I compiled a list of my favorite products to use to clean and condition my locs. Check out why I love these products in the video below.
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Shampoo
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen Grow & Restore Conditioner
Indian Healing Clay
Quench Absolute Shampoo
"You got the light, count it all joy
You got the right to be mad
But when you carry it alone you find it only getting in the way
They say you gotta let it go
Now tell em why you mad son
Cause doing it all ain’t enough
Cause everyone all in my cup
Cause such and such still owe me bucks
So I got the right to get bucked
But I try not to let it build up
I’m too high, I’m too better, too much
So I let it go, let it go, let it go
I ran into this girl, she said, Why you always blaming?
Why you can’t just face it? Be mad, be mad, be mad
Why you always gotta be so mad? Be mad, be mad, be mad
Why you always talking s**t, always be complaining?
Why you always gotta be, why you always gotta be so mad?
Be mad, be mad, be mad
I got a lot to be mad about
, Be mad, be mad, be mad"
---Mad by Solange (featuring Lil Wayne)
It is a kinda funny story how I ended up on a Nutrisystem 4-week meal plan.
Four weeks ago, during my weekly dinner with my father, he asks me if I have thought about joining Weight Watchers. I was totally taken aback by this question and a bit offended. Why was my father asking me about joining Weight Watchers? At that time, I had already lost 10 lbs on my own. Could he not see my progress? Was he trying to tell me I was fat and needed professional help to slim down?
So, of course, I got in my feelings and responded with an emphatic "No." I told him that I was not interested in joining a weight loss program because they cost money that I did not have to spare. Despite my response, he kept pressing me and even offered to pay if I wanted to join. I laughed at his proposal and then later went home and told my mother about the conversation. I thought she would be mad at my father for asking me to join Weight Watchers, but she wasn't. She was actually mad at me for refusing his offer to pay for a weight loss program. She reminded me of how expensive eating healthy is and of how getting my father to pay for a healthy meal program, even if it was only for 4 weeks, could save me hundreds of dollars.
As much as I hate to admit it, I quickly realized that my mother was right. I was not in a position to turn down an opportunity for free healthy food.
I headed to the Google to do some research. I looked up Weight Watchers and found out that although they sold frozen foods in the supermarkets, they did not offer what I was looking for, home delivery meal plans. Disappointed I moved onto the next big name weight loss program, Nutrisystem.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Nutrisystem had exactly what I was looking for. Nutrisystem offers three different 4-week meal plans at affordable prices: basic, core, and uniquely yours. I told my dad about it and after some bantering with him (because he insisted that he only offered to pay for Weight Watchers and not another program), I got him to pay around $340 for a 4-week meal plan.
I picked the uniquely yours meal plan, which included a choice of over 150 meals and snacks and unlimited frozen foods (starting at $11.96 a day). For signing up, I also got a two week supply of their turbo 10 protein shakes.
My Review
Delivery, Packaging, and Food Selection:
The food arrived a week later in two separate shipments--one for the non frozen foods and another for the frozen foods (which arrived in a dry ice-filled styrofoam cooler). When I opened the boxes, I was a bit overwhelmed by how much food I received. I had to actually rearrange the pantry and freezer to fit in all of the food I received, which included breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. The great thing about the food was that the boxes are clearly marked with the nutritional content, calories, and designated meal.
Some of the food items I received were frozen cinnamon rolls, waffles, and turkey sausage egg sandwiches for breakfast, soups, steak and cheese melts, and mini pizzas for lunch, chicken parmesan, ravioli with meat sauce, and spinach-stuffed chicken for dinner, and fudge bars, slices of chocolate cake, and mini apple pies for snack.
Taste:
Honestly, the food that I received varied in taste level. Most of the food tasted very good, such as the breakfast cinnamon rolls, the turkey sausage and egg sandwich, the waffles and pancakes, the ravioli in meat sauce, the frozen hamburger and chicken sandwiches, and all of the frozen desserts. But there were a few meals that I felt tasted like bland diet food, such as the protein shakes, pasta, the bean chili, and the soups.
Also, I must note that the portion sizes of all meals that I received were child size. Imagine a McDonalds happy meal versus a Big Mac combo meal. Get the picture? Tiny!!! I assume that the small portions are to keep the meals under 300 calories. But, it is very jarring when you first replace your regular meals with Nutrisystem meals.
The first time I opened up one of their frozen personal pizzas I laughed and immediately opened another one to eat for my dinner. It felt unnatural to eat such a pizza for dinner that was the size of my hand. Eventually, I learned to pair the pizza with a small salad and a glass of grapefruit juice or red wine, instead of doubling my Nutrisystem meals to fill my stomach.
Overall Value and Recommendation:
I recommend the Nutrisystem Uniquely Yours meal plan with reservations. If you are looking for a home delivery program with a large variety of low calorie meals
and
you have about $350 to spare to buy 4 weeks of prepackaged meals at one time, I recommend you try out this meal program. It definitely helped with my weight loss goals because I always had low calorie foods that I could quickly and easily heat up for my daily meals. I had no excuse for stopping at Wendy's for fast food because I had large variety of "fast" foods at home that I could eat guilt-free without having to spend time prepping and cooking food.
BUT, if you do not have $350 to spend at one time on food, I would NOT recommend you pay for a Nutrisystem meal program. You pay the same amount of money or more in total on groceries throughout the course of a month. But, it is not the same as paying over $300 dollars on food at one time for prepackaged/frozen meals. The conveniences is not worth the financial burden. Nutrisystem is a subscription meal program so they are going to automatically charge your credit card every month unless you suspend or cancel your subscription. I canceled my subscription after 4 weeks because I can't afford the fee and my dad only agreed to pay for one month for me.
You want me flawless
You want me patient and sweet
You want me willing
You want my honesty
You want me to be
Appreciative
Respect your space
Ignore your fears
You want spontaneity
A good girl and a freak
You want loyalty
You want something that you’re not, willing
To be
You want something that you’re not, willing
To be
Expecting me to be loyal
Expecting me to be faithful
You want something that you’re not, willing
To be
--Willing (interlude) by Jill Scott
I love tv. I especially love tv shows that feature people of color in their main casts. Since for some time in the past decade there were so few black, brown, and tan faces on the small screen, I make sure to support the shows that portray people of color well.
Last fall, I blogged about some of my shows featuring black main characters that I was watching and thought you all should be watching too (check out it
). Here is my list of must-watch black shows for this fall:
1) Insecure (premieres Sunday, October 9th at 10:30pm EST on HBO)
Insecure explores the black female experience in an unclichéd and authentic way. Rae stars as Issa and Yvonne Orji stars as Molly, two modern-day black women and best friends who must deal with their own real-life flaws as they attempt to navigate different worlds and cope with an endless series of uncomfortable everyday experiences.
Good for:
those who are looking for an adult comedy showcasing the lives of young black women trying to figure love, life, and everything in between. Issa Rae is a brilliant and funny writer and actor.
2. Luke Cage (available now on Netflix)
Luke Cage was introduced in the Netflilx series Jessica Jones. He has impenetrable skin and super strength, but prefers to keep a low profile running a bar in Hell's Kitchen. However, the increase in metahuman individuals has turned the Kitchen into a battlefield, drawing Luke into the thick of things whether he wants to get involved or not.
Good for:
those who love the current influx of Marvel and DC superhero movies and tv shows but hate the lack of superheroes of color in them. Luke Cage is tall, dark, fine, and bulletproof.
3. Fresh Off The Boat (airs Tuesdays at 9pm EST on ABC)
It's the '90s and 12 year old, hip-hop loving Eddie (Hudson Yang) just moved to suburban Orlando from DC's Chinatown with his parents (Randall Park and Constance Wu). It's culture shock for his immigrant family in this comedy about pursuing the American Dream.
Fresh Off the Boat
is based on Chef Eddie Huang's memoir
Fresh Off the Boat
.
Good for:
those who are looking for a family friendly comedy showcasing the hilarious escapades of a Chinese American family navigating a mostly white suburbs in Orlando, set to a 90s hip hop soundtrack. Constance Wu who plays mama Jessica is hilarious.
4. Superstore (airs on Thursdays at 8pm EST on NBC)
This hilarious workplace comedy "Superstore" is about a unique family of employees at a supersized megastore. "Superstore" centers around Amy (Ferrera), the store's most stalwart employee as well as the glue holding the place together, and newly hired Jonah (Feldman), a dreamer determined to prove work doesn't have to be boring. Their fellow associates include the sardonic Garrett (Colton Dunn, "Key & Peele"), the ambitious Mateo (Nico Santos, "Mulaney") and the sweet teenager, Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom, "Shameless"). Overseeing the store is Glenn (Mark McKinney, "The Kids in the Hall"), the store's affable, clueless store manager, and Dina (Lauren Ash, "Super Fun Night"), the aggressive assistant manager who enforces Cloud 9 policy with an iron fist.
From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless seasonal hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.
Good for:
those who are looking for a good workplace comedy with a funny (and culturally diverse) ensemble cast.
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Need some motivation to get you through your daily workouts or runs? Pump yourself up with a few of my favorite butt-shaking, head nodding, make you wanna run to the club workout songs. Music can make any workout feel quicker and much more fun.
So, warm up, work out, and cool down to 15 of my favorite workout tunes.
Mama Said Knock You Out by LL Cool J
Work by Ciara featuring Missy Elliot
Where Have You Been by Rihanna
Mc Hammer by Rick Ross featuring Gucci Mane
Breathless by Roy Cape All Stars and Blaxx
Work by Iggy Azalea
Damn Baby by Janet Jackson
Rumble by Skinny Fabulous
Baby Hello by Wande Coal
WTF by Missy Elliot featuring Pharrell Williams
Bundelele by Awilo Longomba
Done D Party by Fay-Ann Lyons
Anaconda by Nicki Minaj
Dancing On My Own by Robyn
When Love Takes Over by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland
Today marks two months since I started this 50 lb weight-loss journey on July 25, 2016. I am proud to announce that I am now 17 lbs lighter.
Honestly, it has not been easy. There have been many days that I wanted to run to Shake Shack for a delicious double Smoke Shack cheeseburger, or stay in bed instead of going to the gym (and, there were those moments when I snuck and ate a piece of my brother's wings plate). But, for the most part, I pushed through those feelings and thoughts and made the healthy choices, with the help of the Super Shred Diet by Dr. Ian Smith and the Nike Training Club App, specifically the 6-Week GetLean Fit workouts.
I wanted to share my weight-loss journey with you all to show that it can be done. You don't need to starve yourself or live in the gym to see results. You just have to be ready and willingly to make healthier choices---to walk more, to eat more fruits and vegetables, drink more water, pick up some light weights, and eat smaller portions. If you can gain it, you can lose it.
I love water (**Oprah voice**).
Drinking water can aid weight loss. Thirst is generally mistaken for hunger, so staying hydrated can help keep you from overeating. Water fills your stomach and leaves less room in your stomach for food. Studies have shown that people who drank at least a glass of water before meals ate 75 calories fewer.
I love the taste of water. But if you do not, then you may want to try out the
Nestle Splash Natural Fruit Flavored Water.
I received a free bottle of mandarin orange flavored Nestle Splash, along with some cool sunglasses, a bendy straw, and a beach ball, from Influenster to sample.
I took this bottle (and the bendy straw) to work with me to drink during my two-hour lecture. Truthfully, I did not like the taste of the mandarin orange flavor. It tasted a bit artificially sweet to me. Because I did not have another beverage with me, I drank the entire bottle. It is a decent drink option, if you are thirsty or you hate the taste of plain water. Nestle Splash comes in different fruit flavors, including berry and grape, without the sugar or calories. Although I did not like the mandarin orange flavor, I would not mind trying the other flavors.
I definitely recommend you try it if you need to drink more water and hate the taste or if you are looking for a new flavored water.
Note: I received my Nestle Splash products complimentary from Influenster and am entering the Brand challenge for a chance to win a prize, but all opinions are my own.
I am happy to announce that your girl Toya T is still losing weight. I lost 1.6 lbs this week. This is really a huge feat because of the fact that I took off three days from my diet this past Labor Day weekend.
Week 6:
From Saturday to Monday, I was in Philadelphia with two of my friends at the Made in America Festival, which is a 2-day music festival sponsored by Budweiser. At first, I thought that I might be able to follow my diet with a few tweaks while I was at the festival: eat my regular healthy breakfast and lunch, drink a minimum of one beer per day, and eat the least fatty meals for dinner while I was at the festival. I really thought that this was going to work. Or, at least I wanted this plan to work because I did not want to lose my weight-loss momentum from the past 6 weeks. I packed as many healthy snacks as I could carry and brought along a homemade protein shake, since our hotel had a mini fridges in the rooms.
By noon on Saturday, I realized that it was unrealistic for me to follow my diet during my weekend away. This was my last hoorah before heading back into the classroom and plus I was with my friends. Sticking to my diet felt more like work than a normal healthy life choice. So, I decided to allow myself three cheat days, not to overindulge on fatty goodness, but to eat and drink when I felt hungry without counting calories (and feeling guilty). To not fall back into bad eating habits or throw away my weight-loss successes, I also decided to jump back into my Super Shred diet at the point that I stopped on the program's weekly meal plan--in this case, it was Days 5, 6, and 7 of Week 2.
During my three cheat days, I made sure to stay active. Luckily, the festival made this very easy because it involved a lot of walking around and standing. I made over 24,000 steps on Saturday alone and burned over 3000 calories (note: this is more than I burn on a regular day eating healthy and working out).
When I weighed myself on Tuesday, I was surprised to see that I didn't gain any weight. I lost .2 lbs and by Thursday I had lost an additional 1.4 lbs.
This past weekend was very important moment in my 50 lb weight-loss journey. I learned that I can still eat, drink, and be merry without losing control. Cheat days or cheat meals are good in moderation as long as you stay active and focused on your goals. I am now 12.2 lbs down and determined to lose another 8 lbs by the end of the month.
Smiles and Lime-a-ritas at Made in America
In 4 weeks, I have lost 8 lbs with the Super Shred diet and Nike Training Club Lean Fit workout challenge. **pelvic thrusts** Now I have 42 lbs to go...42 LBS TO GO!!!! Ugh.
Losing that much weight is not going to be easy or quick (unless I max out my credit cards and get liposuction). It is going to take months upon months of working out, dieting, and focus.
To help me keep focused during my weight-loss journey, I am doing the following 3 things:
This is very simple. Find a fitness challenge and do it.
It helps you develop a regular fitness schedule that is easy to follow and increases with intensity as it progresses.
It prevents you from feeling overwhelmed by making you focus on a short-term, achievable fitness goal.
If you get your friends or family to join the challenge, it helps you create a fitness support system to keep you motivated to finish.
Plus, when you finish, you are fitter and have the sweet satisfaction of completing a fitness goal.
Here's a challenge for you:
The internet is wonderful place to find tons and tons of healthy recipes (note: Pinterest is the best site ever to find yummy, healthy recipes).
It helps you transition from bad eating habits to good eating habits, by allowing you to eat less calories without feeling deprived.
It helps you discover new foods and dishes that you can share with your family and friends and impress them with your culinary skills.
If you cook your meals ahead of time, preferably at the beginning of the week, it will help you stay on your diet and give you less excuses for grabbing for "fast fatty foods" (the dreaded 3 F's).
Here's a healthy recipe for you:
Just because you are working out and sweating doesn't mean you can't look good while doing it.
Having cute workout clothes takes the UGH out of working out by giving you the same feeling as getting dressed up for a night out.
They tend to be form-fitting, which is a GOOD thing. Wearing oversized and baggy workout clothes make you look frumpy and larger than you really are, skewing your body image. Wearing cute, form-fitting workout clothes provides much-needed support for your jiggly parts and allows you to check your form and make sure you are correctly performing exercises, decreasing injuries and maximizing workout benefits.
Plus, it helps show off your new developing fit body.
Low-end Activewear Brand: Everlast (sold at Sears)
High-end Activewear: Fabletics (sold at Fabletics.com )
Hello There!
I’m Toya T—a Black Woman PhD, podcast host, and traveler. I love sharing pieces of my life and all of the tips, tricks, and lessons I have learned from my experiences. Hopefully my blog will help you on your journey to figuring out how to live your best life.
@LATOYAT on Instagram
Welcome to Figure Out Your Life Blog where I share everything what I have learned thus far about life. Hope you’ll come back again. Enjoy!
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