Weight Loss Confidential: The Egg Fast

Hey guys,
     As usual, I'm on my dieting grind and hoping to shed a few pounds. I've gained about 12lbs since the beginning of the year, mostly due to not having the time or energy to eat healthy. I had forgotten how hard it is to get back on the wagon after a long sugar filled hiatus. To jump start my weight loss, I tried a short term diet that has been coined as "The Egg Fast." I did five full days on this fast and lost around 7lbs. Sure, most of it was water weight, but what is my favorite thing about a low carb diet? How fast my belly goes flat. See the pic above if you want to admire my bloated gut in all of it's glory the night before I started the fast, along with the after pic.

What is The Egg Fast?
     The Egg Fast isn't exactly what it sounds like. It isn't fasting from eggs, but rather fasting from all foods EXCEPT eggs, cheese, and real butter. I would not recommend anyone to do this for longer than a week, as it gets pretty hard to stick to after about 4 full days, and you will only become frustrated, hangry, and will end up at the nearest soft serve ice cream machine. The diet requires that you eat at least six eggs a day, a tablespoon of real butter for each egg consumed, and a ration of cheese, up to 6oz a day. I would NOT recommend eating that much cheese, though. Dairy is known to stall weight loss, but a small amount is fine. I would recommend no more than 3oz a day.

The Science Behind The Egg Fast
Y'all know I'm a scientific gal, so I had to look up the facts behind this diet and why it works. Eggs are, and always have been, a staple food for all low carb dieters. If you follow this diet correctly, you'll consume around 10 total carbs in a day. If you're a new reader, please know that I think the idea of net carbs is bologna and it's just a way to market processed high carb snacks as "healthy." Always count your TOTAL carbs if you want to see faster results on the scale. Anyway, 10 carbs a day is an extremely low carb diet. You probably won't feel great on the first day and may even exhibit some signs of induction flu. These included, at least for me, joint pain, headaches, and bad breath. Just think of it as sugar rehab and you're having withdraw symptoms. The good news is that it goes away in a couple of days. You know what else happens in a couple of days? Your body starts running on its storage of glycogen since you are not giving it any sugar to run off of. What molecule binds to glycogen? That would be good old H2O. You got it, water is bound to glycogen. As your body starts to burn glycogen, you begin to lose water weight and start seeing the scale move pretty fast. I know that I have written multiple posts on what happens to your body when you are on a strict low carb diet, so I won't go into too much additional detail here. Just trust me when I say that your water weight has to come off first before the fat rolls start disappearin'.

In addition to being a low carb food, eggs are a great source of protein. When paired with the cheese and fat, you are ingesting a moderate protein, high fat, low carb meal. Do you know what moderate protein, high fat, and low carb equal? A process  called ketosis, aka FAT BURNING!

When your body goes into ketosis, the ketones in your blood stream act as an appetite suppressant, which will only aid in your weight loss. If you're new to low carb dieting and are unsure of how to get into ketosis, you can buy some testing strips on amazon for about ten bucks. When I was fat, I didn't know such a thing existed and I still lost 50lbs, so they are not required.

Would I Do The Egg Fast Again?
     Honestly, I think it is a good way to get back into the swing of dieting. If anything, I would recommend it as a stepping stone to drop a few pounds quickly and to give you the motivation and determination to continue with a healthy lifestyle and long term weight loss. I would also recommend this diet if you have hit a plateau and have not lost any additional weight despite maintaining a healthy diet. I don't recommend this diet as a way to lose a ton of weight. It is far too restrictive and far too bland for my taste. I read online that some people did an egg fast for 30 days and did lose a substantial amount of weight. That is just insane to me, but perhaps they had an unrefined palate and didn't miss delicious food. I just know that I am not about to find out if 30 days of eggs would make me a size 2.

I hope this post has been informative and provided some insight into my experiences with The Egg Fast. Should you have any questions, feel free to shoot me an email. Until next time.

Xoxo,
Bridget

Current Obsession: Homemade Salad Dressing

Guess who's back, back again...
Long time no post! Today is the day that I change your life completely. Okay perhaps that is a bit dramatic, but I am about to change the way you eat salads forever. I have been experimenting with homemade salad dressings for a while now. Some have proven to be delicious, while others would make a great drain cleaner.

Since I started making my own dressings, I cannot stand to eat anything out of a bottle. Every dressing, even ranch, tastes terrible. It's almost like I can taste the preservatives in it. Yuck! Thus far, this recipe is the best one I have came up with. It's equal parts tasty and easy, as well as a healthier alternative to bottled dressings. As always, this recipe is low carb. C'mon, would you expect any less from me?

Homemade Red Wine Vinaigrette 
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
Feta cheese
Salt-n-peppa to taste

I prefer this dressing on a salad made of baby spinach, but it tastes good on iceburg or romaine as well. I add the first three ingredients to a bowl and whisk them together, then I throw in a few crumbles of the feta cheese. The acid in the vinegar breaks down the cheese and adds a bit of creaminess to the salad. I usually will  add in red onions, green olives, and banana peppers with my spinach when I make this.. Of course, you could add more or less of the vinegar depending on your palate. Personally, I love dressings that have a bite to them, so if I'm feeling froggy in the kitchen, I may even do equal parts of oil and vinegar.

Let me know some of your favorite homemade salad dressing recipes. I would love to try out some new flavor combinations.

Xoxo,
B

Weight Loss Confidential: Tips for Discreet Dieting

Sup Ladies,

I haven't done a weight loss post in ages and this one is quite different from any other weight loss post I have written. Have you ever been in the situation in which you want to drop a few pounds, but you don't really want everyone to know about it? Sometimes if you mention to someone that you are cutting back on calories/carbs, then you may receive negative remarks from people who just want to be hateful a-holes. This is annoying not only for people who are larger, but also for the thinner population as well. "But you're skinny enough", "You look like you need to go eat a cheeseburger as it is" or the ever popular remark of "You're just going to lose water weight anyway" is not anything that I want to hear. How about you tell a sister good luck?! When I first started dieting, I didn't want anyone to know because I was afraid I would fail and then they would be sarcastic and ask me how my diet was going as I waddled to the kitchen for more cheesecake. That's when I came up with the idea of "discreet dieting." No one has to know that you are cutting back and then one day every notices that you are looking rather lean and wants to know what you did to get looking so bomb ass. That's when you tell them that you just lost a little "water weight" and moonwalk out of the room. 

1.) Never skip breakfast

Back when I was chunky and didn't really know how to effectively lose weight, I would skip meals all the time, then wonder why I had gained 5lbs even though I was staying hungry. You have to eat in order to lose weight. Now this doesn't mean that you need to go down to the local Waffle House and order a stack of butter pecan waffles. If you eat something high in protein early in the morning, you are not only going to give your metabolism the message of "Wake up biyotch and get to burning some calories," but you're also going to stay fuller and this may keep you from binge eating at lunch. I recommend eating something along the lines of a couple of hard boiled eggs, a grilled chicken breast, or a greek yogurt (check the carbs on these. They can hide a lot of sugar within them if you're not careful). If you're super busy, or you get out of bed about thirty minutes before work like I do, then you can always eat a protein bar on the way to work or even have a protein shake. Something is better than nothing... Unless that something is from Dunkin Donuts. 

2.) Pack your lunch

If you typically go out for lunch with friends and you go from ordering a Big Mac and Fries to ordering a side salad with no dressing, then not only is everyone going to notice and call you out on your actions, but you're also going to be extremely unsatisfied and more likely to cheat for dinner. What is easiest in this situation is to just go ahead and pack something at home and take it with you to work or school. If someone asks why you packed your lunch, just tell them you're trying to save money. Every time I have ever said that to anyone then they are like "Man, I need to be doing that too" and never question me again. But what should you pack for lunch? Well there are a few options here. Of course, you want something that is not only high in protein, but that is going to satisfy you until you get home for dinner. Some of my go-to meals for when I pack my lunch include homemade low-carb turkey meatballs (click the recipe tab at the top of the page to see how to make these), grilled chicken with sriracha (because I live for spicy food), a bag of cocktail shrimp, or a small salad with a ton of smoked ham and turkey. Anything that is not battered, glazed, fried, rolled, or breaded will be appropriate for lunch.

3.) Start an at home fitness routine

When I was about 50lbs heavier, I would always say "I want to work out but I don't want to go to a gym and look like the fat girl." I was pretty down on myself at the time and I was not confident enough to go let my fat jiggle where other people might see it. I was also scared I would see someone I know and then see them out somewhere else and then have them say "Oh, I saw you once at the gym. You should come back more often!" When you are not happy with yourself and feel fat, it is very, VERY hard to be confident enough to let anyone know that you are trying to get to a point in which you are happy with yourself. Whether it be the fear of failure, or the fear that someone is going to see that your ass sweat has soaked your yoga pants right down the seam, it is hard to deal with. Before I started going to Zumba classes, I started doing some easy workouts to help build my stamina. I did not want to be the fat girl in the back row panting for air and diet coke. I just went to Youtube and looked up some simple workouts that were slow paced enough for me to keep up. I did this for a few weeks before I gained the courage to finally go workout where other women were. One I finally went to Zumba, I was surprised to find that I was not the largest girl in the class. I was far from the smallest girl there, but most of the attendees were just about my size. This was very comforting to me and I was able to go through the entire one hour class without having to stop and take a break. I honestly believe if I hadn't already tried doing some of the workouts at home and built my stamina up, that I would not have been able to complete the class and I would have been too embarrassed to ever return. There is nothing wrong with starting to do a few workouts at home in private. I highly recommend this if you are thinking about joining any kind of fitness class and feel the way I felt before going to my first session. 

I hope these tips have helped anyone out who is hoping to drop a few pounds, but wants to do so in private and inconspicuously. Just remember that no one can make you feel bad about trying to get healthy and about trying to get to a point in your life in which you are happy with not only how you look, but how you feel. Don't let anyone judge you on your efforts or make you feel like you aren't doing the right thing. I had so many people telling me that I was doing a fad diet when I was low-carbing and that I wouldn't lose any real weight. A couple months later I walked in 20lbs lighter and everyone wanted to know how I was doing it because to them, it didn't look like I was doing much. Having a strong support system also helps. If you don't have anyone you feel comfortable enough to lean on with your weight loss journey, lean on me! I'm always so happy to hear from my readers and to give them the encouraging and supportive words they need to keep going forward. Follow me on Twitter @butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, or send me an email at bridget.buttery@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! 

Xoxo,

Bridget

New Year, New You: Easing Your Way Into a New Lifestyle

With the start of new year, most people make a few resolutions with the intent to keep them as long as possible. Resolutions I have made in the past include swearing off soda, swearing off swearing, and the ever popular weight loss resolution. If anyone out there is like me, you do great with your resolutions for a couple of months, then slowly you slip back into your old ways. The good news is with weight loss, you can hit any reasonable goal that you set within a few months and that is usually enough motivation to keep people from backsliding into a delicious vat of caramel. 

January is halfway over, but that doesn't mean that you can't change your lifestyle now. You don't have to have a new year, a new month, or a new week to start making a difference in the way that you live and the way that you treat your body. Remember, you only get one body so you better take care of it... Or get the number to a really good plastic surgeon. (I'm kidding, of course). 

Want to know the first steps you should take to start making a difference? I can help you with that. Coming from a girl who was once nearly 180lbs (don't believe me? Look at the photo above), I know a thing or two about getting healthy, slimming down, and getting back comfortable in my own skin. My biggest piece of advice would be to gradually slide into a healthy lifestyle. What exactly do I mean by that? Let me give you an example. Most of the time, people get in the mood to diet and they go overboard. They get a gym membership, they limit their food intake to a lettuce leaf and bark off of a tree at meal times, then after about a week of this routine, they find themselves ordering the Grand Slam at the nearest Denny's before they end up in the psych ward begging for a pack of donuts. 

As you can see, too much change at once can drive a person crazy. Rather than diving way in over your head, try switching out one thing in your diet for a healthier alternative. Do you drink regular soda? Try switching to diet. Once you think you're ready to let go of soda all together, switch to tea sweetened with stevia, and eventually you will be able to switch to water. A gradual change will be less noticeable and won't drive you half as crazy. 

I work an office job and I get a very short lunch break, so a lot of the time, I am forced to eat something from a fast food restaurant. Now, I have already written a very detailed post over how to eat healthy when you're dining out at a restaurant, but let me give you a couple of examples on how you can ease into healthier eating choices. Instead of ordering a combo complete with french fries, start out by substituting the fries with a side salad. When you feel you're ready to make another switch, ditch anything with a bun and go for a grilled chicken breast fillet. Once you've done that, you can ditch the dressing on your salad and go for something like salsa as a healthy topping. Before you know it, you're eating healthy, nutrient rich food and you don't even notice it. 

Losing weight and becoming a healthier version of yourself is something that does take time, but with a little effort and giving yourself A LOT of room for error, you can achieve the goals that you set for yourself. This year, instead of setting a goal like "I want to lose 30lbs," try an alternative way of thinking. Let's take those weight loss resolutions and turn them into "This year I want to master healthy eating habits." I promise you will thank yourself for taking the first step towards a healthy lifestyle once you start losing weight and feeling better about yourself! Taking the first step is the hardest, but just remember, no one is perfect and every single day is a learning experience for yourself. Don't beat yourself up when you do have a bad day. Bad days happen, just don't give up on yourself.     

I'm looking forward to hearing from you all! Please let me know how you're doing. I love hearing from my readers and the progress they have made. Talk to you soon!

Xoxo,

--Bridget

My personal resolutions this year are as follows:

-Focus more on my own health 

-Find happiness in the small things in life

-Spread more happiness to the people around me 

-Post more frequently on my blog

-Post more videos on my Youtube page 

Christmas Leftovers: Ham and Avocado Sandwich

Hey guys,
I hope you had a very merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,  and all other holidays that come this time of year. In the last few weeks I have had quite a few new changes happen in my life. I bought a new car, my health is steadily improving, but most importantly, I bought my wedding dress! I had been waiting for a sample of the dress I wanted to wear to come in at a local bridal shop and luckily, it was as amazing in person as it was in photos. The only problem with the sample was that is was too small in the bust, so they had to order a size up and I'm now waiting for it to come in. I'm really nervous that my wedding dress won't fit when it comes in, so I've really been trying hard to stick to clean eating. It was hard to make it through the holidays and say no to mashed potatoes and all things smothered in gravy, but I weighed myself today and I didn't gain anything, so my deprivation was worth it in the end! With that being said, I discovered my new favorite sandwich using some leftover Christmas ham. Not only is it tasty, it's relatively healthy. Here is a recipe for how I have been making my Ham and Avocado sandwiches. Let me know if you try this out or if you put your own twist on it. I love getting feedback from my readers.

Ham and Avocado Sandwich
-2 slices of 35 calorie wheat bread, toasted
-Ham (or turkey if that is your thaaang)
-1/2 of an avocado, mashed
-1 slice of fat free pepper jack cheese (or colby jack if you prefer)
-Crushed red pepper (optional, but I'm obsessed with spicy food)
-Salt (optional)

Toast your bread, then spread the mashed avocado on one slice your warm bread. Sprinkle the avocado mash with the crushed red pepper and salt. Layer the meat of your choice over the avocado mash. On the other piece of bread, melt the cheese of your choice and assemble the sandwich. For a side, you could do a side salad with salsa for dressing to go with it. If you find yourself craving something crunchy to go with a sandwich, you could try a palm full of almonds as a side instead.

And there you have it, my new favorite snack. Also, I plan on starting a new series aptly named "Bride on a Budget" and show you all some photos of the dresses I tried on and information on them. Thanks for reading. Talk to you soon!

Xoxo,
--B

Christmas Giveaway Sponsored by Adorabelles!

It's the season of giving and it's time again for Beauty on a Budget to give back to it's readers! Adorabelles has so graciously sponsored this giveaway and has agreed to send one lucky reader one of the gorgeous blanket scarfs pictured above. I know what you're thinking? HOW DO I ENTER?! Here are the rules:

Facebook Entry

To enter on Facebook, all you have to do is like both my fan page for Beauty on a Budget and the fan page for Adorabelles, then share the original post with the photo above.

Instagram Entry

To enter on Instagram, you must first follow me @Bridgetb2011 and also follow the Adorabelles page @ShopAdorabelles, then post the photo above with the tag #BeautyOnABudgetScarfGiveaway. You can also tag my personal account if your account is private so I will be able to see that you shared.

Twitter Entry

To enter on Twitter, you must follow me @Butterybiscuit7 and also follow Adorabelles @ShopAdorabelles, then tweet the above photo with the tag #BeautyOnABudgetScarfGiveaway

Blog Entry

The last way to enter is to comment on this post and tell me what your favorite thing about the holiday season is. 

Did I mention that you can enter once on each social media site, meaning that you can increase your chances of winning by sharing all four ways! Want to see more looks from Adorabelles but you don't live in Kentucky? Don't let distance hinder you from wearing some of the hottest styles this season. Head on over to their online shop at http://www.shopadorabelles.com where shipping is always free! Now that's something every girl on a budget can afford. The winner will be announced on December 19, 2014! 

Thank you all for reading and good luck! 

Xoxo,

--Bridget

Side Dish Ideas for A Healthy Thanksgiving Dinner

The holidays. Lots of joy, cheer, happiness, and my personal favorite-- domestic disputes among the family members. With all the calories you will be consuming in the form of alcohol to make time with family a little more bearable, you're going to want to cut a few calories in other places. In this post, I am going to help you along with a couple tips for low carb dieting and a few of my favorite recipes for low carb side dishes that you could take to family gatherings throughout the holiday season. Grab those flasks full of eggnog and let's get started!

When you think of Thanksgiving, you usually think of a big juicy bird (that's what she said). The great thing about high protein diets is that you can eat virtually as much turkey as you want. When loading up your plate, try and fill your plate with protein first, then you'll only have a little room left for things like mashed potatoes and peanut butter pie. I'm not saying to restrict yourself from these things on Thanksgiving, I'm just saying to put them on your plate last. Chances are by the time you get to them, you won't have much room for them on your plate, then you won't have near as much room for them in your belly.

What are some other things you can eat on Thanksgiving and not feel too bad about? How about deviled eggs? Now I know most people load those disgusting little stink bombs up with condiments like mayo, but they do have protein in them and although they may have a higher fat content than a plain egg, they are still a better choice than some other classic Thanksgiving foods. You can also hit up all of the meat and cheese trays if you're needing a snack to hold you over until dinner time. Shrimp trays? Great, no carb! Scallops wrapped in bacon? Great, no carbs, but you're in the wrong place because this is a budgeting blog for the broke ass 20-something.

Now I am a slave to my love for finger foods, so do try and stay away from olives. Ahh olives how I love thee. These little babies pack a punch. Often featured on meat trays or snack tables at holiday parties, you can rack up your total daily allowance of fat in no time with just a handful or two of these. Think "Can oil be mad from these?" And if the answer is yes, you should run the other way.

Those are a few a tips I have to help you all out with your holiday eating. Remember, you don't want to restrict yourself from anything, you just want to control yourself and keep from going overboard. Enjoy your holiday and be thankful for all of your blessings! Now on to a few recipes---


Low Carb Broccoli and Cheese
Fresh broccoli florets (you could use frozen, but I think they got too soggy)
1 block of soften fat free cream cheese
Splash of skim milk
Packet of ranch salad dressing mix
About a cup of fat free shredded cheddar cheese (or as much as you want)

Steam the broccoli florets (you can do this in the microwave or on the stove), then combine the cream cheese, milk and ranch dressing mix in a bowl. Top the broccoli with the cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with cheese, then microwave until the cheese is melted. ---Boom! Your side dish is made. This recipe is super fast, super easy, and a great alternative to traditional broccoli casserole.

Lemon Pepper Zucchini
Zucchini cut into 1/2 inch rounds
Lemon pepper
Olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle the olive oil on a cookie sheet and toss your zucchini in the oil. Sprinkle the zucchini rounds generously with lemon pepper on both sides. Bake until tender. ---You can also do this on your stove top if you are short on time, or on a grill if it is above twenty degrees outside where you live. Don't like lemon pepper? Try Greek seasoning or Mrs. Dash. Zucchini tastes great with whatever you put on it!

Low Carb Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potatoes (I used canned because I'm lazy)
1½ cups pecan chips
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons butter
1 egg
1/2 cup Splenda

Add about 1/4 cup worth sugar substitute, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and 2 tablespoons of the butter, pecans and mix until blended. Put that mixture into a bowl and sit it to the side. Put the sweet potatoes into a food processor or blender and process with 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the rest of the seasonings, the egg and the remaining 1/4 cup of Splenda. If you think your sweet potatoes are sweet enough, leave out the last 1/4 cup of Splenda. Put sweet potatoes in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle pecan topping over the top. Bake at 375 degrees until the topping is browned.


And those are a few recipes for you guys to try out this holiday season, or at any time that you feel like have a yummy low carb side dish. I also want to address why I have not posted on here in almost a month and kind of let you all know what I have went through so you can avoid making my mistake.--

As most of you may know, my mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer and I have moved back home to help take care of her and help out with paying bills and all of that jazz. She's in chemo right now and she is doing absolutely phenomenal (Thank you, God) but it is still scary. She is expected to return to work after the new year.

Last Saturday I was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain and spent 2 days in CCU and 3 more in the general hospital for what turned out to be a bleeding ulcer. I ended up with this because I get headaches almost every single day (which I think are stress induced from my job and the aforementioned issue with my mom) and I have taken so much ibuprofen that it has literally eaten a hole in my stomach. I passed out three times from the blood loss and ended up having to have two blood transfusions, so if you get headaches everyday like I do, go to the freaking doctor and stop trying to doctor yourself, unless you want to end up in my old hospital bed.

Xoxo,
--B

Tips From a Former Fat Girl: Tips for Jump Starting Your Weight Loss

Hey guys,
It's been a while since I posted something weight loss related... Okay, maybe it hasn't been that long but it sure feels like it. You may remember when I did a post a few weeks ago in which I gave my Top 3 Tips to know before starting a diet. To follow up on that post, I'm going to give you a few tips to get your diet off on the right foot. It's fall time and although we might be bundling up to stay warm, there's no reason there can't be a hot body under all of those scarves and leg warmers!

1.) Don't Skip Breakfast
I never understood how I was fat. I only ate twice a day, I'm not big on sweets, and I didn't buy junk food. Where could I be going wrong? Where is this fat coming from? How did I end up wearing jeans with elastic around the band? The more I researched my attack plan for my big phat ass, the more and more I kept reading about how breakfast was essential. Yeah yeah, I remember my teacher in 6th grade telling me to eat before school so my thinking cap would be in TURNT UP mode, but I never thought much more about it. I never ate breakfast. I don't even like breakfast food. Could my disdain for all things pancake flavored actually be my downfall? Apparently yes. Now I'm not saying to head out to Cracker Barrel, or The Crack House as I affectionately call it, for Uncle Herschel's breakfast extravaganza 6 times a week, but perhaps a couple of boiled eggs would do your body good. If you're like me and you're a breakfast skipper and you want to embark on a healthier lifestyle, I would start here. You don't have to do anything amazing, but like I said, a couple of boiled eggs, maybe a chicken breast, or even an omelette if you're feeling like you're the next contestant on Master Chef. You will be surprised by how much less you eat at lunch and by how much better you feel throughout the day.

2.) Am I Even Hungry?
Is it food you're hungry for, or do you just need something to do while you binge watch seven seasons of Supernatural on Netflix? Learn the difference. Are you feeling a legit hunger pain? If you aren't sure, then maybe you should drink some fluids and see if it goes away. Sometimes drinking something will help ease off that empty feeling. More times than not, I used to feel what I thought was the pain of hunger, but it just turned out I was really bored. My bad. When this happens, go get a hobby. Read a book. Work on your weight loss blog (oh wait, that's just for me). Do anything that will distract you and keep you from getting bored, which will keep you from being the sole source of income to the Ben and Jerry's ice cream empire.

3.) Catch a Few Zzzz's
Or you can be like me. My hobby is napping! What? Are you judging me? I work hard through the week and this chick has to get her beauty rest. My Snapple cap I got the other day told me that you burn more calories sleeping than you do when watching TV (citation needed). Even if it's not true, stay well rested will keep you from getting grumpy, meaning you will be more motivated to stick to your healthy lifestyle and less likely to drive to the nearest Chipotle for a burrito the size of a small infant.

4.) But I'm Craving Something Terrible
It happens. You're craving something that you just cannot get out of your mind. Rather than try to fill the void with things you don't want, have a small portion of what your heart desires. This is also accurate advice for your love life. Wait, what? You're better off to have a small serving of frozen yogurt than to eat half of a head of lettuce, a block of Velveeta, then drive to the Dairy Queen and cry into an entire ice cream cake. Save yourself the calories and the regret and learn portion control, especially when it comes to something that isn't necessarily diet friendly.

5.) Show the World What You're Made Of!
Everyone always wants to know what you did to lose weight once you hit your goal and start looking hella fine, but no one is really there for you during the journey. There is nothing worse than people telling you that you can't do it, or making fun of your food when you are trying to better yourself. I have dealt with this many times and it is quite annoying. It always goes something like this-- Yes, I am going to eat this avocado. Yes, I realize this avocado is green. Yes, I realize up in the hollar they don't know what an avocado is, so how about you get out me face and let me eat in peace? *Rolls eyes.

Don't worry about the people who try to get under your skin. You're already better than them because you're taking a step in the right direction and you aren't hurting anyone's feelings while doing it. In the words of my homeboy Jay-Z, go on brush your shoulders off. Someone is always going to have something rude to say, but that's okay. They're the ones with the problem, not you. Eat your diet food, do your squats, put on some lipstick, and be happy with yourself and with each mini-goal you hit. Each day you work your butt off is one day closer to being who you want to be.

Twerk it out,
--B

Top 5 Tips for Acne Prone Skin

As many of you know, I have struggled with adult onset acne for a few years now. I never understood how my face was so clear during my teen years because I never did any kind of skin regiment, apart from just washing my makeup off at night. Around the time I started losing weight, my skin decided to go ape sh--
Excuse me, let's keep this post PG.

I looked up all sorts of things to see why my face was breaking out. Was it the makeup I was wearing? Was it my healthy diet? Did I catch leprosy? Honestly, I don't know what triggered my skin to completely change when I was 22. I even studied Chinese face mapping a little bit to see what my body was trying to tell me and still got no answers. I finally just gave up and accepted that this is the skin I have, so I may as well work it (hair flip). Over several years, I have discovered a few tips that have helped my face clear up immensely. I hope that these tips help anyone who is like me and just wants to not look like a 15 year old pubescent twit.

1.) Wash your darn makeup brushes
I have always been super clean with my makeup brushes, both because I am a germaphob and because I often do other people's makeup, so I have to keep everything sanitary. If you don't wash your makeup brushes often, especially if you use a sponge, like a Beauty Blender, to apply your makeup, then you are creating an ideal environment for a population explosion of bacteria. Bacteria on your face is never a good thing. To keep my skin clear, I wash my brushes about once a week, and I microwave my damp Beauty Blender a few times a week for 60 seconds. This step did clear up my face somewhat, but not completely. Which leads me to the next time.

2.) Use a darn face mask
I don't think it really matters what face mask you use, just as long as you are consistent with it. I like the Queen Helene Mint Face Mask that I bought at the Family Dollar for 3 bucks. I also like the Freeman Oatmeal and Clay mask as well. Anything that hardens when dry and purges pores is ideal for acne prone skin. The mint mask actually makes my skin feel tighter, plus the mint in it is so refreshing. Every time I use this mask, I have a good skin day. I usually do my mask on Sunday nights, but do it how ever many times a week you like. Just remember to be consistent with it or you won't see continual effects.

3.) Disinfect your darn pillows
It's not realistic to wash your pillow cases every night. Think about all of the oil, hair products, dead skin cells, and even sweat that accumulates on your pillow night after night. All of nasties just lay and wait to clog your pores up when you get into bed. Instead of washing your pillowcases every night, you can use tea tree oil to disinfect them. All you need to do is buy some tea tree oil, which is in the vitamins section at Wal-Mart for $7, and a 3 oz spray bottle. I put about 7 or 8 drops of tea tree oil into the spray bottle and fill it up with water, then I use it to mist on my pillow. You can also use this spray on your makeup brushes between cleaning. I spray this mist directly on my face after I wash it in the morning just in case there is any bacteria left on there, as well as at night before I get into bed. When you first start using this mist, you may notice that you get a few dry patches on your face. If you keep consistent with using the mist, these will go away as your skin will get use to the presence of the tea tree oil. If you are prone to acne on your back or other unmentionable places, use this mist on those areas as well. Fun fact: Add a few drops of tea tree oil to your shampoo to help combat dandruff. If you have a kid in school, tea tree oil also helps repel lice. Too bad it doesn't help repel children-- I would keep a bottle in my purse at all times if that were the case.

4.) Wash your darn hands
Are you eating fried chicken and then applying moisturizer to your face with your greasy paws? Never touch your face unless you have thoroughly washed your hands. I even keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in my makeup bag and in my free lance kit so that I know my hands are never going to transfer bacteria to my face or someone else's. Be conscious of when you are touching your face. This is disgusting so let me share-- One day in my office I accidentally knocked my phone off of my desk. When I saw the receiver, I wanted to hurl. There was like a quarter of an inch of foundation stuck to the receiver! Needless to say, I now wipe that bish down with a Clorox wipe on the daily. I also have a bad habit of resting my chin on my hand when I am working up cases that I was not aware of until I caught myself doing it. I was shaking people's hands at work and then touching my chin. The hand germs of a stranger were growing on my face. If that doesn't make you want to take an acid bath, nothing will.

5.) Invest some darn money in a quality product
After spending hundred of dollars on products that never worked, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a Clarisonic Mia. Everyone I knew had tried to convince me that my breakouts were hormonal and a Clarisonic would not help. I knew that my breakouts were not hormonal, but rather from some unsanitary practice that I was unconsciously performing. I can tell the difference in a cystic pimple that is infected and incredibly painful, versus a red bump that may appear every 28 days. Since I purchased my Mia, I have not had one cystic pimple. My makeup goes on so much smoother, I have very few black heads, and my skin is so freaking soft. I know that this piece of equipment is very expensive at right near $100, but it really is worth the investment. If I had back all the money I had spent at on knock off products like the ones that both Neutrogena and L'Oreal have on the market, I could have probably bought five Clarisonics. You get what you pay for, and if you desire clear skin, you need this device. As a bonus, in addition to the 90 day window that you have in which you can return it to the store you purchased it at, Clarisonic also gives you a year warranty. If at anytime this product is not living up to your expectations, then you can send it back. That shows how the company stands behind their product, which is something very admirable.

Bonus Tip-- When McDonald's had their iced coffees on sale for $1 a couple of months ago, I was getting one almost every day and my acne was getting bad again and I couldn't figure out why. I finally put two and two together and figured out that the milk in the iced coffee was giving me acne. I cut out my iced coffee and all dairy except for cheese, and I have not had a breakout since. If you're struggling, try cutting out dairy and see what happens for you!

I hope that you found these tips helpful and that you will be able to get your skin problems under control. Remember to follow me on Twitter @Butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, like the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog, and follow me on BlogLovin. Thanks for reading!

Xoxo,
Bridget

So You Want To Lose Weight: Top 3 Tips to Know Before Starting a Diet

How do I diet? What is a diet? Diet means what you eat already? HALP MEH! The overwhelming urge to lose weight is often only trumped by the overwhelming amount of energy one has to put into understanding what exactly it is you have to do to lose weight. Lucky for you, I have compiled my top five tips to help get you started on your weight loss journey in one easy list! Let's get started.

1.) Weigh Yourself
 Is there anything worse than getting on a scale? Well, probably contracting Ebola or finding a scab in your McFlurry, but after that, stepping on a scale has to be a solid third place winner. From my experience, the worst thing about stepping on a scale is thinking "How did I get here?" Of course I don't mean how you physically got on the scale, and if you are asking yourself that question instead, please seek medical attention ASAP because someone has slipped you a roofie. "How could I let myself get to this weight?" is a question I asked myself repeatedly when I was overweight, then I would go cry into a baked potato and watch The Nanny on TV Land for six straight hours (Congrats on your marriage, Fran Drescher). It is hard to accept that you are overweight, but admitting to yourself that you are chubby is the first step to taking control of your weight. Everyday that you avoid the scale is one day closer you are to health problems that will arise with time, whether it be diabetes, heart disease, or chronic grease stains on your sleeve due to a shortage of napkins whilst driving home from Hardee's, you will begin to see the effects that your bad eating habits are having on you.

2.) Create A Plan Of Action
If you're like me, one day you will just be tired of buying pants that have a double digit sewn onto the size tag or maybe you'll have had enough of the embarrassment you feel when you count just how many X's are in front of the L on the tag of your blouses. When you hit that realization, the best thing you can go is come up with a plan of action. You can be like me and be plead temporary insanity with counting carbs and see immediate weight loss, or ease into a new lifestyle by replacing one bad habit a week with a healthier alternative. The thing to remember is no matter what anyone tells you, this is your body and you will succeed. For every person that tells you that you are only losing water weight, become more motivated to prove to them that you are only a few weeks/months from headlining the next Victoria's Secret fashion show. Okay, I may be exaggerating with the VS fashion show scenario, but hell's bells, don't let anyone bring you down off of your dieting high! Every pound you lose, whether it be water, fat, an amputated limb, or anything else is just a testament to your hard work. Your plan of action is just that... IT IS YOURS! It belongs to you and it's no one else's business. Don't listen to people when they tell you that you aren't dieting right or that you will gain every pound back once you go off of your diet. Those people are just jealous, and they have a right to be. You are freaking beautiful and the world just can't handle someone who is both a beautiful person and someone who is comfortable in their skin and happy with their body. That's just too many good vibes. My suggestion for handling these unavoidable encounters is by just giving that person and smile and saying "This is working for me, so I'm going to stick to it." Then you can just giggle and remember to give that person your over sized clothing when you drop down a size ;). After all, you are the one who has taken control of their weight problem while someone else may be too scared to even take the first step towards losing weight.

3.) Set Realistic Goals
What is your goal weight? When was the last time you weighed that? Have you ever weighed that in your adult life? When people contact me and ask me to help them with their weight loss, these are some of the first questions I ask them. I do this to make sure that the person has realistic goals. Using myself as an example, I will explain to you what I mean. Before I lost weight, I was nearly 180lbs. My goal weight was 150lbs at the time. I set a mini-goal for every ten pounds until I hit 150lbs. I chose my goal weight of 150lbs because that is the weight I was most comfortable at and I was also at that weight only two years before I started dieting. That was a realistic goal. I had been at that weight for several years before I got fat, and I knew that is was not only attainable, but I could also maintain that weight because I had done it before. If you set realistic goals, you will not be disappointed with your progress. Now, let's say that I was 180lbs and I set my goal weight at 110lbs, which is an unrealistic goal for me. Let's run through those questions: When was the last time I weighed that? Well that was when I was in 9th grade. Have I ever weighed that in my adult life? Absolutely not. Back when I was at that weight, I was a little more than skin, bones, and hormones. Keep in mind that you are a woman now (or man), and you are fully developed with curves (or muscles if you're a dude). You're probably taller now, which will also add to your weight. Like I said, back when I was 110lbs, I was 4'11". I am now 5'6", so a weight like 110lbs is not realistic, therefore I have accepted that I will never see those numbers on the scale again. Am I upset about this fact? Of course not. I'm a curvy woman anyway, and I've been able to maintain and even lower weight than my goal weight for a couple of years now, so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. If you are able to set realistic goals that are actually attainable and maintainable, you'll be so much happier with yourself and the results that you start seeing.

And there you go, a few tips to help you out if you're thinking of starting a diet or just wanting to shed a couple of pounds to feel better about yourself. Remember, you're doing this for you and not for anyone else. If you're losing weight for anyone but yourself, you need to evaluate that relationship because it is not healthy, unless it's your doctor. I'm talking about romantic relationships, or even friends or family. No one should make you feel bad about the way you look and don't give anyone that power over you. With a little hard work and a lot of discipline, you can get to where you want to be! I have faith in you :).

As always, feel free to email, message, comment, or any other way you can think of getting in touch with me if you have any questions on how to start losing weight and make the transition into a healthy lifestyle. I love hearing from you all! Every message I get puts a smile on my face, and Lord knows I need to smile due to some very heartbreaking news that we just found out concerning my mom's health. Please keep her in your prayers, and if you don't pray, please send some good vibes and warm thoughts our way. I'll talk to you all soon!
Xoxo,
--B

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Eat Like a Man, Look Like a Lady: Sample Meals for the Newbie Dieter

One of the most asked questions I get is "Can you give me some examples of what to eat when I start dieting?" If you're a New Kid on the Block, and also new to dieting, then you may feel like you don't know exactly where to start with your weight loss journey. Do I buy diet food? Do I stop eating? Do I buy the compilation blu-ray of Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies on eBay? The answers to these questions are no, no, and only if you get free shipping, doll. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, clean all the junk food out of your house before you start your diet. You'll do so much better if you rid yourself of all the Ho Ho's and Ding Dongs. For suggestions on what to buy at the grocery store, click HERE.

As you may recall, I followed the Dukan Diet to drop nearly 50lbs. The Dukan Diet is separated into four different phases, with the first and most difficult being the attack phase. The second phase is the cruise phase, followed by the stabilization and consolidation phases. I'm going to give you some meal ideas for the attack phase, as well as some snacks you can have to keep your hunger at bay. 

Dukan Diet meal ideas:

Breakfast

From my experience, you're better off to eat a large breakfast than to be starving at lunch time and eat a small village. The key to starting your day off well is by packing a ton of protein into your breakfast. This will keep you feeling full for longer. Here are a couple of example breakfast meals:

Example 1:

2 boiled eggs, yolks discarded

Lunch meat, as much as you want

Example 2:

Fat Free Greek Yogurt

Chicken Breast

Fat free string cheese

Example 3 (Cruise Phase):

Egg white omelet

Ham

Salsa

Remember, as long as you don't cheat, you can have as much protein as you want. You can also do protein shakes, which I do drink quite often. My favorite are the EAS brand Carb Control shakes. They have 100 calories, 2 carbs, and 1.5g of fat. If you're going to do a protein shake, at least eat a couple of egg whites with it or you're not going to feel satisfied initially and that will make you more likely to cheat.

Lunch

Example 1:

2 chicken breasts

2 pieces of ham

2 pieces of cheese

All you need to do for this lunch is wrap your chicken in your ham, top it off with the cheese and warm it up. It doesn't even feel like you're cutting back when you make meals like this. If this just isn't your thing, try this out instead:

Example 2:

Steak tips

Grilled onions (yes, you can have these in the attack phase)

scrambled egg whites

Example 3 (Cruise phase):

Cocktail shrimp

Sauteed zucchini and squash

You can fix your meals the night before, or buy pre-cooked chicken if you don't have time to cook very often. Whatever works best for you is what you need to do! 

Dinner

Lastly, a couple of dinner ideas. Keep in mind that you can snack in between meals as long as you are eating Dukan approved foods. Some of my favorite things to snack on are boiled eggs and turkey pepperoni. After you get out of the attack phase, you will see that you are less hungry and get fuller quicker when you are eating. 

Example 1:

Cheese stuffed hamburger patties

To make these, all you need to do is get the leanest hamburger meat you can find and shape your patty around fat free cheese cubes and then grill them up. You can have any seasoning that you like, but beware of condiments. If you like this recipe, then click HERE to read my recipe for mini-turkey meat loafs. 

Example 2:

Tex Mex Chicken Skillet

The best thing about this dish is that it only takes one skillet. All you need to do is fry up a package of ground chicken, season with some taco seasoning, melt cheese on the top, then garnish it with hot sauce and some fat free sour cream. I eat this all the time, but I'm a spicy mamacita, so if this is too hot for you, you could so something like Ms. Dash to season it and still top it with the cheese.

Example 3:

Baked salmon 

Grilled asparagus 

When I bake a salmon fillet, I like to do Asian flavors with it, but do whatever you like. I usually make a little sauce out of soy sauce, fake brown sugar, and a little hot Chinese mustard. 

As you see, it's not that hard planning meals while you're dieting, but rather finding the time to actually plan them and cook them. Once you start seeing results, I can guarantee that you are going to find more time to cook healthy things. If something comes up and you have to go out to eat or you forget to pack your lunch, click HERE to read some of my favorite healthy meals from restaurants. Also, click on the recipes tab at the top of the page to see more healthy recipes that you can eat while trying to lose weight. If you have any questions, please let me know! 

Also, there is a giveaway currently going on to celebrate 10,000 views on my blog!! Click the Beauty tab at the top to be directed to the instructions for entering the contest, or scroll below this post. Who doesn't love free stuff?! Be sure to enter to win :). 

Tips From a Former Fat Girl: The Basics of Low Carb Dieting

So you want to drop a few pounds but you don't know where to start? Been there, done that! Counting calories? Forgetta 'bout it! Skipping meals? Shame on you! If you're like me and just cannot seem to find a solution to your weight problems, there is good news! I am here to help you along the way. Today I am going to go over some the basics of low carb dieting. If you have read my blog for any length of time, then you know that I lost nearly 50lbs doing the Dukan Diet. If you would like to read more about my personal weight loss journey, click HERE. If you couldn't care less and want to get to working on your rolls, keep scrolling ;). 

What is a carbohydrate?
Before you get offended, I don't think you have the IQ of Forrest Gump. I know you know what a carbohydrate is, but let's get a little scientific for a moment. When you think carbohydrate, chances are that the words sugar, starch, and delicious all come to your mind. I love carbs as much as the next girl, don't get me wrong, but I'm getting ready to bash on them pretty hard.

When you eat carbs, your body converts the carbs into sugar. If you don't burn off what you have eaten, that sugar is going to be stored in your body for later. Think of eating carbs in excess as making a deposit... a deposit into your fat account. That's right, anything you eat that your body does not used is stored as fat. Now, there are two different types of carbs. You have probably heard of simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are empty calories, meaning that they are from straight up junk that you shouldn't be eating. These simple carbs are found in candy, pop, white rice, and flour. They provide no other nutritional value. Complex carbs are found in heartier vegetables like beans and whole grains.

When you initially start your low carb diet, don't eat either of these. Once you hit your goal or want to have a cheat meal, go with something that contains a complex carb so that you at least get some extra vitamins and minerals into your diet. Once you get used to not eating simple carbs, you won't even miss them, trust me! You'll also start to make healthier choices out of habit.

What happens when I remove carbs from my diet?
A lot of things happen when you start a low carb diet. Apart from feeling pretty tired and having breath that smells like hot garbage, your body is changing the way that it works. When you remove carbs from your diet, your body is like "Hello?! Where are the potatoes? Are we poor? I guess I need to break into my savings to survive!" That savings account is what I like to collectively refer to as my back fat.

With no incoming sugar, your body is forced to use what it has saved up. If you keep eating carbs, your body will use the sugar that is directly derived from the carbs and keep adding to the stockpile of excess sugar (aka your fat) and you'll continue to gain weight because none of your fat is ever being burned.

Low carb dieting throws your body into what is known as ketosis. This is when your body starts to use your fat supply because there is not any sugar laying around for it to use. When you are in ketosis, the ketones that are in your blood stream, which have replaced the sugar from the carbs, have an added effect of acting as an appetite suppressant. This is good because you do feel very hungry the first two or three days on a low carb diet. If you can make it over that initial hump, then you can make it through to the finish line.

I can eat as much as I want whenever I want? Say what?
That's right, the best part about a low carb diet is that you are able to eat when you are hungry. When I was heavier, I could never stick to a diet because I was always hungry and I would always try to eat trash like 100 calorie packs and Special K bars because I thought that's what you did to lose weight. Spoiler alert--- That's not how you lose weight.

When you are doing a low carb diet, you are able to eat as much protein as you like. Some diets like the Atkins Diet tell you that you can have unlimited fat as well. I already have an unlimited amount of fat on my arse, so I always follow the Dukan Diet and eat a very low fat diet. As long as you don't cheat, you can eat as much protein as you want. If you cheat and have a cookie for example, you're going to throw yourself out of ketosis because you have put sugar back in your body. If this happens, then you'll be forced to count calories for the rest of the day to make sure you don't eat an unacceptable amount. I'm lazy, so I would rather not eat the cookie and not have to worry about keeping a food diary until I can start fresh.

But you haven't told me what to eat! I feel so restricted without carbs!
Calm down, girl! There is still a world of tasty food out there for you. If you have never tried a real diet before, I do recommend keeping a food diary until you get good enough to keep up with it on your own. The app I used was called "My Net Diary" and I got it in the app store. A lot of people use My Fitness Pal, but I like the other one better, but you do what works for you. I keep my carb count down around 20 during the Attack phase of Dukan, then move on up to 40-60 carbs a day when I am on the cruise. If you want to know more about the Dukan Diet, check out more of weight loss posts under the Lifestyle tab at the top of the page. As I have said in my previous posts, before you even think about starting your diet, clean out your kitchen of all junk food. Remove temptation. You may even eat in your sleep and not even know it. Throw out the Little Debbie's. I doubt you will grill a steak in your sleep. Better safe than sorry ;).

Protein is going to be your new best friend. Think "lean and meaty" when making choices (both in food and men, if you ask me) to jump start your weight loss. Avoid anything that is too fatty, as well and plan out your meals. If you're planning for breakfast, try to have something high in protein to fill you up first thing in the morning. It will really make a difference in your day and your hunger levels. An example of a high protein breakfast would be to make something like an egg white omelet and add some chicken breast or even some deli sliced turkey meat. For extra flavor, you could add a couple of green onions. Low carb dieting does require a lot of planning and a lot of dedication. I do have a few recipes here on my blog that you could use for lunch or dinner.

If you need help with what exactly to buy for your new diet, click HERE to read my post over the subject and to see some examples. If I had a suggestion for someone who was just starting out and trying to lose weight for the first time, I would tell them to ease into the low carb lifestyle and to only hit it full force if they are extremely motivated. I am not going to lie-- the first week on a low carb diet is pure hell! You feel bad, your breath smells bad, and you just feel so hungry. If those temporary symptoms scare you, then ease into it. Start by making a small change every few days and see how you do. For instance, switch from regular soda to diet. Then when you're ready, switch to water. Swap out your starches. Get rid of that white rice and switch to whole grain, then cut it out of your diet when you feel you're able to. If you're scared and really want to do well on a low carb diet, you will do better to start out slow, then when you start to see results, you may get very motivated and then you'll be more likely to stick to it.

I think I can do this diet! Any additional tips to share? 
The keys to dieting are perseverance and dedication. You're going to have times that you only lose a pound and just want get in bed with Ben and Jerry (wait, what?). you're going to have times that you lose like five pounds in a week and you can't help but strut around in celebration. Through the good times, remember how you got there and where you have been. Don't throw away your new habits once you hit a goal because you're going to want to maintain at a weight you're happy with. Also remember during the hard times, like when you have worked really hard and you have only lost a pound or two, that you have still made progress and if you never started your new diet, then you would still be where you were before. Getting a handle on your weight is like being married-- you have to stick with it through thick and thin! Just don't be too hard on yourself in the beginning while you're getting acclimated to your new way of eating and don't get discouraged if you accidentally mess up. You all can do this! I believe in you :)

Have you been losing weight with a new diet? It doesn't even have to be the Dukan Diet. Let me know! I would love to hear from you and see what is working for you. You may even have some tips to share with me! Do you have any additional questions about starting a new diet and think I might be able to help? Send me a message. I'm always here to help and I love talking about dieting and weight loss (if you can't tell). Follow me on Twitter @Butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, and like the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog.

Talk to you soon!
--B

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Lose Weight the Fast, Cheap, and Easy Way

Fast, cheap, easy? Honey, this is a diet, not that one girl everyone remembers from high school. If you ever see a diet claiming that you will lose weight overnight, that you can do it by eating everything that you want, or by not even trying at all, toss corrosive acid in their faces. This is a freaking lie and makes me want to scream. There is no overnight solution to your weight gain, but with a few simple modifications, you can start to make progress to the body that you want. I'm sure you have heard it all before. Eat your veggies, join a gym, and declare anything deep fried as an enemy of the state. All of that is a lot easier said than done, especially if you have a very demanding job, babies at home, or you're a poor white girl in rural Appalachia. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know that I am a firm believer in low carb dieting, specifically the Dukan Diet. Don't ask me how to do Atkins, for I do not know. From my understanding, Dukan is a lower fat version of the Atkins diet. If you would like to read my own weight loss story, click HERE. You didn't get to the weight you are now overnight, so don't expect to lose it overnight.

Everyone just wants to lose weight fast. We live in a time that everything we ever want is within our reach with just a few clicks of a mouse. Dieting is not like that and there is never going to a fast or easy way to do it. The rate at which you lose weight depends on the amount of dedication you have to your new lifestyle. Everyone has their slip ups and accidentally eats an entire can of Pringles while their playing Kim Kardashian Hollywood on their phone (or is it just me?), but you can bounce back! As many of you know, I was on vacation over the past week and I am just going to be honest-- I ate like a man. No, not just any man. I ate like Kevin Federline when Denny's has a two for one special.

Since returning from vacation on Thursday, I've been too scared to weigh myself. I imagine that the scale won't even show numbers but instead will pop up the letters F-A-T across the digital screen. After eating carefree over the last week, it is so hard to get back in the swing of eating healthy again. It's almost like getting over that initial hump when you first start dieting. That is the topic I have decided I need to post about. Lace up your tennis shoes and make out your shopping list, we are about to shed our vacation fluff!

How to Get Back On Track After a Dieting Hiatus
When I think of all the junk I ate while I was on vacation, I go between self loathing and wishing I had just one more plate of cheese fries. What do I keep telling myself? I had a really good time, so stop dwelling on the past. So what if I literally ate anything within my sight? It was vacation. Not just vacation from work, but vacation from the mundane life of your average twenty something. Keep looking to the future and don't regret anything if you had a good time and didn't get diabetes in a one week span.

Any weight that you gained during your dieting hiatus is not permanent. Chances are that you ate carbohydrate infested foods and you are holding a lot of water as a result. Get yourself together, it's time for us to create a Plan of Attack. As I have said before this is what works for me and happens to work for many of my readers (keep up the good work, guys!) so chances are, it will probably work for you. Even if you aren't on a dieting hiatus and are just looking to drop a few pounds, you can try this as well :).

1.) As soon as I get my butt up off this couch and away from this laptop, I am heading straight to the grocery store. Click HERE to see some of the things I like to buy while I'm grocery shopping to help me lose weight. As you will see, I pretty much eliminate as many carbs as I can. Counting calories just doesn't work for me. I turn into a hangry (yes, I said hangry) white girl that will dry her dieting tears with slices of pizza. I do much better when I count carbs. I'm not near as hungry and the food I eat doesn't taste like hot garbage. I am cleaning out my fridge when I get back home and restocking it back with low carb Dukan Diet approved foods. This is my first step in getting back to my pre-vacation weight of 135lbs. Another tip for grocery shopping is to wear your workout clothes. I put on my tennis shoes every time I go to the store. Make an effort to NOT park right at the door, and instead park towards the back of the parking lot. Sure it doesn't seem like much, but that requires more energy to walk, which in turn is going to burn more calories. Also, if you're comfortable in your clothing and shoe choices, chances are that you are going to be taking more time in the store. You will be more likely to read labels on foods and you will cover more ground with your walking if you're in your comfy clothes. Some people don't like to go out looking like they are about to run a 5K, but I'm already engaged and my fiance doesn't usually go to the store with me, so I have no one to impress at the deli counter.

2.) Seeing a little bit of a gain on the scale or feeling your yoga pants getting a little tighter can make you feel 50 shades of depressed, but remember all of the successes you have had!  Remind yourself of where you've been or where you want to be. There's no snap back to reality quite like when you see someone has tagged you in a fat photo from 2009. Control yourself and do not click "REPORT PHOTO AS INAPPROPRIATE." Everyone will just laugh at you then. Instead, take it in stride, do the Jay-Z and go on brush your shoulder off. Think of how good you look now, or how good you are going to look in the future. When I feel myself slipping into old habits, I like to look back and see how unhappy I was with myself... Then twerk in the mirror and say "Dang Bridge, you've really outdone yourself" even after feeling like poop because I was so careless with my diet. Do whatever will give you inspiration to continue with your weight loss journey, whether it be by reading blogs, Youtube videos, or watching True Blood and wondering if donating blood will give you Sookie's banging bod.

3.) Get started now! Waiting to tackle your chub will probably only have one result-- More chub to tackle. As least in my case, that is what happened. I never want to see the numbers 175 pop up on my scale again, so even though I've probably only gained about 5-8lbs while I've been off the wagon, I don't want to let it add up to 30-40lbs that I will have to lose again. Anyway, everyone has slip ups. Maintaining a weight is full of constant up and downs, so don't be too hard on yourself if you go out and enjoy yourself from time to time. Have that mug of beer or a slice of cheesecake if you feel like it. Everyone deserves a treat every now and then.

4.) Now you may be asking "Well how exactly do I 'get started now'?" Rid your pantry of any temptations. Lucky for me, my cupboard is bare, so I get to skip this step. Go to the store and buy low carb foods that you will actually want to eat through out the week.

Ditch your fast food, which is hard for me because I live alone and work an office job, so more often than not, I grab something from the drive thru. Click HERE to learn how to eat healthy while you are dining out. A lot of people are in to doing meal prep. What I mean by meal prep is that they fix all of their meals for an entire week on one day, like Sunday, and then eat on what they made all week. I cannot do this. I have tried several times and it just grosses me out. I have a weird thing about leftovers and I just can't eat them. If you can do this, then you go, Glenn Coco. You're a better person than I. Instead, I make salads a lot, or I just fix something like steak or chicken breast when I get home in the evening.

Try and pack protein into every meal that you have. I know I sound like a broken record, but most people say they just cannot stick to a diet because they are always hungry. Girl, I'm right there with you. That's why I walked around with a Buddha belly for so long. Protein is what keeps you feeling fuller longer, so when you are doing your shopping, keep in mind to buy things that are high in protein. I'll even put a scoop of protein powder into my oatmeal in the morning to get some extra grams in and keep me from attacking my lunch like a ravenous coyote when 11am rolls around.

Walk everywhere you can. Is there an elevator? Take the stairs. Walk your shopping carts back inside. Try and add as much exercise into your daily activities as you can. I work an office job, so I sit at my desk most of the day. It is very important to try and stay as active as possible, especially before the cooler weather comes. I find it hard to park in the back of the parking lot if it's 15 degrees out. Remember that you control your body, and when you exercise control over your eating habits, then you will start to see progress. The more dedication you show to your new eating styles, the quicker the weight will come off. It may not be easy, but once you get in the swing of clean eating, it will become a habit and you won't even have to think about it.

If you have any more questions about dieting or how to lose weight, feel free to contact me at any time! Follow me on Twitter @Butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @bridgetb2011, and like my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog. Talk to you soon :)

--B

Weigh In Wednesday: How To Grocery Shop While Trying To Lose Weight

Are you happy with how you look? Do you feel comfortable in your own skin? Do you eat junk and never gain an ounce? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you should probably go on over to the beauty section of this blog and work on your eyeliner skills.For the rest of us, we are faced with the daunting task of grocery shopping, and even worse-- Not knowing what to buy while you're there. This is my train while I'm at the supermarket, "Nothing sounds good and nothing looks good, except that family sized package of Chips Ahoy. Do I smell fried chicken? I'm hungry. I would love fried chicken right now... Holy shat! Look at the size of my ass in the reflection of the freezer doors. Guess I better put this gallon sized jug of gelato back. " When I was in beast mode with my diet, I kept googling phrases like "example grocery shopping list while dieting" and "what does Justin Bieber eat to keep his girly figure?" I searched in vain for the perfect shopping list to take with me to Kroge's. I have been taught that someone somewhere has already done what I need to do. This is America! Land of the lazy! Unfortunately, those who have perfected the ultimate shopping list while dieting have kept it secret... Until now. In this post, I am going to help you all learn a few staple items to include in your grocery shopping while you're trying to drop a few pounds. I hope that you'll find this list helpful and if you know of anything tasty I should try, let me know!

Produce Section: No, Carrot Cake Is Not A Vegetable
Just because it grows does not mean that it is healthy. At this time your shopping cart may frequently contain potatoes, carrots, peas, or corn. Buy fresh ingredients is better than buying something processed, but you're not going to do too well with your weight loss if you continue to eat starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, carrots, and peas. Instead, let's switch these items out for something with a few less carbs.
If you're a squash fan, you could try purchasing zucchini or spaghetti squash instead. To be honest, I think that spaghetti squash tastes like flowers, so I usually go for the regular yellow squash. Throw zucchini, yellow squash, and onions together in a pan to saute and you have the perfect summer side dish. I am also a fan of fresh broccoli and fresh asparagus as side dishes, as well.

Moving on to greens, put back that typical iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce does not have an issue with carbs, but there are far more nutrients in something like baby spinach or kale. If you're going to eat salad, you may as well make it count and really pack in the nutrients. Cucumbers are also okay to eat, but you kind of run into the same problems that iceberg lettuce-- there is just not much to them. Of course, you can load up on tomatoes (not my thang), green onions (which are my thang), and cabbage.

Meat (Dress) Section
As you know by now, you can pretty much eat any kind of protein while you're on the Dukan diet. There are a few exceptions to this rule. For instance, you cannot have ribeye because it is too fatty. Instead, go for a cut of meat like sirloin or New York Strip instead. Also, you cannot have any hamburger meat with a high fat content. Try to get lean ground beef instead. Yes, I know it is pricier than the regular kind, but you have to make sacrifices to get that smoking hot body you want. Are you ready for a fun fact? I have written a couple of posts about seemingly "healthy" food in the past. I have another one to add to my list-- ground turkey. Say whaaat?? Pinterest would lead me to believe that one serving of super healthy ground turkey would leave me with the body of Kate Upton (not the face, thank gawd). Sorry to burst your bubble, but ground turkey can be just as unhealthy as eating regular fatty hamburger meat. I usually either buy a cut of meat, like a steak or chicken breasts, and go with lean ground beef or ground chicken when I am shopping. At my local Kroger, they usually have 99% fat free ground chicken breast. If I find this on sale, which happens quite often, I will buy every pack they have and freeze them so I always have some on hand.

Dairy Section: Step Away From The Cinnamon Butter

While you're getting your shop on, you're going to want to pick up some eggs. High in protein and easy to make, boiled eggs are a great snack to have while you're trying to low carb diet. Be careful with the yolks though. Try not to have more than five yolks a week or you may end up with a heart attack-ack-ack-ack. Also, be careful of which yogurt you are buying. Just because it says Greek on it does not mean that it is healthy. A lot of Greek yogurts are loaded with carbs, especially if they have any kind of fruit added to them. Fruit on the bottom? They might as well call them fat on your bottom. Anything more than ten carbs in one container of yogurt is too much. Take your time and read the labels of what you are considering purchasing. You'll be surprised of what you find. There isn't much else in this section that is going to be of interest to you, unless you want to pick up a package of string cheese to have as a cheat snack. 

I have a few random tips to throw here at the end about grocery shopping while on a diet. Try to stick to the outer sides of the store. Think about that for a moment. All of the fresh food is usually placed on the walls of the stores because those products require refrigeration. All of the junk food aisles are usually in the center of the store. I don't even go down those aisles anymore to remove temptation, plus Keebler elves creep me the eff out. The only inner aisle I really go down anymore is the one that has the canned food to pick up things like black beans, corn, and chicken broth for when I make chili. For the love of all that is holy, do not, I repeat, DO NOT go down any aisle that is labeled as "Diet Food." What does that even mean? Like okay Walmart Super Center, did you read the Dukan Diet book just for me and set that aisle up to be carb free? Didn't think so. You'll run into things like Kashi cereal and the dreaded 100 calorie packs down these aisles. Run for your life! Don't get sucked in to thinking that eating these atrocities is okay. I find it mildly insulting they consider those things "diet food." Now if there was an aisle labeled "What Pamela Anderson Eats" then I would probably go down it... and hopefully not contract Hep C from Tommy Lee.

I hope this post was helpful for those of you that are like me and just don't know what to buy when you get to the store. Do you have any suggestions I need to add or things I need to try out? Let me know! Follow me on Twitter @Butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, and be sure to like the fan page for Beauty on a Budget at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog. Talk to you soon!

--B