Daily Archives: November 22, 2011

Nov22

October GOC Update: Icela

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Icela (First Wave) gives us a two-fer with her September and October updates all wrapped up in one!

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by Icela of Shapely Alterations

Hmmmm.  I really don’t know what to say other than I have NOT made significant progress.  As a matter of fact, as far as the last 2 months are concerned, the Hairscapades GOC was THE furthest thing on my mind.  I feel absolutely horrible saying so, but I have to be honest.  In this post, I started off being very optimistic for September when it came to my fitness goals.  I knew what I did wrong in August and all I had to do was implement those changes in order to see progress.  Unfortunately, I gave up one bad habit (eating chips) and replaced it with another (fast food was what I ate most of the time).  The reasons I did it, and trust me when I say that I’m not trying to justify my actions, was because it was easy . . . plain and simple.

Uh yeah  . . . .so, this stuff has gotta go!

Phil and I did a significant amount of filming in the last 2 months (for Enemy Mind our feature-length script), so eating pizzas and burgers almost became a daily occurrence because it was fast and readily accessible.  Couple that with the fact that I haven’t worked out AT ALL since this post, and you got yourself a recipe for disaster.

Please excuse the pajama pants, lol . . . But. . .uh, yeah . . . I’m up 5 lbs. . . YEESH!

As you can see, the number on the scale has gone up.  This is VERY disappointing.  But you know what?  I have no one to blame but myself.  These are the consequences of eating more and moving less.  Besides for the weight increase, physically, I don’t feel as great.  During the day I’m sluggish, tired and irritable.  At night, sometimes I suffer from insomnia.  By 3 pm I was ready to pass out, by 5 pm I’d be struggling to stay awake, but by 7 pm I’d be tired but NOT sleepy.  I don’t like taking pills so an over the counter sleep aid was out the question.  Eventually, I found a “Sleepy Time” Tea at Trader Joe’s that helped me out.  However, on the nights I did “sleep”, I’d wake up feeling drowsy, achy and moved A LOT slower throughout the day.  In other words, I felt a helluva lot older than I really am.  Not good.

As far as my hair is concerned, it’s safe to say that braids are NOT for me.  Again, what started off as a good idea (in this post), didn’t pan out like I thought it would.  I’m very low maintenance (another way of saying lazy), and LOVED the idea of the braids providing me with “get up and go” days, which it did . . . . in the beginning.  But then my schedule got all hectic and I didn’t make time to get a touch up and then I washed my hair a few times and . . . well . . . . you can just imagine.  The braids ain’t look all that hot after about a month so I’m in the process of slowly removing them. To me, they look ragged and unkempt so it’s back to just me and my natural curls . . . .by around the 11th.  Yes, I do plan to take this long to take the braids out.  I’ll just rock a few hats and wigs til then 🙂  I do, however, have to say that I’ve got some serous new growth sprouting here so I’m definitely happy about that.  Check out the pics below . . .


My lovely braids, before (Sept 2011)


My NOT so lovely braids, after (Nov 2011)

So this is what I’ve been up to (or not up to) the last 2 months.  November is a NEW month and I plan to redeem myself in a BIG way.

Here are the goals I’ve set for myself:
1. Hair – Wash and DC EVERY week (After being in braids for 2 months, my hair is in DESPERATE need of some TLC)
2. Hair – Go with protective styles during the week (rocking hats)
3. Hair – Experiment with more styles (on weekends)
4. Hair – PROTEIN:  I’m not sure if I’ll be sticking with Henna or trying Giovanni’s Smooth As Silk Xtreme Protein Infusion
5. Fitness – Train for a new event
6. Fitness – Drink more water (1 Gallon a day)
7. Fitness – Hit weights at least 3 times a week
8. Fitness – Cardio at least 3 times a week
9. Fitness – Start any form of Yoga this month

If I accomplish these goals, I plan to treat myself to a $30 shopping spree on accessories at this little boutique on Austin Street in Forest Hills (the name escapes me).

Stay tuned and wish me luck!

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Visit Shapely Alterations to check out Icela’s post braids hair and her progress on the fitness front! She’s up to some good things! 

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Nov22

October GOC Update: TWhite

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TWhite (Fourth Wave) gives us a 3 month update on her transition!

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Hi Fellow GOC!  I hope I’m not kicked out of the challenge.  Please see my October updates in RED.

Current State: Hair – Armpit length (APL)
Update: Neck Length (NL)

September post mini-chop

Goals: Hair – Bra-strap length (BSL)
Update: Full Shoulder  Length

Weight – Lose 3-5 lbs and maintain weight and healthy lifestyle
Update: Lost 2 lbs , Running 2 miles 3-5 days a week

Meal Plan – Under Construction

Hair Regimen:
Update: No longer transitioning – MINI CHOPPED the relaxed ends at 15 Months Post (9/11/11)

Currently the same Regimen up until Mini Chop – I’m NATURAL!

Weekly Now Bi-Weekly:

  • Wash – Giovanni
  • Condition – Giovanni
  • Leave-In Conditioner – KCKT
  • Shea Moisture Hair Milk

Nightly:

  • Moisturize and seal with essential oil mixture

Monthly:

  • Hot oil treatment

Every 6 weeks:

  • Protein treatment – Aphogee

October hair

November hair

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Congratulations on being fully natural TWhite!! I think this is our third transitioner CHOP during the GOC! How do you feel about your curls now that the relaxed ends are gone? Is it all that you expected?


Nov22

Two Braid Updo

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I set my hair in 8 twists on Sunday and released for a simple banana clip roll and tuck bun for work on Monday. When I got home, I started messing around with it attempted a Chinese bun on my own hair. I wasn’t really feeling that as I still don’t have enough length to make a presentable bun (maybe it would work on a blow-out). However, I still wanted to try some type of simple braided style. So, I googled “braided styles” and came across this image.

I decided to try the front braid as my hair was relatively stretched with a pretty firm wave pattern. I ended up coming up with this little updo, which is just a loose cornrow across the forehead that ends in a braid and the rest of my hair is braided from a side “ponytail.” I coiled the braid in the front over my ear and secured with bobby pins. Then I wrapped the rear side braid around the outside of the first coiled braid and secured that with more pins. And that’s it.

Based on the inspiration style, think I need to start the cornrow a little further back next time. Anywho, I spritzed it with a little water and tied it down with one of my satin scarfs to smooth the fly-aways, so that it’ll be a little smoother and neater for work on Tuesday. Think I’ll throw a flower or something over my right ear too. Well, what do you think? This is kind of like a picture tutorial. Is it worth doing a video or is it pretty self-explanatory? I know! POLL TIME!! (And, while I’m at it, maybe you guys can give me some other ideas about what types of videos you’d like to see from me!)

Thank you!