Bloggers that Inspire

I'm constantly trying to tap into my inner fashionista and I feel like I'm failing most of the time!  When I started my weight loss journey in January, I felt like once I was comfortable enough in my new body, I should buy clothes that reflected my new found confidence.

I tried doing an outfit photo-a-day when I started my *Smash Book adventure and it helped me get in tune with my fashion sense...but only for a little bit.  I know myself - I am NOT a fashion blogger.  

Especially not with this hastily put together arrangement.  Yikes!

Every time I try and do a "What I Wore" post, I start to feel really, really self-conscious.  And it sucks!  When I was doing the photo-a-day thing for a week, I enjoyed it!  It was a bit of a challenge.  I tried to take inspiration from my favorite fashion bloggers:

Scathingly Brilliant - whose retro vibe is ultra cute and feminine.  One of my favorite outfits is Periwinkle and Sea Foam Green.  I LOVE her take on colors and how she successfully mixes and matches them perfectly!  I'm going to try my hand at styling this Mint Dress that she listed (and I was lucky enough to snag!) and see how well I stack up!
Bonus Look: Snow White styling With a Smile and a Song.  So cute!

The Dainty Squid - whose mix of retro and unusual curiosities works every time!  One of my favorite outfits is Covered in Cameras - which inspired me to take the plunge and *finally* order the ASOS Lunar Flats!  This blog also turned me toward BloodMilk - such great jewelry!
Bonus Look: Hunting for Bigfoot.  Yes, I know it features the Lunar flats as well but I just love how she mixes a casual tee with a cute skirt - something that has been eluding me for a while now.  I went on a large-ish buying spree with dresses and skirts for my "new body" and I've been desperately trying to mix my tees with skirts so that I can have more outfit choices.

Keiko Lynn - has just the right amount of cutesy with a touch of retro and wild and it looks great every time!  One of my favorite outfits is It's All Fun and Flamingos.  Those tights!  That dress!  Such a great mix of neons!  Not gonna lie - those tights inspired me to get some hot pink tights to experiment with.  Not bad for the first attempt, eh?
Bonus Look: Boy Meets Girl.  I LOVE bow ties with anything and everything so this look speaks to me on so many levels!

Mermaidens - dresses the way I wish I could dress most of the time.  I say that because I think I'm getting to an age where it might not be the best for me to dress as such but I should just go ahead and say it: YOLO, right?  One of my favorite looks is Wishery.  That skirt with the harness on it?!  LOVE!!  I love all these great "caged" and "harnessed" skirts and dresses so much!  I don't think I could pull it off right now but after I take off a few pounds, who knows?!
Bonus Look: Queen of Hearts.  The jumper+lady tie combo takes me back to my Brownie days and I love that it's getting to be popular.

All that being said, I've been buying with a different, more thoughtful eye when I purchase items.  Sometimes I find myself thinking "What would  < insert fashion blogger here > do with this particular choice?" and either I purchase it or I don't.  Other times, I let my impulsiveness guide me.  Yes, I'm a terrible implosive shopper.  I have dresses that I've purchased forever ago that I still haven't worn!  That will change, though.  I'm hoping that once the rest of this sickness has left my body, I'll be ready to start challenging my fashion sense once again!

It's just the big, looming project that's freaking me out: the cleaning and purging of my drawers and closet.  I HATE doing that!  My mom told me she'd help me alter pieces that I just can't let go of (like shirts and skirts) so we'll see when I'm feeling brave enough to tackle that.  I think I'm just waiting to start majorly purging for when I hit my goal weight.  Cop out?  Probably.  It's just a HUGE task that I'm trying to avoid...for now...

Who are your favorite bloggers?

Weight Loss Update

This was posted to She Loves You Fit Blog here
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You know, on my way to work this morning, I realized I haven't done a measurements post, like, AT ALL.
First of all let me say that I'm truly amazed at how far I've come.  When I "officially" started in January of this year, my goal was was 70 lbs away.  70!!  It felt so far away and yes, I felt like giving up that first month but my BF kept me on track by pushing me and going on this journey with me and together, we've lost a lot of weight.
When I started with Lose It, I was at 206.4 lbs.  I hated that number!  Absolutely hated it!  I also hated the fact that in order for Lose It to work properly, you HAD to weigh yourself everyday so that it can calculate how many calories you have for the day in order to reach your goal weight.  My goal is to lose at least 1.5 lbs a week.  That's pretty reasonable, right?
This morning, I weighed in at 167.6 lbs.  I've lost a total of 38.8 lbs and I'm roughly 30 lbs away from my goal!  Time really does fly by!  I can believe I'm down this far already and while some days are harder than others, it has been a great adventure.
I know sometimes you don't feel like working out or counting those extra calories you've eaten - and believe me, I've had plenty of over-my-calorie-budget days - but it's all worth it.  And I'm the WORST when it comes to that but you know, I've been taking a different approach since my friend passed away a few weeks ago.
I've changed my outlook on life since that happened.  I don't know why it just clicked but it did and I'm very grateful that it did because I feel like I have a different perspective on things now.  I'm getting better about not sweating the small stuff - like not working out for a few days or having a little extra food here and there - that stuff doesn't bother me as much anymore because I'm trying to see the bigger picture.  Sure, I still have to work hard to reach my goals and I get that but I'll try not to be so hard on myself for stumbling along the way.  There's no point in wasting time on those little things.  So long as you reach your goals, you did it and that's all that matters.  I'm almost there and I'm so proud of myself for getting this far and I know I still have further to go but you know, instead of preparing myself for the worst, I'm excited because the outcome will be worth all the moaning, groaning, sweating and calorie counting.
Just remember that when things get rough, it's okay to take a break.  You owe yourself that much.  But know that you have to get back on track bigger and better every time because that's when you'll truly start seeing results.
Much love to you all and thank you for joining me on this journey!  You guys are awesome!!