Weight loss, Skincare, Life!

Hey guys, just an update on a few things, I hope you all have been doing great! I'm finally starting to slow down a bit and get a little time to myself right on time for Christmas and my 20th birthday! (December 22nd)

As far as my ever so present weightless goes, just to re-cap, I lost about 40 pounds just by changing my diet alone, I was unaware of my weight loss until my clothes and people brought it to my attention. I took on a vegetarian diet with an occasional turkey burger or chicken wing here or there, but I don't eat red meat or pork ( Though I dabbled in filet mignon about a month ago lol), pork was never a family thing and I cut out red meat in 09.

Now with that and possibly walking to and from class on campus, the pounds really did shed...I was 254 pounds *cringe* in May of 2009 and August of 2010 I was about 215. Now I had gained a bit back come February or March of 2011 and just coasted btw 220-225. Then come June, I decided to go a bit further. I did my research, worked on keeping my metabolism regulated and took note of my eating habits. I made an account on http://caloriecount.about.com/ and made the decision to have some kind of detox at the end of every month. In June, I drank only protein shakes and water with a salad for two weeks; July the same; August I did a veggie cleanse...you get the point.

Doing that got extra gunk out of my body and got my metabolism on track because when you're only eating THAT^^ throughout the day, you stay on track with keeping something inside of you whether it'd be water to make you feel full or at least an apple and salad, which keeps your body out of starvation mode and holding onto fat. It was not easy but so worth it.

By October I was at 205...stayed there, and FINALLY crossed the 200 threshold!

 Then Thanksgiving came :/ 6 pounds...but I've lost them with a veggie cleanse thank goodness.

Now all of this happened with me exercising probably....twice...three times a week (since june) IF THAT! I know, I'm terrible but I'm working on it. I probably do more strength exercises than cardio because of it's continuing benefits of burning fat even when you're done (I thought that counted for a lot) but my Mom and I, along with more than a few friends will be in the gym more often now to speed up this process. A lot of people don't know that weight loss is %70 what you eat and %30 exercise, so just get those eating habits right and you'll be soaring once you add exercise! 

Yup...think that's about it. So stay motivated! Make a vision board, push yourself and start off with small, meaningful goals. 

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another."  

Anyone who is close to me knows that I've had issues with acne since about 8th grade/freshman year of high school. I tried Proactiv when I first got acne, and it worked wonderfully, but this "face crack" eventually ended up causing me to have WORSE breakouts and left my skin in shambles. Since then I've tried Ambi...no results at all, Rx for Brown Skin was pretty good...I just stopped using it. Then from there I tried to go the organic only route...yea....no.

Dark spots...fun times with friends haha

More dark spots :/

 I finally decided to give in and go to my Dermatologist who completely gave me the sideye for not coming to see her in so long and she prescribed me with an oral antibiotic, "Doxycycline", Retin-a Micro, Hydroquinone for the dark spots and I just picked up a Cleanser with %5 Benzoyl Peroxide and use Aveeno Clear Complexion to moisturize.

 

Now let me just say....when taking Doxycycline you can't eat any dairy 8 hours out of the day -_- this is sad for me because I love cheese, and I also am a person who takes NO pills because of my view on the medical industry in general...so this isn't a favorite of mine.

Retin-a micro....ma'am. This stuff had my skin peeling, burning, itching and flaking up a storm. It says that it is supposed to increase the rate of skin cell turnover and indeed it did. I didn't leave out of the house for a week and the insecurity was piled high, but the bright side was that a new layer of skin was revealed. My dermatologist recommended that I stop taking it for a week and only apply every three days versus every night as I was before, due to the side effects I had. But through it all, my skin felt great and glowed like none other.

The Hydroquinone has been amazing!! The first three days of using it my dark spots lightened tremendously, I'm sure within a month they'll probably be close to gone. I have a 4% concentration of it, I've heard Nadinola is also a good company to use if you don't want to go through the hassle of getting it prescribed by a doctor.

I'll just say that Clean and Clear is the truth. Bump today, gone tomorrow.

Aveeno...eh, I like Olay better so I'll get that.


And don't forget your SPF!




A few tidbits:
I was an extra in Sparkle, awesome time! Who would want to work a 9-5 after that? Whitney and Jordin Sparks are beautiful, Derek Luke was verrry handsome and I had a good time chatting and laughing it up with the beautifully talented Tamela Mann (after being sown into my sequin dress in front of everybody haha)


I've come across some amazing people and joined a company Artist Network, thank you for the opportunity and I can't wait to see what we do next, much love especially to Gene Hall and Nikki Marie for you guys' constant inspiration :)


The Glitz and Glam fashion show by Glamhouse LLC was awesome!! Thank you Jewel, Runway Rox, and Vince Holloway for having me and perfecting "Glam" I look forward to everything that comes next :)


A HUGE shoutout to my big cousin MiMi for the support she is giving me and the doors she has opened for me,  and further trying to push me through. I am so grateful and I know that great things are coming for the both of us! I love you. Check her out on  Shade 45 Sirius|XM {Sat 5-8/Sun 4-8}!


Thank you to everyone who has continued to stick with me through everything that I am doing and support me it's not easy to find people who have genuine love and support to give I truly appreciate you all <3


*~Stay blessed my Butterflies*~

Ash's Fall/Winter Goals- Still in metamorphosis

Hey divas and divos, hope everyone is doing well with the turn of the season (that we had NO transition into -__- )!


I'm just here with my usual random update and I've decided to share a few things that I have been working on and plan to work on in the next couple of months, hopefully as motivation for you.

First there's my diet. Now...as you already know, I've been a bigger girl the majority of my life and have had ups and downs with my weight like...FOREVER! My Senior year of high school my weight reached it's peak, and towards the end of the school year and start of my Freshman year of college I made the decision to slowly cut meat out of my diet.

I tried more than once...sometimes indulging of course, but that all came with not knowing exactly what to do. Upon cutting meat out of my diet I felt soooooo hungry all of the time. There were many times I was tired of only eating veggies. Eventually with more research and a strong desire for a healthier lifestyle, I began to add more to my dishes such as whole grains, fruits, beans, and sometimes tofu (not a big fan). The key here is to be creative with your dishes when it comes to a veggie lifestyle. Do some research, it'll all be worth it!

Now I'm not even gonna lie...the occasional chicken wing or turkey burger DOES cross my plate, but I make it a point to make vegetables 60% of my diet. This leaves me feeling more energized and over the past two years has helped me unconsciously shed almost 40 pounds and trimmed my waistline :)




Fast forward to June 2011 and I've started substituting meals with Vi-Shape Protein shakes. I did this because I noticed that I didn't like to eat heavy in the morning and most nights. I knew I needed to keep my metabolism up so I thought protein shakes were the best option especially since they included vital nutrients in the ingredients. I usually added the powder to 8 ounces of soymilk, sometimes fruit and ice so that it came out smoothie like in the blender. 

I recently decided to try a new protein shake by Naturade, their HealthSmart Daily Nutrition Supplement..not a HUGE fan of the ultra sweet flavor but we'll see how it racks up to Vi-Shape soon.


I eat pretty healthy and have seen the benefits of it but diet alone will not get me the results that I want.


I was blessed with huge thighs (thanks heredity -_-) and toning them is definitely a top priority of mine. I know that I will have to fight a good fight to not end up on the path of cellulite, but with less sugar, more running and squats, I think I have a good shot, so an increase of INTENSE cardio is on my list season....(as I mentally prepare for the Beachbody Insanity program). My goal is to shed another 30 hopefully by the end of the year, but more toned thighs instead will definitely suffice.

SKIN:

She is so beautiful to me!

I probably have some of the most sensitive skin known to man...ANYTHING can cause me to breakout, no matter how much water I drink, how often I wash, scrub, exfoliate, moisturize...i'm just at such a loss haha. I've decided to finally take the medical route *gasp* and go see a dermatologist because the honey, brown sugar and lemons is just...i'm so over it. Hopefully the breakouts and dark spots subside because this+modeling= not so successful career. And besides...who wants bad skin anyhow? Gonna do what it takes to take care of that and be the beautiful butterfly I know that I can :)

Hair:

FRIED, DYED AND LAAAIID TO THE SIDE!

 A couple of my friends/followers (@ashchristined) know that I've been taking new steps when it comes to caring for my hair...I never really learned to "take care" of my hair...I just knew how to style it, like so many African Americans do. We can make sure our hair is soooo "laid" but barely take into consideration the stress that we put on our hair with constant heat, chemicals, and terrible products ( Blue Magic...throw that mess away...please.) Heat....KILLED my hair and caused me to trim thoughtlessly at the front of my hair, leaving me with a type of odd fringe bang that I am DYING to grow back...like yesterday. It has been growing luckily with moisture and tender care...but yea...keeping heat out of my head for a while and wearing my hair either twisted up, curly out, or my fro (that I'm starting to love). All in all..focus more on healthy hair than frying, dying, and laying it to the side.

Inner self:

Enough about external me...Here's what's going on with me internally. Most people can usually attest to me being "cool " I pride myself on being a pretty good person, but I know that I could be better. I really want to work on my naturally shy nature, which I definitely don't want to come off as lack of confidence! I love meeting new people and will usually always greet someone with open arms, but sometimes I can get caught up on what I'm thinking and will be in my own world, analyzing and planning when I should be enjoying the moment. My mind is always going. I also have this complex where I HATE being alone. I feed off of other people's energy, but I need to feed off of my own (which I do...but having someone else there is such a comfort).  I'm sure I can analyze this and come up with all kinds of psychological reasons why this is, but the fact of the matter is I need to change this because I know that a lot of times in my life it will be me and just me.

Solution= indulge myself in the things that I love, increase my value to the world and to myself, remain conscious and open, become my own best friend <<<this sounds so lonely LOL anyone with any advice, please give it to me. I look forward to being more in tune with myself again.


BBI:

This season is focused solely on fundraising, I wholeheartedly desire for Bodacious Butterfly to become a non-profit organization outside of Wayne State University, and with a nearly $400 fee to do this and mounds of paperwork, lots of time and effort is required. I want this year to be loads more productive and many more events. I'm planning to do a special event for BBI with the awesome ladies of So Plush Modeling, but more details will come later. I'm so glad that I've started this organization and that it can give some of you inspiration and a place to feel like you belong. I look forward to seeing more faces and helping others embark on new journeys to a better them. <3 Remember all ideas, comments, questions and concerns are welcome. I'm not doing this solely for me. This is for you all and I want to hear from you! Make sure you check out our new website and become a member for updates!

Music:

RenCenCoolBeanz "Inspiration" Album

Most of you know that I've been singing fooorrrreeevvver, some of you don't, and some of you only know me for that, either is fine haha. Lately I've been doing shows with the super-unbelievable-amazingly talented RenCen Coolbeanz. This guy....is..so talented. Composition wise, lyrically, energy, confidence..it's all there. Being around him opened up a whole new world of possibilities and challenged me to dig deeper within myself as an artist (as well as a person) I still get starstruck when I'm around him, don't know if he can tell or not but I definitely do. One moment I was just a fan, and the next I'm on Ren's album (crazy!) and meeting all kinds of amazing people. I'm truly grateful for the opportunity and all I have to do is hold up my end and be the amazing artist that I can be and live out the potential that those around me see in me.


Included in the awesomeeee people I've come to love:

Chell, my Chellybean: Definitely an inspiration to me, and has become a very good friend as well.Her skills are endless and her voice is divine. I know that she is going to be a force to be reckoned with (she already is), this girl can write and compose her butt off and on top of that...her voice is just a breath of fresh air. She's working on a project #COMC (Coming out of My Chell) that should be out sometime in October! Follow her on twitter at @Vid_mzSkyy to keep up with her! Thanks for your support and nudging Chell! I needed it and I appreciate you. #love

DJ LBoog!!: Ayyy this dude, I love this  fiery-red mohawked guy. Boog is such a hustler, I'm trying to get like you! This man has a gig everyday of the week, any event that he hosts you WILL have a good time. A fantastic DJ, part time Comedian, and secret vocalist (this man can saaang) I'm glad that he's been in my company. There are many great things to come from this guy, I know it. Keep up with him>>> @boogsworld

Nissa: The Boss Lady! Singer, songwriter AND actress, I love her energy, her strong, soulful, raspy voice and infectious personality. She's currently preparing for her show the Stage play Boss Lady in the Detroit area, among other things. But for more details, follow this lovely triple threat diva >> @MissNissa


Brandon Williams: Mr. Soulasismusic himself! The list of achievements for this man are astounding. He has worked with many of your favorites I'm sure. Mr. Grammy nominated, Mr. #love bug, this man is another inspiration of mine. He has shown me what dedication, passion, and respect can get a person and he gets it all back in return and more. I'm honored to be in his presence and hopefully one day soon I'll be able to have as much grace as he.

@Vid_mzSkyy, @Boogsworld, @MissNissa, @Soulasismusic

I don't want to go on a rant but why won't you please yourself?

Why is everyone so worried about how everyone feels about them? We constantly look for approval from family, friends, the church, our boyfriends and girlfriends, etc when the only person that we should be worried about pleasing is God.


Now in no way does this mean, please God and ignore your own desires, no.
This means recognize your purpose and fulfill it. God has given EVERYONE a special gift whether it'd be to create artistic masterpieces, or to have the specificity of a master surgeon. We were all put on this earth to fulfill a purpose that no one but you and God will understand. 


Your parents may not understand, your lover may not understand, and even YOU may not understand in the beginning, but you must listen. Open your eyes and pay attention to your surroundings; the people around you, the places that you go, the things that you watch and the things that you think about constantly.


God is telling you something and you have to listen. If you don't, you will only be as unhappy as you have been. Don't ignore your blessings, and don't let anyone else tell you what THEY think that you should do. 


Those instincts, those desires that you have, that is God. He is telling you what your purpose is. He wants you to create, he wants you to live rightfully by him.


Show him that you were put on this earth for a reason!! Make him proud, and most importantly be happy. You have ONE life to live and you don't know when it is over. What will they say about you if you left right now at this very moment? What is your legacy? Did you live to make YOU happy or were you always concerned about others? Become more conscious of yourself, your thoughts and your actions PLEASE! 


I could go on and on with this but I won't because I like to keep it short (most of the time). I just want everyone to be all that they can be and open there eyes, and their minds to their true potential. It saddens me to see how people box themselves in...but I digress.


Just please....be true to yourself and your destiny, pay attention to what God shows you, and live to be better than you are. #THATISALL

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Could you please lend me your ear?

What's up?!


How has everyone been?! As we all know I have the habit of being an inconsistent blogger, BUT hopefully my accomplishments during my absence make up for that ;-)


So what's going on with BBI?! Well..........:


We're still working on our e-board! (e-mail if interested in running for a position)

We enjoyed a WONDERFUL day at Durfee middle school back in March, talking to the 7th and 8th grade girls about  Positive self-esteem among other things :) That was a very exciting thing for me and I can't wait to build a full time program to do things like this in the community.


A big thank you to Student African American Brotherhood for doing the same for the young men at the Middle School as well!!


Our fashion show is still being planned for the fall semester and coming together nicely! Keep me posted if you are interested.


All in all, networking and gaining members is a very important focus! We're making it work, just keep the faith in our movement ladies!


On a more personal note, aside from school, I recently went to New York to audition for the Apollo Theater Amateur Night showcase with Ms. Malachi London....which we're currently awaiting our feedback *crossing fingers* and I met some wonderful people :) Mrs. Pearlie who was such a joy to meet and talk to :), the mother of Schizophrenia, a rock band based out of Staten Island, NY and New York Carribean band Smax, whose sound I looooooovvvved. Those hours (12 am-9am) were definitely a memory that I will NEVER forget. :)

School is still school and GEOLOGY omg thought it would be easy but............................

not  at all. It takes a bit more studying but I'm making it.

I was cast to be apart of the Vagina Monologues underneath the council of WSU's Alpha Phi Omega and their support of the very powerful VDAY Movement. I encourage everyone to click the link and learn about what's really going on with our women, our young girls. They need us. Hearing all of those stories was eye opening to me and my guy friends especially. Hearing these heart-wrenching stories gave us a new way of viewing the word "vagina" and what it means in all different parts of the world. We could easily think of that word and think "pleasure" but to so many women around the world it is a word of pain, of confusion, disgust, enslavement and in very rare cases of freedom. Please don't be ignorant to the facts.

Photo courtesy of @THEE59FIFTY lol

I've also recently joined the ranks of one of the beautiful So Plush Models!  I believe I found them on twitter (@ashchristined :-) ) and I loved their movement because their goals were similar to those of Bodacious Butterfly Inc's. I decided to enter into a contest they had, just fooling around and unexpectedly won! :-o I went downtown for my photoshoot with the beautiful women (who were nothing but kind and reassuring to me and my newbie-ness LOL) and the next thing I know......I'm on the team. I know I love taking pictures but this is so different and so exciting and definitely a confidence booster....being paid to be cute...can't beat that being a college student with no job hahaha.

I'm confident that alongside these ladies and everyone who supports the Curvy girl movement and Bodacious Butterfly Inc, our young girls, teens and even older women will gain back the confidence and positivity that we all need. We need to believe in ourselves and realize our potential more now than ever with so much confusion going on in the world. There is a lack in peace and the only thing left to do is start from within.

Keep the faith and keep pushing, and always be kind to one another. Remember that the only one to judge you at the end of it all is God, so live to make HIM proud. Show him that you've lived rightfully by him and make a difference no matter how big or small.

I love you all <3

~*Toodles Butterflies*~

I'm feeling some kind of way today (A page from Ashley Christine's Diary)

This is how I'm feeling right now. I know that a lot of people are upset because I may not call as often as I used to, or think that I don't "love them anymore" (LOL). 

But you should know that my love never ends! If I've loved you, I'll always will. I'm just trying to fulfill and go beyond my potential and it'll take a little while, and a little bit of focus on me. I'm not living the good life, but I'm trying to get there and help others along the way. I'm sure that when I'm doing my thing you all would like me more than if I wasn't doing anything at all. So please allow me just a little bit of hiatus to make you all proud of me <3 I LOVE YOU! (and remember the phone works two ways!)

~I'm just tryna be me, doing what I gotta do~ Brandy

~*Ashley Christine

Positive Outreach and things of that nature (meeting brief)

Hello again butterflies,


I just came from the Bodacious Butterfly Icebreaker meeting and I'm excited to say that we've come up with some amazing ideas for the semester


So far, the full figured fashion show that I am planning is currently being budgeted out, so if you know anyone who may be interested in either modeling or providing clothing, performing, vending, etc the show is set for april 9th, email me or my Vice President Tierra Jones at ee3407@wayne.edu (me)  or tljones@wayne.edu (Tierra). The models may be from sizes 12 and up! no height requirements are set as of yet.


I also am planning a self-esteem workshop March 11th for a group of young girls at Durfee Elementary school which I am SO excited about. I'm also looking for a male mentor group who may be interested in doing the same thing for the young men at the school on the same day. If you or anyone you know is interested PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know as soon as possible...the children are our future and any way that we can reach out to them we should. <3 There is a huge need for positivity to be seen in the community.


In other news, we have our Valentine's Day bake sale which will be on Valentine's Day (of course) time and location is unknown as of now, but we will have plenty of goodies and smiles to go around.


Well....that's all for now. As always, think positive, be the change that you want to see, DON'T LET FEAR HINDER YOU!!!, and drink lots of water! hahaha. Have a wonderful weekend. Talk to you gals later <3


~*Toodles Butterflies~*

~Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.~- via Jelani Kamal's status :)


~Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours~

New Year, Lateness, and Wonderful Beginnings

HELLO MY BUTTERFLIES!


I know that I've been a bad girl not blogging for over a month...but it truly has been within good reason. I've started this new year off with lots of hope and faith pulling me through to do lots of things for the betterment of me and the people around me.


I'm glad to say that BBI is off to a good start, although it was a rough beginning. My network is growing daily, and I'm meeting all types of well rounded people who can in some way or another help mold me and those around me into the wonderful, uplifting and powerful people that we can become.


I want to thank a few of the people in my circle that are helping me along the way:


My Tierra's:

• Miss Tierra of Tay Productionz who has put together an AMAZING showcase that I'm so honored to be apart of.  The showcase's message is all about encouraging people to embrace hope and change and using it to steer your life in a positive way. Tierra is truly a talented, brave, strong woman and her endurance keeps me going in my own life. She is truly an inspiration. I am actually a performer in the showcase and I just got my tickets! ($30) The showcase features vocalists, dancers, hip hop artists, models, artists (painting, graphic, etc) actors, and fashion designers of Detroit. I am competing in the vocalist category wish me luck! I'll elaborate on it at another time, it's March 26th...BUT if you'd like to support me and my friends...(JeLani: Hip Hop, James: Actor, Malachi: Spoken Word, Terrell and Christine: Photos) let me know and I'll elaborate on all of the festivities!
• My "know everybody" Tierra. She has lifted some of the weight off of my shoulders when it comes to BBI and I'm so grateful for her, she's like my guardian angel right now. I'm so happy to have you on board and I know we're about to make things happen cap'n!

Miss Krystal!!! Krystal has been promoting before BBI was even started and as soon as I told her my idea I had her support <3 I love her company, her spirit, and her motivation for me. Her faith in me keeps me going and I can't wait to do the same for her with her Poetry Club which should be coming soon :)

Chidinma and Amara: Thank you guys for supporting me and giving me the advice that I need to keep going <3 

My Baby, my love: Thank you for being my rock. You have done SOOOOOOOO much for me I can't even begin to thank you. From designing my logo (that everyone loves), to printing a million copies of flyers and driving across town for little ole' me. Your optimism keeps me grounded babe. And I know that sometimes I can become filled with doubt, but I thank you for continuing to encourage me. I love that you want to be so active in my life and your input and ideas mean so much to me. You are a big help and I love you. I don't wanna get too mushy because we all know that I could talk all day. Love you <3

And to everybody who has shared the facebook page, the blog, and have had faith in my vision I thank you from the bottom of my heart because I can't do this without you guys...I could try but....ya know. And if I've left out anyone, blame it on the head not the heart <3 I definitely love you all.

I've also recently gotten my business cards for my makeup gig! I'm so excited. My portfolio however is a bit "blah" but we ARE working on that. If any models are interested be sure to let me know! We'd love to shoot you! (I need it!)

and hmmm lets see....my sprint bill is still high, I don't have a job yet, I've stopped eating meat (And my body is DEFINITELY adjusting as far as my bowels go...TMI I know) but I won't let these things hinder me...all I can do is keep going, keep my faith, and stay consistent in all that I do.

All in all, I am VERY excited for all of the things that I have planned for myself as well as BBI...I don't want to give too much away but trust me....GREAT things are to come :)

~We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.~ - Walt Disney

This quote SANG to me. I've always been the one to wonder "why" and "what if" and as of recently my curiosity and faith in moving forward has lead me into so many new things and gotten me acquainted with so many new people who I know will bring me nothing but positive change and growth. I see that the only way to move forward is to "Just Do It," and I'm doing and doing because I can't stop and I won't stop. I'm on the road to greatness, won't you please join me? Leave your fears behind ;-)

~*Signed, Ashley Christine