calories)
Tangerines x3 (120)


I went for a 40m run - My Fitness Pal said it burned 380 calories and I walked for an hour on errands.

I stagnated for 9 days without loosing a single pound and finally, I'm down 1 KG. I hate that it takes so long to achieve any weight loss.

3 weeks to loose 10lbs

So, I have to get down from current weight as of this morning, 76.4KG to 72KG. Basically 10lbs and I have 3 weeks to do it in.

I have never been able to loose 10lbs in 3 weeks. I can't even manage it in 2 months, with exercising everyday so how I'll do it in 3 weeks I don't know, but I'm going to try. Not eating carbs is giving me insomnia so over the last few days, I've had a small glass of wine, which still keeps me under 1000 calories. It doesn't take much to knock me out as I have a low tolerance for alcohol.

As of Friday 11th May I've kept my calories under 1000 but yet, it's now Thursday, a whole week later and the scales haven't moved. Some days, I've been under 600 calories, but for the most part I'm averaging 900 calories a day. And still no movement on the scales!!! GRRRR

My body loves holding onto fat!

So, to keep me on track, I've decided to blog.

Today, I went for a 35m run. It took me 40m. My under armour app says I burned 380 calories. When I came back from my run, I'd lost 0.8KG. Nearly 2lbs in water!
If I'm still the same weight tomorrow i'll be really pissed.

Today's food:
Breakfast - Approx 200 calories
Decaf coffee with milk
Coconut milk latte (bad I know)

Lunch - Approx 350 Calories
Cup of peas
Mixed salad leafs
1 chopped Tomato
Quarter cucumber
Hand full of Green beans
Olive oil and balsamic dressing
Chicken breast

Dinner - Approx 200 calories
100g cucumber
100g green beans
50g king prawns
Hot sauce

Snack - 100 calories
Handful of peanuts

As alcohol slows the metabolism, I'm going to try and sleep tonight without it as a sleep aid and see what tomorrow brings. I sound like a right alkie lol

Introspective holiday musings

I'm in Turkey, specifically in a place called Bodrum. 

I did worry a bit about coming here - not everywhere is friendly to black people. I needn't have worried since everyone in our hotel has been very friendly. I do get the occasional stare but it's more curiosity rather than malice. 

Anyway, I've been practically horizontal most of the holiday. Sun, sea, and surf does a body good. However it has got me asking the perennial question. What can I do that will make me happy, give me money to live to my current standard at least and enable to not have to work for someone else. 

Still trying to figure that out... 

Anyway that's me for now. Might be back to blog more nonsense 

House refurbishment woes

I'm writing this at 2am on a Monday morning. That introduction should tell you that I have a biiiiig, gigantic problem. 

I've taken herbal sleeping pills and managed 1 hour of sleep. 

Our builder has left us with a wreck of a house. After nearly 3 months of excuse after excuse as to why he hasn't finished a single job he'd been paid for, we decided to withhold payment. His wife emails to say she can't feed her ADHD 11 year old son and they have bills to pay. We have paid him more money per week than we earn as full-time employees and he tells us he has no money? 

 

We have paid him for every single job and he has failed to complete a  single one. I've had to change the locks and kicked him off the job. Now we have to get quotes for completing his work. It's just been one big nightmare. 

Four-years natural

My four-year natural hair journey passed last month.

I don't think I have made much progress, but then I've not measured. I'm not feeling like I've made progress though. The hair in the middle of my hair feels as dry and as brittle as before.

Doing a length check tells me that my hair is no longer than my collarbone.

I'm also living with my in-laws so it makes it difficult to do hair stuff, particularly as I'm a little shy about them knowing about my blogging and vlogging.

Long time no blog

Gosh! It's been ages since I last posted an update. If you haven't already, subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I'm more likely to post an update first.

Lots of things have happened since, so I don't even know where to start!

I got married! Yeah me! and my new husband of course.

Erm....we went on honeymoon to Florida, which was super cool. We hired a car and and spent a few nights in various Florida cities. Tampa, was a busted flush. We stayed in the Intercontinental Hotel in the middle of the business district. A nice hotel, but not really tourist friendly. There is a shopping mall not far away which has a Macey's and a few other things.

Weird story. I went into Macey's to buy my dad a watch. Bearing in mind we had spent £000s on our wedding, I was not inclined to spend money I didn't have. Basically, I was on a budget. However, I was prepared to spend money on a nice watch for my dad. Anyway, after perusing the various glass encased array of watches, I was approached by a sales person who asked me what I was looking for. I said I was looking for a watch for my dad. The sales person made some suggestions - some at the high-end and then when they saw my eyebrows knit together in rejection, they recommended a watch at the very lower end. Affronted, I said I would come back later. To which the salesperson said, I could use an EBT card. Now, as I'm not American, I don't exactly know what an EBT card is, but I'm assuming it's something to do with welfare as I've heard and read about it in the context of welfare only. Even more annoyed, I politely said I was no longer interested in a watch and walked away.

Anyway, back to Tampa generally - I think we arrived at the end of the season so it was completely dead. We did go to Tampa zoo and I got to feed the giraffes. That was about the only good thing that happened in Tampa. It was also cold, so not great.

After three days, we left Tampa and went to Naples - a town more for the retired and wealthy and white rather than for a young interracial couple. I felt completely out of place. Our hotel was the Bella Sara. A perfectly nice hotel and not too far on 5th Avenue is a parade of shops, some selling  rather gaudy faux-Italian furniture and housewares. We came upon a cafe which was run by a Scot and had breakfast there every other day.

Next - Miami. I was completely underwhelmed. Firstly, it has plenty of glittering skyscapers, majestic and apologetically jutting into clear blue skies. Plenty of riverside homes, nestling peacefully and as  far away as it can from the poverty that mars the city and as far away as possible from the wealth on display and even more poverty to counter it.

Last on the list was the Florida Keys - Islamorada specifically. That was great. It's a typical sea-side town, a mix of hippy, old world and new.

Anyway, back to reality.
2015!
2014, we bought our first house and gutted it. So basically, we have no kitchen, bathroom, or livable space. Sounded like an excellent idea at the time to start from scratch, but I'm regretting it now. We moved in with my in-laws, who are super. I love them like I love my parents, but the toll of hemorrhaging money is really getting to me. The whole project take between 5-6 months and at the end, we have no money for furniture!

I'm trying to remember that at the end, we will have the house we want and not someone else's vision. And, that we have 3 properties, we're not in debt, we have a wonderful family and friends so life isn't bad. But I still feel in a funk.

I have made no resolutions because I failed to achieve any of the ones I made last year. I've lost my mojo and I'm annoyed at the funk I find myself in. Sigh, I really need a verbal slapping! LOL.

Anyway, that's my update.

Three-year natural hair growth and journey

It's my third year as a natural.

This year has been okay, but not great. I've gained thickness because I've managed to grow the hair around the top and sides of my hair to be long enough to reach the nape hairs, thus giving me the appearance of thickness. In other words, I have fewer layers.

I gave myself a 1-2 inch trim all around and I'm happier with my hair health overall. My hair in the crown is very brittle and dry still, but I've managed to retain the hair as much as I can. Unfortunately, I have areas that are literally 2-3 inches long.

This whole year, I've probably spent no more than 2 months out of protective styles. I've worn wigs all throughout this year and this definitely helped me retain and meant I wasn't playing with my hair all the time.
Overall, I'm happy, I just wish my hair was longer.

Cream of nature Argon oil conditioner + Trim

I've been using coconut oil as a deep conditioner recently. I have heard great things about the benefits of coconut oil for hair and I had at the start of my hair journey used it, however it made my hair feel really dry. I used vatika coconut oil and whilst it smelled lovely, it had very little coconut oil. I later on tried pure unrefined coconut oil and found that it drying as well.

Of course, looking back, my hair was fried and nothing would have worked to repair the damage.

I decided to experiment with this oil and so far have tried it just as it is, not mixed with anything, left in overnight and then shampooed.

Then last week, I tried it with Cream of nature Argon oil conditioner. The conditioner itself has very little argon oil in it, but combined with coconut oil, it's been great for my hair. I moisturised with a mix consisting of almond oil, water, conditioner and sealed with mango butter.  I also gave myself a half inch trim all round and my breakage has improved.

Normally, just a little manipulation results in breakage and this has reduced significantly.

I'll keep trying this and see what the progress is.

Split ends

I mentioned in the last post that I've been experiencing breakage, particularly small broken hairs. I imagine all of this is taking its toll on my strands, so I thought it would be a good idea to post the different types of split ends I've seen so far. All the pictures below are of splits from about 2 inches from the end of the hair shaft.

Mid strand split

Severe split end, split in 3 different places

Split in 2 different places at 1.5 inches towards the end of the hair shaft

This last one is of multiple splits but the hair hasn't actually separated.

So all in all, my hair is in a mess. Time for a trim and it looks like the trim will have to be at least 2 inches. 

Long time no blog

I haven't blogged for ages. Nearly 4 months since my last post.

I've been dealing with a number of personal issues which have made me neglect my hair all together.

Over the last 6 months, I've been experiencing breakage - small crescent shaped hairs or half an inch hairs. Where I get shedding I check the strand and can see half way down splits forming down the shaft and then right at the tip the strand separates into two parts.

My hair breaks when wet and dry, however  when  it's dry, provided it's moisturized it doesn't break as much.

Regime :

Deep condition with herbal essences beautiful ends conditioner or do an amla powder treatment.

Moisturize daily with s-curl and jbco

When I go to bed, I spritz with S-Curl and do chunky twists, but I found that during the twisting process, I get lots of small broken hairs.

I realised that recently I've focused on moisture but neglected protein all together.

Making a change.....

Last week I decided to do a hard core protein treatment with Aphogee 2 step protein treatment.  So far, I'm experiencing some improvement, but the ends are still breaking. I stopped using S-curl and now moisturize with jbco and almond oil. I spritz my hair with water and conditioner and this has helped somewhat.

I'll keep monitoring the situation to see if I experience any improvements.

My crown

My crown area is still much shorter than the rest of my hair and is the most brittle I'd neglected that area too and I can see that the hair is really uneven and just running my fingers through it (gently) sees my fingers coming away with broken hairs.

So, the lesson? Get my moisture and protein balance right.

I big chopped!

I'm now fully natural after getting rid of my texlaxed ends.

I am however experiencing dryness and breakage which I'll investigate in more detail.

Post Senegalese twists - hair maintenance

So I've taken down my senegalise twists after 6 months. My hair has grown nicely - not as long as I'd like but long enough to make me feel my efforts weren't in vain.

Tips:

When taking out your braids, always make sure you detangle each piece of hair. You can use conditioner or main n tail detangler, which is a staple for me.

My routine for my natural hair after box braids is to:

1) Do some nice chunky twists
2) Deep conditioning treatment starting with a hot oil treatment. My favourite is almond oil as it's great for dry hair
3) Heat up in a bath of hot water. Don't microwave or you'll kill all the vitamin e which is a key ingredient in almond oil.
3) After coating your hair with oil, wrap your hair with cling film/saran wrap
5) Shampoo with your twists still in
6) Deep condition with Motions CPR conditioner

After deep conditioning for a few hours rinse and moisturise with almond oil.
Check out my YouTube video

Supple feet

With autumn here and winter fast approaching, it's easy to let your feet go into hibernation, leaving crusty skin behind to snag on your bed sheets. Not me, I have a great routine for keeping my feet soft, supple and looking like they're summer ready.

Step 1 - Soak your feet in a bath of warm water for about 15 minutes. You might want to add either a moisturining body wash or some of your favourite oils. I recommend almond oil.

Step 2 -  Use a foot scrubber to get rid of the dead skin on your feet. Pay particular attention to your heels.

If you don't have a foot scrub, then create a mix with oil and sugar to create a sugar scrub and rub that all over your feet

Step 3 - Dry your feet and rub a thick petroleum based moisturiser all over your feet. Vaseline is a great choice, then wrap your feet in plastic, either use an old bag or some cling film/saran wrap. Pop on a pair of socks, which will help generate more heat and moisture and it also allows you to walk around the house without falling over.

Step 4 - Wash your feet with warm water and hey presto, lovely moisturised , soft feet

DIY clear plastic clutch with studded Adrinka symbol detail

Hello loves,

I've been in love with studs which are really big this season. As I have to save for my wedding, I don't have a lot of money to indulge in the latest trends, but I really wanted something with studs. So, why not indulge my love of studs, clutches and Adinkra symbols?

I decided to go with the Gye Nyme symbol which means - except God (I fear no body except God)

Several hours, pin pricks and blood drops later (from pressing in the studs) I finished this creation.

Not bad eh?

Kente print pillow dress

I decided to make a kente print pillow dress for my friend's daughter. I cut up an old dress when I purchased in Ghana and remade it into a kente print dress.

When life hands you lemons - use them to brighten your skin

I'm absolutely in Love with lemons for the skin. Lemons are a great way to brighten the skin and reduce the appearance of dark marks or skin discoloration.

Lemons have vitamin c which have antioxidant properties and help produce collagen - a key ingredient for binding skin cells. The other benefits are that they help reduce discolouration, reduce acne and reduce oiliness.

You can either use processed lemon juice or fresh lemon juice. I use both interchangeably but fresh lemons are best.

Night time application.

To help improve skin appearance, I wash my face with a Simple face wash and then apply lemon juice to clean cotton wool and apply it all over my face. I leave it to dry for 5 minutes and finish off with vitamin E oil, or almond oil which has vitamin E oil. For night time, I always make sure I carry out my face wash and moisturising regime a few hours before bed to ensure absorption and to avoid loosing all my good work to pillows which suck up all the moisture in my face.

Day time application

It's important that if you apply lemon juice to your face during the day, that you apply a moisturizer with SPF 10 minimum. Lemon juice is acidic and  going out into the sun without adequate protection could result in even darker discolouration. If you're not sure, I'd suggest you only apply lemon juice at night,