Artist Madrid, Naturally

I  have been adding food items back into my diet for two weeks now. So far, this is what I have figured out: Elimination  Foods I Shouldn't Eat: Dairy products (Lactose-intolerance) Gluten (Fibromyalgia & Digestive) Sesame oil - before bed (Digestive) Squash (Fibromyalgia) Peppers (Fibromyalgia & Digestive) Tomatoes (Digestive) Caffeine (Digestive) Soda* White rice* White potatoes (Fibromyalgia) Butter and Margarine* Processed oils* Canned vegetables* Pork* Cold cuts* Products with huge amounts of: Refined sugar* Artificial sugar* Lactose (Lactose-intolerance) Soy (Hypothyroidism)     *Items I have just chosen to permanently eliminate from diet for other reasons. Elimination  Foods I Can Eat: Shellfish Beef Bananas (occasionally) Corn Pineapple Greek yogurt (occasionally) Whew! No wonder I am losing weight quicker. I've cut out a lot but I am still experimenting with some foods. I will keep y'all updated : )

Dear Bread, I need for you to truly understand what I am about to say. I want to tell you that this isn't temporary and I'll eventually get over it. This is the end of our relationship. I remember there was a time when I thought I could not live without you. You were what kept me going through the day. I thought we had a good thing going. Then I came to the realization that our relationship was slowing changing. How come I never noticed before what a negative effect you had on me? Maybe it's my fault, maybe I've changed and you were always this way. But don't try to deny it. Within these past couple of weeks during our separation , you too have seen me transform into a vibrant person who is full of energy and ready to tackle anything. I haven't been that way with you lately. We are more defined by the horrible fights we'd have, which would lead to me locking myself in the bathroom for hours. The internal distress is not worth it. I have to do what is be

Diets are definitely one of those things that I normally just don’t bother with because they can be so troublesome; especially when you are always on the go, like me. However this fall, I decided to do the Elimination Diet to see if I had any food allergies or chemical sensitivities. Once I started, I realized that it would overlap with a girls' getaway weekend I had scheduled. At first I was apprehensive but I was able to make a success of the weekend and stay on target. Here is how: 1.)    Plan Ahead: With your diet restrictions in mind, form a game plan for your vacation. You can decide ahead of time look up the menus online of the restaurant you have reservations for, plan for one of your outings to be stopping by the local farmer’s market, and/or set up a meal plan (for those times when healthy options will not be available). 2.)    Brown Bag It: If your traveling group likes to be spontaneous, you’re trying to be frugal or you’ll be in an area with limited food choices, packi

Since this my Hairaversary, I decided to go way back (May) into the archives and do a post on how I did my hair when I went out of town for a Bible assembly. Because it was going to be a 13 hour drive both ways, I didn't want to be bothered with having to do my hair when we got there. Finally, I decided on the style below. My mom (the Braiding Queen) started off flat-twisting (for the edges) and then switched to corn rolling (so they would stay longer) my hair with Marley Kinky hair. At the top she did sort of a twisted bun or as I affectionally call it "the  Triceratops bun" lol . I loved it! And it was super easy to keep up : )

Alright, I am going to tell you this true story and I give you full permission to laugh at will. In March, a group of friends and I were invited to a Formal. I was really excited because I found a reason to wear one of my old bridesmaid dresses and I would get to do something different with my hair. Since it was out of town, we decided to go up the day of and then get pretty at a friend's house. Now, there are three things you should know:  1) I get extremely nervous before a big event  2) With this group of friends, we never get anywhere on time 3) I am so hairy that sometimes I wonder if I am a werewolf So, we are running behind and I am about to have a mini panic attack because there is so much work I have to do and we haven't even reach the friend's place yet. When I get the bright idea: "I can start getting ready in the car!" At this point, my friends are in a store looking for shawls, clutches etc. Ok, remember how I said I am extremely hairy, so

Hi, I know I have practically been nonexistent this week. That was because I had a sinus infection which completely wiped me out during the middle of the week. I am feeling some better so I did attempt to workout yesterday. I also worked out on Tuesday (my new body weight circuit training routine). Now don't get me wrong, I am not usually that chick that works out while sick. However, it just started out as the sniffles. Also everything I read said as long as you can move around, breathe and don't have a fever go for it; but of course, take it slow and use good judgement. So I did scale back my routine a bit (2 circuits instead of 3). I must say my improved eating habits and staying active (along with some home remedies ) seemed to help me bounce back quicker then normal. Another plus to eating right and exercising : )  Ok, I have two things I would like to tell you: 1.) I won't be able to participate in that 5k in November : ( Something has come up but I promise

NaturallyLazy started her natural hair journey over 3 years ago. Within that time, she has learned a thing or two about hair , transitioning and herself . You may know NaturallyLazy as a Guest Blogger here on this blog.  She recently took some time out of her whirlwind traveling schedule to sit down with me to share some of these insights.  How did you go natural? Did you transition long-term or just did the Big Chop? I sort-of did a short-term transition from August to April. Then Big Chopped after 8 months. Do you think you went natural for the right reasons? Yes. The real reason was I was going to study abroad and I didn't want strangers in my head. I didn't do it for political or empowerment reasons. Those wouldn't have been the right reason. While transitioning, were there times when you wanted to give up and go back to the creamy-crack?  Probably but I can't really remember now. What kept you motivated during your journey? Curiosity, wantin

(Beans, Starch, Sweeteners) (Meat, Spices) The Rundown: At the beginning of Week 3, I decided I would go ahead and eliminate the specified items in the meats and spices groups, along with starch, beans and sweeteners. It started out a little rough (Olive Garden breadsticks- Enough Said!) but I soon redeemed myself. I went food shopping the day before, looking for reasonably priced gluten-free and soy-free products. I was more than a little wary of giving up my filling and cheap wheat products; but I had two weeks to prepare myself (in the weeks before I had already given up extra refined sugar). I found a lot of good products at a nearby grocery store. They even had a whole organic, diary-free and gluten-free aisle. I ended up finding gluten-free: brown rice pasta, hot cereal mix, a chocolate bar (also diary-free) and some other really good food. I also picked up a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables.  I definitely prefer that set-up to stores where the regular and special diet

First, let me say I know I have completely been slacking with my hair posts. I would like to apologize. Natural hair is why I started this blog in the first place. I am truly sorry to have neglected the topic. Because of this: I decided to have a Hairaversary!!!  AM, what is a Hairaversary?  Well, it is commemorating the anniversary of a natural hair goal or event.  Alright but what is ArtistMadrid's Hairaversary all about? Good question. The end of October will be my 2nd anniversary of me being completely natural. Also November will be the first anniversary of this blog. So I thought why not combine the anniversaries and make one big Hairaversary!  What will this Hairaversary involve and why is this post written in question and answer format? To tell you the truth, I am warming up my interviewing skills because this month I will be interviewing some fabulous Naturalites and posting them here! I will also have great natural hair tips and products reviews. Oh and t

The Rundown: During week two , on top of not eating excluded foods in the fats, nuts, and veggies categories, I also took out certain dairy products, fruit and beverages. I could only drink water and herbal tea. I couldn't have citrus, bananas and a couple other fruits. I was supposed to have no dairy products but I made an exception with Greek yogurt*. How did I do? All in all, I did pretty horrible job. I started Friday with making a completely Elimination diet-approved meal (broiled fish, brown rice, honey roasted sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli). At that point, I felt like I could really make this work. But then being busy and temptation got in the way. Sunday, a friend of mine and I hosted a baby shower. I had started off saying I was going to just pack my own lunch/dinner but then time got away from me and I was stressed trying to make everything perfect. So by the end of the evening, I had not only ruined my diet but I had also over eaten (due to the fact I was nibblin