Body Image and Weight

Hello All!

It has been a while since I have done a "deep thinking" type post. This one is about body image and weight.

To start off, I want to state a few facts about myself. I'm 5' 9" . I weigh 270 pounds . I have been dancing since I was four. I am very comfortable with how my body looks.

I have had people tell me that I need to cover my arms because people don't want to see them.

Let's take a step back here... OTHER PEOPLE want ME to cover my arms because OTHER PEOPLE are offended by their appearance. I think my arms look fine.  I get hot easily, so I wear sleeveless shirts . I don't wear skin-tight clothing (actually I prefer loose clothing because it Keeps me cool), I don't wear terribly revealing clothing either, SO what's the problem.

I would say that I have a good body image, meaning I can accurately see how I appear . I Know that I am overweight. I know that I need to lose about 100 Pounds. I also Know that I can still dance circles around many people out there.

This doesn't mean that other people should be able to dictate how I should feel about what I wear. I wear things that make me feel good. End of story.

One of the most insulting backhanded compliments I have received is: You are too good a dancer (singer, actress , etc.) to look the way you do.

What does my appearance have to do with how I sound, or how I comunicate an emotion to an audience ? It shouldn't matter. But it does.

Thanks for that, by the way. I'm glad you think I am better than my appearance led you to believe.

I guess my point is that I'm tired of other people assuming I have a warped body image because I am fat. My body Image is fine. Thank you for your concern.

Talk at y'all later!

Vegan Food is yummy!

Yummy vegan food pictures

Here are more pictures of food I ate way back in October.  I hope you enjoy!

I came, I cooked, I ate

It was tasty!

Hi all! this is a post I meant to post 2 months ago but never did. I can't remember exactly what all of these foods are, but they are all vegan and they were all very tasty. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

Stay tuned for some more posts in the next few days of beauty favorites and empties.

October Empties Part Three

Part these of October Empties

147. Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Olive Oil Conditioner 2 FL oz 

I absolutely love this conditioner. I have used several sample sizes of different products from this brand. This is one of my favorite products from this brand. The smell is amazing. It makes my hair super soft and very shiny and doesn't leave it way down. However this company is owned by Procter and Gamble and is therefore not cruelty free. It is also ridiculously expensive and doesn't last very long on my long hair. I will not be repurchasing.

148. CH Facial Soap (sample size)

I got this facial soap from a hotel (I think in Chicago) several years ago. The soap how Has a citrus scent and cleansed my face and hands very well. I'm not sure the brand or the ingredients but I do not believe it is cruelty free.

149. Elf Shine Eraser Oil Blotting Sheets (50 count)*v

this is one of my favorite products from ELF. I believe I have bought about ten of these so far. I keep one in my purse, one in my car, one by my bed, and a couple in my bathroom. I use these mostly in the summer when it is very hot and I tend to get oily. It takes one or two sheets to do my whole face, but it really does get rid of the oil that breaks down my facial makeup. This extends my makeup from 2 o'clock in the afternoon until about eight at night. I will keep buying these as they are the cheapest and best working well blotting sheets I have been able to find. I also love the elf website because most of their products are vegan (except for their $1 makeup brushes) almost all their tools are vegan. Also, these cost $1. Nothing beats that!

150. Harajuku Lovers Lil' Angel Eau de Toilette  (coty inc) 10 ml (.3 fl oz )

Lil' Angel reminds me of coconut and fruit. It's a very summery perfume and very girly and fun. It also has a little bit of a hard edge to it, but nothing that is musky. its still a bright and light sent. I absolutely adore the Harajuku Lovers line because they look like little dolls. Each outfit is different and each little girl is different. I only own one other, G, but I will not be repurchasing any others. Coty inc. is the company that produces these perfumes. Because of their products being sold in China, they must have their products tested on animals. Therefore even though they wish to be a cruelty free company, they are selling their products in China where their products have to be tested on animals and are no longer cruelty free. Until they refused to sell in China I will not be purchasing this product again. If that doesn't bother you however, this is a wonderful perfume and a highly recommended on scent alone.

151. Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator. 5 oz

I have used this product before. While it hydrates quite well, the smell is offensive on my face. I don't like the way it makes my face feel when I first put it on. After it is soaked into my skin and makes my skin feel wonderful though. Clinique is not a cruelty free company and I will not be purchasing this product.

152. Desert Essence Organics Red Raspberry Conditioner 8 fl oz  (237 ml) * v

This is one of those products that I really loved when I first started using it. It made my hair smell really great and conditioned my hair quite well. After I had been using it for several weeks I noticed that my hair began to get tangled more and was becoming weighed down. This conditioner makes my hair knot horribly and look dirty. When I bought it they were buy one get one half off so I bought two. I won't use the second one until I run out of all of my good conditioners. The good thing about this product is that it is cruelty free and vegan. And I can find you at my local grocery store. I will not be repurchasing this product.

153. Fekkai Advanced Brilliant Glossing Olive Oil Shampoo 59 ml (2 FL oz)

Like the conditioner at the top of this post, this shampoo is amazing. It makes my hair smell wonderful and it makes it shiny and brilliant. However it is not cruelty free and I will not be repurchasing it.

October Empties Part Two

This is a continuation of my October Empties

The next six products are all cleansing cosmetics. The soaps are all from hotels.

141. Jāsön Color Protect Henna Pure Natural Conditioner 16 oz (454 grams) * v
This is one of those products I really wanted to like, but ended up absolutely hating. When I first put Henna in my hair in January, the color faded completely within a few weeks. In October, I re-henna-ed my hair and it has lasted much longer, partly because of this conditioner. I think this product was key in Keeping my henna from fading , However, the smell of this product is One of the most disgusting smells I've ever had in my hair. I have really long hair, so I use a LOT of Conditioner. I've used the Jāsön brand in the past and always found the scents of their products to be overwhelming , yet pleasurable. this one was overwhelming and made me want to gag. So, even though this is a natural and Cruelty free product, I will not be repurchasing this because it smelled terrible.


142. Holiday Collection Moisturizing Facial Soap (Jergens Mild) sample size
this is one of those products that I got from hotel when I was staying there several years ago. I'm not sure which hotel it was from and I'm not sure exactly what was in it but it cleaned well. Jergens is Not a cruelty free company, so I will not be purchasing from them in the future.

143. purity Basics French Milled facial Soap sample size

This was another Hotel soap. I do not believe that is cruelty free. It cleaned well but was very small so it only lasted 3 or 4 washes. Will not purchase In the future.

144. Bausch & Lomb Bio True Multi-Purpose Solution 10 Fl oz (296 ml)

another contact solution bottle. I will not be repurchasing this in the future as I have found a vegan replacement for my contact solution.

145. Tom's of Maine simply while fluoride Toothpaste in Clean Mint , 9 oz (25g) **v

So this is one of those products that's kind of conflicting. Tom's of Maine is a cruelty free brand and this toothpaste is vegan. But, they were bought out by Colgate-Palmolive a couple of years ago. I don't feel completely right buying from a company that's money is going directly to one of the largest companies in the world that tests on animals. However, this was a free sample of toothpaste my mom  got with a magazine. My mom didn't want it so she gave it to me. I took it with me a few times on trips because it was a sample size. I loved this toothpaste. The whitening effect was subtle but bright, and the taste was wonderful. It wasn't an overpowering mint taste but it was still clean feeling afterwards. I will not be repurchasing this product because it is not ethical in my opinion of what is actually cruelty free.

146, Proterra Marine refreshing bath and body bar

this is one of those products that I've never been able to find the information for. This whole line of bath products is made specifically for hotels and bed and breakfasts and cruise lines. All I know is that I cannot find the information for ingredients. I do not believe this is cruelty free.

* denotes cruelty free 

** denotes cruelty free with a non cruelty free parent company 

v denotes vegan product

BOLD denotes a product i would repurchase. 

My October Empties. See the previous post for the first six and the next post for the last seven. 

New Years Resolutions 2015

Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a fantastic start to the year 2015!

Every year I come up with some resolutions, but I don't usually stick to them. This year is going to be different because I will have people holding me accountable.

1. #handstand365
This is a challenge to do a handstand every day for the entirety of the year 2015. I can't do a handstand at all really, so I'm starting out by doing them against the wall until I can build up enough strength to do them on my own. I am posting my progress pictures on instagram  (I am @knittingopera ) if you want to follow my progress.

2. Eat one completely raw meal every day
I have not been eating enough fruits and vegetables.  This would ensure I would without too much trouble. I didn't do it yesterday or today... but I will tomorrow!

3. Lose 25 lbs/ weigh < 250 lbs
I didn't lose any weight last year. I didn't gain any either. This year I want to change that. Hopefully the first two will help me achieve this.

4. Write in my journal every day
Instead of only writing once every few weeks, I wish to get back into the practice of writing every single day. No matter what.

That's it for my resolutions this year. What are yours?