Archive for the ‘Weight Loss’ Category
Intermittent Fasting
Posted on: August 28, 2018
- In: Mom On the Go | Navy | Petite | Summer Outfits | Weight Loss
- 4 Comments
I love capris with a loose top in hot weather.
This top is actually looser than it appears, the wind was nice for the heat of 92 degrees, but of course with light weight fabric changed it’s appearance.
In cleaning out my closet, I happened upon these capris ,
which did not fit me last Summer, but I tried them on and alas with
my recent weight loss, they did and were not even tight, lol
I love using a handbag or shoes to pop another color into an outfit,
hence the choice for my yellow one.
I thought I would share my weight loss journey with Intermittent Fasting today!
The most important thing to note about fasting is that it is not about deprivation, you must get in your calories during the eating window.
I chose the 16: 8 version where you fast for 16 and eat for 8, I also extend it , by mixing it up daily sometimes fasting for 16-19 hours and adjusting the eating window to what equals 24 hours. My general fasting hours start at 6pm and eating at 10am.
Lately I have changed it to 5pm and eating at 11am for 18 hours of fasting.
Another important thing to note is that I drink more water than every before, 32 -48 ounces in the morning before eating and another 32-48 after dinner until a hour or so before bedtime.
This is a typical breakfast, notice the word break fast….
A yogurt/strawberry smoothie is great as some people have constipation with fasting.
The Kiyani Sunrise is a supplement of super-foods for added nutritional benefits.
I alternate with a smoothie with these ingredients blended with a frozen banana.
I typically eat only two meals a day, but some days I add
in apple, because I figure the added fiber is good and that whole
an apple a day comes to mind.
This is one dinner I had last week of chicken with mushrooms, onions,
artichoke hearts , diced can tomatoes, cooked with Italian Seasoning
and topped with Feta.
I had this last night and was worried it wouldn’t be enough to hold me for 16 hours
but I lasted for 17 ,lol. It will actually last me 3 nights as my family doesn’t like
eggplant. It brings back memories of my father who loved it and made it a lot.
IF is by far the easiest method I have found and has the added benefit of curbing all my cravings in addition to a clarity of mind and increased energy.
Losing 11 pounds in 5 weeks, along with a few inches of loss has been encouraging as well, but truth be told the other benefits make this a method I will make it to a lifestyle!
If you want more information on Intermittent Fasting, I suggest starting with
This Video from Dr. Fung and he has many others too.
There is also a Facebook Group called : Intermittent Fasting for Women
Have a Great Day and Thanks for Stopping By!
My Quintessential Style
Posted on: August 27, 2018
- In: Boho Outfits | Burgundy | florals | Mom On the Go | prints | shoes | Spring Outfits | Summer Outfits | Vest | Weight Loss
- 1 Comment
I was so excited to get back to blogging and doing an Outfit Post that I
Laid out my Look last night , including the jewelry, lol
Check out this blog : https://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com/my-afternoon-at-charlottes-soft-surroundings-beauty-products/
This look is very much my style for a few reasons,
Color, Pattern, Cute Jeans and Wedges!
Of course, I had to add in a layered necklace
look to finish off my maximal style!
My shorter necklace is actually one my sister made,
she made jewelry to sell and wear herself as a hobby.
The Jeans are my favorite jean designer, Diane Gilman ( I may be addicted)
are a fun cropped flared version.
I haven’t tried them with booties yet, but
will in the future to extend their wear- ability .
The Babydoll Tunic, I picked up from Jane is a great style, fitted in the bust with
the empire waist and perfect flair to help camouflage the menopause tummy.
I will be posting soon about my weight loss method that has resulted in 11 lbs
and inches off in the past 5 weeks!
I now have several of these wedges that I picked up over last few years
at TJMaxx by different makers. I unfortunately have been stuck in
flats this Summer after twisting my ankle at a Cemetery in July,
when in Boston to say farewell to my husband’s Aunt Jane.
*Note I took photos too early when sun was bright, was excited to get back to outfit post!
As my past readers know I am really big on third completer pieces ,
and right now I am adoring these fun vests.
This one is one of the samples I have been trying out.
In fact I am looking into selling these.
I started an Amelia James clothing boutique business 6 months after my sister passed on,
big mistake and never got it fully off the ground. I have to sell my inventory and move on as I love the company and clothes , but not the mlm business culture .
The good news is
it taught me was that I want to sell 3rd Completer Pieces!
I created this September Calendar for a group of Style Sisters for
Facebook group that had not been very active to get us back to posting
pictures and to hep me get back to blogging.
I invite any of my readers to join in if they wish.
Please if you have not joined my
Versatile Style by Tracey Facebook Group
do so, and post pictures of your outfits!
Busy Week!
Posted on: January 25, 2018
- In: Boots | Creating a versatile wardrobe | florals | Gratitude | Green | Mom On the Go | Neutrals | Petite | skinny jeans | Weight Loss | Winter Looks
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Wednesday I went to my son’s homeschool bowling, popped home for a quick bowl of plain greek yogurt and peaches for lunch
before heading out to use my Movie Pass for the first time!
$9.95 a month and my first movie was $9.05.
I chose “Forever My Girl”, one of those movies I would love but DH would not, lol
It was a cute story and I adored all the fabulous music throughout.
I wore my Amelia James Olive Aleyska Sweater Again, Lol
It was so tough to see the pictures and my weight gain, but it is my reality
and good for motivation. I feel like so much of myself has been lost these past
14 months of mourning, but am starting to slowly find my way back to being me.
A busy day and weeks means multi-tasking and I did just that…
I was talking on speakerphone to my 22 year old who is in college in Richmond.
I have been wearing these Aerosoles boots a lot lately and am in complete awe of their comfort.
I bought them last season , but did not wear them much and was disappointed to not find them still available for sale….
I am thinking next season I may need to stalk another pair of comfortable wedge version…
Follow this week to join my page and join me for a night of fun!
I am in a bit of a pickle with starting this business to soon after my sister passed and am trying to get myself
out of it, I have joined a group to learn more about Social Media for businesses and am having a clearance of
winter items tomorrow at 7:30 pm EST to see if I can sell of the winter items and not be stuck with that inventory
while I work on building my following to have better success in Spring and Summer!
Join me and share with friends, to help me sell these and generate funds to keep going with new fresh inventory.
Gratitude
I am grateful for the time spent with my youngest and his bowling.
I am grateful for my dearest friend giving me such a glowing review and asking her friends to support my business.
I am grateful for all the online supportive women in business who all support each other.
I am grateful that when my husband came home late last night with a friend from out of town to spend the night,
that I slept right through , their apparent loud talking that my children heard….
I love our homeschool bowling on Wednesday, but dressing for it is always about keeping warm!
The bowlers are moving so they are fine, but us mother’s who watch are another story.
It is so funny to head out the door with my son in shorts and short sleeves and myself always in pants, short sleeves and a cardigan or jacket in my hand.
My tunic is actually one from the Amelia James line I sell.
I have a huge wardrobe and won’t wear my line every day on the blog,
but quite frankly I really love these new pieces so darn much!
Every woman should own a great pair of boot-cut jeans and these are ones,
that I must wear with 3-4 inch heels, are a girl’s best friend.
If you read my blog, you probably already guessed that these are by
I belted this Milan ( all of our Amelia James pieces are named after cities)
because as a petite I wanted to make my legs look as long as possible.
Proportions is the one thing blogging and taking photos taught me.
This can be worn as a dress as well when unbelted and I intend to style it
with black tights, ankle boots, and a leather jacket when temperatures cooperate.
This may be too short for some women to wear as a dress, but the younger women love it!
I have this $50 Milan in Size Small – 3x if anyone is interested you can email me @ KTStylists@gmail.com and you can check out videos and albums
on my Facebook page to see other Amelia James styles, eventually, I will get a website together.
Gratitude
I am grateful for getting back on track and not craving any sugar these last two days!
I am grateful for homeschool bowling on HUMP DAY to break up the week.
I am grateful my daughter is helping my son study and get ready for CLEP testing for Biology,
I am grateful for this business and the community of supportive women and for finally answering the question,
“What am I going to do when mothering minor children for 31 years comes to an end?”
This weight gain in just a pain and I want to bust out and just conquer this weight loss, but the
struggle of losing weight after menopause is REAL!
Check out the Link-up for other wonderful bloggers
I have been doing some research on the success of intermittent fasting, where you do not have anything for 12-16 hours after your last meal the previous day.
ideally, the goal is to go the 16 hrs for the sceince of it to work. It seems to work well for men, but that always begs the question, will it be the same for women.
I found this article and decided to heed the warning to do it every other day.
After having green tea until 11am. I indulged in my go-to breakfast lately,
Premier Protein Shake poured over ice into a nice glass as food should feel indulgent…
A banana every morning is my thing and has been most of my adult life.
Around 2:30pm I opted for a full cup of plain greek yogurt with strawberries
Rocking the protein and fruit for the day, but definitely, need to bump up some
vegetables for snack and dinner.
Still near 80’s for us here in Virginia Beach!
Styling one of my Amelia James Memphis Ruffle tops in burgundy with a black stripe.
I love how figure flattering this top is and that I can style it for my boho loving self by adding a wonderful
crotchet vest by Indigo Thread Company . Lots of other options to style this with layers if our weather ever gets cooler!
I have this wonderful top in several colors and sizes up to 4x,
you can see them on my latest live sale video on my Facebook Page.
Eventually I will get a shopping website, but for now you just claim it under the video by using the number and size
and I can send you an invoice via paypal.
Gratitude
I am grateful for my new found vigor and zest for getting this weight loss journey moving!
I am grateful for my sister’s Ipod Music to start me dancing in the mornings.
I am grateful for the fun of reading , ” A Gentleman in Moscow” with my teen age homeschooler.
I am grateful for this blog to turn to and for making me get dressed today instead of staying in my pj’s.
Fundraiser for Hurricane Harvey
Posted on: September 4, 2017
- In: exercise | florals | Mom On the Go | Neutrals | Weight Loss
- 1 Comment
As with most of the U.S.A. , I am deeply affected by the images of the devastation in Texas and would like to do something to help.
I am in a unique position of having a ton of inventory for my Amelia James business and due to a Summer Cold and subsequent sinus infection,
I have been out of commission and need to move this inventory. In addition to that my sister’s 17yr old kitty was needing special medical care this last month and has sadly passed on no doubt with my sister.
I could try to sell the inventory to the other reps in my company and just make back my cost, but
I would prefer to use it as a fundraiser and send the profits to aid those in Texas. I have done some research and would like to donate to Habitat for Humanity
specifically to help rebuild the hurricane devastation. As I sit here typing this, my hometown is waiting to see what the next storm Irma is going to do
and have looked into our own evacuation plans should need be. This reality makes the Harvey situation even more personal.
I am sporting a staple in the Amelia James clothing line, a Memphis Ruffle.
This one is a tank top, but the top comes in short sleeves and even long sleeves
with both prints and solids. Not much in my stock of these now but solid long sleeve ones
coming soon.
A side view to show the slight high low hem.
Tomorrow night ,Tuesday September 5th at 8:00 pm I am going to do a Live Video Sale on my
Amelia James by K&T Stylists Facebook Page
to benefit Texas. I would love it if my dear readers could join me!
In addition I have an Album Posted on the Facebook Page under photos where you can claim
something and I will send Paypal Invoice via email and there is also a video of dresses posted there that if you
use the item # and claim” Sold” or mine I can again invoice you.
Dear Readers, I am back in exercise mode and doing Weight Watchers too.
I am on Day of 8 of this and have been alternating between my Pilates machine with resistance bands
and Yoga every other day. I am adding in walking starting tonight. If that isn’t enough, I am trying
intermittent fasting where you fast for 16 hours by fitting all meals into an 8 hour window.
The time between 12-16 hours is suppose to be the time when your body kicks into fat burning mode.
So far, it’s been fairly easy and I will keep you posted on results.
Getting Back on Track
Posted on: August 1, 2017
- In: florals | Mom On the Go | pink | Summer Outfits | Weight Loss
- 1 Comment
I recently had a break-through that I have not at all been being myself ,
or being in Self Care, instead I got caught up in some one else’s angst
and did not attend my Weight Watchers meetings for a month.
This is all on me , no one else ,and so out of character that I am shocked as I always worked
this program with great success , but this time I didn’t track food, didn’t focus on drinking water,
yet did semi keep up exercising!
I have 25 lbs to lose!
I went back to my meeting this morning and thoroughly enjoyed my morning walk there and the conversations I opened up to,
as before I was going with someone and mostly talking to just her, which was unusual for me too…
I had great conversations with the women around me and we had a Leader come to
speak about the new Focus program where it is truly about being mindful and they did a few exercises-
one with deep breathing and one asking us to state our name
and to describe our current state in One Word.
I said, “Determined” because I am going to refocus on this weight loss despite
my current situation of emptying out my sister’s condo tomorrow,
going solo in my business and really starting this Amelia James clothing boutique business up!
The Focus program is for members and non members and is $25 per session or you could get 3 sessions for $50.
Each month is a new theme and I was just praying this week
for a group of like minded, conscious women and this sounds like the answer!
The Good News is that I lost 2.6 lbs in the month I skipped meetings!
If you are a regular of my blog you know I am not much of a shirt tucker,
but do like the half tuck I wore it to my meeting with in the top picture, but
I had to play with knotting it too, lol
This top is one I sell from my Amelia James line , unfortunately I have no link to share
as my Facebook Group that linked to my Shop Button has completely disappeared.
I have not heard back from Facebook as to what happened and may just have to start from scratch!
I will get through clearing out my sister’s condo tomorrow and then work to start a new page!
I love this shirt and instantly knew I would pair it with my blush pink shorts from
Old Navy and my white slip-ons by Sperry were the perfect walking shoe.
Gratitude
I am grateful for sunshine and a non-humid day perfect for walking.
I am grateful for life experiences and the comfort of my personal growth.
I am grateful for the love and support of family and friends
I am grateful for weekend phone calls from my son at Marine Officer Training School and his upbeat positive nature.
I am grateful for the support of my children and husband in the process of emptying out my sister’s condo tomorrow!
“There I am! “
Posted on: May 30, 2017
- In: Boho Outfits | Brown | Dresses and Skirts | Gratitude | Green | Orange | Vest | Weight Loss
- 2 Comments
Today, I was suppose to go to my Weight Watcher meeting and had this outfit all planned out.
Getting enough sleep reigns supreme in my life, so I opted to go back to bed and get some much
needed rest, as too many nights in a row without had taken it’s toll.
Here is the outfit I had ready for the day.
When I put it on and looked in the mirror , I instantly thought
“Oh , there I am! ”
It became glaringly obvious to me that I have not been myself
these last 6 months and even my style choices were exhibiting that.
The awesome vest adds just the right wonderful element of texture to the tone on tone look.
It is by Indigo Thread, a very boho company I adore.
Here is the link to my vest which is limited to one color now and Here is all the vests they offer now.
My turtle necklace was handmade by sister and is much loved and cherished.
My saddle bag style cross-body purse is by Naturalizer and sold out.
This will probably be last purse purchased for a while as I am pretty satisfied with what I have.
I did recently throw away my beautiful green leather one and told my kids and husband that they should put in on my
birthday wish list as it was the first purse I bought myself after years of using diaper bags and sadly was beyond repair.
I love how my hair color bookends the purse shade.
One last note , if you haven’t tried block heeled shoes yet,
I highly recommend it as these are so comfortable to walk in.
Alas they too are Naturalizers and sold out because I always buy off season on clearance.
Gratitude
I am grateful that I took care of me today and skipped my WW meeting because nothing replaces the need for sleep. As for my WW journey so far,
it has been a slow first month with just over 3lbs lost, but I have managed to use my Simply Fit board to lose 3 inches from the 7 I gained in my stomach from menopause!
I am grateful that my husband too got to catch up on sleep and didn’t have to go to work until 2:30pm today!
I am grateful that my kids are so supportive of each other and truly care deeply.
I am grateful that our allergy laden Lhasa Apso is currently at the vet with two of my adult kids.
Linen Striped Pants for Spring
Posted on: May 1, 2017
I use the term Spring lightly when describing this
balmy 88 degree Saturday in April.
My linen blend pants are a recent purchase from Old Navy (Here)
A pair of wide legged linen pants are a must for Spring/Summer in my book.
I think this chambray pair can be very versatile and paired with many colors.
My vest is called Shawl Dawls and is super soft and can be worn in a few
different ways. In fact later that day I took of my sister’s glass star necklace
and just tied the vest at my waist.
In the morning I was in a cold bowling alley and pulled it into a kimono with sleeves to warm
my upper arms and must say it worked beautifully.
Our temps may have been unseasonably hot,
but as exhibited here we were blessed with a nice breeze.
Clothing really can have an impact on my moods as I felt
very Zen and at ease in the soothing shade of blue and the flowy element
of both the pants and vest.
My Boho self was loving it!
Dear Readers, It felt great to get dressed in a “Real Outfit”
as these past weeks I have been in Workout mode,
twisting, jumping rope,doing Pilates, Yoga stretches,
my Fluidity Ballet Bar and even trying Tai Chi.
I also got a membership to our local Botanical Gardens
and have gone walking there as well as the beach with
my friend and partner in this weight loss venture.
I have lost a total 2.6 lbs my first two weeks on Weight Watchers
Just Getting Started….
Posted on: April 20, 2017
Feeling Very Brave Today,
My Dear Readers!
I never imagined when I took before photos today,
that I would publish them now instead of waiting for
the weight loss and doing them together with After shots.
But what the heck , this is where I am Now
And ” It is What it Is ” is my new mantra lately!
I took these after my morning of working out,
me in all my glory, lol.
This morning I used my Simply Fit Board to twist for 15 minutes to start of my day.
After Twisting, I got to work using my
Fluidity Ballet Bar workout , which is not an easy workout at all!
I have seen great changes in my body in the past from three days a week of that
so of course going to do what works!
Menopause , I am going to Win, not you!
My least favorite picture, but hey gotta face what is!
I finished up my workout with
a beginner’s Tai Chi video of Tai Chi.
I am definitely going to do more of that!
I went for my first weight in results on Tuesday and was a bit disappointed to have
lost just 1.6 lbs , but I got over that pretty quickly.
I had spent that week walking and getting over 10,000 steps on my Fitbit daily along
with other exercises in strength training. I have made the commitment to making
my primary gauge in this journey to be the changes in my body and not the scale.
I may have to learn to adjust my previous way of doing Weight Watchers and
actually eat over my 30 daily points, going into my weekly points more.
The entire idea of eating more to lose weight is hard for me , but it seems
to be a common issue with those who are exercising daily.
Dear Readers,
I invested in this Elf Emmit to see if it could help my issues with sleep
that have gotten worse since Menopause and have to say it really has helped
me , not just with sleep , but the over active ADD nature of my brain.
I am by nature a skeptic in these type of things, but have literally been raving about this one
and how all the junk in my brain is gone when I use the Stress mode and how I get 8 hrs of
much deeper sleep!
Versatile Style by Tracey 