Wednesday, January 9, 2013

5 ways to look thinner without sweating or starving

Lemme guess.

Your New Years Resolution is either to work out more (to lose weight) or eat better (to lose weight). Yeah, mine too. Except at 40+ years old, I am realistic enough to know that I will do neither of those things (to lose weight). I love food and hate to sweat. Plus, I'll admit it... I'm lazy.

That doesn't keep me from hoping that I will magically drop 10 pounds. And with everyone posting their Resolutions on Facebook and Twitter, it got me thinking... how can I look thinner without working out and giving up the foods I love?  After much thought, here are a few solutions I've come up with:


LO-CAL MIXERS

There's no need to give up alcohol in order to lose weight! Just get smarter about how you drink it. I'm a fan of lo-cal mixers like Dallas-based Skimpy Mixers. Their motto is "Skimp on calories, not on taste" and their mixers are 15 to 45 calories per serving. Mix in a little vodka and club soda or blend with champagne and you have a low-calorie libation that won't pack on the pounds!

Can I get a Amen or a Hallelujah!?

They offer tasty flavors like Orangesicle, Berrysicle Lemonade, Pineapplesicle, Limesicle Sweet N’ Sour, and Skimpy Margarita. Purchase at Hasty Beverage and Buckhorn Liquor in Addison or buy online at http://www.skimpymixers.com/

MED-SPA TREATMENTS

Sure, you could join a gym and spend months sweating your ass off to drop a few pounds. Or, you could just visit a Med-Spa.  BellaContour offers an FDA-approved treatment for effective removal of fat and cellulite resulting in firmer and more youthful-looking skin with no pain, no needles, no side effects, no downtime and long-lasting, natural-looking results. This FDA-approved, non-invasive procedure recreates the effects of exercise on fat cells with a combination of ultrasound, gentle electrical stimulation and vacuum massage. The cells release fatty acids, resulting in fat reduction, weight loss, firmer skin and a reduction in the appearance of cellulite. Though it imitates exercise, BellaContour does what exercise can’t do: targets trouble spots. Exercise pulls fat from random areas, but BellaContour zeros in on trouble spots. These people are talking my love language! 




On average, most patients lose about 0.8 inches after just the first treatment. After completing a full treatment plan (10 sessions are recommended), patients were down between 2.15 and 6.2 inches. Results will last as long as the patient does not gain a significant amount of weight. BellaContour has a clear advantage over plastic surgery: it’s completely pain-free, requires no recovery time and the results are long lasting and natural looking. The BellaContour machine pulls double duty as a personal record-keeper, tracking your progress and photographing your transformation at every session.

BellaContour at Southlake Town Square is located at 1256 Main Street, Suite 219 (above Mi Cocina). For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit Bella Contour online or call 817-310-0003.

Home girl, Jessica Simpson, even
has her own line of extentions

HAIR EXTENSIONS 

Think about it. The magic is in the illusion of height and length. Shorter hair can make your face look rounder. Want to create the illusion of thinness?  Elongate yourself by heading to your hair salon for some extensions! 

Daniel Lewis of Green Peridot Salon and Bravo's Shear Genius agrees with me. He says, "One if the best ways to look thinner is to lengthen the hair, because it keeps the eyes moving up and down - not side to side - which will give an illusion of sveltness (is that a word?!) However... if your holiday indulgences have settled into your rear, one must be careful not to create a long hair-arrow pointing directly at your now sizable ass." Good point.

There are several different types of hair extensions:
  • Clip-ins ($250 - includes consult color shifting on extension and a blowout with lesson on application) Lewis loves these human hair extensions. "Curl or straighten. They will last forever!"  
  • Individual bonds ($1500-3000)  Lewis warns, "Careful with these on very fine hair. They can do some harm. This type of extension lasts the longest at 3-6 months."
  • Seamless strips ($1000-1200) "These will give you better balance of tension on hair, says Lewis. "Shorter application than individual bonds and should last about 2 months."
Green Peridot Salon is located at 6959 Lebanon Road #105, Frisco, TX 75034 and can be reached at (469) 362-7980.

SHAPEWEAR

Oprah introduced me to the magic of shapewear in 2000 when she featured Spanx on her show.  Spanx are foundation garments designed to temporarily alter the wearer's body shape, to achieve a more fashionable figure. It wasn't too long after Sara Blakely came out with her genius idea for Spanx that imitators soon followed suit and today you can find a variety of shapewear brands in almost every store. Heck, even Target carries their own line of shapewear!

Spanx is almost a generic term for shapewear these days (like saying kleenex when you want a tissue)  and they can really make you look five to ten, even fifteen pounds lighter. And these days Spanx even makes swimwear and swimsuits (along with Spanx for men).  G'bye muffin top!

Similar to thong panties, shapewear is not exactly comfortable, but you get used it.  One must suffer for beauty and being bound like a sausage is a heck of a lot better than paying thousands to have it cut or sucked out. Just sayin'.

WEAR BLACK

There's a reason that every woman needs a little black dress in her closet. Black hides flaws. Black has a slimming effect and can look especially nice on trousers, skirts, and dresses. Do not overdo it, however. Too much black can easily create a drab, depressing look, so you should pair it with other colors: a bright handbag or a bold statement necklace. Draw the eye to where you WANT people looking and not where you don't!

I hope that these tips have helped you. Let's meet for a lo-cal cocktail and discuss how we are going to take the world by storm in 2013. You can't miss me... I'll be the gal at the bar in the little black dress wearing Spanx.