We live in a day and age where social media is encompassing our every move. You won't find anyone in this generation that doesn't at least have a Facebook. It's just become a part of our culture. With that, though, I feel as though we have also been bombarded with the images of beautiful, rich, and successful people. Hell, there are people now referring to themselves as "Instagram Models". With that, it's really clear to see the increased jealousy in our society as a whole. Likes have become our new determinant of success. So, here's a little story:

I'm someone who's always been very self conscious; always worried about my weight, nose, smile, hair--you name it. It's quite exhausting, to say the least. But I would like to point out that I've also gotten better over time. Yes, I am still very aware of my flaws (maybe too aware), and yes maybe I do worry about others' perception of me, but, I have a good amount of self-love that is slowly increasing by the day. That in itself is a great achievement, if you ask me!

But back to the story. So, I was on instagram just blindly liking people's pictures when one of my friends posted a bikini shot of herself, and she looked banging, if I do say so myself. Mind you, she's lost roughly around 30 lbs last summer and she already has a beautiful face, so you can kinda picture how pretty that picture was. But it just seemed as though she's been getting fiercer and fiercer by the second. And then that disgusting feeling hit me -- I was jealous. Not even kind of jealous, but that intense sting of jealousy that kinda bums you out for the rest of the day. It's really not a fun feeling. This comes at a time where've I've been finally putting my weightloss goals to full effect. I've already lost 12 lbs (post to come soon!), I've been going to the gym 4x a week, eating well, hair's been on fleek, and I've just been in a generally good mood in regards to my outside appearance. But on this day specifically, I was feeling bloated, like all my work was for nothing, that I wasn't losing enough weight, and that I was just plain ugly. Like, why does she look so bomb and have everyone like/comment on her pic, and I don't feel nearly the same way? She's not even that great of a person. I really just need to starve myself for the next 3 days to feel good about my self. BLAHFUCKINBLAH. 

Just general thoughts that came through my mind. Then after sulking around for an hour or so, I realised that instead of hating on her, feeling horrible about myself, and pouting all day, I need to switch up my energy. I needed to turn that jealousy into motivation.

I will say, it's actually easier to get motivation from outside sources than it is to get from those that you know. Why, you ask? Well, it primarily goes back back to the idea of fiction characters. Lol, sounds stupid, I know. But let me explain!
When you see an Instagram model, you think "wow, she's a MODEL, obviously she's going to look like that. She probably has REAL info on how to get her body, blablabla". When it comes to people in your social circles, it's like, why are you glo-ing up before me? And that's where the jealousy factor comes in. I for one have decided to switch up those thoughts and turn them to a positive. I'm just going to take all these people around me and see them as sources of inspiration instead of a way to feel worse about myself. It's so empowering, and trust me, it's alot easier than feeling like crap about yourself and ending up hating those people around you simply because they've gotten a certain type of success that you strive for.

I just kind of think of it as this: I want my friends to be happy for me when I reach my goals instead of envy and talk trash. So why can't I reciprocate that mentality when it comes to others? I'm a huge believer in the universe, and getting back what you put out. Put out good, get good back. Simple. 

As most people have heard, dairy isn't necessarily the best addition to our diets. It has been connected to causing acne, weight gain and hormonal imbalances.
So naturally, I've been trying my best to avoid it as much as I possibly can (who needs acne and those extra pounds?)

Now personally, I've never been a huge milk drinker. I probably only had it in my coffee, tea (sounds crazy, but it's delicious, trust me!) and cereal. Cheese is, and always has been, one of my weaknesses. I don't care whether it's in a sandwich, on a salad, or even by itself. That stuff's addicting! But regardless, I've been trying to stay away from those too, since again, they're known to add a bunch of calories that I quite frankly don't need in my life.

Something I haven't given up though is my morning coffee. Starbucks, to be exact. Every morning without fail, I would have my Latte or Cappuccino. I refused to start my day without it. No really. I wouldn't get off my butt and do anything productive without that cup of delicious coffee in my hands.

But last week, I got an epiphany: is Starbucks causing me to bloat?

A little backstory: I usually don't feel like actually starting my day or doing anything until about 7pm. Yes, that sounds crazy, but it is what it is. Now, that doesn't mean I actually wait til the evening to get things done. But I would be really lazy, feel really slow, and be super uncomfortable until then. Therefore, nothing gets done before 7.

I was watching Makeup Geek's video on Youtube about how Starbucks caused her acne. Naturally, I thought it was just that her skin was reacting to the milk in her coffee. But then it got me thinking, is it doing more than just cause acne?

One morning, after I drank my cup of coffee, I noticed how bad my body was feeling. The worst thought came to my mind: "Is this really what's making me feel bad?" So, I decided to do a little experiment. I stopped drinking Starbucks.

Yes, ludacris, I know. But check this: I stopped feeling bloated. I stopped feeling heavy. I stopped feeling like all I wanted to do was go back to bed even after ingesting 2 shots of espresso. Just like that, it was gone.

So I decided to try it out for a whole week. Instead of going to Starbucks to get my daily dose of caffeine, I just made some coffee at home and added some CoffeeMate. And just like that, I connected the dots: MILK WAS MAKING ME FEEL LIKE CRAP. No, really, it was!

I haven't felt this energetic in months. I don't feel like going back to bed after I wake up. I don't feel like sitting around on my ass all day doing absolutely nothing. I've even been working out everyday. Me, working out, EVERY SINGLE DAY.

To clarify, I am not lactose intolerant. I don't have any dairy allergies. I guess my body just doesn't like whole milk. And to further support my argument, when I drink anything with skim milk instead, I feel absolutely fine!

So there ya have it folks, I think I've found one of the answers to your problem. Skip the whole milk, it doesn't do anything good for ya!

If you need more information on how milk and other foods cause bloating, check out the links below!

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/diarrhea-10/bloated-bloating
http://dailyhealthpost.com/3-of-the-worst-foods-for-bloating/
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/weight-loss/expert-advice/quick-answers/beat-belly-bloat/

Personally, I've never been one to throw myself into relationships. If you need any further proof of that, I'm a 19-year-old college student, and have never been in a legitimate/serious relationship. 
However, I'm at this point in my life where I feel like I'm ready to be in somewhat of a commitment. No, I am not referring to marriage or anything (especially if I don't want to be disowned). I'm talking about taking it to the next level with someone I'm with. Being able to "label" our relationship, making it public. 
Now, for me, the label aspect of it isn't why I want to take it up a notch. It's more of what it represents. I have never, nor will I ever, pressure any guy to be in a committed relationship with me, regardless of how much I want him to be. In my head, I feel like that is the first step towards disaster in the relationship, considering that it was started based on pressure. That's why I am a firm believer in letting things take their natural course, and if you're meant to be exclusive, you'll both come to terms with that eventually. 
But at the same time, I get the whole "I think I'm ready for the commitment, but he's obviously not since he tells people one thing but me something entirely different" type situation. Considering I'm currently dealing with this issue myself.
What bothers me isn't that he's not ready to be on the next level, but that I'm the only one he's not talking about it to. I'm not the most confrontational person  myself, but when I feel like something needs to be said, I'll say it. But in this case, I'm here waiting for him to take initiative and talk about his feelings. Now I know most guys like to beat around the bush when it comes to these things, but I do think that every guy does it when he feels he needs to. 
So, here was my personal rant of the day. Yes, it's not a topic I talk very much about, but it is something that needs to be discussed!

xx, Raneem. 

So, I'm scrolling down my timeline on Twitter, and I notice the numerous tweets about Demi Lovato having Twit-fight with Kathy Griffin, and it got me to thinking, WHY IN THE HELL ARE PEOPLE STILL FIGHTING OVER TWITTER. Or online, period.
Of course, they're celebrities, so whatever's said by either party is just blown out of proportion and everyone makes whatever was said out to be this huge issue, blablabla. But celebs aren't the only ones that partake in online fights. I have a lot of friends (and non-friends) that start some crap on social media sites for everyone on their timelines to see.
See, here's my problem with all this: if you have a problem with someone, go to them and deal with whatever issue you have personally. Without unnecessary witnesses, or people that don't want anything to do with your petty problems.
There's a big difference between a discussion or argument and a fight. An argument can start on twitter just based on a tweet and a discussion follows. However, once you start talking smack about someone (either tagging the other person to subtweeting), that's where I draw the line. To me, an online fight is as cowardly as can get. Like, seriously, think about it this way;
You're hiding behind a laptop, phone--whatever, and then looking like the lesser person just simply by initiating beef that shouldn't be public in the first place. My opinion? Get your shit together and GROW the f- UP. If you can't deal with your problems privately, then you shouldn't have to force the rest of us to witness them (entertaining or not)!
Hope my rant was entertaining to you guys!

xx, Raneem. 

We all have our days where we wake up thinking, "damn. Nothing's going right for me" or.. "I wish my life was better." Of course we all go through this, it's human nature after all. But rarely do we take the time out of our day to truly be grateful for our blessings. To be grateful for the family we have, for the education we've got, for the friends that make our lives a little more colorful. Hell, we should be grateful for the clean water we get to drink on a daily bases. Now, you may be wondering who this "we" I keep referring to. Well, it's you and me. You, who are fortunate enough to be have a laptop, iPad, phone--WHATEVER,to even read this post. You, who has the time to sit down and read this. You, who are fortunate enough to have all these resources. And me, who has the opportunity, time, and money to be able to write about this. I know, this may be a load of crap to some.. But really take the time out for just 5 minutes to really count your blessings. Start with the major things, and then go into more detail.. Your family, friends, school, money... clean water, clothes, makeup, pens and paper.. clean air, health. Within 5 minutes, you'll probably realize that you have more blessings than not, and 5 measly minutes aren't enough to count them all. Hell, I don't think an hour would be enough if you really get down to it. So get a notebook.. A special one. And write down your blessings and things you're grateful for. Just write in this journal for 5 minutes a day. Even if you can't write them all down, or you seem to repeat certain items. Just keep writing. Trust me, you'll eventually come to the conclusion that your life is pretty damn good. xx, Raneem 

So today marks Day 1 of the "No Fucks Given" chapter in my life.. as if the title didn't say that already, right? BUT, the point is, I woke up today realizing that the only thing holding me back in life is.. well... me? Yes, I do have a huge part in the way my life is going (le duh), but it's more than just that. Just letting people control me and my emotions contributes to all the negativity that surrounds my life. But, the moment I decided "hey, I don't want to give a crap about anyone but myself" and "it's time I love myself first", it felt like the universe wanted to reward me by making the day perfect. Maybe not perfect, but as perfect as a Monday is gonna get.
Not only was I inspired to write, but I was also inspired to change my viewpoint on life. It seems like every once in a while, I come to this point in my life where I completely change my perspective, but hell, that's what life is all about, is it not? Another thing that changed my mind and mood for the better was sitting by the lake on my campus under the sun with one of my friends, just talking about life. The view was too beautiful not to capture, which is why I took a quick snap (told you guys I was feeling fairly inspired today).

Moral of the story: the moment you decide to put yourself first, and not give a damn about anyone else or what they think, be it a friend, a boy/girl, whatever, your day and life will change. And it's mainly due to the fact that you'll finally realize your self worth and YOU become the most important person in your life, and everyone else comes second.
xx, Raneem 

Well hello there! It's been quite a while... and by a while, I mean waaaay too long! But every once in a while, I go through changes and I for some reason always resort back to blogging.

The major change that I've gone through is graduating from highschool and going to college! Yes, I'm currently on the next educational chapter of my life, and I'm loving every second of it. Being in uni just changes your perspective and makes you grow up (especially since my parents are thousands of my miles away) and you're almost instantly expected to depend on yourself.
It definitely gets hard sometimes. I can't begin to count the number of times I've sat in my bed by myself wanting nothing than to go back home and have everything be the same way it was before. But then, I stop and realize that that's what college is all about. It's about making mistakes and experiencing new things, while learning from those experiences and allowing your mind, body, and spirit to grow and evolve.

In many ways, I still feel the same way I felt when I was back home. It almost feels like when you wait for your birthday because you feel like once you're officially a year older you feel more mature and become a completely different person, but when the day comes, you feel no different, and you think to yourself.. "why in the hell do I still feel the same?" We all expect some type of Fairy-God Mother type thing to occur to us and for us to instantly to change in a second, and that's just not the case. The same thing goes for college.

I've always expected myself to turn into this mature, independent, confident woman once I stepped onto campus and began classes, but I was in for a surprise. In more ways than one, I feel like the exact same 18 year old girl from highschool. BUT, at the same time, I have matured.

The past two months, I've had to deal with things that I had never had to deal with before. Health insurance, bank statements, shopping for groceries 100% on my own-- all these were things I had never had to do on my own before. Even dealing with classes has been a struggle. It seems as though my focus level has gone back to my "senioritis" days... No Bueno.

Another thing I've been having issues with on and off is confidence. With so many good looking people around me (an overwhelming number at that), it makes it so hard to feel good about yourself. No, I'm not a size 2 or 4, stick-thin, with a thigh gap and a super flat, toned stomach. I have big boobs and an ass, with love-handles and thighs that touch. Yes, I've been going to the gym almost religiously, and I try to eat as healthy as I can (Late Night dining makes it impossible to stick to a healthy diet though), but I still feel like I haven't reached the goals I've wanted to reach.

I wanted to come to college and within the first month, have lost 15 pounds, knew everyone in my building, had 10 different guys drooling over me, gotten vocal training and scored my first record deal. Thing is, that was highly unlikely to happen on any level. Being in a funk definitely brings you down, but if there's one thing I've learned is that the most important thing to do in this situation is to vent and let out your frustrations, then make new (attainable) goals, while be positive and move on with your life.

Once you start taking care of yourself, and start putting yourself first, then everything else will fall into place. The more you worry about the guy liking you, or not losing weight, the farther you get from achieving those things. The moment you start caring about what's important (your health, your studies, whatever), and start having this "I dont give a f*ck" attitude about life, everything will fall into place. Change is difficult, but beautiful. It is inevitable and bound to happen. It's scary but euphoric sometimes.


xoxo,

Raneem.