The effects of Clean Eating and fitness are undeniable, I’ve lost 12 pounds in four weeks by working with a Nutritionist and hitting the gym consistently. As I mentioned before, these things can be very expensive and while I’m at a place where I can make a full investment in my health, not everyone can afford that right now. I’ve been working to find a way to make professional weight loss/nutrition/fitness guidance available for all of my Plus Size Princesses and I’m happy to say that I’ve figured out a way to make that happen… so mark your calendars!

From April 15th – May 27th, we will be doing a #PSPfit Boot Camp with weekly giveaways. This boot camp will be a super affordable way to give all of us access to a Nutritionist and Trainer for the six weeks leading up to summer! (Space is limited, for early bird notification and pricing sign up here).

There will be two #PSPfit Boot Camp groups, one for the PSPs who live in the New York City/Tri-State area and another for US/International PSPs.

Here’s what your membership will get you:

#PSPfit Boot Camp – New York City 

• 6 in-person Clean Eating Nutrition Sessions with Abra Pappa

• “Eating to promote weight loss with PCOS” Guide

• 6 in-person Fitness Sessions with Trainer, Anthony Truly

• “What is Clean Eating?” Guidebook

• Weekly Recipes and Meal Plans

• Private Facebook Group Access (Daily Inspiration, Support and Accountability)

• Free #PSPfit Tshirt

• Weekly Giveaways

• Grand Prize Drawings (based on participation, not pounds lost)

#PSPfit Boot Camp – Virtual (US and International)

• Weekly “Clean Eating” Facebook Chats with CeCe & Abra Pappa

• “Eating to promote weight loss with PCOS” Guide

• Virtual Fitness Sessions with Trainer, Anthony Truly, via YouTube & Vimeo

• “What is Clean Eating?” Guidebook

• Weekly Recipes and Meal Plans

• Private Facebook Group Access (Daily Inspiration, Support and Accountability)

• Free #PSPfit Tshirt

• Weekly Giveaways

• Grand Prize Drawings (based on participation, not pounds lost )

Feel free to email fitness@thebiggirlblog.com with ANY questions you may have.

Be the first to sign up, send me your email here!

Giveaways Provided By:

Xersion, Activewear by JC Penney

Lola Getts Active, Plus Size Workout Gear

Nutritious America

Little Lime Dress, +Size Personal Styling

SimplyBe USA

BodyMedia Heart Rate Monitors

Squeem, Waist Cinchers

Tera’s Whey, Protien Powder

BarePlus Bras, by Bare Necessities

BeQue Juice, Green Juice Delivery

Don’t forget we’re sending early bird pricing and registration, soon. Click here to sign up for notifications!

You should consult your physician or other health care professional before starting this or any other diet program to determine if it is right for your needs.

I was in church a few months ago and one of the eligible bachelors in the congregation brought his new girlfriend to service. This guy is shorter than me, probably like 5’8 and his girlfriend was probably 5’11 with body for DAYS. One of my female friends leaned over to me and said “Um, she looks like she would break him in HALF!”

Last week I read an article written by a woman who is dating someone with a disability. In it she mentioned that people regularly ask them how things work in the bedroom. This got me to thinking about “unconventional” relationships and how the first thing people do is imagine you having sex.

I broached that subject on twitter and got some interesting responses…

Cuz we’re human RT @thebiggirlblog: When we see “unconventional” couples, why do we immediately wonder about their sex lives?

— Moonwalk Jenkins (@MoonwalkJenkins) March 22, 2013

Yes, I agree it is human nature, I guess I just wonder why we do that. If we see a Barbie/Ken type couple do we wonder how they do it? or make comments about how Barbie must really put it down on Ken in the bedroom? No. But when we see couples that aren’t cookie cutter, we immediately analyze their intimacy… hmmmm.

I think my first question is why do we decide which couples “match” based on looks?

Being a Plus Size Princess who dates attractive men, I walk around knowing that people wonder how I end up with such “catches”. I even had a man drunkenly tell me that I was a “very lucky girl”, to be with Robert. I just looked at him and said, “and Robert is a VERY lucky guy…”. When I dated bean-pole skinny dudes, I’d get comments about how I probably hurt them in bed, or that I probably wear the pants in the relationship and that was frustrating. People are constantly projecting their own prejudices onto relationships that they’re not a part of.

We all walk around with this measurement of who can date whom and a good portion of it is based on looks. I say we, because we’ve all done it from time to time, myself included– but if we start thinking about why we decide certain couples “match” and others don’t maybe we’ll realize how silly our rules actually are and let people date/be attracted to whoever they want without criticism.

I’m guilty of saying that, but to each his own. RT @thebiggirlblog: “Can you believe HE is with HER?” (yes, actually I can!)

— Lovely Sunshine(@egyptsgoddess1) March 22, 2013

What we don’t realize is all those snide remarks, rude comments and jokes can make a girl think she doesn’t deserve to be with the guy who is showing interest. It also makes it hard for the guy who might be attracted to girls who don’t look like Barbie/Beyonce, to actually go after the types of girls they like. We make it hard for the tall girl to date a short guy, we make it hard for the hot guy to date big girls and we make hard for the big girl to date… well anyone!

Also, do you even notice that the rules we set up contradict themselves? If a Plus Size Princess dates a hot guy, everyone has something to say about it, but if a PSP dates a Plus Size Prince, people STILL have something to say about it…

@thebiggirlblogor if it’s 2 big people, others always question how they accomplish having sex. -_- lol

— Mean Queen Okerlund (@TheKillerQueen) March 22, 2013

Like I said on twitter, when Beyonce first hooked up with Jay-Z everyone had jokes, but years later its clear they have something. Of course we’re always more forgiving of an attractive woman dating a man she doesn’t “match” with, but when a man decides to date a woman he doesn’t “match” with we tear that woman to shreds… but that’s another blog post for another day.

When I look around at the successful couples in my life, they’re all unconventional or don’t “match” by society’s standards in some way. Some are interracial, some have extreme age differences, some are different sizes, some are same-sex… but they all pushed past who society said they should be with and found who makes them happy– and isn’t that the most important thing?

Don’t let your friends or strangers on the street make you feel like you can’t date who you want to. If you’re a hot guy and you like someone who isn’t the Barbie/Beyonce type, date her confidently! If you’re a Plus Size Princess and a hot guy is checking for you, go for it… you “deserve” him just as much as the next girl (see Superficial Fat Chicks & Other Myths if you need more of a pep talk).

At then end of the day, I’d rather spend time looking for my “perfect match” than someone I “match” with.

P.S. #PSPfit Bootcamp registration is coming up! Be the first to find out when the list opens up by registering here

Sooo… can we talk about taking pictures as a Plus Size Princess for a second?

I know a lot of us shy away from the camera, I was never like that (can’t you tell? lol) But there was a time when I would only take “selfies” at an upward angle, from my boobs up, nothing lower. Even when I took photos with friends, I’d have them huddle up around me and I’d get that camera tilted *just* right. That angle made my face look slimmer, showcased The Twins and hid the rest of my body. Do any of you PSPs find yourselves using that angle as a go-to? I had to force myself to stop because I knew it was my way of “hiding” my body online.

Overtime I’ve realized that I am more than just big boobs and a face. I have feet, legs and a tummy and my pictures should reflect that! So I embrace full length photos 100% (I wont lie, I still prefer my photos to be taken from a higher/slimming angle– Robert has become a pro at this!)

On Saturday night I was hired to sing at a wedding. Being paid to sing love songs is my dream job, so it was a nice gig even if it only lasted one night. After the wedding, I took pictures with the other musicians/singers and as I scrolled through them on my phone, I was like Whoa! What happened to my body??

Looks like I stumbled across a new +size picture trick: Standing in the middle of two people creates the most perfect hourglass shape… who knew??

Tall Girl Sandwich  = Instant Hips & Defined Waist!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, shape is a lot more important to me than size. I’d be okay with my current size if I were more toned, especially in my tummy area. Seeing this photo was good #PSPfit inspiration for me to keep doing those crunches and eating the foods that my nutritionist says will maximize my workouts.

Speaking of the Plus Size Princess Fitness Challenge (#PSPfit), I have some updates for us….

Since I began investing in a nutritionist and hitting the gym more frequently, I’ve been seeing some great numbers on the scale. The other day I realized, I always do better with my weight loss goals when I have help… but help can be expensive.

Because I’m a single girl living on my own in NYC, I have the time/resources to invest in things that make my weight loss/health/fitness goals easier and I’ve been seeing the results. For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to find ways to make high quality professional fitness and nutrition guidance accessible for all of us and I think I’ve found some ways to do it:

-This weekend I’m going to film some workout sessions for us with my trainer, Anthony Truly. I’ll post the videos to my YouTube channel so that we can all workout whenever/wherever we want. For those of you who can’t afford a gym or classes, this is my way of bringing those things to you

-My Nutritionist, Abra Pappa is helping me start a #PSPfit pinterest page, which is live now. We are sifting through and finding the best recipes for Clean Eating and PCOS

-We’re going to take the 6 weeks before Memorial Day to do a #PSPfit Pre-Summer Bootcamp (April 15th – May 27th, mark your calendars ). Registration will begin this weekend and the first 10 people to register will get a very sweet prize. Be the first to find out when the bootcamp list opens up by entering your email here

Because I’m hiring professionals to help us on our #PSPfit journey, I’d like to get us more organized so that if any #PSPfit girls have a private question about nutrition or fitness, you can ask and get the answers you need asap. There are two ways you can help make that happen:

1.) Register your email, so you know how to reach us and get an early heads up on giveaways and events

2.) Grab a #PSPfit Tshirt, Your donation will help us keep things running smoothly (We’ve got two styles, one goes up to a size 6x!)

I’m hoping we can all rally and support each other so that we can join in on summer activities and feel strong, or take pictures without worrying about tilting the camera to specific angles… and maybe my hips will begin to show themselves a little more too without any +size pic tricks!

“For dessert last night, I had apples, a teaspoon of almond butter and some honey!” I declared proudly during my nutrition session with Abra Pappa. Abra is helping me transition into clean eating (no processed foods/refined sugars).

“That’s great!” she replied, “but next time instead of honey, try sprinkling cinnamon on your apples…”

“Why, cinnamon?” I asked.

“Cinnamon reduces sugar cravings, also with your PCOS, the honey is too much for you to have in your system before bed, we don’t want your insulin levels that high while you sleep.”

This is one of the many nuggets of information I’ve been soaking up like a sponge since deciding to invest in a nutritionist. Have any of you worked with a Nutritionist before? I’m learning so much!

Abra is helping me transition into Clean Eating. I’ve tried every “diet” out there and, honestly… I’m over it. I don’t want to be tied to someones points system, shakes or packaged food program anymore. I want to be able to eat well and figure out what’s right for me so I can be free to cook and eat more intuitively. I also want to see what natural foods I can use to manage PCOS and Abra is an expert in all of those things.

When I had my first session with her three things stuck out to me:

1.) Her positivity, I had a mini-meltdown the day before our first session and had been bingeing on all of the “bad foods” I thought I’d never be able to eat again. When I told her what I’d been doing, she was so open and kind and said she completely understood my going into panic mode

2.) Abra never told me NOT to eat anything, she didn’t put me on a cleanse or detox, instead she suggested that I add a few different foods to my daily meals. Even though the changes she suggested were small, I saw big results in how I felt and what the scale said

2.) She mentioned that one of her clients came to her with fertility issues due to PCOS and after working together, the client lost 80 pounds and now has a toddler and a newborn

Abra is an expert in the things I need help with and things are going well! I jumped on the scale this morning and it looks like I’ve lost ten pounds since the beginning of March. They say that 80% of weight loss is what you eat and I’m learning how true that is!

The other thing I love about Abra is that she knows about #PSPfit and she supports what we’re doing! I’m going to be involving her in the upcoming #PSPfit Pre-Summer intensive (Mark your calendars April 15th-May 27th!).

Before we kick that off, Abra has agreed to give one TBGB reader… SIX hour-long nutrition sessions with her (an $800 value). You don’t have to live in NYC to win, she has clients all over the country and can work with you via skype and/or phone.

Want to win? Enter in three steps:

-Follow @thebiggirlblog on twitter

-Follow @abrapappa on twitter

-Tweet the following phrase “Want to win 6 sessions w/ a nutritionist? 1) Follow @thebiggirlblog 2) follow @AbraPappa 3.) RT! #PSPfit #eatclean http://ow.ly/jdIqd”

I carry most of my weight in my tummy, so it took me a verrrrry long time to test out the peplum trend. I didn’t think the flare of the peplum would sit right awkwardly on my rolls, but that is not the case at all. This is a plus size peplum from SimplyBe, I’ve paired it with three different bottoms and while leggings were my most daring choice, I loved the vintage feel. I wanted to sing songs from Grease all day!

As I mentioned on twitter the other day, a good pair of leggings should be able to double as shapewear. I like my leggings to sit high on my waist so that they help keep me cinched in and smooth. Also, be sure your leggings arent worn because when the sunlight hits a pair of worn leggings, all bets are off and no one on the street should know if your underwear has polka-dots, or not

Photo by Zanography

Shop Plus Size Peplums Below!

I got an interesting comment on a post a few months ago and I’d love to discuss it with you guys. As part of a longer comment, the person said:

A lot of the problems CeCe has in dating stem from the fact that she is overweight, thus having less options/men who find her attractive, then choosing the few she is attracted back to. I see thin girls get over heart breaks faster because they have guys lining up to be with them around the corner.

(Side Note: for those of you who were confused, the “I Gave Him My Number” series that I wrote about Brian happened a long time ago. I am still happily dating Robert.)

When I first read that comment, her words really bothered me. I was thinking “hello? I’ve been dating Robert a minute now… what ‘problems’ is she talking about?” but then I had to remind myself that even though her comment isn’t applicable to me right now, there was a time when it was. I wasn’t always fully content in my dating life as a Plus Size Princess. Here are some of the issues I’ve had in dating as a PSP:

Quality vs. Quantity – I have plenty of men approaching me, but how many of them are viable options? I wrote a very difficult post once called “Are The Men I Attract, a Reflection of… Me?” where I explored that question with a few other dating bloggers. You see, there’s a nasty rumor out there that big girls are desperate and will take anything that comes their way– that. is. not. true. But, because this rumor will not die, a Plus Size Princess becomes a magnet for the toothless, the homeless, the jobless and the crazies.

I’M Just Not That Into YOU – Mutual attraction is difficult to find at any size, but if your particular look isn’t what the majority is going for, it might feel like you’re attracted to others more often than you’re found attractive. Again, Plus Size Princesses do not just “take what they can get”, nor should we. So, when a guy comes along that is interested, there’s still a chance we wont feel a spark. That happens to all women, but as a PSP there’s sometimes that unspoken maybe you shouldn’t be so picky? from the people around us. I’ve even had a friend exclaim “he likes you! do something!” I didn’t like him, so I didn’t do anything. When it comes to mutual attraction, I struggle between complaining that I’m not my types type and making sure what I’m looking for is appropriate. I get it, if the number of men I attract increases then the chances of finding mutual attraction and ultimately a romantic match greatly improves. This one is just law of averages.

Dry Spells – According to my commenter, skinny girls get over breakups faster because they have men lining up around the corner to date them. (I know of PSPs with men lining up to date them too, but that’s beside the point). I think there is so much beauty in being single, but we’re so fixated on having boyfriends that we miss it. I may not date back-to-back like my skinny friends, but when it comes to self-evolution, I have time to learn and grow and I take full advantage of that time– this website is an example of that. So, I think being a Plus Size Princess with the issues listed above creates time for character development which comes in handy when it comes to dating. Knowing who you are helps you know what you want!

In NYC it often takes longer for people to settle down and I think it’s because there are just so many options and people like to have an eye out for the next-best-thing that may come around the corner. In smaller cities, people have less to choose from, find who they really connect with and explore that relationship to the fullest. (This might be why we have wedding invites from two of my girlfriends who moved to the mid-west!) This is when the Quality vs. Quantity problem turns into something useful. If 10 guys approach me, 4 of them have no teeth, 3 are homeless and the last 3 are guys that I could see myself with, I can focus on those three men without looking out my window and seeing 50 more guys I might want to talk to.

Did we ever consider that having droves of men at our disposal might make it harder to find our “One”?

Most of what my commenter said is true, but I just need to make sure we look at those types of thoughts through a different lens. When I dated guys like Kevin and Adrian I really liked being with them and it didn’t matter how many guys I had mutual attraction with before them. Now I’m dating Robert (who I met at my heaviest weight) and things are moving along with him. He supports me in anything I want to do, from singing to losing weight and I wouldn’t trade that for a line of guys down the street.

I used to think that being a Plus Size Princess was a dating curse, but now I wonder if it can be a blessing in disguise… thoughts???

I’ve seen people on social media asking what #PSPfit stands for, so I thought I’d recap what we’re doing!

As a Plus Size Princess, I’ve finally come to the understanding that I will never be rail thin, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be fit, active and healthy. The Plus Size Princess Fitness Challenge (aka, #PSPfit) is our commitment to healthy curves. What started as a 30 day challenge has transformed into a daily lifestyle for big/thick/curvy girls on instagram, twitter and soon, facebook!

…we can be +size AND healthy!

Want to join #PSPfit? All you have to do is:

• Exercise four times a week for at least 30 minutes
• Follow your favorite eating plan (i.e. weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Clean Eating, etc.)
• Post your meals on Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr and tag #PSPfit
• Post your workout pics on Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr and tag #PSPfit

Sometimes we even get together for events:

Join us! (Questions? email: fitness@thebiggirlblog.com, follow me on twitter @thebiggirlblog and Instagram @plussizeprincess

Valentines day was a while ago, but I’m still basking in the glow. My Valentines Day started on the 13th with my Dad having roses delivered to my office Then on the 14th Robert showed up at my apartment at 8am with flowers and candy, it was a complete surprise, which I loved. Robert definitely spoiled me because he had Vday plans for us from Thursday morning-Saturday night, it was really really great *blush*

Igigi also had me in a romantic mood with their Sommer Plus Size Draped Dress, this is a great piece that I’ve worn with pink and green accessories. If you’re nervous about prints, the cut of this dress works so well on curves that the prints just feel… right. Note: When I sit down, “the twins” do show a bit more in the V-neck which is good for a date, but for work you may want to put a tank underneath.

Photos by Zanography

Here are the winners of the #PSPstyle Valentines Day challenge. The contest might be over, but #PSPstyle is here to stay! Have a cute outfit on? Instagram it with #PSPstyle and I’ll feature you on my page! (who knows, you might even win something) Congrats ladies!

Shop our looks below!