Amanda1982

http://www.blackwomenshealth.com/blog/accepting-who-you-are/ We all come into this world as blank canvases waiting for the various colors of life to be painted into our world. As children, our first knowledge of who we are comes from our parents. If our parents continue to feed us positive affirmations of our worth and value, we tend to grow with a positive self-esteem. However, if we are told over and over again that we are nothing and that we won’t amount to much in life, we will begin to believe this is true. As a child I used to hear people say, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is not true. Even the bible tells us that the tongue can both cut and heal. We must be careful what we say to others, especially children. Accepting Oneself We live in a time when accepting who we are can be difficult. Most of us compare ourselves to unrealistic standards set by advertising agencies, movie stars and the lives of the rich and famous. What we fail to realize, is that oftentimes these standards are a facade like movie sets on the lot of a studio. They represent a “front” with no real substance, constantly having to be propped up because they can’t stand on their own. I’ve had the opportunity many times to talk to people that others would often admire or envy. What I have discovered is, the very people we put on pedestals would love to trade places with people that could be classified as ordinary. I have learned that we must be careful what we desire because many times what we think we are running to, is often what we are running from. Historically in the African American Community, the subject or discussion of “self esteem” has carried mixed emotions. When we look up the definition of self-esteem in the dictionary, we see that it means belief in oneself. We know that if we do not believe in ourselves and what we do, neither will anyone else. However, oftentimes people confuse “belief” in oneself with “vanity.” If we look at success models over time, the ones that have truly made a difference were those who not only accepted who they were, but did so with pride. Many who have left their mark on history were those who had to stand-alone or convince others to see things their way. It is important for you to know 1) who you are, 2) understand where you have come from and 3) determine where you want to go, if you are ever going to accept who you are to be. Knowing Who You Are When I was a little girl my grandmother would often say, never let anyone tell you who you are. I have a friend who always says, “never let anyone call you out of your name.” We have all heard the saying, “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” I believe that it is very important to know what you stand for in life. When I speak at various functions around the country, I often share with people that it is important for you to know your meaning in life, so that you can prepare your message, in order to carry out your mission. When you know and understand your purpose and why you are here, it is much easier for you to accept who you are and the person that God has made you to be. We are all pieces of a puzzle that fit together to make a beautiful picture. If we are constantly trying to be someone else, we will not “fit” into the spot that has “our” name on it. If you are currently struggling with who you are, what you look like or comparing yourself with others, I urge you to do the following three steps. Empowerment Points: Write down on a piece a paper, all of the positive things that have happened in your life over the past year. If you can’t think of any let me give you a few suggestions. You have your health, a roof over your head, a job, a sound mind, and people that care about you. I heard a minister once say that if you count all your blessings, it will be hard to be depressed. Make a list of all the positive things that people say about you. Once again, let me give you a few suggestions; she really has a nice personality, she has really nice skin, she is so thoughtful, she’s really a kind person. Maybe people comment on your discipline to work out, or your compassion for others. Never underestimate the gifts that God has given you, to make you unique. Remember, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. What you would easily throw away, others would take in a minute. I had a friend once tell me that she thought I had the gift of hospitality and encouragement. I thought to myself “what kind of gift is that?” Growing up in church, I wanted the gift of singing or playing the piano or something that the other girls had. Little did I know that the gifts of hospitality and encouragement would be the very way I would live my life and help others today. Finally, make what I call a “wish” list. Write down the things that you would like to have or accomplish and then set a reasonable timetable to begin making them happen. The key here is to make sure you set realistic goals or expectations. Don’t wish that you were 5’11 if you are 4’9. But if you’ve always wanted red hair and your hair is brown, dye it! If you want a better body, diet and exercise. Just make sure whatever standards you set, you are doing it for yourself and that it is what you want, not what others say you should be. Remember that we are all little kids in adult bodies. We all get up in the morning and put our underwear on one leg at a time. We all have good days and bad days. The next time you look into the mirror, say to yourself that you are wonderfully and beautifully made just the way you are. God does not make junk!

I would like for you to post this in our Group News section... this should be done daily!!!!

We all come into this world as blank canvases waiting for the various colors of life to be painted into our world. As children, our first knowledge of who we are comes from our parents. If our parents continue to feed us positive affirmations of our worth and value, we tend to grow with a positive self-esteem. However, if we are told over and over again that we are nothing and that we won’t amount to much in life, we will begin to believe this is true. As a child I used to hear people say, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This is not true. Even the bible tells us that the tongue can both cut and heal. We must be careful what we say to others, especially children. Accepting Oneself We live in a time when accepting who we are can be difficult. Most of us compare ourselves to unrealistic standards set by advertising agencies, movie stars and the lives of the rich and famous. What we fail to realize, is that oftentimes these standards are a facade like movie sets on the lot of a studio. They represent a “front” with no real substance, constantly having to be propped up because they can’t stand on their own. I’ve had the opportunity many times to talk to people that others would often admire or envy. What I have discovered is, the very people we put on pedestals would love to trade places with people that could be classified as ordinary. I have learned that we must be careful what we desire because many times what we think we are running to, is often what we are running from. Historically in the African American Community, the subject or discussion of “self esteem” has carried mixed emotions. When we look up the definition of self-esteem in the dictionary, we see that it means belief in oneself. We know that if we do not believe in ourselves and what we do, neither will anyone else. However, oftentimes people confuse “belief” in oneself with “vanity.” If we look at success models over time, the ones that have truly made a difference were those who not only accepted who they were, but did so with pride. Many who have left their mark on history were those who had to stand-alone or convince others to see things their way. It is important for you to know 1) who you are, 2) understand where you have come from and 3) determine where you want to go, if you are ever going to accept who you are to be. Knowing Who You Are When I was a little girl my grandmother would often say, never let anyone tell you who you are. I have a friend who always says, “never let anyone call you out of your name.” We have all heard the saying, “if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” I believe that it is very important to know what you stand for in life. When I speak at various functions around the country, I often share with people that it is important for you to know your meaning in life, so that you can prepare your message, in order to carry out your mission. When you know and understand your purpose and why you are here, it is much easier for you to accept who you are and the person that God has made you to be. We are all pieces of a puzzle that fit together to make a beautiful picture. If we are constantly trying to be someone else, we will not “fit” into the spot that has “our” name on it. If you are currently struggling with who you are, what you look like or comparing yourself with others, I urge you to do the following three steps. Empowerment Points: Write down on a piece a paper, all of the positive things that have happened in your life over the past year. If you can’t think of any let me give you a few suggestions. You have your health, a roof over your head, a job, a sound mind, and people that care about you. I heard a minister once say that if you count all your blessings, it will be hard to be depressed. Make a list of all the positive things that people say about you. Once again, let me give you a few suggestions; she really has a nice personality, she has really nice skin, she is so thoughtful, she’s really a kind person. Maybe people comment on your discipline to work out, or your compassion for others. Never underestimate the gifts that God has given you, to make you unique. Remember, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. What you would easily throw away, others would take in a minute. I had a friend once tell me that she thought I had the gift of hospitality and encouragement. I thought to myself “what kind of gift is that?” Growing up in church, I wanted the gift of singing or playing the piano or something that the other girls had. Little did I know that the gifts of hospitality and encouragement would be the very way I would live my life and help others today. Finally, make what I call a “wish” list. Write down the things that you would like to have or accomplish and then set a reasonable timetable to begin making them happen. The key here is to make sure you set realistic goals or expectations. Don’t wish that you were 5’11 if you are 4’9. But if you’ve always wanted red hair and your hair is brown, dye it! If you want a better body, diet and exercise. Just make sure whatever standards you set, you are doing it for yourself and that it is what you want, not what others say you should be. Remember that we are all little kids in adult bodies. We all get up in the morning and put our underwear on one leg at a time. We all have good days and bad days. The next time you look into the mirror, say to yourself that you are wonderfully and beautifully made just the way you are. God does not make junk! http://www.blackwomenshealth.com/ Amanda Out!

Good afternoon everyone, I'm asking all of you to take a second and tell the rest of us why "You Balck is Beautiful" go ahead and say whatever is on your mind. "My balck is beautiful because she's strong, independent, and continues to encourages everyone she comes in contact with. She will never fall because even when she's tired and can't move on another step, God lifts her and carries her to the finish line!" Why is you black beautiful?

Every seminar is different, just make sure you have a list if any questions that you have... Congrats this is the 1st step.

Maybe you are not eating enough, 800-900 calories is very low. You don't want your body to go into starvation at that point is will start storing fat. Try uping your calories with healthy foods, 5-6 smalls meals a day! Good Luck!

Check out my Blog “The New Fashionista” for Friday Tips for Pear/Ruler/Hourglass and Apple shaped Gals!!

"Downplay Your Curves" This is a common and rather instinctive way of minimizing your hips, thighs and butt. I personally find this closet mantra restrictive because it excludes clothes that are 'no-nos' for your Pear body shape (eg. The skinny jeans just to mention a few). But it's a fast and fool-proof way to de-emphasize curves you're self-conscious about. Details that help downplay your curves: Dark colors, from dark navy blue to the classic black. Ex. dark wash jeans or black dress pants. Vertical details will slim down the hip-area. Eg. pleats, stitches and visible zippers Tops, sweaters and jackets that extend just below your hipbone (helps skim over your hips. Hip-length tops only draw attention to the area it hits). However avoid lengths across the widest part of your hips/legs - your thighs Hip and thigh hugging shapewear Heels elongate your lower body and make your hips, thighs and legs look slimmer Via FilmMagic On the other hand, it's the simplest way to downplay your curves, especially you feel uncomfortable and "fat" with them, and just wish to draw less attention to that area. Also make sure to invest in garments with stretch. Stiff fabrics tend to make you look boxy. Boxy = bigger. Another great investment is pants, jeans, skirts and dresses with a slight flared hem. Compared to a skinny and pencil hem, a flared style will draw attention away from your lower bottom. If you're very curvy, the longer and wider you'll need to wear your bottoms - it helps with your body proportions! http://www.thechicfa...body-shape.html Amanda Out!

My "Real" goal.... Lets see I'm a fashionista lol. And when you are smaller there are more clothing options. I know this becasue atll of my sisters are sizes 0-6. The price I paid at Ashley Stewart for a business casual outfit to wear to work could eaisly run about 50-60 dollars and thats on the chep side. Now I can pick up pieces to mix and match here and there from 6-12 dollars since I'm in a normal size and can shop in normal stores. So my real goal was to be healthy but also to shop, look good, and feel good about myself.

Good Luck!

Create Curves on Top Wear anything that visually adds more weight to your shoulder and bust area and brings attention to your upper body. This makes your body figure look more proportional like an Hourglass, as well as de-emphasizing your hips and thighs. Details that accentuate your upper body: Necklines stretching horizontally (boat neck, straight, etc.). Although a wrap neckline is slimming on your torso, it adds interest to your bust Light (white, light pink, etc) Bright & bold colors (reds, orange, electric blue, etc.) Details such as stripes, polkadots, sequins, zippers, large collar/lapels, other eye catching embellishments Bell and kimono sleeves Bust-enhancing necklines such as bustier and sweetheart A good push-up bra Scarves, scarves, scarves Also make sure to wear a top that fits properly on the shoulders. If your shoulder line is sloppy the outfit (and your upper body!) won't look good. Work with structured shoulders, shoulders pads and ruched sleeves - they are your pear body shape's essentials. Tips from: http://www.thechicfa...body-shape.html Amanda Out!

Ladies…Ladies …Ladies, I can’t stress enough how important it Is or will be to have a bra fitting done and get new underwear when you have dropped a significant amount of weight. 80 percent of Women don’t wear the correct bra size and trust me it makes a big difference in how you will look and feel in your new clothes. Now that we are smaller don’t be afraid to check out your local Victoria’s Secret (they even have clearance racks for those of us on budgets lol) . My point is SAGGY UNDERGARMENTS is not a cute look on anyone. Amanda Out!

My insurance was similar, only 80% covered, but I waited until open emrollment and upgraded to the plus plan which covered it at 100%. See if that's an option.

You can look great in no matter what you wear as long as you dress for your body shape, Having this information is the key to the key to looking great no matter what size or weight you are. The four basic bady shapes are; Ruler (Rectangle/Banana Shape) Shoulders, hips, waist are almost the same size. Very little indentation at the waist (<10) inches Well-proportioned upper and lower body Hourglass Well-proportioned upper and lower body Shoulders and hips almost the same size Dramatic indentation (>10) inches at the waistline Spoon (Pear Shape) Larger lower body and smaller upper body Shoulders narrower than the hips Tend to gain weight below your waist. Cone (Apple Shape) Bigger on the top half of their bodies than on the bottom half. Slim hips and legs Tend to gain waist above the waist. This is just a general overview of the basic body types. You can take your measurements and find tons of calculators online that will not only tell you your body shape, but give you amazing tips on how to dress for your shape so that you look great everyday. FYI I'm a (RULER) Do you know yours? Amanda Out!!!

Don't count apples out just yet lol Angelina Jolie, Tyra Banks and even Catherine Zeta-Jones.are all apples and theses ladies are HOT!!!!

Welcome and yes this is a great place to start your journey. Keep us up to date on your progress and feel free to ask any questions that you have!!!

My insurance does pay for my fills, the office bills them $350.00 and I pay a 40 co-pay. Hope this helps.