CONFESSIONS OF A FAT GIRL

Introducing Rebecca of New Momma Beckers

My homies at the SoCal Lady Bloggers have played matchmaker and I got to interview this lovely fellow blogger and introduce her to all of you! I rather like playing Diane Sawyer. I hope you enjoy. 

Name: Rebecca Rider, New Momma Beckers

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When did you first start blogging and why?

After I gave birth to my son, I was more than 100 pounds overweight, and I wanted to get healthy, both for myself and to be a good example for my son.  I started my blog for accountability and to chronicle the information I learned about healthy living as I got down to a healthy weight.  I've lost 50 pounds now, and I want to lose 50 more!

What do you wish you knew then that you know now?

It's good to write posts once in a while that are just for you, but most of the time, it's important to write your posts thinking about what your audience will be able to get out of it!

What is your best blogging tip?

Join blogging communities - you will learn everything that way!

If you could meet one other blogger you haven’t met yet, who would it be?

There are a lot of bloggers I would love to meet!  But if I had to choose, I'd love to meet Tom Naughton or Jimmy Moore from the low-carb community, because they have helped me in my health journey immeasurably!

If you could hop a plane today and go anywhere in the world for a week alone, where would you go?

I don't know if I 'd want to go alone, honestly, because I'd probably get lonely.  But if I could bring a friend or my husband along, I'd love to go to Paris, France!  Museums, culture, amazing food - what's not to love?

When you go to a movie, do you buy popcorn or candy?

Nope.  

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

I lived in Bangladesh for four months after college and taught English.  It was a pretty crazy thing to do, now that I look back on it, but at the time, I just wanted an adventure.  :)

If suddenly you woke up and money was no object, what is the first thing you would buy yourself? (Can’t be for someone else.)

A new car - something really gorgeous!

Five Best Basic Tips For Bloggers

As a publicist, it never ceases to amaze me that even the most savvy, experienced, popular blogger can utterly fail at something that's fairly simple.

So I thought I'd assemble these useful tips - just five easy steps to get any blogger on their way. And have any hope of getting a publicist like me to work with you. Plus, it totally gave me an opportunity to try making an INFOGRAPHIC! OMG! I'm so excited. Also, I'm such a nerd. (But bonus points for you if you pin it to Pinterest. It would make my geeky life.)

 

I'm super passionate about this (in case you can't tell) and I'm really tempted to go on and on about it because lord knows I have more tips of my sleeve, but I'll spare you the rants of a crazy publicist. But feel free t pose questions below  in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them.

What does it really boil down to? Common sense. Use it. Think about meeting a person in real life ("IRL" as the kiddies say). How do you want them to look? How to present themselves? Clean and fresh and hopefully, not overaccessorized. You want them to be friendly and amenable and when you ask for their number, you want them to give it to you, not keep it a secret. Social media, at its very core, is about connecting with people. That's all. When we lose sight of that, we end up with animated gifs, auto-play music (HUGE NO TO THAT NONSENSE) and a dozen blog badges and LARGE FONT ADS. 

Like I said, it would just make my geeky little life if you pinned this. And please feel free to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, the office fridge. Sky's the limit here, people. I'm an attention whore.

 

Read This

My old friend, Dana, is doing this fantastic thing -- you will enjoy reading it:

http://thirtydaycarnivorechallenge.blogspot.com/

Read it to live by it or just for fun. I read it for inspiration.

I highly recommend it.

30 Dresses? You Go, Girl!

Thanks to my friend Jamie for sending this link: http://30dressesin30days.blogspot.com/

What an adorably fabulous idea! The author writes:

"In September 2007 I decided to work my way through my closet and wear a different dress every day for the month of September. The idea behind it was twofold. I wanted to make sure I wore what was in my closet and also to showcase all the different sizes and stores I get my clothes in. It was quite popular and so I did it again in 2008 and now again in 2009. Which means yes, I own (or owned at some point) 90 dresses/tunics/long shirts. I've gotten generous with what constitutes a dress over time. I firmly believe that when you're fat dressing well is a political statement. It says here I am, I'm not embarrassed of my body, I'm not ashamed and I'm going to show it off. Self confidence is the best accessory."

SELD CONFIDENCE IS THE BEST ACCESSORY.

I love it!

I went to a wedding on Saturday night and I did wear a dress. This is a tough thing for me. I think of all the things I'm insecure about, the worst for me are my arms and legs. So finding a dress with good sleeves that is also down to my knees is a challenge. But this particular dress has been a favorite of mine this year and with a pair of heels, I feel pretty okay about myself.

Of course, that's just til the pantyhose start to get annoying. I swear, those things were designed by men -- do thin girls hate them, too?

 

Asked and Answered

Anonymous e-mailer asks:

How can you reconcile keeping a blog on your dieting ups and downs with writing a column about dining out?

It's a fair question, although I must say, anonymous e-mailer, I did not care for how YOU phrased it - hence I am paraphrasing...

BUt to answer your question, however snotty it came off, please know this did occur to me. As did the thought of keeping that "job" seperate from this blog. However in a normal world, shouldn't EVERYONE be allowed to dine out once in a while?

A little indulgence is okay. I just would not condone OVER-indulgence on a regular basis. I guess that's the message.

This job is not a big deal. It's really just a few extra bucks and some fun writing. They are not paying for my meals so I have to go on previous experience to write or from friends or just the rare ocassion I can afford to eat out. So don't think I'm all over LA shoving fried, rish foods down my throat.

And this is an opportunity for you as well. I would love so much if you all would make suggestions. My articles do not HAVE to be restaurant reviews. I can also write about "how to dine out healthy" and "how to have fine dining at home" (both ideas are on my to-do list)... If you have an idea for me, I am totally open to it -- and that always goes for the blog, too.

So, anonymous e-mailer, I hope that calms your fears. I thank you for your valid point and question, though not for your judegment!