Sunday, October 28, 2012

The great closet experiment: A wrap-up

My two month experiment in not shopping, getting rid of clothes, etc. has been over for almost 2 weeks now, but I'm just now getting around to recapping it. So, how did I do? Well, these were my original parameters:

1. Wear every piece of clothing I own at least once- including workout clothes, undergarments, pajamas, etc.- I failed at this one. I branched out some, but I still had a tendency to wear the same things over and over again, especially workout clothes, undergarments, pajamas, etc. This parameter made me think that maybe this should be a longer experiment- 6 months?

2. Get rid of things that don't look great on me or just feel "eh"- I did better at this one. Since I'm getting married in March and moving into a new house, I'm trying to be more ruthless about what's going to come into my married life. I think that and this experiment helped me be much more inclined to toss things that I didn't like into the Goodwill bag instead of holding onto them.

3. Immediately get rid of anything that's stained, torn, has holes in it, etc.- I only came across a couple of things with loose hems (an easy fix for some but not for me!), so those got thrown into the Goodwill bag. This one is a good rule to follow.

4. Be creative- I did okay with this one. I tried to put together pieces that I normally wouldn't have thought of together (check out my fashion blog to see some of these examples). I'm working on getting better with this one, especially since I've been getting a style magazine in the mail unexpectedly. I guess the universe knows that I'm interested in fashion and style and gave me a gift subscription...

5. No purchasing new (or new to me) clothes for at least two months- Failed miserably on this one. Part of it was having to get new to me pants since my work pants from last year were too big. Part of it was just blowing money. Argh. This one definitely needs to be given another shot...

Overall I did okay on this, but I think I can do better. I may revisit this after the wedding and turn it into a longer experiment- perhaps June through December 2013, that way I could encompass a few different seasons. I'll keep working on steps 1-4 though!

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 11

This is a very belated post to say that I gained a lot of weight last week. Sad face.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 10

This week I'm down...

1.6 pounds!

Woo hoo!!

That's all I've got for today. =)

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 155.4 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 9

This week I'm down...

1 pound!

Not quite as big a loss as last week, but I'll take it!

That officially brings me to 10 pounds since I started this little weight loss experiment. I'm behind on my original timetable, so I'm going to tweak it, as listed below.

My revised goals/timetable:
  • 5 pounds lost by 08/29/12. Reward: new nail polish (1-2 bottles) (Accomplished on 08/29!)
  • 10 pounds lost by 10/10/12. Reward: new earrings (Accomplished on 10/10!)--Time to go shopping! ;)
  • 15 pounds lost by 10/31/12. Reward: new workout socks
  • 20 pounds lost by 11/21/12. Reward: new Threadless t-shirt (have some designs in mind...just depends on what's available at the time)
  • 25 pounds lost by 12/05/12. Reward: another new Threadless t-shirt because there are several I like! =)
  • 30 pounds lost by 12/19/12. Reward: new Pandora charm
  • 35 pounds lost by 01/16/13. Reward: new expensive-ish sports bra (I know, between this and the socks, I'm super exciting, right?)
  • 42 pounds lost by 02/14/13. Reward: new Toms shoes!

Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 157 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds

Slowly but surely I'm getting there! Also, according to the stats myfitnesspal.com is keeping, I've lost 18 pounds overall since March. I'll let you do the math on how big that made me when I was at my highest weight ever. :-/

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A review of the Bride-to-Be Vox Box from Influenster

This was my first box from Influenster, so I didn't know what to expect. This is the "Bride-to-Be Vox Box," so it contained items that a bride-to-be like me should find useful.

Here's my Instagram shot of the contents:


This box contained:
  • Kiss brand Premium eyelashes
  • Bach Rescue Gum
  • Dream Water
  • Schwazkopf BC hairtherapy shampoo, conditioner, and repair rescue

Here's my take on things:
  • The eyelashes: Never used these! Oops!
  • The gum: Honestly, I'm still not sure what to think about this. It contains ingredients like "Helianthemum nummularium" that's supposed to give courage and presence of mind and "Prunus cerasifera" that's supposed to give a balanced mind when losing control. My main thought, despite all of these things, was that the flavor doesn't last very long. It's not bad gum, but it never really made me feel calmer, more soothed, more focused, or anything like that. It just made me feel like I was chewing rubbery gum.
  • The water: This was supposed to make me sleep better, but I couldn't really tell a difference in my sleep quality that night. It did taste decent, so I'll give it credit there.
  • The shampoo: I have thick hair that isn't really damaged because I hardly ever use heat on it, so I didn't know how this would do with my hair. It wasn't great for my particular hair type. It weighed my hair down so much that it looked greasy and unwashed by the middle of the next day (I'm a nighttime showerer). Someone with thinner and/or more damaged hair might have better luck with this shampoo.
  • The conditioner: The conditioner felt thin and watery. I used a healthy squirt of it, but it didn't get through my lion's mane. I had to add some of my regular conditioner just to get the tangles out. Again, someone with thinner and/or more damaged hair might have a better experience with this.
  • The repair rescue: Never used this one. Oops!
Overall, I give the products in this box a 2 out of 5 stars. I hope to receive more boxes from Influenster, but this wasn't the best start!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wednesday Weigh In: Week 8

This week I'm down...

3.6 pounds!

I don't know what I did differently over the last week, but I'd like to do it again. Repeatedly.

This takes me to a 9 pound weight loss, so I still haven't achieved my second goal from my original posting about my weight. I'm listing my goals below to re-motivate myself. Also, I'm starting a challenge at my gym tonight (well, it started Saturday, but this is the first time I've been back since last week) where the person who loses the most body fat in 3 months wins money. I like money, so this should really motivate me!

My original goals/timetable:

  • 5 pounds lost by 08/29/12. Reward: new nail polish (1-2 bottles) (Accomplished on 08/29!)
  • 10 pounds lost by 09/19/12. Reward: new earrings 
  • 15 pounds lost by 10/10/12. Reward: new workout socks
  • 20 pounds lost by 10/31/12. Reward: new Threadless t-shirt (have some designs in mind...just depends on what's available at the time)
  • 25 pounds lost by 11/21/12. Reward: another new Threadless t-shirt because there are several I like! =)
  • 30 pounds lost by 12/19/12. Reward: new Pandora charm
  • 35 pounds lost by 01/16/13. Reward: new expensive-ish sports bra (I know, between this and the socks, I'm super exciting, right?)
  • 42 pounds lost by 02/14/13. Reward: new Toms shoes!
Starting weight: 167 pounds
Current weight: 158 pounds
Goal weight: 125 pounds