Sketches of a Life

These are beautiful, aren't they?

And just to illustrate how pretty, pigmented and versatile these are, below are some of the looks I created using the palettes from the photos above. From neutral, daytime looks to more dramatic and glam looks, these palettes have me covered. 

In case you were wondering, I also used SuperStay Matte Ink Liquid Lipsticks by Maybelline (in the shades of Lover, Pioneer and Ruler) and Looks so Natural eyelashes by Kiss (in Shy and Sultry) - another two products I've been obsessing about lately and find absolutely amazing!

Now, if you've come this far reading, congratulations - you are about to discover what the Giveaway in the title stands for and how you can enter it. I am giving away this beautiful Eye Defining Kit by (whom else but) Makeup Revolution London. This gift set contains an eyeshadow palette, Focus and Fix Eye Primer to prolong your look, and a flat, angled and fluffy brush for flawless blending.

Being a (wannabe) content creator on the Internet is seldom an easy task.

It requires an unceasing motivation and lots of free time (that I lack more often than not), and implies readiness to being exposed all the time. Exposed on Facebook, exposed on Instagram, exposed on every other social platform with the sole aim of doing what you love and getting your voice heard beyond the boundaries of your real-life social circle.

For starters, finding inspiration is hard. 

Turning it into an actual, quality content takes time, particularly when you're your own model, photographer, graphic designer, author, proofreader, editor, web administrator, PR specialist and what else not.

But what's harder than anything else is putting yourself, your ideas, your thoughts, your creations out there, and fearing feedback.

Now, the fact is that we all doubt ourselves sometimes. We all seek appraisal, acceptance and hopefully commendation within our social circles. But what happens when we let the whole interested world judge us?

Below are some of the situations I've experienced since I started blogging (and I'm listing them chronologically) that might answer the question.

You get extremely positive comments and encouragement from the most unexpected people

I remember the first message I ever recieved in my SoaL Facebook page Inbox: it was from a girl that I knew from school, but hadn't seen in years. My first thought was: Wow, I can't believe she's reading my blog! Long story short, this message was full of encouragement and praises on different aspects of my blog. I can't even describe how happy it made me to know that someone not so close to me values what I do and feels the need to share it with me. If she's reading this, once again: thank you from the bottom of my heart! It was the motivation I needed to carry on at the time I was actually considering giving up.

You get mild reactions from the people you'd expect to be much more supportive

When I first started blogging, it took me at least ten blog posts (and another cancelled blog prior to SoaL) before I gathered the courage to share my writings with my Facebook friends. At the time, I wasn't really sure what I was doing, where I was going with it, or if it was any good at all. It was simply one of those f*ck it moments when I decided to press the share button and invite my Facebook friends to like the page. Honestly, it was terrifying. And to this day, sharing on my private FB page still is. The initial reactions were, of course, but positive. But truth to be told, all my Facebook friends are the people I actually know, so I kind of expected their support. However, I later noticed some of my closest friends didn't like the page, or liked it but never actually engaged, which left me quite disappointed. What's the reason for this, I really can't tell, but I guess I should have been more aware this might happen and stress less about it. 

You get creepers and stalkers

When you want more people to know about your business, you make sure most your social media profiles/pages are interrelated and public. You publish your best photos, some created specifically for this purpose. And, of course, you do this conscious of the other side of the coin: possibly attracting bad audience. In my experience, it starts with comments on your appearance. Then it moves to private messaging (that I ignore, that's why my response rate is so low :)) and friend requests, sent even to your actual friends. Some, however, get so persistent that you are forced to reply: you kindly thank them for the compliments and politely explain you do not want their presents / travel opportunities / company / whatever. That's when they get mad and start accusing you of being fake / frigid / stupid / you name it. Because why else would a poor Croatian girl be on Instagram but to find an elderly, wealthy German to marry her and make her a princess?

You get absolute strangers supporting you

This is the best kind of attention because it tells you you've reached the right audience, genuinely interested in what you have to say. I honestly value every like, comment and share I get, not because I am obsessed with numbers, but because these likes, shares and comments help me grow my business. I wish more people would understand how this works and why every like counts. Which brings me to:

You get lack of understanding from your friends

I have a friend constantly complaining about my Instagram activity and openly refusing to like my Instagram posts because he believes I spend too much effort on creating content for this platform. Several times he texted me asking what I was doing, and I replied half-jokingly: Getting ready for my Instagram photoshoot. Ever since he's been boycotting liking my Instagram posts. The truth is, I do spend a lot of time and effort on creating this content. And the reason is quite simple: according to the blog statistics, Instagram is the platform that generates most visits to my blog. So in order to promote the blog, I have to be constantly active on this platform. Besides, I genuinely like Instagram better than any other social media because I am primarily a visual person and I like expressing myself and seeing others expressing themselves only visually, which is nearly impossible with other social media.

You get negative feedback

You probably won't believe me, but I swear, to this day, I haven't recieved a single negative comment. Of course, you might consider some of the situations described above as a form of negative feedback. I often do, too. But I suffer from social anxiety, so I guess that's normal. :) But my greatest strength is that I have learned how to control my anxiety and how to channel it into something positive. That's why I am sure that, when I finally experience some hate, I'll be able to learn from it and rise above it. I really appreciate good argument, so I actually look forward to being called on my weak points, mistakes, etc. Remember, that saying If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. doesn't apply here! So hit me!

Which brings me to my last point, which is think is worst than hate:

You get no reaction at all

I'm not talking about strangers here. I am talking about the people I am close with. Those I'd die for. Those I support in whatever they come up with. The same ones who ignored the invitations to like the SoaL page or engage with the blog content they must have seen on various social media. I'm sorry, but I simply don't understand this. Is this a form of negative feedback? Tell me what you think in the comments!

Finally, there's a point to this blog post and it's SUPPORT. I'm saying this from two different points of view: as a translator, and as an aspiring blogger. I've experienced how hard it is out there. The Internet is full of people loving the same things as you do, doing the same things as you do, and trying to succeed just like you, but it's a constant battle: against yourself, against your competition, against advertising policies, against hate and envy. If you're an aspiring artist reading this post, I hope it doesn't discourage you, but prepare you for what you might experience. Be smarter than me and, if what you do makes you truly happy, never give up on it!

But if you're someone who knows someone struggling to make something work through social media, like their handmade products page, photography page, art page, music page, or similar. Even if you don't find yourself directly involved in what they do, show some appreciation for their creativity and efforts, and show some love. Like their content. Help them take or edit photos. Proofread their lyrics. Point to what they're doing wrong and what they're doing great. Your support matters, in whatever form it may come. Believe me, it will be appreciated.

As always, thanks for reading!

Recently I turned 29. Counting backwards, of course.

On this never-before-seen occasion, my friends and family showered me with tons of amazing beauty products. This was definitelly uncalled for (except on every single one of my social media profiles, but let's not split hairs, ok?), and I absolutely loved each one. Need I say my peeeps are the best in the world?

Among the beautiful gifts I received, one in particular got me feeling like a dog with two tails: the latest I <3 Revolution Chocolate Palette in Violet. Advertised as the eye makeup with 18 richly pigmented shades (captivating purples, violet tones, burgundy hues, earthy neutrals and browns / a mixture of mattes, shimmers and satin shades), I couldn't wait to try it. 

PACKAGING AND PRICE

The Violet Chocolate Eyeshadow Palette is packaged within the I <3 Revolution typical dripping chocolate palette design (there are 23 other palettes in this line), with purple chocolate dripping onto the dark. It contains a full-size mirror on the lid and, for the first time, the eyeshadow shade names printed below them. So cute!

Certainly, the Violet Chocolate Palette is just one of the many purple-themed palettes released by both high-end and budget brands during the last several months: it's safe to say that purple is the new trending colour in the Makeup Land. Personally, I don't mind this at all: it is one of my all-time favourite colours, it's great for creating many wonderful autumn looks, and it acts beautifully on both green and brown eyes. But before moving on to my review of this palette's performance, I must underline that the one thing that makes this palette stand out among other similar palettes at the very first glance is its price. Eighteen beautiful shades for only about €13.00 - sounds crazy, right? I must confess I was initially sceptical, too, although you know I am a firm believer that price doesn't always equal quality. However, the palette screamed my name so loud when I unpacked it that I just had to try it out right away. 

And right away was 9 p.m. on a Friday night. 

Which translates to: laziness, unpreparedness, poor lighting, poor shots. And to using all of these as an excuse for not-so-perfect blending. 

Still, none of the above discouraged me. On the contrary, I even decided to do two different eyeshadow looks. One on my left, one on my right eye.

(Halloween is just around the corner, isn't it? I might as well go about looking like a maniac) 

Although it's hard to tell it's autumn here in Croatia with temperatures still around 25°C, I've finally managed to come to terms with waving summer goodbye. And this oddly perfect mid-October weather inspired me to create a new autumn makeup look that the Violet Chocolate Palette seemed just ideal for. And here is what I came up with:
In creating this red-brownish look, I used Wine as the transition shade, Mulberry on the crease, Expedite on my outer eye corner, and Prevail to highlight my browbone. For my inner eye corner, I used another palette (All About Sunrise by Essence) as I wanted a light, neutral, shimmery shade there, so I applied the lightest of the shades included in the Sunrise palette using a wet brush. On the lower lashline I again used a light layer of Wine, Mulberry and Expedite. If you look really closely, you'll notice I also applied some red eye pencil on my waterline and, of course, some black eyeliner and mascara.

The finished look was just amazing! I love how easily these eyeshadows blended and how little fallout there was. Also, I must applaud the pigment - just wow! 

LOOK NO. 2: PURPLES

CONCLUSION

Buying this palette was the best investment ever. Seriously.
The ratio of invested and gained is by large on the side of gained. I mean, €13.00 for eighteen pretty, diverse shades that allow you to create a number of either basic or vamp looks - what's there not to like? If you're a fan of violet and burgundy matte shades like I am, this is the palette you'd probably want.

As I stated above, the mattes are amazingly pigmented, buildable, blendable, and longlasting.
Shimmers are somewhat inferior to the mattes, however: they are not as intense, nor metallic as one might expect them to be. This is something I personally don't mind as I am not a big fan of shimmers anyway.

I have one resent, though: I wish the palette had at least one whitish, shimmery shade. I am positive it would have fitted perfectly with the existing ones. 

Have you had the chance to try out this palette? And which of the two looks I created do you like better? 

We live in a society obsessed with physical appearance. And whether we'd like to admit it or not, we are all forever in persuit of beauty. We do different things to make ourselves feel and look better daily. Some achieve this with makeup, some with changing their hairstyles, and some with simply wearing the clothes that please their figure. Some spend hours at the gym. Others spend hours at the beauty salon. And some... well, they go under the knife. 

I don't think I've ever met a person completely happy with the way they are. I have perfectly beautiful girl friends who don't appreciate different parts of themselves - that in all honesty no one else even notices (and I am sure they would argue the same for me). Still, I can understand their struggle: it's the face and/or body they see everyday. It's the face and/or body that stares back at them in the mirror every time they do something as trivial as wash their hands. And it's that little something in that reflection that makes them think less of themselves and ruins their self-confidence. 

Now, I know perfectly well that this is a serious psychological issue. When it's no longer about what other people think of you, but about what you think of yourself, that's when things can get ugly. 

And this is why I am all in favour of a change - provided it doesn't exceed the limits of good taste, poses a health risk, or endangers others. Other than that, I encourage everyone to do whatever they need to do to make themselves happy. 

In one of my previous posts, I discussed my body transformation in terms of weight loss, and I mentioned I was having some dental work done. Ever since, I've been repeatedy asked why: What is wrong with your teeth? Why are you messing with your teeth if they are healthy? Why do you think your teeth are ugly? Why this, why that. Why, why, why...

Now here's why. 

BACKSTORY

When I was a child, a had a tooth taken out. The upper right lateral incisor. My dentist claimed it was a baby tooth, and my permanent tooth was suppossed to come out later on. But it never did. 

Fast forward to my teenage years, by the time of which the neighbouring, canine tooth moved frontward and took the position in the centre of the hole that was normally supposed to be occupied by two teeth. Also, all of my other teeth, now exhibiting enough space to wander, moved apart and grew gaps. 

At the time I was about 18, I had the canine tooth trimmed and a two-unit crown placed on it. This was only a semi-solution, so to say, and I was never happy with it.

Many years of smoking and having excessive amounts of coffee afterwards, and here we are today. With a new smile and, instead of trying to deny the obvious change, speaking openly about it.

THE PROCESS

To be honest, my first visit to the dentist's three months ago was for purely aesthetic reasons. However, to cut the story short, the x-ray immediately revealed there existed other problems that needed to be addressed urgently, so I eventually ended up having this transformation for both health and aesthetic reasons. It's sad to say, but none of the problems discovered were caused by poor oral care or anything I could have prevented, but by the ill-practice of some of my former dentists. I can't help but thinking, if only my childhood dentist hadn't taken the lateral incisor out, perhaps none of this would have happened.

Anyway, the greatest problem revealed was that the tooth bearing the crown got cracked under my gums at some point. As this posed a threat of an infection, the only solution was to have it taken out. I must say I was somewhat relieved to know I will never see that ugly crown again, no matter what other solution my new dentists might come up with. The doctor and I eventually agreed on the procedures I had to undertake (bridge + veneers), and it was all supposed to be done in 3 weeks. But you can guess: it got more complicated than expected, and the procedure actually lasted for nearly 3 months. 

Now here's a short account of how it all went down (roughly, as I recall):

VISIT ONE: 

- Taking the crown out and extracting the cracked tooth root

- Preparing the teeth for veneers and a bridge (removing a thin layer of enamel from the teeth surface)

- Gingivectomy / laser gum contouring (as I had short teeth and uneven gums)

- Temporary veneers modeled on my natural teeth (I think I might write a whole blog post on what it was like living with these and why I hated them so much)

VISIT TWO:

- Progress check

- Taking out the remains of a tooth allegedly taken out by a dental surgeon several years before

VISIT THREE-FOUR-FIVE-ETC.:

- Progress check: my gums didn't heal in the period expected so we couldn't go on with the procedure

- My temporary veneers broke and I had to have them replaced (this happened a million times)

VISIT SEVEN:

- More enamel removal

- Taking impression of my trimmed teeth

VISIT EIGHT:

- Polishing my lower teeth to approximately determine the future colour of my upper teeth

VISIT NINE:

- Seeing the first "draft" of my future teeth and examining their fit

- Finally getting the temporary veneers modeled on my new teeth (these were much firmer and prettier than the ones modeled on my natural teeth)
VISIT TEN-ELEVEN-TWELVE-ETC.:

- Consultations as to what I wanted to be made different (I had most problems with the colour because I refused to have my teeth too white, and I wanted my front teeth to look the same)

- Another minor gingivectomy

VISIT THIRTEEN:

- Lower teeth whitening: Zoom! in-office teeth whitening

VISIT FOURTEEN:

- Final consultations

VISIT FIFTEEN:
- I was offered to have my new teeth temporarily cemented to make sure they feel comfortable before permanently cementing them: I refused because I'd already gotten used to my temporary veneers

- Permanently cementing my bridge and veneers

THE DENTAL OFFICE

I had all of this done at iSmile Estetic Dentistry & Orthodontics in Split, Croatia. Doctor Nikola and nurse Kristina - I thank you from the bottom of my heart: you've made the impossible possible! I also thank the entire amazing iSmile team!

If you're looking for a place to fix your smile, this is the one!

(and another thing, ladies, the doctor is young and handsome :))

THE PAIN

None whatsoever. I was provided with anesthesia every single time. The teeth extraction was a bit uncomfortable, but not painful. Some claim teeth whitening hurt them: I, however, experienced no pain. 

THE COST

An arm and a leg :) 

No, seriously. I had two teeth extracted, two gingivectomies, lower teeth polishing, three veneers, a seven-unit bridge, Zoom! in-office teeth whitening, and countless temporary veneers made. And I probably made the dentist lose his mind with all my requests. It did cost a lot, but the owner is so amazing and caring for their patients that she usually offers everyone significant discounts. I must have paid way less than I would have anywhere in Croatia, let alone abroad. 

REGRETS

I swear I have none. And I would do it all over again anytime, despite the ugly temporary veneers breaking at the most bizzare occassions (at a wedding!), despite the inability to eat normally for months, despite nearly suffocating with temporary veneers while sleeping.   

I do wish I got myself two more veneers on the left side, but I need a break from not being able to eat for so long, so I guess these'll have to wait for a while. 

FINAL RESULTS

Have you noticed I've been smiling a lot lately? 

That's because I absolutely L-O-V-E my new smile! And believe me when I say it changed my life.

Although the weakest (so to say) among the products that I'm about to present in this post, NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream line was the reason I fell in love with liquid lipsticks in the first place. If I remember correctly, Monte Carlo was the first liquid lipstick I have ever owned. At the time, NYX didn't have a single store in Croatia, so I had to buy the shades I thought looked great in the photos online. Once I even mistakenly ordered a fake Prague and, even though it differed from the original in so many aspects, I actually did like its colour more than the original! :D

Back to the start: when I say that the SMLCs are the weakest among the products introduced here, what I have in mind primarily is their coverage and long wearing. These lipsticks have medium buildable coverage and are not eternally lasting (which I seek desperately in my lipsticks). Still, they've been around for quite some time now and there's an unparalleled variety of gorgeous shades (named after cities) to choose from. Thus far, I've owned five: Milan, Budapest, Prague, Monte Carlo, and Copenhagen. The shade I am wearing in the photos is Milan, which is basically my "everyday / off-to-work" companion and best friend.

These lip creams cost about €5.50 a piece and can now be purchased from NYX's stores in Zagreb and Split.

PROS: great variety of gorgeous shades, creamy semi-permanent formula, medium buildable coverage, genuine matte finish, great smell, dries quickly, doesn't feel heavy on the lips

CONS: colour starts cracking after a few hours and needs to be reapllied, particularly the darker shades

I stumbled upon them randomly one day at a local drugstore (Bipa): never before have I heard about this brand. But the available 8 shades looked so stunning I decided to give them a shot: I bought two (Smoke Rubin and Bordo Passion). And I've never been so pleasantly surprised in my entire life: these lipsticks turned out to match all the lipstick requirements I had, far beyond expected. Moreover, I later found out that HEAN Cosmetics is a cruelty-free company and that their products are hypoallergenic, which made me love them even more.

I love these HEAN lipsticks so much that I had to show you the both shades that I currently have (Smoke Rubin above and Bordo Passion below). I have to point out that the latter is actually more on the red side than it looks like in the photos.

Finally, this is what most of the lipstick shades I mentioned look like on the back of my hand. I find it  almost impossible to decide which one I like most.

INTRO

I've never been a big talker, let alone a good motivational speaker. 

Damn it, there were days when I could hardly motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning. I guess we've all been there at some point.

Recently, however, something happened: it kind of felt like reaching a breakpoint.

Which eventually led to me finding the desperately needed motivation to make a change.

So here is my story. Or at least one part of it.

I'm only sharing it in hope it might serve as someone else's inspiration and motivation.

BACKSTORY

You know how you actually see your nose at all times, but your mind refuses to acknowledge it?

Your own mind, preventing you from seeing the obvious.

Your own mind, lying to you, all the time.

That's how I've come to view my entire lifestyle for the past few years: as if my mind knew something obviously sucked, but deliberately prevented me from seeing it. As if it knew my lifestyle was affecting my health and appearance, but refused to acknowledge and act on it.

At least until... someone slapped it silly.

It was an early April day. I ran into a former colleague, whom I hadn't seen for maybe 6-7 months. A casual chat stirred up and she commended my weight loss. Surprised, I replied that I hadn't lost any; I was simply wearing a baggy dress at the moment. Still, she persisted cheerfully: Oh no, you have! Last time we met, you looked like a little bombshell!

Now, a lesson in Croatian is in order: 

bombica, n.  - a little bombshell

1. fig. a smoking hot woman

2. fig. a short and fat woman

Given the context, I believe it's safe to assume she had the latter in mind.

I must admit it didn't struck me right away, but later on, as I came to think about it, I got alarmed. Looking in the mirror, I would always find a million flaws, but excessive weight had never been one of these.

Unless... it was my mind playing that nose trick on me all along.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Time to wake up, Mr. brain!

I CAN DO IT!

Several days passed and I had to go on a business trip. Speaking to a colleague in the car, I mentioned I was considering doing some exercises at home to reduce my belly fat (this was the problem I had always been perfectly aware of, but never cared much to fix). Sitting on the back seat, a girl interrupted our conversation, trying to convince me there was no way I could get any results exercising on my own: as a personal trainer (go figure!), she claimed I needed professional guidance on proper diet and personalized exercises because it's the ONLY way I could get in shape.

Now, what you need to know about me is that the absolute worst thing anyone can tell me is that I cannot do something I set my mind on. Her comment really struck me hard, and only made me more determined, motivated, and eager. She provided me the best motivation I could have possibly asked for: proving her wrong. I know this must be wrong in so many levels, but I'm a genuine Dalmatian woman, and that's how dišpet works.

So here's another lession in Croatian:

dišpet, n. - a feature characteristic of the people of Dalmatia: passionate defiance, stubborness, spite, often to fight something or to prove someone wrong.

So a big thank you goes to this girl, followed by an ever bigger "I told you so!". :)

MY TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY

My transformation journey was never supposed to become a story on my blog. I only took these photos for myself, to track my progress and to use them as a motivation to work harder. But the more time passed by and the more obvious my results became (and the more people started asking questions), I started thinking how important it would be to share with the world what one can do for themselves if they only focused on their goal instead on the process. With all due respect to all personal trainers out there, I am a living proof that one does not need to spend tons of money and time on gyms: being healthy and looking fit is primarily a state of mind. If you're determined enough, you can achieve anything, even if it means taking the long way. 

Throughout my journey, I kept a kind of diary. So I am not completely writing this post in retrospective, from my current point of view, but sharing the actual thoughts and observations I had at particular phases of this process.

But before I proceed to detailing the entire process, I would like to point something out: back when I was 12 years old, I had had a traffic accident which later disabled me from engaging in any challenging physical activities that involved my legs, including even attending P.E. I bacame lazy. This means I haven't run a meter in 18 years! Ten or so years later, I bought myself a car, which means I don't remember the last time I walked for more than 50 m. To sum things up: shamefully, I haven't been physically active in more than a decade. You'll notice this is one of the reasons I initially struggled with losing breath and extreme back pain following only a few minutes exercising; these remarks might therefore be more related to my particular physical condition than to the exercise difficulty itself. 

EXERCISES

I'm not sure for how long exactly, but the beginning of my journey included only doing 10 minute exercises per day, still eating the junk food I was accustomed to until this point. If I remember correctly, I introduced some major changes in my diet after about 3 weeks, when I first started noticing my body actually changing.

Anyway, the exercise set I opted for at the time was inspired by a Youtube video by the XHIT Daily. It included nine 30-second moves: the roll, windmills, starfish crunch, mountain climbers, Russian twists, Spiderman planks, single leg drops, double leg circles, and flutter kicks. However, as I immediately started feeling all of these moves working for me (by the burn in my tummy area) except for the last one (flutter kicks), I soon replaced it with something similar to bicycles, which I felt worked better for me.

As for my diary, here are some highlights:

DAY 1 - 3: There is no way in hell I could do these exercises on the floor because my back hurts unspeakably: I'm exercising on my bed. Regardless of this, the starfish crunch move adds to my back pain. I feel so stunted. Furthermore, I cannot do the Russian twists move with my legs in the air because I can't keep the balance. Finally, I'm struggling with losing breath: I had to pause once or twice for about 15 seconds before completing the set.

DAY 3 - 7: For the first time, in Day 4 I managed to complete the set without pausing, although I'm still struggling with losing breath. Also, I am still feeling strong back pain. But I feel my tummy burning all the time, even when caughing :D And it feels great!

DAY 8: I think I've finally completed the workout properly. Also, for the first time, I was able to repeat the workout after a 30-minute break!

*Skipped 3 days for business conference

DAY 18: I am noticing minor, but satisfying changes going on in my belly area. I have also managed to overcame the balance problems and started doing the Russian twists with my legs in the air. There are days when I feel good enough to make myself do the workout twice without pausing for more than a minute in between.

DAY 40: I feel guilty for not exercising while on vacation and for eating so much unhealthy food: still, I console myself with the fact that at least I walked a lot while sightseeing. After I returned to Croatia, I started undergoing some dental work, which further limited my diet. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! :)

DAY 45: I feel like I've reached my maximum with these exercises, so I am proceeding to 10 Min Intense Ab Workout by Stephi Nguyen. These consist of performing 18 short moves: bicycles, crunches, leg lifts, alternating leg drops, jack knives, bicycles again, crossover mountain climbers, (regular) mountain climbers, plank, side plank, alternating plank, oblique crunches, alternating leg drops again, flutter kicks, leg lifts, reverse crunch, plank, and alternating plank.

Again, I am introducing some changes as I can't perform some moves due to my knee injury:

- instead of side plank I do two sets of Russian twists 

- instead of the first alternating plank I do starfish crunch, and instead of the second I do jack knives.

These are the two exercises from the previous set that I really felt were working for me and that I really miss.

DAY 60 / today: I'm still not perfectly happy with where I am, but I am on my way. I notice great changes in my upper abs, but there's still work to do with my lower abs, which are generally hardest to build. Unfortunately, some days I don't exercise at all for all the stupid reasons (too hot, too tired...), and I guess I now have to find something new to keep me going.

I'm still in the phase of performing this intense abs workout set once a day, but I will hopefully soon proceed to doing it two or even three times a day.

And another thing: I have finally reached the weight I was heading for, so I don't watch my diet that much anymore. More on this in the section below.

DIET

As I mentioned before, I didn't introduce any changes in my diet simultaneously with the exercise routine: I took me about three weeks to get to this state of mind and realise exercises alone won't help improving my figure much.

At the time, I weighted 57 kg, and my goal was to reach 50 kg. Now I can proudly say I did it in less than two months!

Now, some might argue that I never needed to lose weight, but I kindly beg you to respect my reasons and choices: I was simply unhappy with the way I looked, and I had to do this for myself. Actually, losing weight is only one part of my transformation, and I have another post coming up that I'm extremely excited about, so stay tuned!

I must say right away that the changes in my diet were nothing radical: for starters, I gave up on eating all bread products and drinking alcohol. I also gave up on sweets, which was not a problem for me as I am generally not a fan of chocolate or anything sweet whatsoever (yes, I am a weirdo). On the other side, for example, I never gave up on pasta, which must be my favourite food product in the world. I simply made myself have 3 balanced meals a day, counting the intake of calories with the help of MyFitnessPal calorie counter app. This app calculated that I needed 1200 kCal per day, and I simply did my best to stick to it, except on Sundays which I made my cheat days.

For me, the greatest struggle was having breakfast as I never had this habit before. So in the mornings I either had a scrambled egg and vegetable tortilla, a banana with chia seeds, or cheese spread rusks and a greek youghurt. However, as I started undergoing some dental work in the meantime and had to give up on any food that required chewing, at a point I simply started avoiding breakfasts again and got back to only having my morning coffee. 

(I have abosolutely no talent for arranging food or taking food photos, sorry)

For lunches I had basically everything: from vegetables, soups and fish to meat and pasta, just no bread.
And for dinners, considering most of my lunches were quite caloric, I usually only had vegetables (or sometimes lunch leftovers). Also, I regulary did all my exercises in the evenings to burn any excessive calories before I went to sleep.
Finally, the most important thing: if I got hungry later in the evening or even overnight, I would grab an apple or some other fruit (instead of chips, like I did before). But I must say my body got used to this regime quite quickly, and I had no problem keep going as I honestly never felt hungry, let alone starving. 

So here you have it, my whole journey in pictures. I want to show everyone that a body transformation is not only the before/after pictures: it doesn't just happen. It's a process including a number of in-between pictures, in-between struggles, in-between give-ups, and in-between I-can-do-its. And I hope there are people who might find inspiration in the story of a former binge eater and anti-sportswoman: it proves that everyone can make a change if they really, really want it. Determination is the key.
Finally, something I can't believe I'm actually posting: a 2017 vs 2018 photo. On both occassions I was unaware I was being photographed, so there's no posing or flexing, and no Photoshopping afterwards. I am as shocked as you are :)
But what matters most is that I'm also extremely happy and proud of myself, and that I know I will keep going!