Two years ago in May I started blogging on What Jean Likes.  I had the blog name for years (since 2008, I think), back when I had an idea but was so busy running my other site that I never did anything with it.  After I quit my job as a beauty blog writer/editor/photographer, I decided to take a break but missed blogging so much... I decided to write about a large array of things I like so I came here and sporadically posted every few months when I had time, no biggie.

Over the last year or so I really started actively posting here, finding my voice and sharing the things I like with this blogosphere.  My blog has grown so very much and I want to do something super special not only to celebrate my bloggy birthday, but to thank all of you for being a part of the family and sticking with me through it all.  Did I mention I'm having a 50% off sale on all ads for my site in May to celebrate?  Just enter the code: MAY at checkout to get half off ALL ads!!  Sponsor & Advertise

I am putting together a cash prize for one lucky winner of at least $600.  I get tons of emails asking me about how to do giveaways, how to find giveaways to get involved with and so on.. I thought, what better opportunity to allow others to chip in, help this prize grow and get new followers along the way?  If you want to be part of this giveaway, I'm accepting sign ups now.  Giveaways are an amazing way to get followers, I've gotten tons of followers by hosting or co-hosting several giveaways.  If you'd like to buy links into the rafflecopter prize widget (which will be mandatory follows for anyone who enters the contest), you can do so below.

Gonna keep it short and sweet today, I mean..it is Wordless Wednesday after all!!  Today is a long day, a hot day, a sweaty day here in Hawai'i nei.  I had to work in the hot sun today all day long.  I got burnt on my arms and the back of my neck, ouch.  Wasn't sufficiently prepared for how broiling hot the sun is with the southern Kona winds making everything especially muggy and sticky.  On the plus side, I sweat a lot so I know I lost some weight and I juiced lunch so it's pretty much a day of pure caloric burn.  Trying to stay positive!  I was approached by a lady I knew as a child who is so sweet and kind who asked me about Jesus and we had a nice conversation about Him and I invited her to come to church Sunday and gave her my number. I hope she comes!  It was such a blessing for me to be able to chat with her and share God's love.

It is a very hot day here... thank God for cold showers!  Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Wednesday.  I have a blog hop for May to code tonight and a giveaway to launch Friday.  Oh did you check out some of the other giveaways I'm blessed to be a part of?  Check them out here: Giveaways .  Some have ended but there is one for $500 bucks going on which is pretty awesome and a few more that are still active.  Check them out! Who couldn't use some extra cash or some awesome ads and prizes?

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Don't you wish you could go to Waikiki Beach with me?  Let's pretend right now, we're at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on the 31st floor balcony looking down at sunset, listening to the waves roll in and watching the sky turn a gradient color of blues and purples as the lights below twinkle.  That's how the night rolled about a year ago when I was hanging at that hotel for a photo shoot.  I need a vacay!

Hugs and love to all of you.  Know that you are loved, you are precious and you are one of a kind.  If you're having a bad day, here's a big cyber hug for you.  {{{{{{{{{{{{H U G S}}}}}}}}}}

Aloha,

I'll let them explain it all in their own words below but let me just say this... I know that being overweight is unhealthy, I am overweight and literally working my butt off to get in shape so I can be healthy.  If the concept of this ad were to inspire girls to get in shape, this ad would make more sense.  That's not the purpose of the Love Campaign though... Considering the fact that the entire campaign is supposed to make young women feel beautiful at any size, I think that they could have included at least one model that was larger than a size 12.  Just being honest here, if I were a size 12 right now and I plan on reaching that size by summer.... I'd be super duper happy.  Yes, it's healthy to not be overweight but as this campaign is strictly about body image, I think that they somewhat missed the mark.  Anyone who is misconstruing this post as something about skinny vs fat, it's not.

This post is merely about the fact that on the premise Healthy is the New Skinny states that the Love Campaign is meant to empower all young women to feel good about their bodies.  I don't know about you but if I were a teen girl who is bigger than a size 12, this campaign wouldn't make me feel all that good.  ALSO, I wish I could say how wonderful it is to show "real" girls in their natural state but all the photos are retouched by photoshop and airbrushing, albeit the Dove campaign has much less airbrushing than the others, they all have retouching.  Just sayin'.  To my skinny ladies out there, I have NOTHING but love for ya!! I'm not attacking or cutting you down either.  I know quite a few naturally skinny girls who want more curves.  Body image is always such an issue with young women, we always want what the other has and always feel inadequate no matter how gorgeous or thin we are.  Let's build each other up and show each other some love!!

What are your thoughts?  More info about the purpose, premise and how this ad came to be... (Any views expressed beyond this sentence are those of the Healthy is the New Skinny campaign and Bust Magazine and not my own).

It all started with a simple Facebook posting placing the slim Victoria’s Secret models side by side with the women featured in Dove’s Real Beauty campaign.

“We just posted that photo to show how small the Victoria’s Secret models were because the Dove models are average-size,” Halchishick told us.

But the post received thousands of comments, many of them trashing the bodies of these ladies. Case in point:

“We were shocked to read how many people called the Dove models fat and ugly and said the most horrible things about these women,” Halchishick explained. “Then, others would claim that the Victoria’s Secret models were gross and looked like they were starving.”

And who loses? We all do. In their lacy panties and sexy poses, the Victoria’s Secret models are meant to exude sex appeal. But if you haven’t already noticed, all seven models have very similar body types. The underlying message: You can look and feel like your best self, but only if you’re sample size.

Meanwhile, in the Dove campaign, average-size women are featured in plain white bras and underwear. They’re beaming and beautiful, but if you ask teen girls who they’d rather look like, I’m banking on them picking the Victoria’s Secret models.  

“There has been a push for more ‘real women’ in the media, but what does that mean?” Halchishick asked. “The Dove campaign is attempting to show ‘real women’, but being compared to the Victoria’s Secret campaign, it sends the message that this is less-than and not as attractive or desirable. Clearly, people want to have the discussion of size diversity, but it is not a fair comparison. That is why we created the Love Campaign. We want people to realize that you can use various body types and still have the glamour and appeal like the Victoria’s Secret models while presenting more realistic bodies to the girls who idolize them.”

You can check out the new HNS campaign video here. Are you feeling the love?

Images courtesy of Healthy is the New Skinny

So I started out the year strong, did over a month on a juice fast to reset my body... lost nearly 40 lbs... and then I went to regular food again and lost my focus.  Though I didn't gain any of my weight back, I don't feel quite as energetic or balanced as I did when I was juicing every day.  In fact, I got quite lazy the last month or so only juicing a couple times a week.  My body craved the veggies and fruits and I deprived it making excuses like I'm busy or cleaning the juicer is such a pain in the butt or organic vegetables and fruits are too expensive.  All excuses.... all ways for me to try to justify depriving my body of the micronutrients that it needs and craves, all valid in a way....but still...not valid enough..

It's funny how easily we can create excuses to justify doing or not doing things.  I mean, my excuses were all valid but I think I conveniently turned to them when the holiday candies and treats came out and then I just kept using them for all the foods I shouldn't be eating all that much of but wanted to eat.   Oh another one of my favorite cop outs is PMS apparently... I've used that one for years.  Hey, there's nothing wrong with eating different types of foods but I know my body and what it needs and doesn't need right now and until I reach or come closer to my goal weight, I need to cut out all the comfort foods I normally turn to and opt for healthier options.

So, I'm back on my juice reset-ish... Those of you who've been reading my blog in recent months will know I did the total reset for about 42 days and lost about 40 lbs and kept it off.  That was a diet of ONLY organic fruit juice and it was wonderful but I have to admit, I didn't put my all into it.  I think I missed quite an opportunity to use that time while I was fasting to just pray to God and lean on Him instead of myself.

This time around I think I'm going to do it more gradually because I have a heavy workload on me from my "day job" and I don't think my body can function on all 4 cylinders on just juice alone so this time around it's going to be 2 meals juice fast and 1 regular meal.  Juice fasting takes a lot out of you because your body goes into kind of a withdrawal as it's cleansing itself.  I'm actually excited to start the diet again, is that crazy of me?  I am honestly dreading the working out again.  I finally found the charger for my Nike Fuelband so I am back to using that which really helps motivate me and keep me in check..  Funny that for over a month I didn't use it because I couldn't "find" the charger when the truth is, I never looked for it.  LOL.

So ladies and gents, back to juicing for 2 meals a day and I'm going to allow one regular meal that is balanced with veggies and protein and just a little witto bit of starch because starch is my comfort food of choice so I'm trying to really, really cut back on how much of it I consume.  The days of comforting myself with food are over.  It's time to rest on the Lord and get my comfort from Jesus and His Word instead of a bag of potato chips, candy, or a  yummy Loco Moco plate lunch.  Le sigh...

Are you making any changes to the way you eat as we journey into the spring and summer months?  Are you going to incorporate more exercise into your day to day routine?  Share with me your tips, recipes and exercises that really just push you and help you to get your body fit and in shape!!  I'm always looking for new ideas and motivations to keep it from getting boring.

For some of my older posts about juicing and some of my favorite juicing recipes, click here

In other news, I've extended the Aloha Friday Blog Hop giveaway to end on May 1st instead of today.  Giving everyone a few more days to enter away at your chance to win $200, 12 ad spaces and some lovely handmade items!  You don't even need a blog to enter and it's open internationally.

To check out the rest of the giveaways happening on my blog, you can click here.  I'm going to do a week in review post which will link to all of them individually and I have a sponsor giveaway coming up this week too!! It's been an exciting week for this little blog of mine and for me personally but I'll get more into that later.

Have a blessed Sunday my dears!

Aloha,

a Rafflecopter giveaway*This competition/giveaway is brought to you by What Jean Like & Ohsoamelia. No payment has been received from any company or other person.