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A New Year, A New Me

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted and in the spirit of holding myself accountable, there is a reason why. I spent February trying to figure out my food boundaries – what I could get away with eating without gaining weight or breaking out. Turns out, there are none. The only way to conquer this it to stay consistent with it all, and although I dropped four pounds this month, it’s been a yo-yo with those four. I’ve got that lesson, and I’m done playing with the rules to a game I already know.

Further, eating anything outside of my new eating plan has an almost instant effect on me. I feel weighted down and sluggish, and my body cannot wait to purge itself of the junk. No more compromises with my health and I’m determined to end this month on a strong note.

To keep myself motivated I’ve been rewatching the documentaries that put me on this path and came across this amazing video of a 70-year old woman who has eaten a raw vegan diet for over 25 years. Folks at work side-eye my homemade green juice, but maybe after watching this, not so much! Here’s to our health!

 

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Slump Savers

I had a minor setback a few days ago. Instead of letting it get me down for longer than a day I gave myself a lesson on creating GREAT energy.

I got up and decided that I was going to make a plan and then work that plan at all cost. Before I could do that, I had to get my energy back to where it was before things didn’t go my way. Here is what I did to get out of my slump. 

  • Get motivated– Sometimes I need a little extra push so I got on youtube.com and watched some dynamic motivational videos. Dr. Dennis Kimbro will get me up and ready to fight the good fight every time! After a healthy dose of  Jim Rohn, Jack Canfield and Les Brown I was back to feeling more than capable.
  • Start reading– I’ve always been a reader. Dr. Kimbro said something on the video that made me feel like a slacker. He said, “Readers are Leaders.” I realized I hadn’t read a book in awhile. Immediately, I went to my personal library and picked out a Stephen Covey bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’m a leader so I must read.
  • Eat healthy food– Along with getting my mind right, I thought it was a good time to get my body right as well. I made baked catfish and a huge pot of greens. Yummy and nutritious!
  • Plan, plan then plan some more-I wrote a plan for each area of my life that needs some fine tuning. I was as detailed as possible so that now I just have to follow my road map.
  • De-clutter– I got rid of anything I don’t need. I cleaned out my car, emptied out boxes full of papers. I felt so light and refreshed when I was finished.
  • Decide to be decisive– I had a huge decision on my hands. I decided to go with my first mind and leave it alone.
  • Find peace– Water is always a place I can go to find a little peace of mind. A friend and I took a drive down the coast of California just to gain perspective. It worked.
There will always be things that don’t go the way we plan them. The key is accepting it for whatever the hidden blessing is and keep it moving. Energy is everything. Keep positive energy around you and become that ray of light. It is a guarantee it will come right back to you!

Mikki Bey is a Los Angeles-based makeup artist who believes in the power of the universe to bring her all the desires of her heart. Fearless, determined and capable – she’s a bad mamajama! She can be reached at mikki@mikkibey.com.

 

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Perception is Reality: Weight Wars

Looking through some of my old Facebook pics I realized that in each of the pictures I remember thinking I was fat. Now, I wish I looked like that! At that moment, I realized that somewhere along the lines my body image was warped. In what world have I ever been an obese person? Granted, there have been times in my life that I have had extra weight but feeling obese–unwarranted.

 

Living in LA is another dynamic. I went on a date here with a 6’4″ black man who sat across a dinner table from me and said, “I usually don’t date women your size.” WTF!!!! I was thinking, “It is so time to book a one  way ticket to anywhere East of here!” I live in a place where skinny is in. That is not and never will be me. The compromise is taking the healthier lifestyle that exists here and adapting to that, but to tune out the cockamamie BS about the beauty of seeing bones.

As I am once again embarking on a weight loss journey, I am going into it this time with a totally different mindset. I’m not losing weight to look like someone I’m not but rather to attain optimal health. I read a book over the summer that changed my eating habits DRASTICALLY! I became vegan for about 20 days and loved it but it’s way too expensive for my blood right now to eat that way.  Although I reintroduced chicken, seafood and dairy, I never went back to eating red meat or pork. I recently dropped chicken again because I absolutely can’t stand the thought of eating it (read Skinny Bitch and then tell me how you feel about it).

At 27, I am the most confident in myself and my body as I have ever been. I am very secure with who I am and what I look like. We all have our days but all-in-all loving the skin/body I am in gets better every day. Doing a little bit each day to reach my goal is my strategy. 10x10x10 is my motto. Focus on losing just 10 pounds at a time until my goal is reached. Exercise has been the DEVIL but it is a necessary evil that I have actually come to enjoy on some rare occasions. Ultimately, looking great will be a bi-product of feeling great!

Happy Living!

Mikki Bey is a Los Angeles-based makeup artist who believes in the power of the universe to bring her all the desires of her heart. Fearless, determined and capable – she’s a bad mamajama! She can be reached at mikki@mikkibey.com.