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lakitiamarie

lakitiamarie

WARNING - Watch out for 3D Films!!

Every now and then I get some of the craziest articles, pictures, or emails. This is one I had to share with you ladies.

Tell the truth shame the Devil

Cheese...why did I bother??

my bloated belly :*(

Recently my niece left to return home with my sister. While she was here I started experimenting with my diet so the grocery shopping didn’t change completely. Well now that she is gone there are a few things I need to get rid of but I hate to waste food. So last night I decided to make queso from cheese that I bought specifically for her.

Now I could have just thrown it away but again I hate wasting food and ate the queso anyway. Today I’m totally paying for it because now I’m bloated and miserable. Why did I bother? On this journey, I learned that eating dairy keeps me bloated and uncomfortable. This is a lessoned learned (again) and when I get home the cleaning of the refrigerator and pantries will start. Furthermore, my workout this morning wasn’t the best surely from eating the cheese last night.

On the bright side I did have a very good and healthy green lunch today. The salad was really good!

Salad: mixed greens, spinach, cucumbers, sprouts, olives, and avocado with my homemade chips and salsa on the side

Dressing: ginger soy

First Braidout of the Year!

It's been a long while since doing a braid out. This past weekend I wanted something different and since my hair was already stretched a braidout did the trick. For this look I lightly very lightly spritz each section with water, used a little conditioner, gel, and braided five plats. Simple!

Each section was pinned down before bed and I wraped my locks with a satin scarf. The next day I unbraided and fluffed with oil. Love the results!!

 This time around I opted for a side part instead of down the middle. Next I'll have to try the side part with my twist out.

From vegetarian, to pescaterian, to vegan, to raw vegan to…Part II

This is part two to my last post explaining the changes I’ve made in my eating habits. Since making these changes I’ve experienced very positive changes in my digestion, energy levels, and cardio activity. For starters my digestion is back on track which leads to constant elimination. Secondly, I’ve finally bust through my weight plateau and now weighing 134lbs with only 9 more pounds to go for reaching my goal weight. Thirdly, I’ve experiencing lots of energy I have no idea what do with and I’m loving it.

Raw until Dinner

This is a wonderful tip I’ve incorporated into my eating habit from the book “The Raw Food Detox Diet”. Simply put I eat fresh raw fruits and veggies for breakfast, lunch, and snacks all the way up to dinner. For dinner I’ll eat a “cooked” meal that follows the food combining rules. By making this very simple change has totally eliminated the “itis” that we experience after eating a big meal. Additionally, I feel light on my feet and energized throughout the day. No late afternoon naps sitting in front of my computer for me. Furthermore, my body is able to fully digest all the food I’ve eaten throughout the day and use it for energy. This leads to faster metabolism, weight loss, and regular elimination. When eating raw fruits and veggies I make sure to follow the food combining tips as well.

So you may be thinking I’m eating celery and carrots all day which is boring, right? Not necessarily but I do love to snack on carrots when I start to get cravings or feeling hungry in between meals. For a better picture of what I eat this is my food diary for today.

5:30am – workout Green Smoothie (fresh spinach, banana, tangelo, nutritional yeast, calcium supplements, flax seeds, water, ice)

7:30am – Green Smoothie or Fruit Smoothie (fruit smoothie has no veggies but at least 2/3 different fruits)

9:30am – Grapes and apples

12:30pm- Sandwich (Ezekiel bread, broccoli sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, mustard) Salad (green lettuce, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes, oil/balsamic vinegar)

3pm- apples and oranges

5pm – in the car on the way home- snack on baby carrots

7:30pm – dinner – tilapia, collards, asparagus

As you can see I get a lot of meals in the day which probably barely totals 1000 calories. Since my workout routines are intense I must increase my calorie intake and eat more fruits and veggies. For instance instead of eating 1 apple and 1 orange, I’ll eat 2 apples and 2 oranges. This is a mindset I have to get use to since calorie restrictions were the norm for me. Since I’m eating fresh raw fruits and veggies throughout the day I can eat a lot more and should eat more to make sure my body gets the calories it needs. The reason is that fruits and veggies have very small amounts of calories. Remember the body needs an adequate amount of calories to do simple functions like typing this post.

This eating plan has worked very well for me and saving my “cooked” meal for dinner works out perfectly. Eating a cooked meal for dinner allows me to have dinner with friends without feeling like an odd ball. Kiddie Kurls does not feel forced to my eating lifestyle, she’s only 10. However, I still face strong temptations when eating out because a lot of the fish dishes have some type of cream base. The few times I’ve caved to those dishes I immediately feel a difference in my body and start to regret it. Fish and steamed veggies do my body good and I have to remind myself to stick to the basics!

Stay tuned for my third post in this series. Remember to stay healthy and happy!

Accidental Mini Twists…I’m in love

As you know with my busy lifestyle and workout regiment co-washing my hair and wearing twists and twist-outs have become a staple. After co-washing I twist my hair in medium/large twists to wear my hair in a ponytail to air dry. Within a day or two I take the twists down and wear a twist-out.

Well about a week ago rain was predicted for the entire week so I decided to wear my twists smaller. The smaller the twist the longer the twists will last and make for a better looking ponytail without all the parts. While twisting in smaller sections I ended up with mini twists that I absolutely love.

Unlike most naturals it took me only an hour and half to twist my whole head. Why, because I have naturally thin hair. My hair was divided into four sections and I started with the back and worked my way to the sides and front. Honestly, I never thought about wearing mini twists because of my hair’s thinness but I love them. To me my hair looks really nice and full, plus, the twists are very versatile.

This style is perfect for my workouts and wearing them in a pony tail helps to stretch them. Unless I just really want to wear my hair out, this will take the place as my staple style for the summer. So far it’s only been four days and I plan to see how long they will last. At this point I’ll settle for two weeks of wear out of them.

As far as maintenance, I will maintain my normal routine. However, I may alter how I co-wash in order to prevent the twists from unraveling. Despite what happens I will keep you guys posted.

Ciao for now!!

From vegetarian, to pescaterian, to vegan, to raw vegan to???

The last couple of months I’ve experimented with different types of eating styles as you can see from the title. As a result, I finally burst through my year long plateau and lost a total of 10 pounds. So far I have gathered a lot of information about veganism and raw veganism. In order to fit my life style I decided to encompass all the different eating styles in one. Over the next few posts I will break down my reasoning in sections to prevent very lengthy posts.

No chicken, beef, or turkey just seafood

In order to stay sane and enjoy life I decided to keep seafood in my diet. Where I live there is not a lot of vegan or vegetarian restaurants assessable. To speak frankly, my man and friends have expressed several times they are not vegans. When eating out sometimes they will compromise and decide on a restaurant like Sweet Tomato. Sweet Tomato is a salad and soup bar and there is no meat on site. This restaurant is great and has saved me many times when eating out. These last few weeks I’ve noticed that most restaurants do not have a “vegetarian” option. A few times I find myself getting creative with ordering off the menu. For instance, if the dish has rice I’ll replace it with extra vegetables lightly steamed.

Living a vegan lifestyle can cause deficiencies in the diet such as a B-12 deficiency. B-12 is not found in vegetables so you will have to consume dairy or meat. According to Fit Day, B12 helps in maintaining the health of the nerve cell and the nervous system. The vitamin B12 is also needed for the synthesis of the red blood cells. It has been found to be very much needed for the growth and development of children. 

As a compromise because I do not want to consume chicken, beef, pork, or turkey, fish or seafood became the best option. Even though seafood is back in my diet, I do not eat it every day. Normally, I save fish for days my honey wants to take me out or hanging with the girls on the weekend for dinner.

No dairy or sugar

In 2005 when I had a personal trainer assisting me with my weight loss goals, one tip he gave me was to stay away from cheese. He stated that cheese adds fat to the waistline. All these years later did I follow his advice, maybe but not all the time. But this time around, I plan to really stay away from cheese. Last year, during my no dairy/cheese challenge I ate soy cheese as a substitute. Well throughout my research I learned that casein which is found in milk can possibly lead to cancer.  One day I decided to check the ingredients of my favorite veggie cheese and casein was there. From that day forward I swore off of veggie cheese as well. Every now and I’ll fall victim to cheese but it’s real cheese and not the “vegan” version.

Additionally, I’ve stayed away from mayo, yogurt, and ice cream. Every now and then I’ll have a bowl of cereal but will drink almond milk instead of cow’s milk. By no means am I perfect so yes there are mishaps. When the mishaps happen I can totally notice a difference in my body because after consuming some form of dairy I’m immediately bloated and gassy.

These few changes discussed have made such an impact on my body. For one, at times I have more energy than I can deal with which is very new for me. One morning at work I was waiting for my cinnamon/raisin toast to pop up and I started doing one leg hops. Yes, for no apparent reason I started doing hops because I couldn’t keep still. Amazing! Stay tuned for more of the changes I’ve incorporated.

Ciao!

Quick Hair and Life update

These last couple of months has been really busy for me. Between my 9-5, my niece, my business, workouts, and balancing a healthy relationship my plate has been full. Despite being constantly on the go, I’m enjoying every minute of it. Taking care of two heads of hair hasn’t been easy because I’m dealing with my niece’s two textures. She arrived last year relaxed and I refused to give her a touch up. The plan is to slowly grow out her relaxer while she is here and my sister plans to keep her natural from there. In order to make sure both our heads are getting the proper attention I had to split up our wash days.

I must admit our wash days have not been consistent all the time and there were times I skipped a week but never to go beyond two weeks. My niece hair is thriving and growing beautifully; not to mention my hair which is doing quite well. This year I decided to switch up my routine and not focus so much on protective styling. About two maybe three months ago I gave myself a trim taking off at least an inch which setback my length goal. This doesn’t bother me because the health of my hair is the best it’s ever been. The two styles I love right now are two strand twists and twist outs.

Since I work out 5-6 days a week I have to wet my hair constantly. The two strand twists provides protection and an extra day for my hair to dry eliminating direct heat. Unfortunately, my hair does not dry over night unless I sit under the dryer for 20 minutes prior to going to bed. The next day I wear my twists in a side pony tail or bun with a headband or flower. Surprisingly, I love how my hair looks pull back and the twists are so convenient especially during my workouts. The day after I take the twists down for a twist out and it looks so pretty. So far this is my routine and it works for me which helps so much during my workouts. Soon I will post my daily upkeep of my twists and twists out while working out.

Until next time… Ciao!!

Bonus**
Check out RJ

Guess who burst through their plateau!

The title says it all and that’s right your girl burst through her plateau and I’m so excited. For a while now I’ve been researching proper eating habits and last year decided to become a pescetarian (vegetarian that eats fish). Since making that decision I cut out dairy products and sugar as well and experienced some results.

The turning point in my weight loss is when I increased my workouts to 6 days a week and read the book The Raw Food Detox Diet. If you haven’t read this book and trying to refine your eating habits then read this book. The book is not about a quick weight loss “diet” but is about a way of life that’s easy to follow. Well of course making a “change” can be difficult but nothing anyone cannot conquer and succeed at doing. This book will debunk a lot of myths about eating such as having a balanced meal with protein and carbs. With this book I learned about food combining for better digestion which takes away carbs from your meal when eating protein. Some tips I learned about food combining are: do not eat protein with carbs, eat all fruit as its own meal, and any type of “melon” like watermelon should be ate alone.

The valuable tips I learned from this book helped me to burst through my plateau. Now I weigh 135lbs and I’m so excited. Soon I will post pictures but with everything going on I have not had time to slow down and take pictures. The goal is to take what I’ve learned from this book and research about veganism to devise a healthy eating plan for myself. Of course I will share this information with you in the future but for now take a look at some of the yummy foods I’ve enjoyed.

Raw Banana Ice Cream

Protein Shake and Raw Salad

Kale Chips - this is my FAVORITE!!

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

We will ALWAYS LOVE YOU!!

Gone but Never Ever forgotten!

TGIF!!

Well ladies, another work week has come and is almost gone. This was a long week for me and I'm looking forward to the weekend. This week I wore two strand twists and decided to let my hair down today. The twists are really holding up well during my workouts. The twists are helping me to keep my hair moisturize while giving me the freedom to enjoy my hair. Here are a couple of pictures

Have a good weekend!

Frustration = Venting Session

Right now I’m so frustrated with my lack of patience. Recently, I decided to switch my eating habits and become a pescetarian (vegetarian that eats fish). This is not a smooth or easy transition so I’ve been researching. Of course the main concern with a vegetarian or vegan diet is getting the proper nutrients which encourage my constant researching.

All this research has caused confusion on whether I should just go strictly vegan. This is a big step but for some reason I cannot find simple answers to my questions. One question I have concerns oil substitutions including olive oil. Today I watched the documentary “The Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue” which is a spin off from the documentary “Forks over Knives”. In this documentary olive oil is considered a non-healthy oil because of the saturated fats. Well I cook with olive oil like most people thinking it is a healthy choice and good for the heart.

If that was not enough the documentary also shows how some vegetarian substitutes I’ve grown to love is also un-healthy. Before watching this documentary the plan was to dedicate a post to these substitutes for others that are interested. With this information I cannot promote healthy eating with these particular foods. For example, Earth Balance spread was a butter substitution that I fell in love with. Well after paying closer attention to the label, I discover the spread is 100% fat. The spread is 80 calories per serving and the fat calories per serving are 80. The serving size is 1 tablespoon and I do not follow the serving size which means fat is constantly added to my meals. This is another eye opener courtesy of the documentary.

All in all, I need to practice patience and understand my transition may take some time. There is a lot to learn for guaranteeing a successful transition. Of course I know challenges will present themselves but DANG!

That’s the end of my venting session…

CG Method: The Handbook Review

Happy New Year!

New Year/New Hair Routine

Since November I’ve experimented with the “Curly Girl” method because my hair stayed dry and brittle for some reason. Before trying the method, I experimented with different sulfate free shampoos and still no change for some reason. In order to follow the method correctly I read the book by Lorraine Massey, “Curly Girl: The Handbook”. I will give a review and my thoughts on the book in a separate post.

Surprisingly, my hair has responded quite nicely to the method and it stays moisturized. From now on shampoo is no longer a part of my regimen including sulfate free shampoo. The one concern I had but did not experience was itchy scalp. Right before experimenting with the method my scalp was very itchy and dry but not since eliminating shampoo.

Another change in my regimen is how I detangle. Instead of four sections my hair is split down the middle and my fingers are used to remove tangles. Of course my hair is saturated with conditioner before detangling. When I jump in the shower to cleanse my scalp I continue to run my fingers downward to remove the rest of the shed hairs. At the same time, since I’m using a racking downward motion my curls are nice and define by the end.

This new method has shaved even more time off my wash day and it’s totally simple. After about a month and a half of this method, I was able to see a difference in the definition of my curls. Plus my twists out are starting to last longer. If you haven’t already try the method out or at least researched it to see if this is a possibility for you. Until next time…

Straight Hair for the Winter

Every year I straighten my hair in December because the weather is cooler with less humidity. This time I infused much needed moisture into my hair to help with the straightening process and avoid heat damage. The process was recorded but for some reason I’m having problems uploading the video. Once I figure out what’s going on I’ll post the video.

During the first week my hair did great until the rain started to creep in the forecast. To combat the humidity infringement when I walked RJ I wore a plastic cap. That seemed to work and my curls lasted all day. But at some point my hair did succumb to the humidity and it was frizz city. Since I was not ready to wash because my straight hair needed to last two weeks I used my flexi rods.

Flexi Rods

Using the flexi rods were very simple. First I moisturize my hair with ORS Olive Oil moisturizing lotion and added flexi rods to big sections. The next day I was amazed at the results because all the frizz was gone and I was left with bouncy curls.





For fun I decided to try bantu knots for the first time. The plan was to put my hair up into a pony tail but when I saw the results I decided against it.

The back seems flat because there was a section I retwisted back into the knot. The knot was left there for another 30 minutes for more definition.

Here is a picture of my hair straight and this is towards the end of the two week stretch. Unfortunately, I had to use my flat iron again because my initial plan to avoid it did not work. I will discuss further in another post.

Have a bless week!!