Friday 20 July 2012

Next2Natural Weightloss

As long as I can remember I have been trying some kind of weightloss plan.When I was 11 I decided to be a vegetarian but apparently "chips" and mayonnaise do nothing to assist weightloss. Then at 12 I tried Chitosan the fat blockers but was allergic to shellfish, the main ingredient so that didn't last long. Slimfast at Community College, Cabbage soup diet, ccayenne pepper lemonade and Atkins diet at University. Nowhere in here did I consider eating healthy and going to the gym. I mean really, I didn't get fat because I like veges and the treadmill. I like sweets and pasta and souse and high calorie beverages.

The only thing that had ever worked for me was the Atkins diet but with old age setting in I was too afraid to binge on bacon and cheese. There is only so much cholesterol arteries can take and who am I kidding? Who can afford bacon nowadays anyway? At $13 a pack its cheaper to raise the pig.

When I tipped the scale at my heaviest I was a whopping 239lbs but a cute 239lbs. In case you didn't know the bigger you are the more you do. I put on more makeup, had bigger earrings, bigger hair, brighter nails and higher heels. All to distract from my expanding waistline. So when people came up to me and said "Waait you getting real big!" I would say I guess so but did you see my new shoes!

I lost the first 20lbs then stalled because I hadn't been in the gym. I renewed my membership at Surfside, got a gym partner and got to work. I had a white dress to get into for my 30th and all my friends are hot so I was not to be outdone.

My diet consisted of modified Atkins as far as I am concerned. No bread, pasta, little to no potatoes absolutely no fun. Mostly pretty vegetables and protein and more water than the west coast. I know... Where are you getting your energy? Where are the carbs? In the supermarket !!!! I have very little self control and it is better for me to leave them out than eat any so apart from the squash, the vegetables, low sugar fruit and the slice of sweet potato here and there. I tried to avoid carbs.

So here I am Renee minus 51lbs and a lady asks me if I want to enter her plus sized pageant. While I was flattered, I stood there with my pants riding low on my hips and sagging at the back like I just lost a ton of weight and I feared that entering such a competition would mislead my friends, family and let's not forget my fans.
Well I had set a goal of 160 and she informed me that I could enter the competition once I was over 150 so my new weightloss goal is 149.Should someone require a makeup artist though I am certainly available.

I will need as much help as possible. My personal trainer is no longer with the gym and my gym partner often goes in the night time, so I am in need of motivation. I had set up deadlines for myself. I will use my Loseit app to record my food intake and my exercise and I will assess my progress in 30 day segments. I have started a personal journey and really I'm just hoping to motivate others and get a little motivation myself. As for the pageant I think I'm too short and I don't think taking out my brush and doing someone's makeup will be judged as a talent.

Thursday 19 July 2012

And then the Lights went out!

On Sunday having planned a photoshoot for a friend everything went haywire. One minute I was having a shoot with five girls then nothing. All plans fell through. But being the good sport that I am I decided to roll with the punches and after picking up the phone and pleading with someone, anyone to come for makeup, Regina came to my rescue. As luck would have it her sister was her in Barbados on vacation all the way from Tel Aviv Israel. So I had two models on my hands.

I gave Regina a sunny summery look.Using a shimmery beige eye shadow, brown and bronze shadow I created an easy to replicate eye look. Rhea mentioned that she like to wear a red lip when heading our so I got a chance to use my red blacklUp  lipstick. I used NYX megashine lipgloss in Perfect Red along with my blacklUp red (which has no name on my tube so don't ask). I gave her a hot gold lid suitable for parties and used Inglot back shadow as a smokey eyeliner.




Everything was looking great and then BRUGADOWN, the lights went out. No ELECTRICITY. Back in the day when partying was partying I was known to put on my makeup in the dark. Many an evening struggling to get into Club Extreme or Boatyard for free I would apply my makeup in the car the dark and no one said anything to me so I assume I looked great. This however was ridiculous.With no AC in the studio, rain pouring outside and mosquitoes waiting at the doors and windows for just the tiniest crack I was not amused. 
Jaryd, the photographer for this shoot, was not deterred. He got the girls to stand in front of a lovely tree and whipped out his camera in the drizzling rain. Of course I am standing thinking "Where are the lights?" "Where is all the fancy schmancy stuff ?" "How are we supposed to get a shot like this?" But I kept those thoughts to myself, creatives can get very touchy. The lights and fancy stuff were to come later, but look at how great the shot turned out.


Finally the power comes back on and we were able to complete the N2N Summer shot. I was thinking the usual sunny poses and Regina says "Can I make the kissy face?" Here's where my age shows itself because I was like I know she doesn't mean that puffed out cheek face she does with her galpals on facebook, but her shot turns out to be fabulous as well.

Regina making her kissy face.

Have a great summer from N2N and I hope the only rain comes on Kadooment day and there is always power on your truck!



Friday 13 July 2012

Next2Natural goes to Zumba!

Over the past few months I have lost quite a bit of weight (shamelessly bragging). Forty-seven pounds to be exact and it is mostly due to the usual, you know, starvation, prayer, bargaining with God. After all the trials it comes down to the same thing diet and exercise. I have never been however a big fan of classes. At my gym, Surfside, there are lots of classes and I never take them. Seriously, never! I am dragged kicking and screaming if ever I am seen in one. I don't know what it is but I am from the old school. I stick to simple movements done over and over. Elliptical, Stair-climber, Treadmill, rinse and repeat. I am like Stone Cold Steve Austin when it comes to the gym....

Dancing around and Zumba are obviously the last thing you will catch me doing. When contacted about sponsoring a prize and coming to a Zumbunnies class, I willing offered the prize but not my body. I would come see what it was all about and go home. Boy was I in for a shock.

Nadia who has been a friend of mine from World Gym days stepped on the stage like a lean, mean, dancing machine. I honestly stopped with my mouth wide open for the first five minutes while she and Leslie her Zumbunnie partner brought the house down and that was the warm up!

The DJ hit us with hit after hit, my girl Beyonce included. This was no class. This was and out to all, "shell down" fete!! Girls came in all sizes and costumes with prizes up for grabs there was no holding back.
For well over an hour and a half there was dancing, "jonesing" mixed with the usal kicks, squats and zumba core crunching moves. Okay, time to bring my eyebrows back down. Everyone was having fun and most importantly they were able to keep up and keep moving. I hate when I get to a class that is so complicated all I can do is march on the spot and watch the clock.


Latoya, in the white, was judged as the cutest bunny and won a N2N Luxury Makeover and Photoshoot with Andrew Browne Photography!!!

Come Cute, Win a Shoot.
All photos compliments Andrew Browne Photography.

Just a few tips:
  • Bring lots of water.
  • Bring a big towel. There is no end to the sweating and burning. Never touch your hands to your sweaty face, as this spreads bacteria and increases the likelihood of  acne. Just use your towel (blotting, not wiping) instead!
  • Whenever possible get out of your Zumbunnie sweat soaked clothes as qucikly as possible. Get out of those clothes and into the shower.
  • Wherever possible avoid makeup (unless in costume :-D) Most makeup will clog pores by not allowing your skin to breathe naturally during workouts. If you must, use a lighter foundation which will alow your skin to function more naturally.
  • Cleanse your face!You should thoroughly cleanse your skin directly after exercise to clear your pores and remove the sweat and grime that have built up during your workout. You may be losing pounds but your face is accumulating oil, grime and perspiration.
  • Rehydrate your body with water and Rehydrate your skin.After putting your skin through this butt-shaking workout and a cleansing, you will want to re-establish the natural moisture and oils that have been removed.
For you guys who love to shake it and want to "six-thirty" in a safe judge-free environment this is the place for you. Zumbunnies classes are $25 and I believe you sweat out everypenny. Check the link for their dates and info.
 Zumbunnies !!


Will you see me shaking it ......hmmmm, maybe !!