I came home with the intention of making a omelet for diner.

When I walked into the kitchen, took a spoon full of peanut butter and ate it.

Then I spotted my favorite whole wheat cookies and ate four of them (… or was it six?)

While eating the cookies I poured myself a glass of soy milk.

Then I turned on the skillet to make my omelet.

While reaching for the eggs in the fridge, I noticed my left over Thai food from the night before.

I ate the leftovers while making my omelet.

Then I ate my omelet.

I don’t know why I realized I was binging on that particular day, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. Almost as if I was having an outer-body experience. Watching myself eat multiple meals at one time.

How long have I been doing this? I wondered… knowing that I was uncovering a pattern that was cemented in my routine to the point that I didn’t even know it was happening.

It was terrifying and liberating all at once.

I think I’m… a binge eater.

I remembered a girlfriend commenting to me that I “didn’t eat that much” once. Technically, she was right. I began to monitor my food intake and realized the bulk of it happened when I would binge. Although my binging didn’t happen every day; (it would happen on like, a random Saturday afternoon, a Thursday night after cocktails or after a stressful day at work) it happened enough to make me wonder if this was the key to unlocking some of my weight loss struggles.

My binge eating epiphany happened three months ago.

Since then, my main focus has been awareness. Knowing that one binge can easily undo a weeks worth of good eating/exercise is scary, but the knowledge is powerful. It helps me feel a binge coming, see it happening and stop it as best I can. But I know I may need to take more steps towards breaking this habit.

Remember when I threw away that Jar of Red Velvet cake? and everyone in the comments section was telling me that it was a “great chance to practice willpower!” or that I should have “saved it overnight and brought it into work”. Well… I wasn’t ready to talk about it then, but my extreme decision was based on my binge tendencies.

As I’m making discoveries about my binging, willpower isn’t something I like to gamble with. Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don’t and that day… I just didn’t have it.

The definition of binge is “A period of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence”. I know for some, those periods of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence with food happen daily. At this time for me, my periods of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence can range from once a week to once a month, but they still happen.

Do any of you deal with Binge Eating? What has helped you to stop?

All too often, ‘plus size’ is used as a catch-all term for anyone over a size 14. What the term ‘plus size’ doesn’t account for is that no matter what your dress size, we all come in different shapes. From pears and apples, to tall and petite, one plus size dress style doesn’t fit all. So we’ve taken a look at some of the key spring dress trends that are great for a range of shapes, to help you choose this season’s styles that suit you.

Pears – Color Block Crush

When your hips, bums and thighs are larger in proportion to your top half, the trick is to balance your shape by drawing attention upwards. One of the major looks for this season is made to draw attention to any area you want. Color blocking means mixing and matching bold shades, punchy pastels and neon brights to create intriguing color clashes that are as warm as the spring sunshine. Keep the shade dark across your hips, and in-your-face up top and the color block trend will really work for you. This cute color block dress from the New Look plus size clothing range is exactly what we’re talking about, and the cowl neck detail helps to draw the eye upwards too.

Strawberries – Peplum Passion

Peplums are a serious look for spring, and if you don’t believe us, just check out the Vogue report. A truly vintage-inspired look, peplums work great on strawberry shapes, where your shoulders are broad and your bust’s on the larger side, while your hips, thighs and legs are slim. Peplum skirts and dresses will help to balance out those broader shoulders, accentuate your waist and add some va-va-voom in the hip department.

Apples – Punchy Prints

Prints always make a return for spring, thanks to their ability to instantly inject some color. But this season prints have really come to the fore, and top-to-toe OTT print ensembles, especially floral prints, are hot. This is one look that plus size girls definitely pull of better than most. Bold prints can dwarf smaller frames, but bold print plus size clothing not only helps to smooth out and cover lumps and bumps, it accentuates those curves too. Stick to large prints rather than itty bitty detail and your hourglass shape will look hotter than ever.

*looks around nervously*

Okay sooo… this post is for ladies only. Men.. click away!

Remember last year when I spoke about sweat between your breasts? I know, I know… it wasn’t the most sexy or demure post, but sometimes I have to keep it real with my Plus Size Princesses.

I think one of the trickiest things about being a PSP is hygiene. Big girls have rolls and folds (or  “nooks and crannies” as I like to call them) and those nooks and crannies make our bodies a breeding ground for friction, perspiration and bacteria. All of this can make it hard for us to stay… fresh.

(*ahem* Men, if you’re still reading… click away!)

One of the hottest things is when a guy takes a deep breath and says  “you smell good”. As a girl, its nice to hear, but as a Plus Size Princess its almost a badge of honor for me.

My remedy for boob sweat and any odor that came along with it had been deodorant. Not only did I use deodorant in between my boobs, but I do a swipe in any of the folds that give me perspiration trouble in the summer.

After my original “boob sweat” post, a few of you warned me about putting deodorant near “the twins” because deodorant may cause breast cancer. I had never even thought of that (thank you!), so I wanted to find something else to use. As a seasoned PSP, I will try anything to make sure I’m on top of my hygiene including new products.

You all suggested crystal deodorants, so I went and bought some and I LOVE it! I bought the
Crystal – Crystal Essence Mineral Deodorant Pomegranate, 2.25 fl oz roll-on and have been using it in all my “nooks and crannies” and even after the gym I’m fresh as a daisy!

So now I have a new remedy for boob sweat that doesn’t put me at risk for breast cancer… WINNING!

I’m always up for trying a new product, so let me know: How do YOU combat boob sweat?

Yesterday I tweeted an archived post about the first time I approached a guy. It was scary, but the outcome was good! I have to admit that I’m 99% passive when it comes to meeting new men. I wasn’t the girl who could walk up to a guy in a bar and leave with his phone number any night of the week, but sometimes I wished I was.

For girls like me, it can feel like any dating prospects are out of our hands as we wait for a guy to approach us, but if you ask relationship coach Rori Raye, that’s not the case! Rori’s got some tips that’ll make you stand out & get more men to notice you! With summer coming up, it seems like a good time to test out some of Rori’s methods….

Of course, the first order of business is to love yourself and Rori talks about that along with ways to mix things up in your routine and find that inner confidence that everyone says is so attractive on women!

If you’re interested,  Subscribe to Rori’s free e-newsletter. If you want to get a glimpse into Rori’s tips, check out her youtube video below!

-Hey beautiful what are you doing tonight?, the text from Daniel read. It was 5pm on a Friday and I was settling into a hair appointment.

-About to get my hair cut, I replied

-I’m at a lounge on 25th street, you should stop by!

Daniel and I had met online and after 10 days of chatting on the computer and the phone, it was time to meet. Daniel suggested that we meet for ice-cream on Saturday and then see a movie. Today was not Saturday, it was Friday so I tossed my phone back into my bag without responding. Daniel had made solid plans with me for Saturday; ice-cream and a movie… today was Friday and suddenly he wants to meet up? No bueno.

In my experience there is a bait and switch that guys tend to do in online dating. They will get you to agree to a nice sensible date and then change the plan at the last-minute and suggest something quick and casual. This last-minute change is often due to a change in their family or work schedule. Something that as a potential girlfriend, you will not want to argue with. Suddenly you go from say… a leisurely bike ride through central park to meeting them for a drink at 11pm near your apartment.

This bait and switch usually has two parts: A.) stroking your ego by saying the rushed date is because they really want to see you B.) Timing last-minute change also lands on a day that forces you to choose between seeing them quickly and right away or waiting another week or two to meet them.

So when Daniel sent a last-minute invitation to “stop by” on Friday even though we already had plans to go on a date Saturday, I saw the writing on the wall. A few minutes later another text came in from Daniel. I take a deep breath and decide to play along, our exchange goes like this…

-Hey, I’m off tonight… I hope I get to see you

-I’m getting my hair done. I’ll just see you tomorrow, cool?

-No sweetie, I work tomorrow night

-When did that change?

-My schedule got mixed up. I’m working all weekend.

-:-(

-Its still early….. think you can make it down here?

-I’m in a hair appointment

-We may have to reschedule then. Too bad… I really wanted to see you.

It was like a script! Tactics A and B were both being used on me, but I wasn’t falling for either one. I eventually wrote back to Daniel saying that we could reschedule whenever he was free and (shocker) I never heard back from him.

I can never figure out why guys do this, but I assume they’re either trying to do a cheap date that ends in a hook-up or do a “dating drive-by” and just get a look at me without actually taking me out. I will never trust a man who changes our plans at the last-minute, so I don’t think I’ll ever really find out what the end-game is. I’ve just had this happen to me more than once, so I figured I’d mention it. It’s an easy trap to fall into, especially if you just want to go on a date!

Have you ever had a guy plan a great date and then change everything at the last-minute? Did you go? If so, what happened?

Summer is approaching and there’s one trend that keeps popping up time and time again: The nautical look or “naughty nautical” as one of my girlfriends calls it.

Think horizontal stripes, sailing themed accessories and nautical color schemes – so lots of white, red and blue. And the best thing is, it looks great on everyone – yes, horizontal stripes can look good on everyone!

The nautical look is perfect for when you want to keep it casual and sizzlingly stylish. And the good news is that I’ve handpicked some brands that can help PSP’s pull this look together.

Boat Shoes

Boat shoes have always been a staple of this style and donning a pair of these is a super simple way to add a nautical twist to any outfit. They can look great teamed with a cute summer dress or a pair of colored jeans. This pair by British deck shoe manufacturers, Chatham Marine are adorable (£79) – they have a great selection of women’s boat shoes

Anchoring your nautical look around boat shoes is as simple as white jeans and a sailor inspired top, like the ones I’ve featured here from simplybe.com and torrid.com.

When I rock this look I keep my makeup super fresh and simple… and I feel cute whether I’m hanging in central park or having drinks on a Manhattan rooftop!

Greetings from California! I’ve been quiet on twitter/facebook as I’ve been spending all my time with the fam. I fly back to NYC on Wednesday and I’ll have more updates for you then but a thought crossed my mind and I wanted to share it with you so here it is Hope you’re all having a good week… xoxo

Yesterday afternoon my sisters and I got ready to go for a swim in the backyard. As I pulled on my bathing suit, I took a minute to take in my body right now. Of course, I’m on cloud nine about losing 30 pounds and I know I have a few more big goals to hit but I had a little epiphany about my own personal body image.

I’m starting to wonder if I should be focusing on my shape instead of my size.

For as long as I can remember I’ve hated being large/fat/big. Growing up, I was always taller and bigger than everyone in my classes so I was obsessed with the idea of shrinking down. I knew I couldn’t make myself shorter, so my goal was always to be thin/small/skinny. I used to look at girls that had bones you could see and space between their thighs and think I want THAT body.

Thanks to good genes and tap dancing, I have toned legs with no cellulite and I don’t mind having big boobs, but my trouble spots are my inner thighs, stomach and the backs of my arms. Somehow, I’ve gone from loathing those parts of my body looking at those chunky areas and accepting that my body is saying to me: CeCe, your inner thighs will always have chub rub instead of a space between them. The backs of your arms will always have extra movement when you wave them around and you will probably never see your ribcage poking out… end of story.

My ideal body type is changing and with that change, I think I might be able to set more realistic goals for myself. I’m starting to wonder if I should be focusing on the shape of my body instead of the size. In my observation, the shape of a Plus Size Princess can make all the difference.

Do you ever notice that if a PSP has no boobs or not butt, they’re more apt to feel disproportionate? (I know this from experience because I barely have any “junk in the trunk”). Its making me wonder if my body journey should be more about toning up and letting the fat stick around in the “right places” instead of getting smaller/shrinking down because if I get small and have the same shape… I have a feeling still I wont be pleased with my body.

Yesterday, when I was looking at myself in the mirror I found myself ignoring my thighs/arms and focusing on my midsection, thinking… if I can just tone and slim down here I’ll be good. I did some google searching and came across an image that I think represents the spirit of my size vs. shape epiphany.

This is an image from plus model, Fluvia (www.fluvialacerda.blog.com) she boasts being a size 18!!! (side note: I’ve met her in person and she’s amazing inside and out)

I never could have imagined that I’d covet a body like this, but I do! I look at her and I’m like YES YES YES! I want THAT body! and for the first time I feel like I’m coveting something that might actually be attainable. It will take lots of hard work, but its something I can work towards that without feeling like I’m delusional.

Do YOU ever focus on your shape instead of your size?

Not all of us are jetting off round the world to foreign destinations this summer. In fact, one in four of Brits said in a recent survey that they were, in fact, trying to spend less on their holiday – and almost 60% of these people had decided to holiday at home. With this in mind, Curvissa plus size fashion present to you their top tips for a fabulous, fashionable Staycation.

What to pack for a staycation?
You may not be expecting sizzling hot heat and white sands, but there should be (some!) days that are scorchers during the summer season. So what should we be packing then? It’s absolutely fine to pack strappy tops, pretty skirts and shorts, along with flip flops, but you need to be able to weave these summer garments seamlessly into defense mode in case the dreaded white cloud decides to turn up on the beach at the same time as you.

The maxi is a Curvissa favourite for Staycations – its floaty material is great for when the sun is shining, and yet no elegance is lost should you need to wrap a cardi over your shoulders.

A brightly coloured scarf with a bold print will cheer up even the meanest looking cloud, so wear it with pride if you suddenly feel the breeze whilst lounging in a pub garden.

A lengthy tunic is the Staycation’s version of the Persian kaftan, so it’s a great staple item to take on the beach with you to keep you warm after a session of body boarding – team with leggings or denim shorts to see this one off.

Rather than having to blag your man’s hoodie on a country walk, why not buy a fleece sweatshirt jacket with a pretty print on? They’re lightweight to carry and when it comes to having to wear it, you won’t feel like a drab camper!

…and don’t forget socks; you can never take too many pairs!

As long as you’ve packed and prepped as above for the unwanted (but let’s face it, not unexpected) arrival of grey skies, you’ll be ready to welcome it as you’ll be looking too fabulous to care! It’s just a great excuse to mix up your outfit each day!