Little Black Dress Or A Little Chocolate Cake?

How many of us are guilty of fasting a bit before we go shopping for a new outfit? New Year’s Eve is almost upon us and those of us who haven’t yet bought an outfit are scrambling to put something together. We want to look our best and there is all sorts of pressure for that to mean no little belly pooches in our short and flirty clothes.

There is more to a New Year’s Eve party than the clothes. There is also food, champagne, and good friends. There is laughter and maybe even a little dancing. I want to look good in whatever I’m wearing even after a few finger foods and a few glasses of champagne, so why would I buy a dress that only looks good on an empty stomach?

That is the realization I had yesterday while pondering whether to have a piece of leftover chocolate cake that I didn’t get to eat on Christmas when I was dealing with the stomach flu. Yesterday was the first day I had been able to manage solid foods and I really wanted the cake. “But I have to fit into a cute dress!” went through my head more than once, but then I started thinking about the conversation Lindsay and I had in the sauna after our boot camp workout when I was visiting North Carolina.

We talked about enjoying life and how that doesn’t have to mean never eating dessert ever again. We talked about real balance not being on either extreme of the spectrum from slothfulness to over-exercising.

So I made my decision, I had the cake.

The balance? I had it after a nutritious meal of Garlic Rosemary and Citrus baked tempeh with broccoli, made with Stonewall Kitchen marinade/dipping sauce. It was delicious!

It was also a pretty big accomplishment because Joe had offered to order dinner for me while he was out with a friend and that was super tempting. But I wanted that cake and reminded myself that balance meant I could only have one.

Today I had two smoothies (one for breakfast with Arbonne vanilla protein powder, almond milk, spinach and a banana and one for lunch with Arbonne vanilla protein powder, almond milk, fresh cranberries and a banana) and then a salad for dinner out at b.good in Boston. Another good balance, if I do say so myself. I also spent an hour shoveling snow and an hour digging out my car today, so lots of great exercise. The result?

I found my dress for New Year’s Eve and it fits like a glove! It isn’t a little black dress, but there will be plenty of time for that when I’m in Vegas, right? P. S. I cut my head off to make the photo fit in Instagram world.

As happy as I am that I found this great dress in a size that made me super happy, my work isn’t done. Another thing Lindsay and I talked about at length is being true to my voice as a blogger. You all know that I think mental health, nutrition, and fitness are inseparable and that I truly found my happiness when I started taking care of myself. Since losing almost 100 lbs, I am honestly like a new person. Or rather, I’m like the person I was always meant to be. That said, I’m not yet at my “goal” weight/size. I am still hoping to shed some of my excess weight in 2013 and I know what I have to do to get there.

I saw a comment on a facebook post today and was inspired by the commenter’s attitude. I can’t remember it exactly and I can’t find it now, but the essence of what she said was, “I gained a few pounds over the holidays, but that doesn’t really bother me because I know how to deal with it now and it doesn’t stick around for long.”

It reminded me of what Lindsay said to me in the sauna. She said, “That’s what we all want, right? To eat cookies and still look good.” That’s exactly what we all want! We just have to work for it, but we can absolutely eat dessert and still look good.

For me that means stepping up my game and luckily Jess is hosting a Diet Bet that I can definitely get behind! Introducing the Run Your A$$ Off Weight Loss Challenge from Run with Jess!

The challenge is through Diet Bet, which I’m new to but absolutely love so far. For this challenge each entrant antes a bet of $10 and works to lose 4% of their starting weight in 28 days. Everyone who meets that goal gets to split the pot! That means that as long as you meet your goal you don’t lose any money and you have the chance to win more! Pretty awesome, huh? I particularly love that it’s really hard to cheat at this one. You’re required to take a photo of you weighing in on your scale as well as a photo of the scale’s readout immediately after. I’m sure you could cheat, but the setup certainly goes a long way to discourage it.

If you’re looking to lose some weight this year, definitely check out all the details at Run with Jess or just go ahead and sign up! You have nothing to lose (except 4% of your weight).

I also have another great opportunity for you. I promised you that this wouldn’t turn into a place where I try to push Arbonne products and I stick by that, but I do want to share special deals with my readers.

Arbonne has a detox/cleanse called 30 Days to Feeling Fit and if you purchase it today or tomorrow, you will be entered into a raffle for $100 of Arbonne products (from any of their lines, not just wellness).

The kit includes 2 Protein Shake Mixes (Vanilla or Chocolate), 2 Energy Fizz Tabs (Citrus or Pomegranate), 2 Fit Chews (Chocolate or Caramel), 2 Herbal Detox Teas, 1 Daily Fiber Boost, and 1 Feeling Fit Guide. The guide provides a daily meal plan, sample shake recipes, healthy whole food options and more. It really is a great deal at $289, especially when compared to other detox and cleanse kits.

If you’re interested in ordering (and securing your spot in the raffle) email me and I’ll hook you up! In the meantime I’m off to re-do my nails for New Year’s Eve and watch a movie with Joe. Enjoy your evening!