Losing 40 Pounds in 1 Month! - The Plan

So one of the items on my Pre-Pregnancy Bucket List is to lose 40 lbs. For me this is absolutely a daunting task. I love all things dairy, sweet, and indulgent. An old co-worker used to joke that I even love my sushi, "deep fried and smothered in cheese." LOL. Truth.

But today is the day I chose to begin that journey hardcore. Turn Down for Whaaatt??  One motivation is a friend's wedding in less than a month, and another is the 6 lbs I have gained since the Puerto Rican rainforest put me on crutches - the wrath of El Yunque!

 Oh and did I mention I will be losing these 40 lbs during the next 30 days? Yeah about that. All you naysayers that do not believe it's possible, I have used this detox diet to jumpstart my initial 20 lb weight loss. Yes, I lost 20 lbs in 1 month and did not exercise at all! Not one sit up, lunge, or crunch.

The diet is simply called the Quick and Effective Weight Loss Program. A doctor in the greater Atlanta area created it to help some of her clients get back on the road to health. Basically, you are eating fruits, vegetables, and meat. What I like most about it is that I'm never hungry and if I am, I can eat!! What I absolutely hate about this plan is that I cannot eat what I want, it's all planned. The first week is the roughest because my body is going through carb withdrawal. This time around I am definitely going to get moving and add some exercise.

Because Team Work makes the Dream Work,  I am sharing my diet with my BBG family! Contact the Diva with the message Weight Loss and I will email the program to you!

I will post my progress pictures for your enjoyment. :-)

But so far, DAY 1 = 176 Lbs.

Note: I am not a doctor or a health expert. If you decide to do this diet, it is  at your own risk. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting any detox or exercise regiment.

Baby Brezza Formula Pro

 
I stumbled across this piece of genius by chance. I plan on breastfeeding my little one, whenever its that time. But, if I give in or my body sucks at making milk this will definitely be my go to.

Image: Formula Pro

 

All parents who use formula need this machine in their lives. The Baby Brezza Formula Pro makes Baby Bottles at the touch of button!  Just like a Keurig, the Formula Pro stores the milk and water all in the same unit. You never have to measure or mix and it is compatible with all baby bottles.

 

The Formula Pro retails at $149 - obviously you can't put a price on convenience. Is it all that it is cracked up to be? Rate it below






 

 

 

Puerto Rico!!! Ohhh!!

Hello everyone!! It has been a minute since I have blogged. Life got real and my blog went dormant. I am going to try not to let that happen again. I know everyone had withdrawals from not reading my inner musings. LOL

My hubby and I just celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this past Saturday. Six years in and we decided Puerto Rico was the perfect place to let loose. We had an amazing time and it made me appreciate alone time with my hubby even more.  There were things that we did that just wouldn't have feasible with kids, diapers, and strollers in tow.

 

 

 If you are ever in Puerto Rico, you must go visit the rainforest, El Yunque! It was beautiful. Our tour guide Giovanni with Acampa Adventures was great. He took us to amazing spots in the Rainforest that we just wouldn't have found on our own. I ended up on crutches from this hike, I took the fast way down the waterfall! LOL. But it was all worth it and I hope you enjoy the photos

 

 

Fear of the Pregnant Crohn's Belly

Last night was such a difficult night for me. My Crohn's decided to come out and play. So not only did I wake up to excruciating cramping,  I had to run to the bathroom in between. It probably lasted all of 45 minutes. The next morning I had to wake up and go to work. Of  course I was late.

But it got me thinking, how will I deal with this if I had a baby in tow? Not only would I have had to get my life together and get myself ready, I would have to get another person fabulous for the day. LOL. That is a lot! Even sitting here typing this, I am still semi-exhausted from not sleeping well on top of the normal fatigue from the Crohn's.  As I continue to type. There is no dinner prepared - I ate leftover kale. I'm tired. No laundry being done. I'm tired. No dishes being done. I'm tired. I have a cookout scheduled for this weekend - there is cleaning that needs to be done. And again.... I'M TIRED. LOL

Also at the back of my mind is the thought that I could actually pass this same existence along to my baby.  I probably inherited mine from my Dad, who also had Crohn's. I by no means have severe Crohn's- I have had two surgeries. But I am not cramped up every day, I can hold down a job, and travel with minimal issue. But I don't want to pass it on at all. I would feel guilty. I have resolved to breastfeed as long as I can when the time comes so I can lessen the chances of passing on a stupid belly. LOL.

Let's say I do pass on the Crohn's. After the guilt, I think my other fear is not being half the Mom my Mother was to me. Physically, I am not sure I have it in me. During my multiple surgeries, my mom particularly had it the worst - taking care of a sick child while working a full-time job and managing a full-time household: cooking, cleaning, laundry, running to the hospital.

But at the end of the day, if we decide to have a baby, all I can do is prepare, pray, love. :)

Gadget: Carseat Canopy and Baby Leggings

The Carseat Canopy and Baby Leggings are just a few baby products offered by parent company, Mothers Lounge.

I decided to buy these items for a friend, and have yet to receive the shipment. So I will add a review later.

The Carseat Canopy is too cute; you can even  get it embroidered. I always see Moms struggling with keeping the blanket over the car seat so it seems useful. I shared a code to get a FREE Canopy - you pay shipping and embroidery fees.

HINT: Once I used the first code to make a purchase, I got another code for a free item from their other product lines; which is how I stumbled upon the  Baby Leggings. They will protect the baby's knees while they crawl. The plus is you don't have to pull down any pants when it's time to change the diaper! At least that is why I would get excited! LOL

The Product: Carseat Canopy 
Retail Price: $49.95
Coupon Code: Use code AB06 and get a FREE Carseat Canopy!!! (Courtesy of American Baby Magazine)

 

The Product: Baby Leggings
Retail Price: $49.95
Coupon Code: Use the code generated from the FREE canopy purchase and get  FREE Baby Leggings!!! (Courtesy of American Baby Magazine)

 

If you used any of these products, I would love to hear your review. Leave a comment!

Beyonce - The Village Has Spoken

By the title of my post, you know where this is going.  Yes, Blue Ivy's hair. But before the baby protectors and naturalistas come for me, please take note of the title again. I believe Blue Ivy is a baby and should not be public domain, however, Beyonce is. If I as a commoner (as the BeyHive calls them) can receive 2 cents she can get some too.

First, let's be real. I want everyone to get out of their feelings for a moment. If I carried in my arms a babe who had unkempt hair, every time you saw me, what would you say about me? Right. She needs to comb that baby's head. Some might even call me neglectful. Just because she is Queen Bey and running the Beyhive does not give her free reign to neglect motherly duties. Yeah I said it!

For me the problem is not the fact that Blue's hair is natural. So I want everyone who is crying race relations and indoctrinated self-hatred to hold on to their well-coiffed two strand twists and moisturized TWAs dripping with ACV rinses. Because all the Youtube videos, natural hair tutorials, and 4c blogs tell me that people put  time, money, and effort to maintain their natural tresses. Before you label me as self-hating,  I love hair: fake, real relaxed, real natural. I am relaxed but I've been natural. I mean pixie afro natural (kempt and unkempt). I didn't rock a relaxer really until I was 16. But I digress. My point is natural is not the equivalent to unkempt!!!!! You can be relaxed or have the straightest natural locks and still be UNKEMPT. By the way I recognize unkempt because I had a don't care period in college, where I would wash my hair, barely condition and never comb it. I would just tie it back with a pair of old stockings LOL! Evidence below.

Which brings me to my second point. My issue.  It bothers me when any mother is maintained, styled, KEMPT in a BETTER fashion than their own child. Have you ever seen Queen Bey with tangled, unmoisturized locks, or unkempt hair as much as we have seen her child? I think not. I am in defense of Blue. I don't think it's fair.  Some are applauding Beyonce for not feeding into norms and stereotypes. But when was teaching your child to love themselves by taking pride in their appearance a stereotype? I think envy and self-hate can develop when a child sees her mother with kempt hair and hers is just fashioned atop her head willy-nilly like. Even as an adult running to classes with my hair unkempt, I was embarrassed because I knew that I wasn't putting my best foot forward and I was neglecting myself.

My mother  was not a hairdresser, but she spent time, money, and energy to maintain our tresses.  I will concede, there were times my mother missed the mark, but for the most part we were together. The picture  to the left, I had seborrheic dermatitis and lost most of my hair - which was probably the original struggle braid. LOL!! The picture below my Mom grew it back. My Mom was really particular about our appearance and I think she got that from her mother. My grandmother is known to re-curl her hair at 6 pm in the evening because, " you  never know who will drop by and pay a visit." LOL.





















 Hair is one reason why I personally don't want a girl.  I am not ready for all the maintenance it entails. I want my daughter to know: to be unkempt all the time is not an option, you will love yourself and your hair, and mommy will never stylishly galavant while you look ragged (unless you are learning a lesson for the day, like not talking back and appreciate the clothes and hairstyle you have). LOL.

Lastly, stop being mad that someone has an opinion about someone else's child rearing techniques. I know I am going to get tons of backlash for this one! But, let's just be real, everyone wants to subscribe to the adage, " it takes a village to raise a child"  but as soon as someone suggests something contrary, you want the village to shut up. LOL. You can't have it both ways!  Now I will say, the village does have idiots, like the young lady who started a petition about Blue's hair. Girl bye, that was uncalled for and not constructive. Satchyourself down. Although I think if Beyonce does her babe's hair it will have nothing to do with the village. There has been times B has gotten her act together and groomed Blue and made her as kempt and fierce as herself. Or maybe Tina did it. I will dignify those times with a picture.

Beautemous natural hair! Love it. With everything I said, I do realize, I am not a mother, nor Queen B. So the village may vote me out and return my 2 cents for lack of experience or authority. That's fine. I am only sharing the values with which I was instilled by my village.

But, I'm curious to hear from you.  What has your village instilled in you when it comes to grooming? Leave a comment!

P.S. If at any time I have a child and I bring them out unkempt, you can bring this blog post out so I can eat my words!! LOL

Diva Dahv's Pre-Pregnancy Bucket List

During these baby talks, I can't help but to think whether I have done everything I wanted to do. A baby drastically changes your life,  no longer living for yourself. Now you are living for this tiny, ittle, witty, helpless, human being who eventually becomes a beautiful or handsome walking, talking drain of finances you love unconditionally. Just typing this makes my nerves so bad!!! LOL! So here it is in all of its fabulosity: Diva Dahv's Pre-Pregnancy Bucket List!! If you think I forgot something, or just feel some type of way about my list, leave a comment!

Fearful or Realistic?

Today I was in my salon getting my hair done and had a........strongly worded, lively discussion.
Aren't all salons the proving ground for theories, feelings, and all other craziness?
It's the only thing that makes an hour  under the hot dryer bearable!  I'm just saying. (Insert pic here, no really)

So the topic was this blog. I shared the fact that I had started writing about my journey to the decision of motherhood and hoped to shake out some fears related to it. This is when things got real. So I pulled out my cup and started to collect everyone's 2 cents! I was told that there was nothing to be afraid of, FEAR is just the False Expectations of things Appearing Real . As I waited for Iyanla to come fix my life because at this point I am convinced I am on her show.... I quickly thought of all the fears that someone would have wished they labeled as real instead of false expectations....

1. The kid who should have feared their parents' wrath but skipped school instead. (I will not address corporal punishment today) LOL.
2. The person who should have feared becoming a drug addict or dope fiend, but took their first hit instead.
3. The person who should have feared a Crohn's episode, but ate the oatmeal instead.
 

Okay maybe number 3 is just me.. and some of my fellow Crohnies (no pun intended). But the point I was trying to make is some fear is healthy. Fear tends to be heavily linked to our intuition and most times keeps us safe. As long as we are not paralyzed by it,  fear can be used to help us to do better and be brutally honest and quite frankly keep it real with ourselves.

My fears related to this whole baby situation are very real and if properly explored will help me make an informed decision of whether this lifestyle change called motherhood is for me. Doing my due diligence BEFORE jumping into pregnancy and motherhood will benefit my husband and the possible baby.

I don't want to be situation number 4.That woman who should have feared being unprepared for a pregnancy, but had an unplanned pregnancy anyway.

I think seeing fear as a false expectation can not be an excuse to jump headlong into anything. As my Big Sisters used to tell me, "Fail to plan, Plan to fail."

In my opinion, not only is FEAR real,  FEAR keeps us REAL...... hopefully with ourselves and others. Even if those others are a salon full of Iyanlas who offer their 2 cents in an attempt to fix your life. LOL

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First Post!!!!

I am so excited to be typing my first post! Yay! Pause while I drop down and get me eagle on. LOL. Okay I'm over it.

If you read My Story page, you would know I am beginning this blog just to chronicle my journey of deciding to get pregnant and work through all of my fears (rational and irrational).

#98856095 / gettyimages.com

At the end of this journey, I may or may not have a kid. That's ok.  But my hope is along the way I have a little fun, learn something, review fabulous pregnancy/baby gadgets, and at the very least help you through your own pregnancy dilemma.