Girl Talk! Skin and Nails

So here's my update on the Selsun Blue shampoo I have been using on my face:
I'm not sure how I feel about it:(
It SERIOUSLY dried my skin out to the point it was cracking, peeling, and itchy. And then when it healed my skin was darker and scalely looking because of the tiny little scars that formed to heal the breaks in my skin. And, even with all of this happening, my acne still persisted and breakouts still occurred. I had to slather shea butter on my skin at night and during the day to try to moisturize my face and it was still very dry. So of course I had to discontinue use:( I was pretty heartbroken with this. Why didn't this "miracle product" work for me? Shit:( Eh, so I'm back to using Clean and Clear Advantage, which kinda works. It just takes time, but it seems like my best bet. Well, that and water anyway. So much for quick fixes.

Anyhoe! I decided a few weeks ago that I would stop getting my nails done so I could put that money towards my bills and I think I was kinda getting tired of the acrylic nails anyway. When I took them off (and kept them off for a few weeks) and realized I like the way my short, stubby nails look naturally. I had kept them covered for so long that I missed the look of my natural hands. So I simply painted them and kept them even.
But today I decided I would get my nails done in a full acrylic set since I had a lil money on me and was bored. But! My phone got cut off and I had to pay that 1st lol. So I wasn't going to get them done and then my big sis treated me to a full set today when she got her UV Gel fill-in. I can't believe she did that for me! Especially since she was going out of town the same day and had to get a rental car, hotel and other stuff. Nails add up, you know? And, yet, she did this for me. Wow. Thank you, Sissy:)

Oh! And instead of my normal French tip manicure I got an American tip manicure for the 1st time which is off white/ pearl tips. They look more natural than the stark white/ white-out white that comes with the French manicure. But I am happy:) I got a simple manicure without any nails art. It's a nice return to acrylic nails without being too much. I have to eventually stop wearing these anyway before I ship out to boot camp. But in the mean time I'm good:)

~Sailor Taylor

The Fat Boy Suit

Whoever came up with the idea of working out in plastic is a mad genius.

Let me just say that my weigh-in did not go as well as I expected and hoped. I knew I was pushing it with my weight, but I honestly did not fathom this outcome. But, that is a story that is deserving of a blog entry all its own. Therefore, I will come back to the subject of my weigh-in at a later time..

Anyway! With the subject of my weight at hand, one of my recruiters told me to get a stomach sweat band and a "fat boy suit," as he calls it.
Actually, the suit he was referring to is called a "Sauna Suit." I'm sure you all have seen it on others. It looks like a sweat suit made out of a trash bag. They are shiny, made out of some plastic-type material, and make swishing sounds when people wear them. I actually saw my recruiter wearing one at the gym we go to, so he can testify to its "power." He wore that thing and lost 20lbs. But, of course, he does insane workouts when he needs to (like when a PRT is coming up). So he's a special case.

But as soon as I left the recruiters' office (very embarrassed and thankful, I might add) I made my way to Wal-Mart and bought a Gold's Gym brand stomach band and sauna suit. They were surprisingly cheap at $5 and $8, respectively.
I will say that the suit is HIDEOUS. The "shirt" is gun metal grey and the bottom is Smuff/hospital blue. And it's big on me. I tried it on and couldn't help but laugh at myself in my despair. I look like a baggy condom in that thing. LMAO! It's sad, really lol. But I have to do it:-/ I don't have time to be "cute" anymore. I simply don't.

Anyway, I was eager to work out with these new "toys" of mine. My recruiter swore by them and I couldn't wait. So the next morning I got up around 6am and made my way to the gym around 7am. I did push-ups and abs first and then put the stomach belt and suit on over my clothes, which were a green, fitted T and black running capris..

Y'aaaaaaall... That workout was something SERIOUS! My recruiters were feeding me all this bullshit about how full of water the suit would be because it was going to make me hella sweat and how the majority of the weight I would lose would be water weight and shit like that. I didn't really believe them because they go hard on their workouts anyway, so I didn't think that crap would work for me.
But my ass was WRONG! My suit was full of water; it was dripping and pouring out everywhere. My clothes underneath were soaking wet. You would have thought I went swimming fully clothed or something. It was amazing! Lol. Even my stomach band was drenched, and that's not easy considering that crap is made of some weird plastic material.
So now I'm all siked again about working out. It's almost like a game. Like, how hydrated can I get and how much can I sweat? How hard can I push myself to workout in that hot ass suit (and boy does it get hot and stuffy!) without passing out? How small can my waist actually get? How much weight can I lose and how fast can I lose it? It's almost sadistic it seems, but this is how I motivate myself. This is how everyone who seriously hits the gym stays motivated, I think. It's all about body modification in a positive and healtht way. And I'm glad I finally tried this new "method" to working out:) Thanks, recruiter! Lol.

But, long story short, I am glad I finally got that damn suit and stomach band. I felt tiny as hell after I got done working out and I know the weight will fall off very soon. I just have to drink ASS LOADS of water and eat like 6 times a day, which will be the hardest part. But I can do this! I will do this. I'm on my last stretch here. I have 6 weeks, 6 days left. It's time to STOP shitting around. My weight is about to get me kicked out the DEP and I will not and cannot have that. I have got to better. Which is what I should have been doing all along. It's only my fault, but now is the time to prove myself. And I will and am.

More later.

~Sailor Taylor

Girl Talk! Skin

So I go through these phases of having absolutely flawless skin that gets compliments from everyone to butt-ugly moments where it's like I am 16 again: all pimply, scarred, and uneven.

Guess what phase I am in now? Yep!

My face looks like a book of Braille:( Even my forehead is broken out and that is normally my "safe" zone. But my chin and cheeks are covered in everything from small, annoying acne to large, painful, under the skin bumps.
Ew.
I HATE going through this and I have tried Proactive (which didn't work for me this time around on my adult skin), Queen Helene Green Mint Julep Masque (which kinda works but takes time and usage every night), Noxzema (Well, the Kroger version of it, anyway), and Clean and Clear Advantage (which is taking its sweet ass time to work, if at all) to name a few. Nothing is working for me and I am starting to lose hope. I know I need to drink more water but damn. I'm guessing it's all these vitamins I am taking. That has to be it.

But today at work I got to talking with a young co-worker who shares the same problem as I and she said her mom uses Selsun Blue and that it really worked for her.
What? The shampoo?


Well, after a mini break in our conversation so I could sneak off and google this phenomenon I found that it's true! There's some type of acid or something in Selsun Blue and Head and Shoulders that clears up acne. People have been using this home remedy for years. And I have but one question to ask:
Where the hell have I been?!

And with that being said I am cutting this blog off here to go get me some Selsun Blue! Or Head and Shoulders. Which ever one is cheaper:) But I will surely let you all know how it works out for me! People say they have noticed a change in a matter of days and my co-worker says that her brother used it once and after that he never got another pimple..

Bye, y'all!

~Sailor Taylor

The New Chief and My Weight

I am going to try my best to make this short and sweet. Here goes..

This month's DEP meeting, the same one where I learned of Elle's fate, was a special one. We had a new chief come into "power" over our recruiting office (The last guy was a Senior Chief, FYI) and that meant each and every one of the DEPpers had to have a one-on-one talk with him. It was a mini meet and greet, so to speak.

Anyhoe!
Since I had to go to work in an hour and I am the DEP-CO, I had the first one-on-one session with Chief. But before Chief got to the office, my recruiters, who had a very serious and skittish air about themselves because of the new chief's pending arrival (he's apparently a hard ass), told me to get on the scale and weigh myself. My weight was something he would be looking at along with my other stats and papers.

Uh-oh!

I could not hide it anymore. I have gained weight since I enlisted back in January but for the longest I have been lying about it on the paperwork I have to fill out every time I come into the office. But now it was my D-Day. I couldn't do anything but get my big ass up on that scale..

My recruiter weighed me and I could tell he was displeased and astounded.
I had gone from the smaller 164 in January to 172 in June. And I am 5 feet 2 inches.
For once, I had nothing to say.
I mean, I'm still hella curvy, not all fat and gelatinous. My waist is small and my hips are huge. That's like the only thing saving me. But my weight has gone up and so have my measurements. I am still within the weight requirements of the Navy but I am pushing it. My weight cushion was closing in because of the cushion that was growing on my ass..
Oh, and for females entering into bootcamp they cannot have more than 36% body fat. And even that is pushing it. Right now I'm at about 32%.

But, anyway, long story short, I went in and talked to the Chief, who did not seem very imposing at all, I might add. We spoke more of my family being in the Navy and my responsibilities as the DEP-CO and being a leader than my weight. For that I was thankful. But I am still due for a trip down to MEPS to get what they call a "courtesy weigh-in." My recruiters tell me without it I cannot ship because of how much weight I have gained.

Shiiiiiit.
But, this IS my own doing..

But what would you do if you had a 7 month wait until you shipped out to boot camp? Laziness is BOUND to happen. But now it needs to go.

As of today, I have exactly 2 months until I ship out to bootcamp. Time to get my shit together all over again. I have started back doing sit-ups and push-ups. I go hard on the elliptical machine (because running is out of the question) and I started spinning (you know, on the Lance Armstrong-type bike) too. I feel the burn and I am getting there. I push myself more and more every day. I stay sore, but I can't really see any results now because I am retaining water at the moment. However, I am getting back to where I was but this time I will be even better! I have come too close to my goal to be getting set back due to my weight or a janky ass shin. My only issue is coming up with healthy, satisfying, and flavorful meals and eating 5 times a day. But that is coming along quickly, too. God willing.
Oh, and I need to cut the alcohol out of my diet and drink ASS LOADS of water. That will be the hardest part along with my eating habits:(

Okay! So I am set to go to MEPS for my weigh-in after the 4th of July since this month is already almost over(Wow!). I will have another update of how I am by then and what goes down at MEPS. Pray for me!

~Sailor Taylor

How The Mighty Fall..

This month's DEP meeting, which was held on a Thursday as opposed to a Saturday this time around, was an interesting one..

As I walked into the office, one of my recruiters said to me "..Oh, stop running. Guess who got a week 5 medical hold?"

Hm! What an interesting question! My mind quickly fished around for an answer, in which I could not come up with one. So I randomly named the most recent recruit who just left for boot camp, not taking into consideration that she was only in maybe her 2nd week, if that.

My recruiter said, "No. L****(name withheld, of course). She got a week 5 medical hold for stress fractures from running. So stop running!"

And to that I replied, "Oh, I stopped running about a month ago. And she got a fracture because she never ran period." Shaaaaaaaaaade.
And to that comment the entire office, full of DEPpers who knew who and what I was talking about, laughed.

Okay, let me explain. This "L" person (Who will now be referred to as Elle) was the DEP-CO before me and she's also the messy person who tried to pull me down with her that I blogged about months ago. She's the snake that introduced me to Navy mess that I really didn't need to know about that put me in awkward positions and, ultimately, had me suffering from heartburn and feelings of anxiousness. She loooooved to start shit and copped attitudes with everyone, especially with me. It was like she had a personal vendetta against me.. Which I would have LOVED to see her young ass attempt to carry out against me, lol. But the recruiters created a monster when they appointed her as the DEP-CO.

All I could do was pray for her to leave for boot camp soon and that once she got there she would get what was coming to her.

And boy did she!

Now, I can't gloat or brag because I am in danger of suffering the same fate, but isn't Karma a bad bitch?! Like, daaaaaamn. I knew boot camp would straighten her out and apparently it is!

You see, a stress fracture is from running too hard, too much, too soon. The muscles on the shin bone are VERY thin and almost nonexistent. So when they get sore, like all muscles do when you work them, they develop sharp pains called "splints" as they deteriorate, like what I had/ have.


But when you keep running on a hurt shin, those thin muscle disintegrate and the shock that the muscles would have normally absorbed are now transferred to the shin bone. And bones are not designed to absorb shock. Especially not the repetitive shock from running. So, the shin bones develop tiny breaks called, you guessed it, fractures!



And that is when and how a shin splint evolves into a stress fracture. Yes, your bone has a crack in it. Its not broken in 2, but that shit still hurts nonetheless. And your ass should have stopped running looooong ago if you actually make it to this point..

But with the constant running and working out they put you through in boot camp, it is no wonder Little Miss Elle got a fracture. Actually, shin splints and stress fractures don't necessarily occur to those who have correctly arched feet and are used to running.
Now, I'm not sure about Elle's arches, but I DO know the heffa never ran a day before in her life!
Weeeell.. That ain't exactly true. She did run, but very little. She was lazy and spoiled and used to the recruiters cutting her slack. So all she did was absorb the knowledge we as DEPpers are supposed to know before we leave for boot camp. That's part of the reason why Elle became the DEP-CO, because she knew a lot. But that is also where her and I differed. She was the Brain, and by "brain" I mean she had book sense and nothing else, and I was the Brawn. I was not the skinniest DEPper by far, but out of ALL the females and some of the guys I was the best runner and most fit. I always came in first before all the other females and half of the guys. And lets not forget that I was the oldest DEPper at 23 at the time too. And I occasionally smoked Newports, lol.
Elle came in last. Always. She may have ran about a good quarter of a mile before her ass had to stop before she passed out. It wasn't like she was fat or smoked, she just couldn't run worth a shit! Not. At. All. And yet she was all about starting shit and being sneaky..

Well, my dear, the mighty have fallen. And apparently they fell due to a stress fracture. HA!



Oh, and for those of you who don't know, when you get a medical hold the Navy moves you from your assigned "group" or division that you are going through boot camp with into a building with all the other broke/reject Future Sailors. Yep, it's called Ship 17(I think. It could be Ship 6) and I hear it's horrible there. That's where they group all the boot camp misfits: the runaways, the violent ones, the pregnant girls, the mentally ill ones, the fat ones who can't pass their physical fitness tests, those who fail their drug tests, and the kids with medical problems. Some are trying to be discharged, some want to stay, and some are waiting on their papers to be processed. Either way, you do not want to end up there. They fight; they steal; they do it all.

I shudder to think about it. It is like the jail of Navy boot camp. And I do not want to end up there. So this is why I MUST get my shit together beforehand and why I'm kinda glad she went to boot camp before me in my place. I have learned from her mistakes, both physically and socially. It's all about the Golden Rule, ya know?

~Sailor Taylor

Like the Wind..

This past week I started back running again:) The ellipticle and swimming just weren't cutting it for me..

The ellipticle feels like I'm cheating when I work out. I mean, it's so easy for me. I don't know why but it is. I could up the intensity, but then I would be huffing and puffing out of breath and still not feel any "burn." It's hard to explain, but you get my meaning, don't you? Hopefully??

And swimming? Well. After doing my research I found out that it is GREAT for cardio (and it REALLY is), but for some reason it is not great for losing weight. Like, people have been swimming their entire lives, everyday for an hour, and they still lose no weight. It's uncertain why this phenomenon takes place, but it is a sad truth:( And, sadly, since I have gained 8 pounds since I enlisted (because I'm trapped here waiting to ship!), I need to lose weight more than ever. I was hoping swimming would help me to get better at it AND lose weight but that just won't be possible..

And then I did miss running..

So I started back running:) I called myself starting slow with walking on the treadmill and slowly picking it up to a nice jog. That worked out fine and I ran for 14 minutes after 20 minutes and 1 mile of warming up. And of course I stretched before and afterwards. I did not, however, massage my shin before or after my workout and I should have.

The next day I did the same thing but I don't think I warmed up for as long as I did before and I ran for 15 minutes. Just one minute more..

But as I was running/ jogging the 2nd day I felt my shin starting to hurt again:( It wasn't too bad so I pushed on. The next day I took off from the gym and did my normal Tiger Balm and frozen tilapia regime on my shin, just in case.
And then it hurt worse than it did before the next day. Not too much more, but still more. And I'm not sure if that was because I massaged it too roughly and hurt it that way or what. I doesn't hurt when I stand or walk on it, but it is tender to the touch..

*Le Sigh*

So it's back to the ellipticle machine, swimming, and cycling as well. I cannot risk going into boot camp hurt like I have been risking it before. With 2 months left I just can't take that chance:( This will be hard, because I have learned to love running over the months and I miss it..
And my legs would have toned up so damn nicely too.. Damn. Lord help me.

~Sailor Taylor

..And Not A Man In Sight.

When I enlisted and realized I would be stuck in this shit-hole town for about 7 months just WAITING to ship out, I decided I would date around. Why not? I was single, free, vibrant, and eventually I got financially on my feet. But my dating would be nothing serious, just something fun to "hold me over." I knew a serious relationship would be detrimental for me and I didn't want to drag anyone along once I left (I've been in that position and it HURTS), so "casual" was the way to go.
And then I met Alec and he, well, turned out to be crazy. Ape shit crazy. Oops.

So, after that unexpected and horrid encounter, I got back into the dating game with a vengeance.
Or so I thought.
I have not been able to meet a single new man worth dating or, hell, even my text messages. I try. I put it out there, whatever "it" is and I get nothing in return. Nothing but crazies, nobodies, and nothings.
I thought I would have one of those hot, steamy, epic summer romances that fizzles out just in time at the end of the summer. I thought I would meet my summer guy. Just one. One was all I needed. I thought I would have a summer relationship and get my groove back and be jump started for boot camp. But nope! Not at all. My ass is still very single in every sense of the word.
I mean, I can understand The Man Upstairs not wanting me to get distracted and I haven't.. For the most part (I have gained weight, so I guess my distraction would be food??), but this is insane. Never have I gone through a dry spell like this. Sure, I get out and hang with the few token friends I do have, but that's about it. I don't date. I CAN'T date. I've tried:( But hell, I barely even have sex. And that is what hurts my feelings most of all:( I need my Vitamin D!

So, here I am with two months left and I am lonely as shit. I just wanted someone to hold me as I sleep. Someone to do things with.. I haven't had that feeling since my ex. And I miss that. A lot. But I am giving up hope. What's the point of hanging on? You know, it always was a fear that I would meet someone and fall madly in love but now I see what an irrational fear that was! I have to actually meet someone for that to happen..

Shit. Well, guess I'll turn my attentions to other things.. As if I haven't been doing that already. Damn.

~Sailor Taylor

P.S. Oh, and I just looooove when men tell me "Oh, I can't believe you're single!" Shit, son, I just AM! Leave it be! Stop rubbing it in! Hell! Ugh.