Agent Shawnee

Here is a video with more info!

Vote for me now! Please?! PRETTY PLEASE?!

Incase you don't want to read or whatever here is more info typed out! Wow the miracles of the internet right??

How It Works!

• You get to vote in each category 10 times! 
• If you vote in all 5 categories you get 10 more votes!
• You can spend those votes in any category!
• So please vote for me 20 times! 
• You get to vote daily! So please vote for me daily!

Are you convinced yet? Please vote for me! :D 

Why You Should Vote for Me!

• I am giving 10% of my money (if I win) to charity! A charity that provides microloans to teach people how to survive on their own! Check out Global Partnerships HERE 
• I am a really awesome peron and YouTube is my passion!
• I will do stuff for you in return! Have a youtube channel you need me to subscribe to? A twitter you want me to follow? Want a shout out in one of my vlogs? A tumblr that needs following? Let me know!
• I will be very grateful! 
• Karma? If that's a thing you'll get karma points I'm sure!

Still haven't voted?! Well you still can! Please do... PLEASE?! I'M BEGGING YOU!

Now that I am done explaining all this here are some other people I endorse for other categories! 

Anyway thanks and...

I HOPE YOU VOTE FOR ME!! SERIOUSLY PLEASE??!?!?!

❤ Shawnee

Oh hey internet!

What's up? Looks like I haven't blogged in a hot minute! I have been posting a lot of stuff on YouTube though! So if you haven't already take a moment to subscribe so you don't miss a beat! I might even make you laugh too!

So in the past few weeks I reached a milestone in my YouTube life and hit 1,000 subscribers! WHAT?! For realz. I know that is like nothing compared to the big channels out there but I am super excited about it! I also reached 1,000 twitter followers! Amaze-balls! So a big thank you is in order for all oyu subbies and followers so...

THANK YOU!!!!

Anyway now that I got that very subtle (not subtle at all) bragging aside... I mean act of gratitude... yeah! I want to share with you some of my video creations over the past few weeks! Please make sure you thumbs them up, favorite them, and share them! It would really help my channel out! 

The Harlem Shake is everywhere and it's annoying!

Hateful Comments Rant (+Advice)

Draw My Life! 

Also I have been posting a ton of vogs! If I shared them all with you this post would get kind of out of control! So here are my favorites in order from oldest to newest! Again don't forget to like, favorite, and share them! It really makes my channel more awesome! 

YouTube Space + OlgaKay

Totoro Dance!!

CVS Hates the Irish!

Anyways... I hope you like my videos! I am trying really hard to make them better and better!! I have started filming a lot with my DSLR and working on my editing skills! Hopefully there is only up from here! I've also been thinking I want to gt back to blogging more. I know I have made a few posts lately that are geared towards stuff but I want to get back to my LiveJournal roots!! Remember those? LOL I want to get back to writing my blog as a diary and just including people in my life but at the same time video diaries are so easy! Maybe a hybrid? We shall see! heehee! 

I hope all you lovely readers are enjoying your 2013! Let me know how you are doing! 

Love,

AgentShawnee

PS don't I get the most horrible thumbnails?! Gosh! lol

Going Cruelty Free!

I will spam you with cuteness rather than the shock of showing you the sad animals who have been tested on!

I have decided to go cruelty free and I wanted to blog about it in hopes to maybe inspire some of you to help save the animals as well!  ♥ 

My thoughts on animal testing:

Now let me state that I am in no way vegan or vegitarian and yes I wear leather. I know a lot of animals who are used for food are tortured and horribly treated on the farm so yes I do try hard to buy from humane and natural (and local!) farmers! If I could afford it I would only eat grassfed beef! As for leather I do not buy much of it but if there was a company that sold leather items from animals that were killed humanely (not skinned alive!) I would buy my leather goods solely from that company. If you know of one let me know! Until then I am on the fence when it comes to leather. Yes there are a lot of leather replacements and I know it's not neccesary to wear leather so... yeah. Go ahead... tell me off on the whole leather thing if you want.

That all being said there is a HUGE difference between using an animal for food and clothing and just torturing them and killing them for no reason! Especially since there are more effecient and less costly ways of testing products for human safety! 

Mid to High End Brands can be Cruelty Free!

If you're anything like me you love your high end brand items and often times you don't like all that hippie crap they sell at Whole Foods that doesn't work half the time! Yes... some of those products work well! I LOVE ALBA! BUUUUUUT a lot of them just don't work as well as the high end brands! Well the good news is you can still have a lot of the products you ♥LOVE♥  and be cruelty free!

Here are my favorite beauty brands that are cruelty free!

• NYX
• Aveda
• Urban Decay
• Sexy Hair
• Paul Mitchell
• Stila
• Alterna
• Victoria's Secret 
• Bed Head
• Soap & Glory
• Too Faced

That's just some of them! There are a ton more! For a full list CLICK HERE! Also you can easily google a product or check with PETA to see if it is cruelty free on your smart phone while you shop! 

No One is too Broke to be Cruelty Free!

A lot of people claim they don't bother buying cruelty free products because they can't afford the high prices that come with all the natural products. That's just an excuse! There are a ton of drug store brands that are cruelty free and affordable! There is also store brands for Trader Joes and Whole Foods (365) that are über cheap!

Here is a list of my favorite drug store & low budget brands that are cruelty free!

• Burts Bees
• E.L.F (available at Target)
• Coastal Scents (available through their site)
• Prestige
• Jergens
• Bonnie Bell
• Jane Cosmetics

If you would like a full list Click Here! Also a lot of products say on the back of the bottle if they are cruelty free or have a bunny man seal!

Animal Testing in China

All cosmetic products in China MUST be tested on animals by LAW! So if a cosmetic company sells in China they are testing on animals even if they don't do it here! 

Parent Companies

I feel like this is a sort of thing people go back and forth about. Some people say you shouldn't support companies that test on animals so you shouldn't buy a cruelty free product from a company who has a parent company that does with their parent line or other lines. I personally believe there is nothing wrong with buying from a company who is owned by a company that allows animal testing. They can see where their money is coming from. If they see that people are only buying from their companies that don't test on animals I'm sure that would convince them to think twice about their other companies! 

Don't Let it Stop at Beauty!

A thing people often forget is household items! They too are often tested on animals! There are a lot of great household items that aren't tested on animals! Amazon premium and Method are my faves! Please don't forget to check on these items as well! 

Anyway... I hope this blog helps you at least be a little more aware of animal testing <(●ᴥ●)> If you do decide to go cruelty free I urge you not the go and throw out all your items tested on animals! Wait until you run out then replace them with a cruelty free item! It wasn't your fault and you didn't know! Don't waste your money just because you made a mistake! Plus you already bought the item so throwing it away would have made that animal testing for nothing which is bad too!

♥ Shawnee

Cruelty Free Resources! 

Go Cruelty Free

Peta's Beauty Without Bunnies

My Beauty Bunny

Motivation!

In this post I will be talking about how to get motivated when it comes to lossing weight! 

**Disclaimer** It is my personal belief that no one can motivate someone else to lose weight. A person has to want to lose weight at least a little bit before anyone or anything can help motivate them and even then it often takes an extreme realization to really motivate those people. That extreme realization is often the health risks that come with being over weight but can be as small as realizing you don't fit in your clothing any more! (Hey! That can be an extreme realization for some!) 

Weight Loss groups... do they work?!

Simple answer... maybe! 

Too many times I have seen weightloss groups go to complete shit! Women (and sometimes men... but less often!) are often not looking to motivate each other but compete with each other which leads to a catty hot mess! 

Example of the cattiness in weight loss groups :(

Another problem that comes up in diet groups is the spread of false information. I have to often seen things like... "Eat fruit and white toast for breakfast!" "You have to work out at least 2 hours a day to lose weight!" and "When you feel hungry have an energy bar for a snack!" Hopefully you don't need me to tell you how that advice is complete bullcrap. 

The last problem that comes up in weight loss groups is they often promote crash diets! Crash diets are the evil anti weight loss monster! People join a weight loss group and everyone does an 8 week crash diet together and loses weight! Sure that works. For 8 weeks. Most people drop the program after the group disbands and gain all the weight back. 

How to make your weight loss group work! 

So I said "maybe" right? Which means there has to be a way to make a weight loss group work right? Yes there is! Here is my handy dandy list to make your weight loss group work for you.

Shawnee's Handy Dandy Make Your Weight Loss Group WORK List!

1. Only include people you know that don't cause drama and are not catty.
2. From the begining instill in your group that this is a lifestyle change and has to continue once the group disbands. A weekly or monthly email group update after the group ends is super handy! 
3. No matter what program you go with (My favorites are The 4-Hour Body and Eat for Health) make sure that everyone is following it. This prevents the spread of false information.
4. Use measurements and not pounds. We are all different and some people might gain more weight in muscle. The true equalizer is inches!
5. Employ positive mantras and affirmations. Make sure your group is cenetered around positvity and support. If someone else is failing it's time motivate them with positivity not negativity! Bonus Points: Make a group manifesto or if your even more hardcare... an oath! 
6. Celebrate success! Even if it's a small loss friggin' celebrate ok??? I reccomend going around your group and having each person declare their inch loss and clapping for them and congratulating them! If someone doesn't lose any that week congratulate them for keeping off the weight they have managed to keep off! If someone gains insure them that you believe they will do better next week and you support them regardless!

Employ this list and your group is sure to work! I wish you the best in your group ventures because YES they can work!! 

Oh so you don't like groups... or you don't have a group... here are some more motivational tools! THAT WORK!

Money! Money! Money!

Wait I can make money by losing weight?

Money is a great motivator when it comes to losing weight. There are two ways you can motivate your self to lose a ton of weight with money!

Diet Bet

Diet Bet is a website that allows you to join a group of people losing weight and put money into a pool. Those who are successful devide the pool equally. So if your whole group is successful you all get your money back no big deal right? If part of the group is successful you can even MAKE MONEY! Wow right? It's like getting paid to lose weight! **NOTE** You can even use diet bet to raise money for charity. Losing weight AND helping make the world a better place? uhm... YES! 

Visit Diet Bet today!

Stakes!

Another great way to lose weight is to create stakes! You can either do this with a friend or with the website Stickk! With the website Stickk you can lay money on the line and choose wehere the money goes if you fail. The best practice is to choose an anti-charity (The bush library one is the most popular.) and to put your money on the line. You don't want YOUR money going to a charity YOU HATE right?? 

Visit Stickk today!

***NOTE*** For these to work you have to use a substantial amount of money or else it will not work. If you don't actaully care about losing the money you wont be motivated! 

Other Motivational Tools!

Here is a list of other motivational tools that are less effective but still effective none the less...

1. Before picture in your undies! You will look worse off than you are (the camera adds 10 pounds hello?!) Make sure you look at it often.
2. Progress pictures. Wins breed more wins.
3. Publically share photos of EVERYTHING you eat. You will be too emberassed to post pictures of crap every single day.
4. Tweet your weight/measurements. Better yet... get a Withings scale thats tweets it for you.
5. Only keep healthy food in your house. 
6. Go to the doctor. Ask them to tell you the gory details of what happens to your body when it's too fat.
7. Photoshop (or have a PS savvy friend) a picture of your self thin. 
8. Watch Ruby or Honey Boo Boo really any reality TV show that is centered around an obese person. Remind yourself that you are watching your future unroll before your eyes if you don't do something about it now! 
9. Go on WebMD and look up all the illnesses caused by eating the wrong foods. (Don't do this if you are a hypochondriac. Seriously. Even if you are in the slightest.) 
10. Look at photos of thin people you admire.

I'm sure there are a ton more but there are just the ones I know have worked for some people I know personally if you have some ways comment below! I hope this post helps you get more motivated! I love you all and wish you the best of luck! 

♥ Shawnee

Read Part One! CARBS RAWR! How to eat them and lose weight! 

 So you want to lose weight? You want to look like all those thinspiration pictures you have in your pinterest right?

Typical Thinspo: Source

Well I am here to help you do it! 

No I'm not going to go on and on about how I've lost my weight... If you want to see that click the link below...

How I lost 12 lbs in 5 days!

I am also not going to go on and on about any diet plan or workout plan you should follow because we are all different and have different needs. What I intend to do here is share with you some baisic success tips and how to avoid some pitfalls. I'm going to break this up into several blog posts because well... I could write a novel!

****NOTE: I am not a doctor or a healthcare professional! I have learned a lot from many great minds and I'm a brain. Please consult your doctor before changing your diet and workout regimins! ****

Carbs! RAWR!

Which items in this picture are carbs? : source

Everyone loves to talk about carbs. They are either for them or against them and with a passion! I'm here to tell you that yes carbs are good for you and yes carbs are horrible for you! What?! How can that be?!

There are two different kinds of carbs...

Simple Carbs:

"Simple carbohydrates are simple sugars with a chemical structure that is composed of one or two sugars. They are refined sugars that have very little nutritional value to the body, and therefore, it's advisable that their consumption be limited to small quantities. In comparison to complex carbohydrates, simple carbohydrates are digested by the body more quickly, because they have a very simple chemical structure.

There are two types of simple carbohydrates: monosaccharides and disaccharides. Monosaccharides consist of only one sugar, and examples include fructose, galactose and glucose. Disaccharides consist of two chemically-linked monosaccharides, and they come in the form of lactose, maltose and sucrose.

Foods that contain simple carbohydrates include table sugar, products with white flour, honey, milk, yoghurt, candy, chocolate, fruit, fruit juice, cake, jam, biscuits, molasses, soda and packaged cereals. Despite the fact that simple carbohydrates do not contain enough essential nutrients, some foodstuffs such as fruits may still be good for you" - FitDay.com

Complex Carbs:

"Complex carbohydrates consist of a chemical structure that is made up of three or more sugars, which are usually linked together to form a chain. These sugars are mostly rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals. Due to their complexity, they take a little longer to digest, and they don't raise the sugar levels in the blood as quickly as simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates act as the body's fuel, and they contribute significantly to energy production.

Similar to simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates are divided into two categories: oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Oligosaccharides consist of a small number of monosaccharides, which does not exceed 10. They are important in the absorption of certain minerals and the formation of fatty acids. Polysaccharides are often made up of a large number of monosaccharides and disaccharides. Examples of polysaccharides include cellulose, dextrin, glycogen and starch.

Complex carbohydrates are commonly found in vegetables, whole-meal bread and cereals. Examples of foods that contain complex carbohydrates include spinach, yams, broccoli, beans, zucchini, lentils, skimmed milk, whole grains and many other leguminous plants and vegetables." -FitDay.com

So what can we get from all this information? I made a simple list to help you utalize this info in your weight loss!

AgentShawnee's Super Healthy Carb Eating Guide!

1. Eat simple carbs in extreme moderation!

"Wait what?!  Fruit is a simple carb! Fruit is healthy and full of vitamins! The food pyramid says I should eat 2 servings a day!!!"

Well my friend let me clear a few things up. The US food pyramid is a piece of trash. It tells you to eat 3 servings of vegitables while healthier countries encourage their citizens to eat up to 20 servings a day! Next myth to clear up is that you should eat fruit for the vitamins! That is no reason you should eat fruit health wise. You can get all the same vitamins from veggies without the sugar! Sugar is a huge factor when it comes to losing weight and cutting it out in any area possible is good. So by all means eat fruit when you want a tasty sweet! Just not every day... your ancestors only ate fruit when it was in season and look! You exist! 

**Note** Tomatos and avacados are fruits you can have every day! My only tip is to have less than a cup of tomato and a half avacado or less.

2. Keep dairy to a minimum! 

I personally don't condone low fat diary products. I am a fan of whole foods. I believe our bodies are meant to handle whole foods to utalize all the complete nutrients. When we strip the fat from foods we also strip a lot of the nutrients so it's far better to eat whole food and just less of it! 

Also I should mention that dairy products that are lower in lactose (have smaller lactose molecules for you science nuts) can be eaten more often. Examples of low lactose dairy products are Ghee (butter made out of goatmilk,) goat cheese, feta, sheep milk and goat milk yogurts and cheeses... pretty much the rule of thumb is the smaller the animal the lower their milk is in lactose. Go ahead and milk your cat and make some cheese! Jk I KIIIIID!

3. Replace as many simple carbs with complex carbs as you can!

White bread? Replace it with whole wheat unbleached unenriched flour bread. (*NOTE* You can also replace it with aged sourdough the fermintation is INCREDIBALLY good for you!) White rice? Replace with brown rice! (*NOTE* Many resturuants just serve rice they have colored brown with food coloring so it's best to eat at home as much as possible or just skip the rice all together!) Even better yet! Replace ALL rice with quinoa! Replace pastas with whole wheat pastas or couscous! Replace milk with almond milk, unsweetened of course! You get where I am going with this? If you want to replace any simple carb you can usually google it and find a great substitute! 

**SCARY FACT** White bread often is made with alloxan (the bleach that makes it look all purdy and whtie you know?) which is not only used to induce diabetes in lab rats but DESTROYS the beta cells in your pancreas! Ddestroying the pancreas can lead to diabetes in you as well. 

4. Eat beans and lentils every single friggin day! (Legumes in general)

"But beans and lentils are high in calories!! I have to eat less calories than I burn to lose weight!!! OMG You're crazy!" 

Let me clear up another myth. Weight loss is NOT as simple as "calories eaten < calories burned = weightloss!" If you don't eat enough calories your body will plateu. You have to at least match your resting rate caloric burn to lose weight. That being said if you eat simple carbs to make up these calories you will not lose weight as well. SO! The simplest solution is to eat beans and lentils! They are high in calories that are good for you (assuming you didn't cook them in lard) and they are a high protein food without all the cholesteral junk that comes in meat! 

**Note** The only bean that doesn't fall into this rule is garbanzo beans (chickpeas/hummus.) They are fatning and should be eaten less frequently. I personally only reccomend a cup or less a day of these little guys!

5. You can still booze it up! 

So a lot of young people like to drink. That's no secret! (If you don't like to drink disregard this whole section) Drinking beer and hard alcohol will most definatly lead to weight gain! So what can we do to still get our buzz on and not gain any weight? Get our red wine drink on! Studies have shown that 2 glasses of wine nightly does not effect weight loss or weight gain. Also red wine has other benefits like polyphenols which help your heart! Try to stick to red wines that are lower in sugar like cabs and merlots and treat your self to the other spirits life has to offer less than once a week! 

Now that we simplified it a little bit let's talk about carbs and time!!

To eat or not to eat carbs! That is the question!

Now along with eating good and bad carbs there are time when you shouldn't eat them! 

Carbs and breakfast! 

You shouldn't eat simple carbs for breakfast and here is why: When you eat simple carbs for breakfast your insulin level spikes dramatically high and then falls within an hour or two and you are ready to snack! Not only is snacking a dangerous habbit but the insuline spikes on a regular can lead to long term health issues. Sorry that means no pancakes, lattes, fruit, bread, toast, waffles, pastries, ect ect. The best kind of breakfast to eat is high protein and complex carbs. Whole wheat toast, two eggs, beans, and some steamed kale? Yes please! 

Another thing to look out for is protein shakes! They can be super good for you but when they are full of sugar or artificial sweetners they are not! So make sure you read the package! :)

Carbs for Dinner!

Much like breakfast night time isn't a good time for simple carbs as well. We are not as active after dinner and wont have time to burn them and get them out of our system. When we eat them and sleep they simply turn to sugar that isn't burned off which turns to fat! ICK! Dinner time is a good time to stick to whole grains, beans, lentils, veggies and proteins. 

Avoid the Midnight Snack!

Midnight snacking is a horrible thing to do! I've completely done away with it in my life and I am all the better for it! The first thing you can do to avoid midnight snacking is eat enough food throughout the day! Portion control isn't always the path to weight loss! Sorry to burst your bubble! You can eat plates and plates and plates and plates of veggies every single day and be all the healthier! So here is a tip I learned from Gwyneth Paltrow (not like personally lol) take a small portion of the not so good for you food (ie whole wheat pasta) and mix it in with a giant plate of mixed veggies! You then can eat a GIANT sized meal with no guilt and weight loss! Then you wont be starving by bed time!

So you ate a lot of food and you're still getting the midnight craving? Here is a simple trick to really get rid of it. Directly before going to bed eat one or two level spoons of almond butter plain. This gives your body a protein to burn throughout the night and is high in healthy fats! Just make sure it's pure almond butter with no added oils (Like palm oil which is wrecking havock on our environment!) and no added sugar or salt. No added anything! Ok a little salt is ok if you have amazeballs bloodpressure. 

Anyway that's my take on crabs and I hope it helps you with your weightloss! Come back Monday for part 2 which will be all about motivation! :D

♥ Shawnee