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Coffee Talk 02.05.17

Coffee Talk 02.05.17

Good morning, friends. Happy Sunday! It’s been a brilliantly sunny but COLD weekend here in PA. Winter definitely looks like it’s planning to stick around for a while.

I know it’s only the beginning of February, and it’s usually cold here well into March, but they way my job works, I’m always thinking ahead to the next season of clothing, and sometimes it’s hard to remember which season we are actually in. After I spend the day writing about spring trends, it can be a rude awakening to walk out the door. A cold blast of air quickly reminds me it is still the dead of winter.

That’s how I felt yesterday when I dressed in a thin turtleneck and a down vest for our morning photo shoot. It would be the perfect outfit for 50 degrees, but it was 24. I literally sprinted back to the car when we were done shooting. Fortunately I was wearing sneakers!

I’m not sure which is worse — roasting in sweaters and scarves for fall fashion in August or freezing in thin tops and sandals for spring fashion in February. Okay, I do know which is worse. I hate being cold, but you do whatcha gotta do. I was really glad our 2nd photo shoot was indoors.

I’m so grateful that all of my kids are well again and back to their regular activities. You forget what a blessing that is until you spend a couple weeks battling sickness. My dog is still doing a funny thing where she will shiver or tremble for a few minutes, but it isn’t happening as much, and she is acting more like herself, so hopefully whatever is going on will work its way out of her system.

Other than that, my weekend has been pretty quiet. I spent some time with friends, went out to lunch with my husband and daughter #1, made (gluten-free) pancakes with daughter #2, started a new book, and did some photo editing. (That’s always more fun for me than actually shooting the photos.) I’m looking forward to church today and a lazy afternoon here at home.

Clean Eating Update

A few of you have asked for an update on my clean eating endeavors. I’ve been pretty good about sticking to the plan over the past few weeks, but I’ve made more “exceptions” than I really should, and it’s slowly starting to catch up with me. I’m at the tippy-tip-top of my comfortable weight range, but what I’m really noticing is how I feel after I eat too many things that are outside of the guidelines I set for myself. I almost forgot how crappy I feel after I eat dessert or indulge in a large restaurant meal, and how icky it feels (and looks) to be bloated from too much heavy food.

I was so faithful about staying on track for so many months that I got used to consistently feeling good, and now that I’ve been diverging a bit from the plan, I’m reminded how much I like the way I feel when I’m eating clean. I’m determined to get back on track before I get totally derailed.

I need to get back to basics — meal planning, making sure the fridge is stocked with good stuff, and keeping the crap out of the cabinets so I’m not tempted in a weak moment. I also need to remember when I eat out thatI can get a salad with protein on it and be perfectly happy, and I’ll leave feeling so much better than when I indulge in fries or nachos.

It’s such a mindset, isn’t it??? And it’s so easy to get out of that mindset. Just a few detours from the plan, and suddenly the exceptions become the habits again. I feel like I’m at a crossroads right now and I need to reign myself in and get back on track. I knew this time of year would be a challenge because I’m not busy as I was before the holidays, and I always seem to crave comfort food and be more willing to indulge myself when I have more time on my hands.

Adore Your Wardrobe Update

In other news, I heard from my friend Kelly this week — she runs the Adore Your Wardrobe course I’ve talked so much about. If you missed the January registration, she is running another course in March. This is the perfect time to figure out how dress to flatter your body and get your closet situated for spring and summer.

I’ve said this a gazillion times, but this course was a game changer for me personally and as a fashion blogger. Not only do I understand my own body better and how to dress it, but I feel that I can offer better information to others when they’re looking to me for advice. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. It’s not just a course, but you get to be a part of a Facebook Group where Kelly and her team offers you personal advice to make sure you understand the course material and stay on track. It is truly excellent.

R​​​egistration for the March course starts on 3/12 and ends on 3/21. Click the JOIN THE WAIT LIST button to get an email as soon as registration opens up.

If you’re on the fence, Kelly is offering something new this time. It’s a FREE 14-Day closet challenge, and it is open to any current prospect in her database as well as any new prospective student. This is a four-lesson challenge that consists of lessons, videos, and worksheets in the exact same layout as the Adore Your Wardrobe course, so you can really get a feel for the course and how Kelly works.

  • Lesson #1 has you conduct a lifestyle audit.
  • Lesson #2 has you conduct a wardrobe audit.
  • Lesson #3 has you compare the audits and see where your closet may be out of sync, as well as describe the top two reasons for closet frustration (buying clothes for a fantasy life and not loving the clothes you own.)
  • Lesson #4 helps you purge and organize their current closet, make a wardrobe plan using items in your closet, and finally make a plan for purchases going forward.

This is a great preface to the Adore Your Wardrobe course, which teaches you how to best dress your unique body.

Challenge registration begins on 2/24, and the challenge runs from 3/3 – 3/17. 

Funny, when I sat down to write this Coffee Talk post, I thought I didn’t have much to say, and it turned out to be quite a long one!

I hope you all have a restful and blessed Sunday!

Join The Conversation

21 Responses

  1. Reading your comments about deviating from clean eating was like reading my own mind. It truly is mental as you said. I KNOW I feel so much better when I eat clean so why do I keep having these slumps where I get comfortable with myself and then slip back into eating crap. “Just this once” I say to myself or ” I’ve done good so I deserve to live a little” haha. The problem is the living a little is really living at all. It leads to misery.
    I’m with you JoLynne. I’ve got to get myself reined in too. Your honesty in your posts really motivates me. Please keep the updates coming. You’re an encouragement. There are other fitness and clean eating blogs but I’ve yet to find one as real as yours because you speak my language ????

      1. I don’t think you ever put too much out. It is your realism imho that keeps us all coming back and being such loyal followers. Thanks again, Sharon.

  2. I am currently enrolled in the Adore Your Wardrobe course and think it’s great. I have learned so much about my body type and what clothes, colors to wear etc. The Facebook group is great also. So much feedback provided by not only their Body Type Experts who help you to understand why something does or does not work, but also from the rest of us in the group supporting each other, giving tips etc. I now have the knowledge to make smart choices when buying clothes and really love everything I buy. Highly recommend!

  3. I want to thank you for recommending the AYW course. I’m taking it right now and have learned so much…Looking forward I’ll save money by only purchasing items that work for me and that I love. Kelly and her experts are great! I’ll definitely sign up for the closet challenge and probably the second course

  4. The eating thing I can totally relate to, I am at exactly the same place! I was just this morning going over my food diary from last year to refresh on what I need to get back to. I felt fantastic with so much energy, and now here I am 3-4 pounds heavier and feeling like a slug. Yuk! I love that you talk about this stuff of day to day life – it makes your blog so much more relevant. It’s my favorite blog and the only one I ALWAYS read.

    On to Adore Your Wardrobe – I am in the current class and wow! It’s incredible! I have learned so much already and we still have about five weeks to go! You are right about the Designer course being well worth the extra cost, and I probably wouldn’t have gone for the extra if you hadn’t so strongly recommended it. There is so much support from the AYW staff and classmates in the FB group. The discount that was offered helped seal the deal too, of course. 🙂 I think I may take Course 2 that starts in March. Have you taken that one? Thanks for recommending AYW – I think it will be life changing for me.

  5. Hello JoLynne – A couple of comments: Right on about not feeling great when you deviate. I’d been doing clean eating since Jan. 5th then went out of town and “allowed” myself to splurge at restaurants last weekend (and I didn’t even go nuts – just a couple of bites of carby goodness!) and ugh! I felt horrible. Back on it this week (I always say, “Today is a new day!”). And I just signed up on the waitlist for Adore Your Wardrobe and LOVED the first video. Can’t wait! Have a great (cold) week. It’s -9 here in western Alaska this morning!

  6. I’m currently doing the AYW course because you recommended it. It has been fun and eye opening in some areas. Tomorrow I’m taking several items to the tailor – I never realized I should be tailoring some of my tops to have them look better on me. Have a great week!

  7. Totally relate to not feeling as good when I don’t stick to the eating plan. I really derailed myself at Christmas and have had a heck of a time getting back and I feel it big time.

    Have you had your doggy checked by a vet? Does he have other symptoms? Sometimes trembling and shaking is an indication of pain.

  8. Hi Jo-Lynne, sharing your struggles is really helpful. You look so wonderful and together in your pictures, so it helps to know that you too, are finding it hard at times. I’m in the same situation-put in a few pounds since Christmas. I’m also st the very top end of my ‘fit in my clothes well’ weight so really need to pull myself together at this point! I find this time of year hardest-just grey and cold weather, comfort foods are calling out to me, its way to hide in a sweater. But after a bad day of eating lots of carbs (I don’t follow a no carb diet but try to limit them a little) I feel so bloated this morning and so regretful. May we find the strength and motivation to get up again, each time we fall off the bandwagon! Have a great, healthy week!

  9. Your recommendation and all the comments here have piqued my interest about the AYW classes. I don’t do Facebook though…will that really limit what I get out of the course? Thanks!

    1. She offers two options – one with access to the Facebook group and one without. You can certainly learn a lot from the one without, but the benefits from the experience in the Facebook group cannot be overstated. Between the personal one-on-one feedback and advice from Kelly and her team as well as the other participants, and the ability to see other participants post their pictures and see what works and what doesn’t on them, you learn so much.

      I really think it’s worth joining Facebook just to participate in the group. You don’t have to be active on Facebook at all to be a part of a Facebook Group. You can even put the Groups app on your phone and not use the regular Facebook app at all.

      All that said, if you are adamant about not joining Facebook, don’t let the lack of the group deter you from doing the course. It really is a game changer.

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