Saying No to Grease Bucket Food

So I've decided I've been eating tons of greasy food loaded with calories that my first step in my new lifestyle change would be to give it up. I am now saying hello to the start of a healthier me! I know this is going to be difficult but I know I can do it. Instead of chowing down on a greasy burger I am gonna to opted for a salad. Let's just hope the home cooked meals aren't loaded with calories also! Some may think that me changing my eating habits is an attempt to achieving that thin figure everyone craves but I am really starting to love myself and the body I have been blessed with. Eating healthy and working out are just me trying to treat my body right. Wish me luck!!!

Bikini Anxiety??

Not all of us are blessed with the flawless skin and sexy figure we see on bikini models and because of that I was afraid to wear a bikini. However, one day while browsing the internet I came across a young lady name Chloe Marshall. Chloe stands at 7'10" tall and weighs 178 lbs, this is not what many people image when they picture a pageant queen. Chloe won Miss Surrey 2008 and competed in Miss England, although she didn't win the title of Miss England 2008 I am still inspired by her confidence and self-assurance. Like in almost every pageant there is a swimsuit portion and instead of opting for a one piece Chloe rocked a bikini.

I found this to be very inspirational and although I've always been afraid to wear a bikini I decided that the summer 2011 will be my year to shine. I'm not the most toned girl out there and my stomach is unfortunately adorned with the dreadful stretchmarks many people suffer from. But when I seen this photo and read about Ms. Marshal I was so inspired that I decided that this summer I'd also rock a bikini, and although I'm not the skinniest person I love my body and no one can change that.

I rocked the bikini and had a blast :). Every girl should love their body for what it is, life is so much sweeter that way!

-LeAnne

Loving Yourself

“To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.”

Over the years I have had a problem with my self image; for the longest I thought that my body was ugly because I didn't have that perfect boy that you would see on the tv or in magazines. However, this year I've decided to make loving myself my number one priority because you can't expect someone else to love you if you can't love yourself. So this blog is dedicated to not only my accomplishments but also my struggles. I will be writing about my journey to not getting thin but getting in shape and living a healthy lifestyle; also being confident about who I am as a person and loving myself for me! To get things started I decided to sign the 17 Body Peace Treaty. 

By signing this I vowed to...

• Remember that the sun will still rise tomorrow even if I had one too many slices of pizza or an extra scoop of ice cream tonight.
• Never blame my body for the bad day I'm having.
• Stop joining in when my friends compare and trash their own bodies.
• Never allow a dirty look from someone else to influence how I feel about my appearance.
• Quit judging a person solely by how his or her body looks — even if it seems harmless — because I'd never want anyone to do that to me.
• Notice all the amazing things my body is doing for me every moment I walk, talk, think, breathe...
• Quiet that negative little voice in my head when it starts to say mean things about my body that I'd never tolerate anyone else saying about me.
• Remind myself that what you see isn't always what you get on TV and in ads — it takes a lot of airbrushing, dieting, money, and work to look like that.
• Remember that even the girl who I'd swap bodies with in a minute has something about her looks that she hates.
• Respect my body by feeding it well, working up a sweat when it needs it, and knowing when to give it a break.
• Realize that the mirror can reflect only what's on the surface of me, not who I am inside.
• Know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am.
• Not let my size define me. It’s far better to focus on how awesome I look in my jeans than the number on the tag.
• Surround myself with positive people. True friends are there to lift me up when I’m feeling low and won't bring me down with criticism, body bashing, or gossip.
• Accept the changes that my body is going through. I will celebrate my new shape and curves. I will rock what I've got!
• Remember that sometimes I will have down moments. And in those times, I will remind myself of how awesome I am by looking in the mirror and saying, "I'm good! I can do this! I'm number one!"
• Accept that beauty isn't just about my looks. It's my awesome personality and my energy that creates a whole, unique package.

I pledge to love my body inside in out despite my flaws because my flaws are what make me unique and beautiful; you can too!

 -LeAnne