Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Confessions of a Cake Lover ...

I confess, I confess, I confess!! Christmas got me! I fell off the wagon!! LOL!
You see  on Christmas morning I have this ritual with one of my moms (yes I have several)... that the morning of Christmas, we normally have dessert for breakfast and tea. During that time we sit and talk for hours and catch up on life. I enjoyed it immensely....the convo and the desserts. I was like I'mma do good. I got one slither of home-made carrot cake, and a banana, with my tea. Great! that was good until mom offered a lil slither of sweet potato pie (home made again). Hours later I had another little slither of carrot cake, a slither of home made lemon pound cake topped with a lil bit of home made vanilla ice-cream. DELICIOUS! By that time it was like 2 pm.  Unlike before, where after doing so bad i would normally binge...I decided that I would do better the next meal and eat lighter....and I did.  I had alot of veggies and seafood for  dinner:) to even it out:) The seafood was awesome too:) (My boyfriend's grandmother makes these shrimp stuffed with crab...OMG!!) So I will confess that I did have alot of desserts...but I still won the fight...cuz i didn't stay down:)..finished strong lol!!

I think next year..I'mma sugguest we get a slice of cake for breakfast but have our talks in another room. Its when the desserts are just sitting directly in front of you, that I got weak......it was calling me ..it just be calling me lol (New Jack City ).

Post some of your holiday stories)

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

I'm in love....

I haven't always been this size or this weight....but I tell you this, no matter what size or weight I've been, I always "worked" what I had.  In fact, I  had "worked" it so much, that I forgot I was even overweight until I actually saw pictures lol.   What I'm saying is this...transitioning to a healthy lifestyle is more than just losing weight and eating healthy, its a frame of mind! Its an attitude.  Before I shed the pounds, I made a conscious effort to 1. Be happy and 2. love all of me (even the love handles). In my size 10 I trained myself to love me...in my size 4 I'm still training myself to love me....every bit of me.  I have found that happiness and my attitude were just as important as working out and or making healthier food choices. My happiness and attitude of commitment were like the glue to keep things together and the fuel that kept my engine going.

I remember hearing this little quote in junior high school, " Your attitude determines your altitude." I don't know about you...but I'm soaring:0) ha ha ha I'm my own jet!! and the banner reads in big letters: I'M IN LOVE WITH ME!! how about you!

Post your comments!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

ROund 2!! 1-2-3...R U OUT FOR THE COUNT!!

I just finished searching the internet  (google can find almost anything:) for an excerpt from one of my fellow artsy colleagues, Olu Butterfly. I remember doing a show with her and she performed this piece called, Can I Go Back to Your Place. The poem talks about returning to a past love that ended horribly....pretty much going against the grain of logic.  Check out these excerpts...


go back to your place
as if it would be provided
a restraining order
against my stalker: loneliness
back for a second helpin
of fatback soakin in lard
with a side order of bacon, egg&cheese
after i just had a heart attack
is you crazy?

 can i afford to incur more debt
to reenter rehab
to pick myself up
like a flat furry animal
by the side of a highway
& reinsert myself
into rush hour traffic
 
Her words really capture what is approaching us in the next couple of weeks, a decision as to whether we are going to let  unhealthy living return and have a seat at our tables (ha ha food can also be our lovers too).  So many at this time think that since they went out of control for Thanksgiving that they might as well continue on the downward spiral..which I like to think is synonymous with Olu's line "pick myself up like a flat furry animal by the side of a highway a reinsert myself into rush hour traffic."  Just last year, and the year before that, and then some, was how I did things. I ain't lyin! I felt so bad after Turkey day that I was like I might as well continue and I appeased my sadness and guilt for more cake (my love lol).  But that was the old me:) Now I find that at any time, we can stop, make a decision, and do differently. You'd be amazed as to how much a little change will change the outcome of a situation. So I just wanted to encourage you that its not over. At any time, you  can stop, decide to do something different, and get different results. So what say you..?

Are you out for the count? ..or are u getting back in the swing of things:) tee hee!! Lets gooooo!!! Post your comments:)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Somebody almost walked off with my stuff!

Excerpt from poem featured in the movie For Colored Girls Only....

somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff

somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff 
not my poems or a dance i gave up in the street
 but somebody almost walked off wid alla my stuff
like a kleptomaniac workin hard & forgettin while stealin
 this is mine/this aint yr stuff/
now why don’t you put me back & let me hang out in my own self
somebody almost walked off wit alla my stuff 
& didn’t care enuf to send a note home sayin 
i was late for my solo conversation
 or two sizes to small for my own tacky skirts

I was having a conversation with one of my sisters, Aiysha, when we were talking about the line from the movie, For Colored Girls,  "somebody almost walked off with my stuff." It got me thinking about this journey towards healthy living and how when we subconciously let unhealthy living literally walk off with our stuff!!

 What do I mean? Think about this----

Obesity/Unhealthy living is highly associated with depression------  
"Somebody walkin off with my joy."

 Being overweight is associated with a low self-esteem----
"Somebody walkin off with my confidence and self-esteem and didn't even tell me?"

Obesity is associated with premature death and sickness and disease-----
"Somebody has sentenced me to an early death and didn't even leave me a note"

So many things we can put there, its crazy. In fact, I didn't even realize all the benefits of transitioning to a healthy life style until I actually did it.  It wasn't until I actually saw results that I made the decision that I was not gonna let unhealthy living walk off with my confidence, my self-esteem and most of all my life. I WANT MY STUFF!!! ALL OF IT! In fact, right now I am redeeming the time from when I allowed unhealthy living to steal my stuff.

My question to you--Are you going to willingly let something continue to take your stuff!!!

Post your comments

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Surviving Thanksgiving!! What did u learn?!!

So I have good news, good news, good news!! I survived my first Thanksgiving! I did it!
I did the weigh-in check after Thanksgiving and found that I hadn't gained any pounds! Zero!!
I remained the same!! I don't know about you but that is great news knowing that I have had cake, home made ice-cream and a deluctible log roll of some sort (My boyfriend's daughter made it and it was delicious) in addition to the traditonal Thanksgiving foods.

I tested my little program to get in extra exercise and the two meals before the big meal and it worked.  What is the most interesteding, is that last week was filled with challenges. Prior to me making my food and workout plan, I had sprained my ankle in Step class the Monday before Thanksgiving.  I thought I would be okay, but found hours later that I was in severe pain and could not walk. You don't realize how much you appreciate your legs and feet until you are crawling to and from the bathroom.
Althought I was in pain, my thought was WAIT!! Thanksgiving is coming...I need to work out. So, I decided that I would contine to find a creative way to work out even though I had hurt my ankle. Check this out! My sprained ankle did not stop my committment to healthy living:



It payed off. In addtion, to doing that work out, I also did a pre-Thanksgiving work out as well. Which I had sooo much fun doing it! I love dancing:) Tee hee and it was fun:) woo hoo! Check it out!



So my question is Thanksgiving has come and gone...what have you learned:)....what can you do better...cuz guess what Christmas is coming!!!