How to lose weight... and KEEP it off

Hey America,

I have some exciting news! Today I weighed myself and saw that I have lost a total of 68 pounds since July 2015. I have had a lot of people ask me what I am doing to lose this weight. Over the next few blog posts I will share 1 of my weight-loss secrets in each blog and give some additional insight about the process of losing weight in general. Before you even ask I will tell you why I will only share one secret per post. First, obviously I want to give you guys a reason to keep reading my exceptionally sarcastic but factual blog. Secondly, one thing I have discovered along this weight-loss journey is the importance of making lifestyle changes slowly. When most people start a diet they go HAM in the beginning with an extreme diet and exercise program. As we all know that when it comes to life eventually things happen or come up that cause us to fall off the weight-loss wagon. I cannot stress it enough that when choosing to become a healthier human it requires that you change your entire lifestyle. You have to make this more than a priority and decide that these choices and cuts in your diet are not just a temporary thing until you lose that 10 pounds. You have to decide that you will live your life this way, forever. So for today I think I will share with you my first weight-loss secret. This is actually what I started doing back at the end of July when I knew I needed to start making changes. I waited until I could master this one thing before I started trying to move onto the next thing. Alright,  so here is my first BIG SECRET which helped me create the groundwork for a change of my entire eating lifestyle.

EAT really REALLY SLOWLY:
Ok, so I want you to close your eyes and imagine you are a turtle...ok just kidding, like how can you read this with your eyes closed? Ok, so the first lifestyle change that I made back in July was eating slowly. This means that every time I sit down to eat an actual meal I try to make it take 20 minutes or more to eat. This may sound like a piece of cake (which cannot take more than 2 minutes to eat if we are being real) but it's actually one of the hardest things to master. SO here is a little more insight into making meals take 20 minutes to eat. First off this doesn't mean you grab a plate of food, inhale it, grab seconds, inhale it, and then continue down this rabbit hole until 20 minutes pass. This means you grab an honest and small serving of food and make THAT take 20 minutes to finish. This is actually a pain to do. Our entire culture is about eating quickly and on the go. Think for a second about how often you sit down and take your time to really enjoy your meal? Even when eating as a family it is rare that a meal takes longer than 10-15 minutes to consume. We often live our lives on the go so we end up eating on the go. So I will now do what I do best and assume some questions you have about this concept and answer them.

Why 20 minutes?
Because I said so.
The End.
Ok, fine, here is a more in-depth answer. 20 minutes is the amount of time it takes for food to settle in your stomach. When you eat slowly you give your stomach time to acknowledge the food in your super sexy belly before you overeat. This doesn't mean you can never eat more than one portion of food it just means you need to wait and see if you are actually still hungry after your first HONEST portion has settled. If you are still hungry after 20 minutes go and grab another SMALL portion and eat that slowly as well.

How do you take 20 minutes to eat a small portion of food?
You can't.
It's Impossible
Accept failure and disregard this entire blog.
JUST KIDDING.
The best way to start out eating slowly is the art of DISTRACTION. You literally have to distract yourself while you eat so that you don't focus directly on the fact that you are eating. So one of the easiest ways to distract yourself while eating is to not eat alone. If you eat with another person try engaging in a real conversation and it will serve as a good distraction from you pounding hunger. Also it is just a good human practice to actually converse with another human instead of staring at your cellphone the entire time.

What if I don't have any friends?
You may want to figure out what makes you so unlikeable and work on that.
Ok, fine, try doing something else while you eat. Multi-task while you eat. This may sound weird and backwards from everything you have ever been taught about good food etiquette but this is what I have found to work the best. If I am eating a meal alone I will do something along with eating so that I am distracted from devouring my plate in ten seconds. When I started this method I would read my bible and take notes and tried applying the bible to my habits of eating. Sometimes I will stalk Facebook, play a game on my phone, write, or even watch television so that I don't focus on my food.

What if I am really busy and never have time to take 20 minutes to eat?
Then you really will fail. When you are making lifestyle changes they have to become an actual part of your life, permanently. Yes, there are times when I really don't have to ability to spend 20 minutes eating but those times are so much more rare now that I have made myself a priority. Look, this isn't an easy fix but it is a way to lay groundwork for a stronger and healthier future. You have to decide that you are important enough to make some serious lifestyle changes.

Additional tips for eating slower:

Set a timer:
Literally, pull out your phone and set a 20 minute timer. EVERY single time you eat set the timer. I do this all the time. It is rare that I do not do it. I don't care if I am out with friends or family or alone or whatever I am doing I set a freaking timer. I also check it frequently while I eat so that I can gage my eating habits. You want to eat your meals in a balanced way. So when you eat mentally break down your food into 4 portions and eat one portion per 5 minutes. If you eat 90% of the food within the first 5 minutes it is pure agony to wait to eat those last 3 bites of magical sustenance. If you only eat 30 % up front and then pile drive food with your last two minutes you will end up still hungry and have basically waisted your time and mine (because I wrote this incredibly insightful blog). Trust me, I've gone about this method so many different ways that I have perfected this method. Over time you will see that you start getting fuller faster and eating less overall.

Eat like a baby:
What this means is when you eat you eat really small baby bites of food. Sometimes I even precut my food so that I have small bites ready to eat. When you eat smaller bites and FULLY chew them (whole notha blog) you will stretch that 20 minutes further than you thought.

In a nutshell, start small when you start any changes to your lifestyle. Start by timing how long it takes you to eat a meal in general and then start extending that time little by little until you make it to 20 minutes. When I mastered eating my food in 20 minutes I have noticed that I usually end up taking 30 minutes or more to eat. Sometimes I even take close to an hour to eat because I have successfully distracted myself so well. Yes, I am a server's worst nightmare at a restaurant because I will be there all night eating my 3 pieces of chicken. This is hard work but I know you can do this. If I can do this you absolutely can too. I have faith in you.

Stay Sexy America.

Be True to you.

With love,

- Drew

Currently down 68 unicorn pounds.

Before Photo

 After Photo

The Quitter

Hey America,

Welcome back! I am sorry I haven't blogged in over a week. My life suddenly exploded with busyness and because I am so committed to staying on track something had to give. So here is a quick recap over the last couple of weeks of my weight-loss journey. When I finished my last blog I was on cloud nine. I had just lost a significant amount of weight from the previous week and was feeling unstoppable. Everything was going great until it happened...
It came out of nowhere, like a torrential downpour in the Nairobi dessert. It blindsided me and knocked the wind right out of my ADORABLE pink sails.
If you have ever had to take on a serious weight-loss goal like I have and have failed as many times as me you probably already know what IT is. It was the inevitable stall out. Meaning, my progress that was all high-fives and handshakes suddenly stopped. My weight-loss completely halted and since I don't believe in doing anything half way I actually gained 3 pounds. I have never wanted to punch someone in the face so hard in my life. Even better, the weight-loss came on in one day and I had been keeping myself fully on track. Let us get real for a second, there is nothing more defeating then when you have been working so hard for something and see negative results. This past Monday as I was swimming at the gym with my husband I looked at him and told him that this was the moment. He looked at me and knew what I was about to say before I even said it. I was ready to put my gym shoes back away for another 18 months and "lose" my gym membership card again. I was ready to buy a bag of chips or a tub of spread cheese as a gateway back to bad habits. I was ready to get really "busy" with life and not have time to eat healthy and slowly slope back into failure.

 I was ready to quit.

In my 30 years of existing I have made a secret career of quitting. If quitting could be on a resume I would probably be the most qualified quitter on the planet. I have quit or not even attempted so many things in my life because there was a slight possibility of failure. I remember that lame poster that was on every math teacher's wall growing up that says "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." and made that my quitter's anthem. I loved twisting that saying around to my favor. Yea, I miss 100% of the shots and 100% of the failure and rejection.  I HATE rejection and failure. I hate it almost more than I hate throwing up. I would rather not even try something than face the slightest possibility of failure and pain. That is part of why I didn't even want to restart this spectacularly sarcastic blog. I didn't want to fail and then have to face everyone who was rooting for me again. I am the queen of self sabotage. The way I see it is if I can disappoint myself then I don't have to deal with another person hurting me again. I can let myself down easy. Don't believe that I am a career quitter? Let's revisit some of my most epic moments of QuitterHood that I have accomplished.
1. The Clarinet: I quit that because the guy I had a crush on in band started dating someone else and didn't see a need to keep putting in the work for that.
2. Theatre: I stopped auditioning for plays in high school (Because I figured I was never going to be chosen because of my size and my skin-tone didn't always compliment the lead roles) I would just offer to be the stage manager or assistant director instead.
3. I have quit MULTIPLE diets because they stopped working or got to hard and wasn't fun anymore.
4. I quit watching Glee because the plot wasn't going down the way I wanted.
5. I have quit writing 3 different books  in the fear that after putting in so much tremendous work that it would inevitably end in rejection.
6. I quit singing. I used to sing a lot when I was younger and stopped because my sister was superior to my talent and I didn't want to live in her shadow.
7. I quit friendships. I do this often, more than I would like to admit. Rather than work through the pain that someone has caused me I would rather just move on alone than revisit the issues between us.
8. I have quit jobs. When I have had a job where there seemed to be opposition with a superior I would start looking for new employment so that I wouldn't have to work with a difficult person.
9. I quit college. When I was in college I was doing really well and enjoyed it but quit because I didn't think I would actually amount to anything after graduation.
10. I have quit many things before I have even started them, like kale...

So now that we have established that I AM indeed the queen of quitting I will tell you what happened after I told Jon that I was ready to hang it up again. I was ready to see other people living their dreams while I drown in the sorrow of my unrealized ones. I was ready to start putting weight back on without even realizing it. I was ready to stop weighing myself rather than be pimp-slapped by my scale every morning. I was ready to let my girls down and not be the energetic mom they have grown to love. I was ready to start slacking in my appearance. I was ready to stop caring about myself and give up on all the dreams that are sometimes so big I can hardly breath. I was ready to lose because the thought of winning seemed absolutely impossible. How can you fight in a war where you keep losing every battle? So here is what happened.

I kept going.

Life tried to suffocate me with every possible road block this week and I kept fighting back. I still went swimming. I still took long walks with my kids even though every part of my body screamed "GIVE UP! JUST QUIT! YOU WILL NEVER BEAT THIS!" I still kept eating healthy. Each morning I would step on the scale and see absolute disappointment and I still kept going. I was exhausted and exasperated with my negative results. I didn't want to write a blog and have to report a negative in my weight-loss. I pushed until I could push no more and then pushed harder. I avoided bad habits and did the work even without results.

On Thursday, something changed. I stepped on the scale and for the first time in a week I was back to the weight that I was before I had re-gained.

I beat it.

I beat the biggest opponent that I have ever had to face, myself. I beat myself. I won the battle against my willpower and came out stronger. I kept going and survived. I met with my nutritionist on Thursday and was given a great report and she said that I have lost 13 pounds since seeing her 1 month prior. I also did something else this week that I NEVER would've attempted in the past. This week I decided to enter myself into a competition with The Today Show. They are looking for the next big beauty blogger and I decided to compete. They are looking for people who will be the next big digital stars of youtube, vine, and instagram. So if you are interested in that you can check out my youtube channel and subscribe to stay informed on that journey.  I know it's an insane longshot and I really didn't see a need to audition because there are probably millions of people auditioning who are way cooler than me.

I almost didn't do it but then I remembered,

https://www.youtube.com/c/JustLikeDrewChannel

Stay Sexy America

Be true to you.

With Love,

Drew (AKA Quit Master C)

Current Weight lost: 56 magical pounds 

The Inheritance

Hey America,

I am BACK! Today I have a topic for you that has kind of been the theme of my weight loss journey. The theme of my blog today is about the concept of taking on weight-loss one meal at a time. So I am guessing you are wondering what exactly I mean. Let me elaborate a little bit on this concept. When most people go after weight loss they first set a goal of the amount of weight they want to lose. Then they usually set a time frame of when they would like the lose the weight. If you are someone with my kind of weight loss goal you usually end up planning for your weight-loss transformation to take about 2 years. After they set the sensible goal of two years they take off directly for the gold. The first few days they attack weight-loss like its a pint of cookie dough ice-cream covered in Nutella with sprinkles and served to you on a silver spoon by Leonardo DiCaprio. After a few weeks they get busy or bored and realize how far away 2 years is. They don't see the amount of progress they were hoping to see as soon as they would have liked and eventually just give up. Let's get real for a second, two years is a long freaking time. When you look at your weight-loss goal as a whole complete goal it can be extremely daunting and discouraging. So that is why I had to start looking at my weight-loss one meal at a time. I have looked at the goal in front of me many times and it seems impossible. It is completely inconceivable to see myself that small. I have no memories of myself as a "small" person. I have always had a little more meat on my thighs and it honestly doesn't really bother me. I know that probably sounds strange and honestly that is a whole other topic in it's self BUT for real I have a few photos from when I was like 4 that I was at "model" weight.
So back to the topic at hand. Here is how the whole weight-loss one meal at a time concept came into play in my life. Some of you may remember that I am a devout Christ follower and while trying to grow a closer bond with Jesus this summer I came across a verse that kind of wrecked my life.
The verse is from Hebrews Chapter 12 Verse 16.
See that no one is sexually immoral or godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. 
Before you go flying off the handle this verse did not apply to me in the sense of immorality but about how Esau gave up an entire inheritance for 1 single meal, a bowl of desert stew (verp). So if you know absolutely NOTHING about the bible or history in general let me quickly explain the significance of this monumentally HORRIBLE decision Esau made. Esau had a twin brother named Jacob. Esau was technically born first and stood to inherit everything from his father Isaac. In a nutshell, Esau went out hunting one day and came back super hungry. He let his hunger take hold of him and sold his birthright to his younger twin for some of the stew he was making. His younger twin ended up being the father of Israel (yea, THE ISRAEL in the news). So Esau blew it! All for a bowl of mediocre stew. That is why this verse resonated with me.
How many times have people blown an entire diet over one meal? I thought about how this applied to my own life. I looked at times where I may have been doing great with my diet plan and then decided to have a cheat meal to end all cheat meals and slowly let my diet get away from me. I then took the concept even further. I started looking at my life through different eyes. I no longer saw my weight-loss in pounds or a goal over time but saw it as meal to meal. I started looking at the meal directly in front of me and would think is this a meal that will make me give up my inheritance? Will this meal eventually take me away from a future with my girls, future grandkids, or my husband? Will this meal keep me from fulfilling my dreams and from the inheritance of a healthy future? Will this meal destroy me? I know it probably sounds dramatic but when you look at your food options through this lens it will change you.
After looking through this lens with my eating I started making smarter decisions. Now, don't start thinking that I became a vegan and started incorporating kale into everything BUT I did get smarter. If I am being completely honest I didn't keep up with my one meal at a time concept perfectly since July but recently came back to this as I realized how much this helped me conceptualize my weight-loss goal. Recently I was on the phone with someone from the doctor's office and we were talking about me scheduling my nutritionist visits etc.. The woman on the phone who I don't even know before getting off the phone said "You are gonna do great kiddo, just remember 1 day at a time." Again I pulled that verse back out and remembered to STOP looking at the mountains in front of me and started visualizing the next meal in front of me.  I still have days when I enjoy meals that are a little more heavy in fat and calories, just less frequently. There are also days where I deal with some serious food temptation and start bargaining in my head that it's not a big deal if I eat that. I will only go over my calories a little bit just this once. Those thoughts will torment me sometimes but I fight them back with remembering that this is just one small moment of temporary satisfaction that I am giving up. This 50 calories is not worth my weight-loss journey. This 50 calories is not worth me missing out on a healthy future with my family. This 50 calories is nothing to me. I just need to make it to morning. I made a choice earlier in my day to enjoy those calories and now I have to choose to eat less to reset the balance of my day. This 50 calories will not steal my inheritance from me. It's just food.
Now, don't read this and get all depressed and think "Wow, I might as well give up oxygen because there is no way I will ever be able to have that much discipline." I am just trying to help you expand your mind and think about weight-loss in simpler terms. Stop looking at a large goal and start setting a much smaller goal. Instead of trying to get through 2 years in a flash just get through the meal in front of you. After that meal make it to the next meal and so on. When you look at weight-loss in smaller terms you free yourself up from the burden of that hellacious two year goal. The other awesome thing about looking at weight-loss this way is that even when you have a bad meal, day, week, or month is that you can immediately get back on track with your next meal. We all have bad days or a bad meal, instead of giving up and feeling like a failure get back up and get at it with your next meal. You can do this, I know you can. Start taking control of your weight-loss and your life. You deserve a fruitful inheritance (unless you are a serial killer) filled with joy and good health. Take back your inheritance today starting with your very next meal. Stop worrying about two years from now and start planning two hours from now. Before you know it you will be in the body of your dreams and living out the inheritance God had originally designed for you. I hope you feel inspired today and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. Your whole life is just an empty plate waiting for you to fill it.

You got this.

Be true to you,

With Love,

-Drew

Currently Down: 53.6 pounds 

JustlikeDrew: The Comeback Kid

Hey America,

Its me, Drew! Remember me? Probably not. Allow me to quickly refresh your memory. I am the girl who started this blog a little over three years ago with a goal to lose all of her excess weight within two years. Still not ringing a bell? I am the girl who seriously fell off the wagon after making these flashy claims? Remember me now? Well, I'm back, my tail is securely between my legs and I am asking humbly if you would try accompanying me on my weight loss journey, again. So before you agree to rejoin me on my road trip to the healthier version of me you probably have some questions that you would feel super awkward asking publicly so let me try to assume and answer as many as I can.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Great question. So in a nutshell the easiest explanation is that a few months into my former weightless journey where I had lost 35 pounds and was a dancing Zumba queen I accidentally got pregnant with a super cute baby. Not satisfied? Well, This super cute baby decided to hate all of the foods I was eating to maintain my healthy lifestyle and conveniently sat on my right hip making it difficult to do things like walk to the bathroom. I tried to stay strong but just couldn't keep up with my body. To make things even more awesome after having the baby I was too exhausted to get back to the gym and quickly let old habits creep back in. Eventually I just quit trying. Also when that same adorable baby was 7 months old we decided to move back home to Wisconsin and lived with my parents for almost a year while we searched tirelessly for a place to live.  After moving back to Wisconsin I started having some health problems which made things even worse and eventually made weight loss the furthest thing from my mind. I know... excuses...excuses..sheesh.

Hold on, how do you "accidentally get pregnant"? This all sounds very sketch...
I am so glad you asked. So without divulging too much detail. After we had our first glorious baby girl in 2011 we were unsuccessful in future attempts at creating more super cute babies so we kind of just assumed it was no longer a possibility for us. When I started losing weight my body's baby growing software rebooted and voila! A baby was born.  I know that sounds super smart and medically sound and legit so I will just leave it there.

Why now?

Why not....Satisfied? Great! Let's move on.

JUST KIDDING. Ok, lets get a little more real. So when I quit my weight loss journey in 2013 it was actually very difficult for me and took a toll on me emotionally. When we moved it was a very emotional time and with my health problems happening I started to lose value in myself. If you remember I have written about the importance of self confidence and personal value in regards to weight loss and at the time I didn't have any. In 2015 I decided to start taking a more personal interest in myself and to find worth in myself again. I didn't immediately start with weight-loss as I knew that wouldn't be successful until I fell back in love with myself wholly (every giggly bit of me.) So on my birthday April 25, 2015 I started the process to selfie love. I had a makeover done on myself and began placing more effort into my appearance which I had recently given up doing. Don't get me wrong I wasn't walking around looking like a homeless starter pack BUT I wasn't living up to my full flawless potential. After a few months into my journey to a more fly looking version of myself I had some more health set backs happen (which I will give more details about in future blogs so I guess you will have to subscribe to my blog so you won't miss out on the juicy details). These health set backs made me realize it was time to start looking back at my health again. My outward appearance was doing great but my healthy appearance was struggling. One night when in the ER because of some serious health things going on they had me step on the scale and to my dismay I had not only regained every pound I had worked so hard to lose but gained an additional 38 pounds on top of it. Nothing is more sobering than seeing all your hard work gone to waste and having no one to blame but yourself. So I started becoming more aware of my body. I would LOVE to tell you that from that moment I hit the pavement and started shredding pounds like a lady boss BUT that isn't the case. I first had to deal with my health issues before I could pursue a healthier me and I was still dealing with that whole falling back in love with myself thing. Well, I started making minor healthy lifestyle changes and continued on my self love and awareness journey. Fast forward to January 2016 where this story picks up some steam. In January I started getting some much needed answers to medical questions and with time started to feel more myself again. At the end of February I started a youtube channel dedicated to makeup, lifestyle and fun. Part of the recapturing myself journey came accompanied with a serious addiction to makeup. I found something that I was passionate about and ran (not literally... let's get real here) with it. The passion isn't just in wearing makeup its everything about it but if you want to peek into that addiction you can go watch my youtube channel (shameless plug) at this site https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqfQKQZuTxIJlCHaRtZ2Ejg
and have JustlikeDrew overload.
In March I knew it was time and that I was ready to jump back in to my health journey, for real this time. I met with a nutritionist and created a game plan on how we can make this happen (more details on that in a later blog). One exciting thing is that when I met with the nutritionist we discovered that I had already lost 29 pounds. My birthday was on its way again and I decided to dedicate this year to becoming the healthiest version of myself. I had completed my year of recapturing my self love, worth, and value and knew it was time to go the rest of the way in my transformation. So, I am happy to let you know that after being back on the wagon since March 30 I have already lost 18 pounds (So if you aren't keeping track I have lost a total of 47 pounds since the ER visit I mentioned...hair flip). This is my next step in becoming the best me I can be and I am ready.

What is different this time?
I have a stronger support network of family and friends cheering me on. I also have people keeping me accountable that I asked to do so. I also am meeting regularly with my nutritionist to ensure that I keep on track with my program. Also I am going to be a little smarter with my body this time and not planning on any more surprise babies right now.

How do I know you will stick with it this time?
You don't. I am asking that you take a gamble on me, again. This time feels different ( honestly, last time felt different too) and I have been making changes in my personal life to make this change more possible.

What personal changes?
I am making this health journey a priority. Meaning, I have had to make tough cuts and choices in my schedule in order to ensure that I don't fall off the wagon into an abyss again. I am meeting regularly with my nutritionist in order to stay accountable. I also have people I check in with regularly about my progress or lack thereof. I am tracking my calories and have created a workout plan with my partner. I have also gotten one of those step tracker watches in order to force myself to keep moving so that I don't have to face the red bar of doom!

Why are you blogging again?
I was asked by some friends if I would pick my blog back up again after posting about my recent weight loss on social media. After some reluctance I decided to dust off my keyboard and start it again.

Why were you reluctant?
I had failed so badly last time that I didn't want to start blogging again unless I was sure I could and WOULD keep going this time. After some soul searching I knew I needed to bring my blog back from the dead. It is a great outlet for me to vent and celebrate the realities of weight loss. I was also reluctant because when you put yourself out there and tell people that you are working on your weight it causes people to focus on the part of yourself where you are most vulnerable. Some people will feel like this is an open invitation to criticize and comment on a very personal part of my life. It also reassures your greatest fears that some people have never really seen you as a person but a large number on a scale. I have had family members make comments about my physical appearance while I have been working on bettering myself and reminded me that my excess weight is all that they see and not the real me. I was also reluctant because I already had friends assuming that I was "losing weight the wrong way" and were already trying to convince me to change coarse and try a more drastic diet plan. While I understand that my family and friends mean well most of them don't understand the difficulty in trying to lose weight in the first place. Most people assume that all weight issues are a result in overeating and do not realize the vast number of reasons you may be struggling with weight gain in the first place. They also forget that you are a person, with feelings. People seem to think that when you are overweight that you openly invite constant personal criticism and that with every extra pound you are less sensitive to rude comments and that you deserve your societal mistreatment (Fat Shaming, anyone?).  When someone allows you into their weight loss journey they are inviting you into something that is very private and personal. There is nothing more deflating in a health journey then when people begin trying to tell you how to lose weight and assume that you have done no research in the process and that you've been sitting around for years just waiting for them to show you their miracle juice, diet, pill, workout etc...
You should view it as a privilege and take on the role of support and NOTHING more.  You are not being invited in order to come host weekly weigh ins at their house and thus discourage them all the more. ok... Sorry, got a little sidetracked there.

So what's next?
Well, this blog is what's next. I am Re-inviting you into my very personal health journey. I will try to post regularly on here and we will see how that goes. I will still be posting regular videos on my youtube channel which will be more focused on makeup and personal appearance. I will keep this blog more health focused and dedicated to my weightless journey.

What is your goal with this blog?
To inspire those who don't think they are capable of greatness. To show others how to love themselves at every juncture of their lives. To remind people that we are all works in progress and that we are NEVER really finished with improving ourselves.

So my last question is for you, the reader. Will you rejoin me on this rollercoaster and put your faith in my once again?

For those of you who never stopped believing in me... your support holds more value than you could ever fathom.

In the meantime.

Stay Sexy America.

Be true to you.

With Love,

- Drew

April 26th Weekend Party Jam!!!

Hey America,

Because of the fun we had together this week talking about Herpes and personality flaws lets lighten that load with a weekend party Jam! I am thinking of making this a weekly occurrence and every weekend share with you my Jam of the week that has really kept me movin and groovin.

This weeks Jam is none other than RedFoo Ridiculous!


ENJOY!!!

http://youtu.be/1w9DiGlZks


Click the link above to listen to the song! :)

With love to you,

Be true to you,

Drew

Getting Rear Ended

Hey America,

As you know I love ZUMBA but last week I decided to try something different to start my week and it was beginner Yoga. When I went into Beginner Yoga I was thinking it would be a piece of cake and that I would take to it as easily as I took to Zumba. Lets just say…I did NOT. I kind of HATED it. It was super difficult and I was incredibly sore and basically wanted to drop kick anyone who even said the word Yoga. To be even more honest I gave up half way through class and decided to go "lift weights." Basically, I was looking for any excuse to get out of that stretchy breath controlled hell they deem as yoga. The whole experience was a nightmare. From the second my hands met the mat I was drenched with sweat. Seriously, my hands were sliding off the mat, mega gross. I left faster than you could say Namaste. This is where things got even worse. The next day my legs and arms felt like they had been hulk smashed mercilessly. That Tuesday I still attended my normal Zumba class and was in a lot of pain but still went for it. Well…. We were dancing to this rugged beat and jumping, bouncing, and jamming and suddenly POP. My knee… I popped it… It wasn't broken but it hurt like a mother. That ended up ruining the rest of my workouts for the week and I was only able to take one more class then had to sit it out. So, why am I telling you about my super annoying workout week. I mean isn't this supposed to be a fun uplifting blog? Nobody wants to hear about your weak old knees… What a creeper.

Well this past Monday I reluctantly decided that I would be trying out Yoga one more time… Very… VERY reluctantly. Anyways, this past Monday as I was on my way to the gym I was waiting at a red light to turn right and just as we were about to drive the car in front of me rear ended the car in front of them. It was very surreal and kind of annoying. Since I was the witness to this very minor accident I pulled over to the side of the rode with the other vehicles. My first reaction was to be mad about having to take time out of my schedule but then I realized it must be a sign from God that I shouldn't take that violent yoga class again. While waiting outside for a police officer to arrive the man who hit the other car and I began to make small talk. He noticed that I was very obviously wearing my gyn gear. He apologized profusely for having to delay my workout. I explained to him that I was on my way to take a class that I really had no desire to take in the first place. He told me I should still go and take my class. He obviously didn't see the clouds of heaven part like I did when he bounced into that vehicle in front of him. Anyways he starts telling me about some lady he likes on the radio and how she wrote some book about vulnerability and strength.  Basically I was sure at this point I was being inducted into a cult. Our conversation had turned from kind to creepy in a matter of seconds. The man kept talking about being vulnerable and told me that the book was saying that the most successful people in the world are the ones who make themselves vulnerable. He told me that we are all screwed up in some way or another and thats where being vulnerable comes into play. I stood there smiling awkwardly awaiting a squad car to arrive while he carried on. Then the man looked right at me and said "just walking into Lifetime (my gym) is making yourself vulnerable and that is amazing." Those words struck me deep to the core. He began to tell me how proud he was of me for just going to the gym and how his wife won't even walk into a gym. He was so impressed by me, a complete stranger. These words changed my entire outlook on going to the gym. He made me feel like a success and like I could conquer the world. Honestly, I wanted to cry because of how much those words meant to me. Shortly after he said those amazing words to me a cop arrived, took my statement, and sent me on my way immediately. That was it. Just like that the man who probably said the most uplifting thing a stranger had ever said to me was gone, out of my life forever. When I drove away I drove straight to the gym and went to yoga (late). Last week I was only able to handle about 30 minutes of class well this week I was 15 late but stayed for the last 45 minutes. It was hard but I did it. I pushed myself because I didn't want to let that man down. He believed in me and had just met me.

Why did I tell you any of this? Because even though I was only the witness to the car accident I was emotionally rear-ended. My entire day, week, and probably life will be completely different just because I met this man. I wish I would've actually gotten his name because he made a real impact on me.

So my question to you this week is are you vulnerable? Are you willing to put yourself at risk and ridicule in order to accomplish your goals? Have you ever been emotionally rear-ended? Do you believe in yourself as much as others do?  Be vulnerable. Allow yourself to be changed. Be willing to try something more than once even if it seems really difficult the first time.

Thank you for reading,

Be true to you,

With Love,

Drew

vul·ner·a·ble

ˈvəln(ə)rəbəl/

adjective

1.

susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.

Mirror Mirror on the wall.. Who is the sexiest girl by the wall?

Hey America,

Remember me? That crazy girl who was all about health and fitness and bringing America's Sexy back?

Remember how I sort of lost my way a little bit when I got pregnant with a mega adorable baby?

If not let me Re-Introduce myself. I'm Drew and about a year ago I started the journey to a healthier me. Let me be clear when I say healthier I am not saying Skinnier. While I would not mind it if I lost some weight I also would not mind not losing any either. I know that probably sounds insane but its true. I LOVE my body. Even though I am nowhere near being offered a job as a victoria's secret model or a spot in the swimsuit edition of sports illustrated I still love my body. I love me. Do you LOVE you? Do You? So what if your muffin has a top and if your love comes with extra handles? You are still equally gorgeous and as beautiful as any other computer generated image of beauty.

If you have read my blog in the past you would know that my exercise of choice is ZUMBA! It is so much fun and not for the feint hearted. When I began this journey a little over a year ago I was so excited yet so nervous at the same time. I literally pulled out tennis shoes that I want to say I purchased in high school and was wearing my regular clothes that could "pass" as fitness wear. After looking back at my ratchet attire i discovered two things. 1. That I didn't care if I had to wear a potato sack and moccasins I was going to get my fitness on. 2. That I didn't really believe in myself enough to buy real workout clothes. So after I had my gorgeous baby I decided that when I headed back to the gym this time that I was going to do it right! I completely revitalized myself and my wardrobe. Here are some of the things I did to reclaim the sexy in my workout.

1. I went shopping during some awesome sales and I affordably was able to get myself 3 new pairs of kicks, 5 new workout tops, and four pairs of awesome pants. Now when I workout I don't need to constantly look over my shoulder at the other adorable outfits and can look right into the mirror and feel fabulous.

2. I changed my hair. I know this doesn't seem like its important but to me it was. When you take fitness classes they have mirrors. At first I thought this was some kind of cruel punishment so you could not only feel like your dying but could also watch it happen. My hair was in a serious need of a makeover. It wasn't like carrot top ratchet but nonetheless it was ROUGH.  So I decided to figure out what I wanted as a "Signature look" and went for it! Now I absolutely adore my hair and love watching it swing from side to side while my hips do the same.

3.  I started wearing makeup to the gym. I KNOW… Believe me I know. I used to hate the girls who came to class with a fully calculated outfit and MAKE UP on.. Super annoying right? Well prepare a glass of haterade because I am now officially one of "Those" girls. Why? Remember those evil mirrors? Well let me tell you.. Those mirrors aren't so evil when you are wearing the perfect eyeliner and have on some lipgloss that won't quit! Now I LOVE that mirror and I stand in the very front row.

This past Tuesday when I was leaving class one of my Zumba friends stopped me and said "Hey, you look so beautiful tonight with your makeup and your hair! You can't do that!" My response was "Thank you and I have to. This makes me feel good about coming here and doing this." We hugged and I went home.

Why aren't we supposed to do be sexy while working on our sexy? Why? Why not look gorgeous while getting fit? Yes it can be extra drama sometimes bc if you sweat to death (like I do) your amazing eyeliner will begin to crawl down the sides of your face but its still worth it. Its worth being able to LOVE what you see in that mirror and to face it with a smile and pride.

SO this week on the return of this very silly blog that for some reason people read anyways I charge you America to bust out your inner sexy and bring that baby to the gym.  I have missed you America and now I am back.  Ready to restart this journey with you, again.

Thank you for reading and stay SEXY America,

Be true to you,

With love to you,

Drew

 My new hair and mega adorable baby. (no make up on, Irony)

New workout clothes with semi ratchet hair and no makeup on…..yet. ;)