Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

The Great Carb Controversy Part 2

Carb controversy | lookingjoligood.blog

 ~Ditch The Diet~

Always keep in mind, everyone’s body is different! We do not all have the same dietary requirements. Just because a diet low in carbs works for one person doesn’t mean that it is right for someone else.

Life isn’t a sprint it is a marathon. Personally, I choose long-term health over short-term results.

Life isn't a sprint it is a marathon | lookingjoligood.blog

Not all carbs are created equal! While carbohydrates are an important part of your diet, that doesn’t mean that you can eat a bunch of processed foods like pasta, candy, cupcakes, chips, soda, and chocolate chip cookies.

There are two different types of carbs: simple and complex carbohydrates.

Complex carbs have a higher fiber content that makes the body work harder to digest them. They provide energy over a longer period of time.

These whole plant foods are great sources of complex carbohydrates:
• Green vegetables
• Whole grains and foods made from them, such as oatmeal, and whole-grain breads
• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin
• Beans, lentils, and peas

Carb controversy | lookingjoligood.blog

Simple carbs are usually processed packaged foods that are higher in sugar and lower in fiber. These carbs tend to cause a spike in insulin production.

Some food sources of simple carbohydrates:
• Table sugar
• Brown sugar
• Corn syrup
• Honey
• Maple syrup
• Molasses
• Jams, jellies
• Fruit drinks and juices
• Soda
• Candy

The body and brain function best with an optimal level of glucose, and the best source is from complex carbohydrate foods.

How can you eat carbs and not gain weight?

It is ok to eat simple carbs every once in a while, but a diet full of simple carbohydrates like cookies, pasta, white rice, and white bread is what leads to weight gain and feeling yuck.

Make some simple changes from simple carbs to complex carbs. Eat brown rice instead of white rice. Have an orange or an apple instead of drinking a glass of processed juice. Eat a whole grain English muffin instead of a white English muffin. Instead of having chips try eating air popped popcorn. Make your pizza with a multigrain dough. Have plenty of your favorite veggies cut up and bagged for easy access and snacking. If you have a sugar craving eat a piece of fruit

carbohydrates | lookingjoligood.blog
Making simple changes from simple to complex carbs will help take the confusion out of eating carbs. Then when the weight is off and you are in maintenance you don’t even have to think about it anymore because you are already used to eating a healthy balanced diet.

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Tips and Tricks

Tip Tuesday #66

Here’s another tip for Tip Tuesday:

Tip Tuesday Make up tips and tricks every Tuesday | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Today’s tip is about drying your makeup brushes after cleaning:

After cleaning your makeup brushes keep moisture out of the ferrule, that is the fancy name for the base of your bristles, by hanging them upside down to dry.  This simple trick will prolong the life of your brushes by preventing the moisture from breaking down the glue that holds the bristles in.

This simple trick will prolong the life of your brushes by preventing the moisture from breaking down the glue that holds the bristles in.

drying brushes | lookingjoligood.blog

  • Using a towel rack, hold your clean but wet brush with the bristle side down.
  • Loop a hair tie or elastic band around the base of the brush handle.
  • Pull the hair tie around the towel rack and loop over the top of the handle.
  • Let your brushes hang securely until dry!

    drying brushes | lookingjoligood.blog

Let me know if you try it out and what you think! If you are enjoying these tips every Tuesday you can check them all out by clicking HERE.

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook.
You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

The Great Carb Controversy Part 1

 ~Ditch The Diet~

The GreatCarb ControversyPart 1 | lookingjoligood.blog

Let’s REALLY talk about carbs, yup I am going THERE

No other nutrient has caused so much confusion or controversy.

Keep in mind that what you do to lose the weight is what you will have to do to maintain it.

Let me say that again:

What you DO to LOSE the weight is what you will have to do to MAINTAIN it!

What you DO to LOSE the weight is what you will have to do to MAINTAIN it! | lookingjoligood.blog

This is why it is important to choose a healthy BALANCED diet that will help you to have LONG-TERM consistency in your health and nutrition.

While it seems as if completely cutting out carbs might be a quick way to lose weight fast, is it the best for your body?

We need a balanced diet to have optimal body functioning. Any diet that requires you to cut out an entire food group will not keep your body working at its best long term.

I am going to be completely honest, I don’t like extremely low-carb diets! I’m an active person, I love to do high-intensity exercises. I require a larger number of grams of carbs per day than someone that isn’t very active.

With a low/no carb diet, yes, the body will adapt. It will learn to break down other nutrients and use them as fuel for the brain. But this is what the body does in survival mode, it is not optimal. This is how the body reacts during times of starvation. This is the body’s last resort!

Sure, we can cut carbs temporarily if we need to lose weight quickly. But for most of us, keeping carbs too low for too long can have disastrous consequences.

Restricting your carb intake too drastically can lead to:
• decreased thyroid output
• increased cortisol output
• decreased testosterone
• impaired mood and cognitive function
• muscle catabolism
• suppressed immune function.

In other words: Your metabolism might slow, your stress hormones go up and your muscle-building hormones go down.

A truly balanced diet is one that will give your body all the nutrition it needs to function properly. Balanced nutrition comes from a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.

While it is great to see results on the scale, what is going on inside the body is more important. | lookingjoligood.blog

While it is great to see results on the scale, what is going on inside the body is more important.

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Tips and Tricks

Tip Tuesday #65

Here’s another tip for Tip Tuesday:

Tip Tuesday Make up tips and tricks every Tuesday | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Always smooth in moisturizer in upward strokes. Pulling down on your skin can eventually lead to sagging.   Gravity and time are already hard enough on us!  Also, don’t forget to moisturize your neck and chest!  The neck and chest area, if not properly taken care of, can be dead giveaways for your true age.

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

One of my favorite moisturizers is CeraVe Moisturizing cream.  It has both ceramides and hyaluronic acid.  Both help to draw and trap moisture into the skin.

Let me know if you try it out and what you think! If you are enjoying these tips every Tuesday you can check them all out by clicking HERE.

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook.
You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Love and Life

For Better, For worse!

I don’t really talk much about my family and personal life here on LookingJoliGood, but in the next few days, I am about to celebrate my 14th wedding anniversary…

happy anniversary | lookingjoligood.blog

Way back then I thought I loved him with all my heart… I had no idea what it really meant to truly love someone.

Love isn’t just a feeling, it is action. It is a daily commitment to choose to put someone else before yourself.

Over the last almost 14 years, I have not always made loving me easy. Life it hard, marriage can be tough. I can be a bit overdramatic at times.  Through the years, he has always been the one steady anchor in my life. 

He still makes my heart skip a beat just by walking into the room.  He is not only handsome, but he is strong and dependable.  I never have to worry about whether or not I am going to be taken care of.  I love him more every day!

He is the yin to my yang, the calm to my CrAzY. Like cheese and wine, he only gets better with age and I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him.

For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, now and forever!

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.  Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?  And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

High Five for Fiber!

Fiber refers to certain types of carbohydrates that our body cannot digest. These carbohydrates pass through the intestinal tract intact and help to move waste out of the body.

Fiber | lookingjoligood.blog

Diets that are low in fiber have been shown to cause problems such as constipation and hemorrhoids and to increase the risk for certain types of cancers such as colon cancer.

Diets high in fiber; however, have been shown to decrease risks for heart disease, obesity, and they help lower cholesterol. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products. (See the 4 Fs of Bowel Health post for a more detailed list of high fiber foods.)

Delicious Foods to Help You Lose Weight! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Fiber helps to keep everything moving down and out.

The majority of American women do not get enough daily fiber. Most people should aim for 25–35 grams of fiber a day.

An added bonus to fiber is that it keeps you feeling fuller longer, as well as slowing down the absorption of sugars and the release of those sugars into your bloodstream.

If you are not used to eating a fiber rich diet you need to take it slow! Don’t just start eating all the high fiber foods that you can find. Start with a little bit at a time and increase your intake by one fiber rich food every two -three days depending on how your gut is responding.

You cannot just increase your fiber without increasing your fluid intake. You will end up with a lot of gas and possibly even more stopped up!

Keep in mind that losing weight and being healthy are so much more than just choosing a “diet plan” and following it.

Are you interested in learning more about ditching dieting for good?  You can read more about it by clicking HERE.

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three.

Love and Life

Redeemed

Way too often I have to remind myself that I need to stop fighting a fight that has already been won!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

I try to do things on my own.  Do right on my own.  Forgive others on my own.  Be better, act better… on my own.  My problem is that often I don’t trust in Him enough to let Him do it for me… So instead I try to take control, I try to do it on my own. Then I remember, God, You’re not done with me yet!  He doesn’t expect me to do it on my own.  He already gave me the power to do it through Him.  I don’t always have to be the same, I  am redeemed, God set me free!

Big Daddy Weave - "Redeemed" - from the new album Love Come To Life | lookingjoligood.blog

Big Daddy Weave – “Redeemed” – from the new album Love Come To Life

Seems like all I can see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son
Stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
I am redeemed
I’m redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”
I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be
Because I don’t have to be the old man inside of me
‘Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same
And a hope that will carry me home

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be

I am redeemed, You set me free
So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains
And wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be

Oh God I’m not who I used to be
Jesus, I’m not who I used to be

‘Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed

 

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Tips and Tricks

Tip Tuesday #64

Here’s another tip for Tip Tuesday:

Tip Tuesday: Make up tips and tricks every Tuesday | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Ever have a tough time getting your matte liquid lipstick off?  

My friend Toni sent me a tip for Tip Tuesday, and I wanted to share it with all of you!

She was wearing Lime Crime Velvetine in red rose matte liquid lipstick and realized it’s really hard to take off!   She used olive oil and a paper towel and it came off cleanly! She said that her mouth “wasn’t stained or on fire!” Yay for painless liquid lipstick removal!

Lime Crime Velvetine in red rose | lookingjoligood.blog

olive oil | lookingjoligood.blog

Sounds like a winning tip to me, thanks, Toni!

If you have tips or tricks that you would like to share with the LookingJoliGood readers, feel free to send them to me and I will share them here!

Let me know if you try it out and what you think! If you are enjoying these tips every Tuesday you can check them all out by clicking HERE.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits

Carb Confusion

~Ditch the Diet~

Today we are going to be talking about the most controversial of macronutrients – carbohydrates.

As we have been discussing recently, there are three macronutrients: Carbohydrate, Fat, Protein.  Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories (or energy) for our bodies.

macronutrients | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

No other nutrient causes so much confusion or controversy as carbs.

Carbohydrates are the macronutrient that our bodies need in the LARGEST amounts. Believe it or not, you can be successful eating hundreds of grams of carbs a day, as well as eating fewer grams per day.

According to the Dietary Reference Intakes published by the USDA, 45% – 65% of calories should come from carbohydrate. (Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per gram.)

Why do we need this amount of carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel and easily used by the body for energy. They can be stored in the muscles and liver to be used later for energy. All of the tissues and cells in our body can use glucose for energy.

Carbohydrates are needed for the central nervous system, the kidneys, the brain, the muscles (including the heart) to function properly.

Carbohydrates are important in intestinal health and waste elimination.

carbohydrates | lookingjoligood.blogWhich foods are carbohydrates?

They are mainly found in starchy foods like grain and potatoes, as well as fruits, milk, and yogurt. Other foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and cottage cheese contain carbohydrates, but in lesser amounts.

I will be talking in more details about fiber and “good” carbs vs “bad” carbs in another  Ditch the Diet post.

Keep in mind that losing weight and being healthy are so much more than just choosing a “diet plan” and following it.

Are you interested in learning more about ditching dieting for good?  You can read more about it by clicking HERE.

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Review

How ’bout Them Samples #7 Review

How bout them samples #7 | lookingjoligood.blog

You might remember that I posted a few weeks ago that I would be trying out these samples and let you know if I would purchase the full sized product based on the sample.

Trying out all these samples of new products has prevented me from making unnecessary beauty purchases, as well as helped me to find some great new products.

Here is the review of the samples I used over the last few weeks:

befine | lookingjoligood.blog

Befine food skin care gentle cleanser with sugar mint oats and rice

I love this brand! Its formulas are completely vegan and packed with good-for-your-skin, natural ingredients like peppermint oil and leaf extract, oat bran extract, rice bran protein, sugar cane extracts, and wheat amino acids.

This cleanser is a clear green non-foaming gel that has a light clean mint scent. After using this gentle cleanser my skin feels clean and fresh, yet not tight, dry, or stripped.  It is a great cleanser but does not remove makeup well.

A 3.4 oz / 15ml Pump costs $24.00

YES, based on the sample, I would buy this Befine food skin care gentle cleanser with sugar mint oats and rice

curel | lookingjoligood.blog

Curél hydrotherapy wet skin moisturizer

As you can tell from the picture, I already bought the full size of this lotion, so I guess that kinda takes away any suspense of whether or not I would buy the full size 😉

I wrote and entire post just about this moisturizer.  You can read the long story long about it by clicking HERE.

Short story: My skin feels soft and moisturized after applying this.  It isn’t slippery, greasy, slick, or sticky. It has a nice light clean scent that isn’t overpowering. What I like most of all is how easily it applies and how much time it saves!

This 12 fl oz/ 354 ml bottle cost $10 and a 8 fl oz/ 236 ml bottle is around $7.50

YES, based on the sample, I would, and did, buy this Curél hydrotherapy wet skin moisturizer.

Dove | lookingjoligood.blog

Dove Deep Moisture Nutrium Body Wash

I love Dove products!  This Moisture Bod Wash formula is no exception.  The product claims “softer smoother skin after one shower.” I can agree with that statement, it had a great lather and made my skin feel soft and smooth.

Despite the fact that previously I didn’t enjoy the scent of the Moroccan Argan Oil body wash, I did enjoy the light clean scent of this Deep Moisture sample. I think there are seven different scents included in the Dove “nutrium moisture” line, so if you don’t like one scent, you may enjoy another one.

A 22-ounce bottle costs $5.50 and the 1.8 oz sample can be bought for $1.25.

YES, based on the sample, I would buy this Dove Deep Moisture Nutrium Body Wash.

doucce | lookingjoligood.blog

Doucce Freematic Eyeshadow in Marisa

I wrote a whole post about this eyeshadow.  If you want a more in-depth review you can read it by clicking HERE.

doucce fallout | lookingjoligood.blogGenerally, when it comes to eyeshadow, I lean towards neutral shades. Forcing myself to try out this Doucce Marisa shadow has really pushed me out of my usual everyday easy neutral comfort zone.

In the pan, it is a beautiful sparkling deep rose color that is exactly what I love!  Although once applied and blended, it definitely has a more burnt orange undertone than a deep rosy pink…That’s ok, not my favorite, but I could still work with it.

Using a dry brush, wet brush, foiled in the pan, with primer, without primer, tapping my brush and then tapping it again…no matter how I used this shadow, the fallout is insane!!

Since this is the only Doucce shadow I have ever used, I don’t know if all the shadows by this brand are a similar formula when it comes to application and fall out.

This full-size shadow weighs 1.4 g and costs $10.

Based on the sample, no, I would not buy another Doucce Freematic Eyeshadow in Marisa. Maybe other shades are better, but I don’t think I want to pay $10 to find out.

epice

Epice Hydrating Mask

“Rich in antioxidants, ceramides and aloe, this Kaolin Clay mask helps to remove dead skin cells and oil while infusing the skin with vital nutrients. Hyaluronic acid is added to help plump, firm and rehydrate the skin. The added benefit of the unique Malus Domestica Swiss Apple Stem Cell extract regenerates cells to provide a long lasting effect.”

If you have kids you will know exactly what I mean when I say that this face mask smells like baby cereal.  More specifically, it smells when I mixed the oatmeal one with apple sauce…nostalgia…I kinda like it.

face mask | lookingjoligood.blog

I really enjoyed using this mask.  It is a light green paste that goes on thinly and feels cool on the skin. As it dries it doesn’t tighten or flake like some masks do.  After using this mask my face felt clean, smooth, and hydrated. I got several uses out of this 1 oz tube because not a lot of product is needed at a time.

This 1 oz / 30 g sample tube can be purchased for $6.50 and a 3.3 oz /100 g bottle can be purchased for $30.

Yes, based on the sample, I would buy this Epice Hydrating Mask

ultrarepair

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer

“Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer is lightweight and quick-absorbing, providing immediate hydration with a velvety soft finish. Skin is left looking and feeling beautifully smooth and perfectly prepped for makeup or no makeup days. Meadowfoam Seed Oil, Shea Butter and Avocado Oil soften and hydrate skin while Ceramides help reinforce skin’s protective barrier.”

It is lightweight and leaves the skin soft and moisturized without feeling heavy.  It doesn’t feel greasy or oily on the skin and I can apply my makeup on top of it without any difficulty.  Great for during the day, but I wouldn’t use this as my night cream because it doesn’t provide enough moisturizing for what I want for overnight.

I really like that it is free from all the bad stuff: Alcohol, Artificial Colorants, Artificial Fragrance, Lanolin, Mineral Oil, Parabens, Petrolatum, Phthalates, Propylene Glycol, Sulfates

1.7 oz/ 50 ml bottle costs $24.00

Yes, based on the sample, I would buy this First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer

hello | lookingjoligood.blog

Hello extra whitening fluoride toothpaste pure mint flavor

I have super super super sensitive teeth!  There are several kinds of toothpaste that are just too abrasive for me to use.  This Hello extra whitening fluoride toothpaste in pure mint flavor didn’t bother my teeth at first…  I found that if I used it several days in a row my teeth and gums would start to bother me a bit.  Not punch someone in the face kind of hurt (if you have sensitive teeth, you definitely know what I mean) but more of an “I notice that I have teeth” kind of feeling.

I would use it for a few days in a row, and then once my teeth and gums started to hurt a bit I would use a different paste for a few days.

I feel that using this toothpaste helped keep my teeth looking white.  I wouldn’t say that they whitened my teeth per se, but I did like the way my teeth looked white after using this paste for a few days in a row. I got several days out of this .75 oz sample. maybe because I had to keep taking breaks, but it seemed to last a while.  A 5 oz tube costs around $4.50.

YES, based on the samples, I would purchase the Hello extra whitening fluoride toothpaste in pure mint flavor

olay

Olay Ultra moisture body wash

This is actually the second time that I am including this in my sample review.  The first time I received it I didn’t enjoy the scent of it at all.  That bottle had a pleasant enough honeysuckle scent, but it was just too strong and overpowering for me. You may remember that I am quite sensitive to different scents…(you know I love my puns…I’m “scentsitive” 😉.)  The strange thing is, this time around I love the way it smells.  It smells sweet and flowery yet not too strong or overpowering.  It is strange, but despite being the same product, I fell like it has a much different scent!

I really like the way that this body wash made my skin feel.  It is a thick formula that lathers up really well.  My skin felt so smooth and moisturized that I probably could have even skipped my daily lotion.

YES, based on the sample, I would purchase this Olay Ultra moisture body wash.

bahama mama | lookingjoligood.blog

the Balm Bahama Mama bronzer

If you have read any of my ipsy posts, you know how I feel about these super teenie tiny samples from the Balm… why? How do they expect me to use this as a bronzer on my face? Seriously, could this bronzer sample be any smaller?  That being said…

Since the pan size is so small I have been using it as an eyeshadow instead.  It makes a really nice transition shade.This product feels soft and silky, it applies and blends so easily.  It is a great eyeshadow!

This Bahama Mama bronzer is a really nice neutral brown matte shade.  I prefer matte bronzers because I feel that they always look more natural than shimmery ones do.   I really wish that I could have tested it out as a bronzer on my face because I have a feeling that it would look beautiful.

Despite the fact that I haven’t used it as a bronzer, based on the way it applies as an eyeshadow, I can tell that this is a great product and would make a wonderful bronzer.  I can see why this is a holy grail item for so many people.

The Balm website describes it as a “Bronzer, Shadow & Contour Powder” and a 7.08g /0.25oz compact costs around $20.

(BTW, did you know that you can get the Balm products on Walmart.com?! Neither did I until I started writing this post!)

YES, based on the sample, I would purchase the Balm Bahama Mama bronzer.

ipsy swatches

Another round of great samples. Most of them were winners!

I will be posting another group of samples soon. If you would like to read more about the past samples I have tried, you can check it out by clicking HERE.

These How ’bout Them Sample Posts are always so much longer than my other posts…I had a lot to say about these products so thanks for sticking around until the end!  😉

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I would love for you to follow me on TwitterInstagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.