How I Lost 16 Pounds By Shopping: A True Weight-Loss Story!

The following actually happened and it is one of my favorite stories to share. Of course you need a little bit of money to do this fitness acitivity and you should be careful about not going bankrupt (Rebecca Bloomwood, anywone???).

 image: stargatecinema. From the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. Based on the bestselling book by Sophie Kinsella. Rebecca Bloomwood is played by Isla Fisher.

The main fitness tip:
Shop, shop till you drop. Shop for dresses, as it does help with your calories when you keep changing clothes. The more you try, the more calories you lose. The more calories you lose, more dresses fit. You feel better and sexier and get encouraged to wear more clothes. Tinier clothes fit. Before you know, you are trying and buying smaller sized clothes and well...at the end of a couple of months, you have a brand new gorgeous wardrobe and a thinner new you.

Warning: 
This fitness method might harm your finances if you don't watch it and I managed this weight loss in the summer. I wasn't dieting, but I eat much less in the summer than in winter. The heat crushes your appettite.

The story:
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My first year at university just sucked. There is no other way to put it. I had worked hard to get in and it had taken an extremely boring final high school year with a lot of studying around me and some really annoying health problems. On the surface, it was nothing serious. I had a cold. The problem? I constantly had a cold! Imagine spending 2 school terms with mild fever (nothing dangerous but just high enough to keep you agitated), lack of energy and constant headaches. You might think the problem was psychological and yeah, I’d have to agree. But knowing where your problems are coming from doesn’t do you any favors if you can’t change the conditions causing them. So I took  a lot of painkillers (don’t panic, just a couple a day, as suggested by the doctor, when the symptoms were there). Of course they made it a little easier to study but hey, their effects were very short-term.

Long story short, I got into a really good school. By then, I had a different problem. No matter how carefully you stick to your doctor’s instructions, the effects of the pills presented themselves in the shape of chronic stomach pain and nausea, even though I hadn’t been taking anything for months. I could watch what I ate, but then when I got nauseous, anything made it worse. And of course it was stress related as well, again. Because while my school was OK in educational areas, it was far from satisfying in social areas and for me, having fun is everything. So now I had another two terms feeling constantly sick. Now, during school, with a lot of hours and coursework and exams, you can hardly go healthy. But in the summer,  it is much easier to feel full on less food and stay away from greasy stuff. So I stayed away from grease and any type of heavy food. So I ate a lot of grilled stuff, fruit and ice-cream. Yep, ice cream felt a lot easier than muffins and cake. It has a lot of milk and it is nutritious. And obviously, I didn’t need coffee or tea (who needs to stay up to study?). This was the diet.

As for the shopping:

Obviously you don’t spend a lot of money when you are sick. So let’s say that I had some cash to burn, a healthy diet I was instinctively on and as a girl I am naturally addicted to shopping.

Anyway, guess what? I signed up for an Italian course, ate healthily and shopped, shopped till I dropped that summer. The fitter I got, the more clothes looked great on me and the more gorgeous I looked, the more clothes I tried. You get my brilliant cycle. At the end of two months ( eating as much ice-cream as I wanted- though obviously I didn’t eat a gallon a day), I had lost about 16 pounds. I was happy with a whole new wardrobe and no stomach problems whatsoever. Yes, the following term I slowly put back on the pounds slowly  but that has do with coffee, tea, chocolate and the oh-so-familiar vicious cycle of binge eating during studying. 

The moral?

The lesson is obvious: Try to stay away from stress, find a “fitness” activity you love and enjoy yourself. This results in lost pounds without any felt effort on your part. Give it a shot. You won’t regret it.

The Essential Yet Impossible Tiny Clutch

 image via: catwalkfashion.co.uk



Impossible isn't nothing. It is  well...surviving the big city life with a tiny clutch, trying to fit everything you need inside. Without making the bag explode or making it look like the original's bloated and ugly cousin...

I love a beautiful clutch to complement that tiny little dress. The problem is what the hell can I possibly fit in inside these stylish jokes for a bag?

Sure, if you live in the Manhattan, like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and The City - where everywhere worth going is a cab ride away - clutches won't be an issue. But if you were watching the show, you probably noticed how Miranda wasn't traveling in a cab from Brooklyn to Manhattan? Being able to afford cabs is one thing, but even a hotshot attorney can't take a cab everyday when it is that far away.

So what if you are living in a city full of New Jersey's and Brooklyns and all the good parties are in the Manhattans? You can't seriously afford a taxi everytime you wanted your perfected looks to remain perfect (unless you become a bestselling author and marry your financial whiz boyfriend like Carrie).

Now, here is the thing. I can handle struttering and dancing in high heels but walking in them through many blocks? Changing busses and using various transportation methods while you are in them? In extremely hot or cold weather???

Yes, I know the topic isn't heels but this is what happens: first, you let the heels go if you want to use your legs for hours. Then goes the tiny clucth, because you are going to spend a lot of time walking and commuting, so you will need your emergency make-up removal kit, as well as the extra sweater/shirt you will need. So what you need to carry to survive is no longer a clutch but  a decent-sized bag.

And what if you are a freelance writer/blogger who carries his office equipments with her all the time (the netbook, notebook, pens...). And you suddenly get an invite from a friend to go dancing. There isn't enough time to go back home so your ideal sexy dress/heels/clutch combo is suddenly comfortable outfit/boots/a giant bag. Nope, Carrie wouldn't be proud...

Possible Solutions:

* Move to a smaller city/town where walking to the clubs take 30 minutes or a 5-minute cab ride. I am actually speaking from experience. I lived in a small town in Norway for a year. The clutch and heels were no problem. But of course you still needed a coat and well, there weren't that many clubs.

* Move to California

The clubs are decent and you can't really survive without a car- especially if you'll be living in L.A.

*Move to a flat near the clubs. But sleeping might be a problem...

What to do you think? Have you perfected the art of being perfectly sexy with the right accesories in the big city? Or are you suffering from similar problems?

Embracing Your Inner Bridget Jones for Your Peace of Mind

This article is for many women, including me: Extra weight, bad habits and bad luck in our romantic lives is something most of us have in common with each other and the book/movie character Bridget Jones. So we might as well have fun with it.

I haven’t read the Bridget Jones books (Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason) by Helen Fielding, but I have seen the movies. There is a big chance you read and/or saw Bridget Jones or at least heard about it. Even if you haven’t, here is what Bridget is like:  

 * Don’t think that being a smoker always kills one’s appetite. Bridget smokes and she is well, not skinny. At all. In the movies, she is played by Renée Zellweger. She is skinny in her regular Hollywood life and movies, but she gained about 28 pounds (13-14 kg.s) for this role.So Bridget is a plump yet (plainly) pretty girl who I pretty much like the rest of us. I mean, I don’t wake up to look like the made-up, red-carpet version of Nicole Kidman. Do you?

* Bridget is romantically very unlucky, until she falls for Mr. Darcy. Mind you prejudices and pride get in their way for the most of the first movie’s duration. And yes, Bridget Jones has been inspired by Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice.

*

She does have a loving relationship with fast food and booze.

-         When she does exercise, it is usually not with the greatest of plans.

-         She doesn’t have the perfect hair.

-         She is not a great cook.

-         She might go into a buying frenzy for self-help books but she hasn’t been known to apply their tips.

-        She makes lots of resolutions. But can she follow them? Not often, no.

But most importantly, I am underlining the fact that she eats when she is depressed, her attempts at a healthy diet and lifestyle are usually either futile or short-lived, she has many embarrassing moments and she is couple of sizes larger than she actually wants to be.

I am not saying that by accepting the inner Bridget we will find our own Colin Firth – (sorry I was supposed to say Darcy;)) but we will at least acknowledge our funny weaknesses and we won’t feel alone.

So while the spirit of Bridget (in us) will never die, we can maybe be at least a little fitter and a little more charismatic than her.  And maybe we don’t have to kill ourselves exercising in the process...

Hunting for the Best Lipstick

Finding the best lipstick is proving to be a quest as challenging and difficult as finding your soul mate. I mean, if you have found the affordable, staying (literally staying) lipstick, please spare me the pain and let me know immediately. I don’t want to try and find tricks that make the lipstick stay longer (these tricks are never reliable anyway). I want it to stay, and I want it to fade away slowly, not fade in parts only to make my lips look like a joke.

Here are my favorite and not so favorite lipstick and lip care experiences:

-          Nivea Cherry Lip Care

  

         Only if this wasn’t something temporary. The color, smell and the taste are all great but of course it only makes your lips colorful until you take a sip or bite out of something. Then your lips go pale and “the cherry” is all over your food and/or glass. I don’t want my lipstick/balm to leave stains on stuff!

-          Maybelline Watershine

        Great colors, easy to apply and very, very short staying time. Plus, they do leave their marks on your glass.

-          MaxFactor Lipfinity

 

         MaxFactor Lipfinity series lipsticks have so far been my favorite- as they do tend to stay. But the problem is, sometimes after you have eaten, the lipstick fades totally in parts making like your lips just got attacked. And unless you came out a really hot making-out session, your lips shouldn’t look like that. There is also the issue that because they stay, you need to travel with make-up removal equipment in case you make a slight application error and you do develop a permanent attachment to the lip balm the lipstick comes with because your lips feel overly dry.

-          Loréal Glam Shine – 6 hours

        The problem with this one is that it does stay quite a bit, including on your teeth. No matter how carefully you apply them and wait for them to try, the bits find their way to your teeth. My lips don’t look that sexy when they are bare but they sure look better than colorful lips that come with pink teeth.

     What make-up brands do you use? Do you have tips that work with these brands? Do you have suggestions for other products? Write on. And if you have found the perfect lipstick that costs $100, also let me know. If it is worth it, we will splurge.

Eating Habits: What are your strenghts and weaknesses?

Oh, how I hate dieting. Even though I developed some stomach problems a couple of years ago, I still prefer taking medication to prevent nausea rather than staying away from all the unhealthy stuff, which are mostly delicious.

But of course just like many people, I have very healthy and non-fattening habits that come naturally to me. And by naturally, I mean I don’t consume some foods and drinks because I genuinely dislike them.

So here is a list of my natural strengths and weaknesses. Please share yours too.

Weaknessses:

Chocolate. This is weakness number one. I just love how it tastes. One of the best movie experiences was watching Johnny Depp’s Chocolat with some chocolate bars in hand.

Chips: I can live without them but hardly anything  beats watching a fun movie with chips in the winter.

Ice-cream: Ice-cream makes summer much more fun and when it is scorching, it makes it bearable.

Coffee: I am a writer. And I love the taste. Enough said.

Cookies & cakes: Yes, I like them.

Cocktails: I am a Sex and The City girl. What did you expect?

Pizza: Love it!

Strengths:

Come on, I am not only the nightmare of a fitness trainer. I have some good habits:

Beer: I hate it. I can’t stand the smell or the taste of it.

Wine: It has some good qualities. A glass of wine every two, three days is supposed to good for your heart. But, I can’t drink it.

Whisky: Yucks! What can I say? I am a tequila and vodka person. And occasionally gin.

Grease/oil/fat: I hate too much grease and fat. I can’t even stand the taste of fat in milk, hence the love for non-fat milk and yoghurt products.

Salt: Don’t like it. Yes, I can’t avoid it in chips but I rarely add any extra to my meals either.

Cream: I hate it.

Fuzzy Drinks: Can’t stand them. Unless I absolutely have no choice, I stay away from them.  They make my throat hurt and my stomach doesn’t appreciated the “fuzz”.

….

What’s the point in my sharing my eating virtues and sins? Well, we all have good and bad eating habits that shape the way we look.  The list of weaknesses will give you an idea about where you should be cutting back. I probably can’t cut back on chocolate (I just can’t- enroll me if there is such a thing called C.A (Chocolateaholics Anonymous) ) but I can work on eating pizza less, have fewer chips and cocktails are too darn expensive anyway. Or alternatively, we can just eat and then work it out. Nope, I know I can make any nutritionist and diet expert cry…