Here we are, its that time of the year when your office spends more time planning and having luncheons and potlucks than doing actual work. It is a trap to derail your progress. I saved up my cheat days so I could enjoy Thanksgiving (yes, I had two Thanksgiving dinners on Thanksgiving Day and it was good) without feeling guilty. My plates had veggies and small servings of everything. I ate until I was satisfied and then, helped serve at a local church to burn even just a few calories. But here I am, in my office and they have decided to have an AFTER Thanksgiving Potluck. Oh geez, somebody help me!
Yesterday, I actually signed up to bring in Cheesecake - I make a great cheesecake. After teaching my Zumba Fitness class, going to my voice lesson and making it home, I realized I didn't have the energy or desire to make something that hell, I COULDN'T EAT!!! I mean, I shouldn't eat it because I'm lactose intolerant and I shouldn't eat it because it wouldn't be my cheat day and my will power for desserts is slim to none. Instead, I got myself up and packed my lunch and gym bag. While these folks are chowing down, I'm going to the gym. My red holiday dress is still calling me and I have to make sure to get it in.
Here is my resistance plan:
This morning, I had some left over roasted pork with broccoli and cauliflower. I've had a banana and I'm going to also have a bowl of oatmeal at snack time. Yes, I eat a real meal in the morning. This has helped to ward off the desire for salt and sugar throughout the day. The oatmeal will fill me up while they are preparing the spread. When lunch is served, I'm going to the gym. By the time I get back, it will all be devoured and I'll HAVE to eat the lunch that's already waiting for me. The other thing I tell myself is, "You don't know all these people. The food might not be safe to eat." It's a dirty trick but I have to do something.
I've successfully avoided the Thanksgiving potluck, but I know the Christmas Potluck and company Holiday party are coming fast, plus that extra holiday I get in December - my birthday :-) so I'm going to have to repeat this tactic at least one more time at work. So how do I avoid holiday parties at a friend's house . . . I eat before I go and get a workout in to burn some calories ahead of time. I try to show up fashionably late after people have arrived and started eating, then there may only be enough for small portions. Yes, I know, "but I want to celebrate with my friends," but I want to fit into my favorite dress and drop down into a firm size 8. In order to do that, we have to stay on task and keep working at it. The delayed reward is better than the instant gratification, I promise.
What tactics are you using during the holiday to avoid over eating? Let us know. And if you have some good favorite holiday food substitutes, share that too. Let's get it . . One More Dress Size.
#PixieDustPotent
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Do What Works for You, Just don't Quit
All diets are not created equal . . . that’s really the bottom line. There is only one method I know that works for everyone, eat good food and exercise but for a lot of us, that’s easier said than done. How much exercise is necessary? A 30 minute walk everyday is enough for some, for others, it takes hard core cardio and strength training to drop the pounds or maybe you need to train to run a marathon in order to push pass the weight your body is holding on to. And food, some need high protein diets, others need a healthy balance, some need to just leave all meat alone and go hard core vegan.
Now, I have been challenged - or rather I opened my big mouth and gave a number – anyway, I have a challenge of 20lbs or so to lose. Actually, peeps, The Collective. Let’s see how far I get by the end of the year but hell, as long as I can fit into my favorite red dress without wearing SPANX, I’m happy.
I have heard a lot of advice on how to make it happen. Do Weight Watchers (nope, but I’ve seen the results work well for others), Go Running (this actually works but I HATE RUNNING), Try an all liquid diet or all raw food diet (this is a great jump start actually, check out one of my friends doing it - Under200poundsby40). Do a Cleanse (I have NO problem with the exiting process), and cut this-cut that, so I have decided I’m going to do what I know works.
This morning, at 5 am, I put in a new Zumba® Instructors video (shout out to all my ZIN family) and got it in.
Thirty minutes later, I was in the shower and feeling good. I actually feel thinner already, no really, I do. I put on a skirt and tucked the blouse in . . . I look HAWT! #Pixiedustpotent. I’m also using the principles of the Flat Belly Diet promoted by Prevention Magazine. This diet actually promotes eating well and concentrates on eating Monounsaturated Fats which are good for you and keeping each meal to 400 calories. It even includes what you can eat from a fast food menu and make that belly go away. Why I like this diet? This one helps me keep my energy up all day long instead of having those crash and burn sessions. I’m eating on schedule and eating enough to keep me going until the next meal. But this is my mental challenge: When people start heating their food before its time for my next meal, my brain goes, “Mmm, smell that? You could be eating too. Oh, go ahead and eat now.” But I’m not finished burning the fuel I have, I have another hour to wait; besides I’m not hungry, am I? Discipline yourself girl! Take a sip of water, that will tell you if its time . . . nope, not yet. I can hold out.
Its funny that when I tell my friends and family that I’m attempting 20+ more pounds, they look at me and ask, “Where you gonna find 20 more pounds from?” I have one place in mind but that would require surgery and uhm, I ain’t got the money for that . . . besides, I kind of like the “girls.” In additiona to my early morning Zumba ® sessions, and teaching class 3 days a week, I’ve put strength training on a schedule too – Mondays and Wednesdays. The third day is sort of a floating holiday because things always come up with my crazy schedule. I thought I didn’t have time and I was really considering letting the challenge go. I then realized that I could be the encouragement someone else needs to get up and get moving (and I look PHAT TA DEF in that red dress). Is that what you need? Be honest. You need someone to dig in that tail and say get up!! Okay, GET UP! If you’re sitting on Facebook, just take a 15 minute break and go walk around the office. Go ahead, Facebook will wait for you; so will YouTube and Twitter, go ‘head. My challenge to you is to make a determination right now what you’re going to do about your body, your weight, your heart, your blood pressure, your sugar, your cholesterol. Write it down, make a plan and make a schedule. Then put the goal in big letters and say, “Whatever it takes, I will not QUIT.”
Now, I have been challenged - or rather I opened my big mouth and gave a number – anyway, I have a challenge of 20lbs or so to lose. Actually, peeps, The Collective. Let’s see how far I get by the end of the year but hell, as long as I can fit into my favorite red dress without wearing SPANX, I’m happy.
I have heard a lot of advice on how to make it happen. Do Weight Watchers (nope, but I’ve seen the results work well for others), Go Running (this actually works but I HATE RUNNING), Try an all liquid diet or all raw food diet (this is a great jump start actually, check out one of my friends doing it - Under200poundsby40). Do a Cleanse (I have NO problem with the exiting process), and cut this-cut that, so I have decided I’m going to do what I know works.
This morning, at 5 am, I put in a new Zumba® Instructors video (shout out to all my ZIN family) and got it in.
Thirty minutes later, I was in the shower and feeling good. I actually feel thinner already, no really, I do. I put on a skirt and tucked the blouse in . . . I look HAWT! #Pixiedustpotent. I’m also using the principles of the Flat Belly Diet promoted by Prevention Magazine. This diet actually promotes eating well and concentrates on eating Monounsaturated Fats which are good for you and keeping each meal to 400 calories. It even includes what you can eat from a fast food menu and make that belly go away. Why I like this diet? This one helps me keep my energy up all day long instead of having those crash and burn sessions. I’m eating on schedule and eating enough to keep me going until the next meal. But this is my mental challenge: When people start heating their food before its time for my next meal, my brain goes, “Mmm, smell that? You could be eating too. Oh, go ahead and eat now.” But I’m not finished burning the fuel I have, I have another hour to wait; besides I’m not hungry, am I? Discipline yourself girl! Take a sip of water, that will tell you if its time . . . nope, not yet. I can hold out.
Its funny that when I tell my friends and family that I’m attempting 20+ more pounds, they look at me and ask, “Where you gonna find 20 more pounds from?” I have one place in mind but that would require surgery and uhm, I ain’t got the money for that . . . besides, I kind of like the “girls.” In additiona to my early morning Zumba ® sessions, and teaching class 3 days a week, I’ve put strength training on a schedule too – Mondays and Wednesdays. The third day is sort of a floating holiday because things always come up with my crazy schedule. I thought I didn’t have time and I was really considering letting the challenge go. I then realized that I could be the encouragement someone else needs to get up and get moving (and I look PHAT TA DEF in that red dress). Is that what you need? Be honest. You need someone to dig in that tail and say get up!! Okay, GET UP! If you’re sitting on Facebook, just take a 15 minute break and go walk around the office. Go ahead, Facebook will wait for you; so will YouTube and Twitter, go ‘head. My challenge to you is to make a determination right now what you’re going to do about your body, your weight, your heart, your blood pressure, your sugar, your cholesterol. Write it down, make a plan and make a schedule. Then put the goal in big letters and say, “Whatever it takes, I will not QUIT.”
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Wedding Day Jitters AGAIN
Well, here I am, getting myself ready for another wedding. It is unnerving trying to find something to wear to a wedding, especially when you're in the midst of trying to lose weight and look great. I went to a wedding last month and wore what I was always told was the forbidden color - BLACK. But it was an evening wedding so figured it was appropriate. I looked good; actually I looked great!! And so did my friends from college. We all looked good for being 10 years out of college!
But now, I've got to do it all over again! I'm going to see the same ladies since another one of the University of Richmond sisters is getting married. DAMMIT!!! That means I can't wear the same thing. Here I go scavenging through my closet trying to find something that will accentuate my shape and hide the small kangaroo pouch I'm still working on. I'm in my closet and the stuff that I look completely fabulous in are well, not appropriate for a wedding - at least, I don't think the Red Hot dress is appropriate. The other items in my closet, uh, you can tell I wore them when I was a different size and they don't quite demonstrate the va va voom woman that I am.
(SIGH) I think it's the "Semi-formal" attire throwing me off. I have an evening gown but that would be too much, right? Then of course, you gotta pick something comfortable to dance in at the reception; something you don't mind sweating in and since I'm travelling, something that will travel well. Where do they make that? Events like this make me second guess whether I've been as diligent as I should be with my workouts. I'm teaching 4 Zumba® Fitness classes a week, eating well, strength training but you know, I haven't had much sleep and I know I can't lose weight without sleeping. Yeah, I need balance all around or else, it just doesn't work. I could just go out and buy something that next year, I'll probably NOT want to wear again. That always happens with my last minute purchases; they're usually not useful after the initial purchase.
With these events, I worry that I've somehow gained enough weight to look like a completely unrecognizeable person. And then, I'm concerned that I picked something homely and safe. Who cares about what the bride looks like in these pictures?!?! I will be forever etched in the memory of that day too!!
Okay, breathe. I'm clearly overreacting at this point but I have had that anxiety and almost NOT gone to someone's wedding because I didn't want to be the fat, single girl at the wedding trying desparately to catch the bouquet (To date, I now have caught a total of 3). Uhm, just so you know, I still have nothing to wear. Today is Thursday, the wedding is Saturday in NY. HELP!!!!
But now, I've got to do it all over again! I'm going to see the same ladies since another one of the University of Richmond sisters is getting married. DAMMIT!!! That means I can't wear the same thing. Here I go scavenging through my closet trying to find something that will accentuate my shape and hide the small kangaroo pouch I'm still working on. I'm in my closet and the stuff that I look completely fabulous in are well, not appropriate for a wedding - at least, I don't think the Red Hot dress is appropriate. The other items in my closet, uh, you can tell I wore them when I was a different size and they don't quite demonstrate the va va voom woman that I am.
(SIGH) I think it's the "Semi-formal" attire throwing me off. I have an evening gown but that would be too much, right? Then of course, you gotta pick something comfortable to dance in at the reception; something you don't mind sweating in and since I'm travelling, something that will travel well. Where do they make that? Events like this make me second guess whether I've been as diligent as I should be with my workouts. I'm teaching 4 Zumba® Fitness classes a week, eating well, strength training but you know, I haven't had much sleep and I know I can't lose weight without sleeping. Yeah, I need balance all around or else, it just doesn't work. I could just go out and buy something that next year, I'll probably NOT want to wear again. That always happens with my last minute purchases; they're usually not useful after the initial purchase.
With these events, I worry that I've somehow gained enough weight to look like a completely unrecognizeable person. And then, I'm concerned that I picked something homely and safe. Who cares about what the bride looks like in these pictures?!?! I will be forever etched in the memory of that day too!!
Okay, breathe. I'm clearly overreacting at this point but I have had that anxiety and almost NOT gone to someone's wedding because I didn't want to be the fat, single girl at the wedding trying desparately to catch the bouquet (To date, I now have caught a total of 3). Uhm, just so you know, I still have nothing to wear. Today is Thursday, the wedding is Saturday in NY. HELP!!!!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Fountain of Youth
By George, I think I've found the fountain of youth. No really, I think so. I'm not ashamed to tell people that I have reached my 30's! It always seems to be a shock to people that I'm not still in my 20's. I'll admit, I actually like it when younger men try to pick me up. I was recently at a small house party and it spilled out that I was over 30; as a matter of fact, I'll be turning 32 this year, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Well, you must have thought I was standing there naked because everyone's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Ha, I think my mouth dropped out a little when they revealed they were still in their 20's when I would have guessed that we were all the same age. One young lady finally asked me, "What's your secret? What are you doing?" In my "as a matter of fact" way, I said, "I exercise, I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, I don't drink heavily and I . . . " - I paused. I was getting ready to say, "I don't smoke" but the young lady that asked for the secret had puffed three cigarettes in the short time that I'd been there. That would have been an absolute slap in the face, right? Maybe I should have said it anyway. Isn't it general knowledge that smoking ages you? It hinders your breathing, makes your tongue and teeth grey and gives you purple lips. Smoking will restrict blood flow and if the blood ain't pumping, the rosy cheeks from youth will quickly fade to grey (or worse, black - YUCK!!) I finally told her that I do my best to enjoy life and smile a lot.
"So you exercise?"
"Yes, at least 3 or 4 days a week" (at that point, I wasn't teaching Zumba yet but I was taking class).
"Wow, I need to exercise. I'd probably pass out."
Was that my window to let her know I also didn't smoke? Because I was thinking it and according to the host, he was thinking it too!!
Have you ever taken a real assessment of your age? Dr. Oz does the real age test when he puts guests into the truth tube revealing their Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Levels and Weight. What is aging you? There are plenty of things that can, and some of them, I want you to get rid of immediately. I'm not going to say food, or cigarettes, or tell you that you need to exercise more (though don't count these out). I want you to get rid of people. People stress you out and make you frown, make you sad and unhappy. They do; trust me, they do. Stress will age you like nothing else. Staying in a bad or just boring relationship will dry you up. AND slaving (or sleeping) at that boring, ain't got no promotion coming job will stress you out and age you. And you know what stress does? It keeps you from concentrating on your dreams and goals including the goal of losing one more dress size. In order to lose weight, you have to sleep and if you're having trouble sleeping, chances are, you are having trouble losing weight too. I am definitely lacking sleep these days but its from doing what I love. I can see the goal getting closer and closer but while I'm going through, I refuse to be or look defeated. I'm smiling, I'm living, I'm loving and throwing away any trash that might keep me from be the healthy, beautiful woman that I am supposed to be. Eat well, live well, be well.
Keyona
"So you exercise?"
"Yes, at least 3 or 4 days a week" (at that point, I wasn't teaching Zumba yet but I was taking class).
"Wow, I need to exercise. I'd probably pass out."
Was that my window to let her know I also didn't smoke? Because I was thinking it and according to the host, he was thinking it too!!
Have you ever taken a real assessment of your age? Dr. Oz does the real age test when he puts guests into the truth tube revealing their Blood Pressure, Cholesterol Levels and Weight. What is aging you? There are plenty of things that can, and some of them, I want you to get rid of immediately. I'm not going to say food, or cigarettes, or tell you that you need to exercise more (though don't count these out). I want you to get rid of people. People stress you out and make you frown, make you sad and unhappy. They do; trust me, they do. Stress will age you like nothing else. Staying in a bad or just boring relationship will dry you up. AND slaving (or sleeping) at that boring, ain't got no promotion coming job will stress you out and age you. And you know what stress does? It keeps you from concentrating on your dreams and goals including the goal of losing one more dress size. In order to lose weight, you have to sleep and if you're having trouble sleeping, chances are, you are having trouble losing weight too. I am definitely lacking sleep these days but its from doing what I love. I can see the goal getting closer and closer but while I'm going through, I refuse to be or look defeated. I'm smiling, I'm living, I'm loving and throwing away any trash that might keep me from be the healthy, beautiful woman that I am supposed to be. Eat well, live well, be well.
Keyona
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Wedding Day Jitters
Got my shoes on, jewelry, make up done, the photographer was ready and everyone was waiting for me to come down. Then, there’s the moment when your helper asks, “Are you ready to put on your dress?” The feeling of excitement begins and then the fear . . . the fear that the dress you had on a month ago ain’t gon’ fit!!!
“Maybe I shouldn’t have had that cake at the office party,” you say to yourself as you pray that the Spanx® and long line strapless bra you purchased from my favorite store, Bare Necessities, will hold in those few inches you psychologically gained between the last fitting and the day you actually walk out in your beautiful white gown. That’s enough to make anyone say, “Man, bump dis!” There are a myriad of emotions for a bride on her wedding day and I got to experience them briefly during a photo shoot for Seven Events Unlimited, an event planning company. No, it wasn’t my wedding day but it was sort of like practicing especially worrying if that dress Michelle purchased for me was going to fit. The gown we chose from Lefty’s Bridal fit perfectly across my back, waist and hips. Since I was wearing a perfectly fitting bra, there was actually too much room in the boob. The truth is though, I had expanded enough in the dreaded spare tire to feel self-conscious about how I looked in this beautiful empire waist cream wedding gown. I began to wonder how I would look on my real wedding day. Would that day’s pictures be an indication of the real day? I was nervous my back fat had grown and was hanging. My chubby arms appeared chubbier than normal or was I really just overreacting?
I had taken a month off from teaching my regular Zumba® Fitness class because of all the singing engagements and band rehearsals that were stuffed into my schedule and I was beginning to feel stuffed into that dress. My long line bra was a 36 instead of my usual 34 band and you know how going up a size can make you feel. I hadn’t completely slacked off; I had done some substitute Zumba® classes, gone to the gym and was really watching what I put in my mouth. What could it be? Am I doomed to this 10/12 destiny? It’s not a bad size but dang, I’d like to show my midriff just once and be proud – at least before I’m showing a pregnant midriff one day.
Guess what next . . . another photo shoot 6 days after the wedding shoot. That is NO time to get that waist line together. I began to panic thinking should I starve myself or workout till I pass out. Then my good sense kicked in. Ain’t no way I was going to lose anything with those tactics and keep my sanity. Wait, sanity. And there it was, right in front of me. I had been running in 6th gear all month, going from rehearsal to rehearsal, to ZIN Zumba® Street Team Party, to Dance Ministry rehearsal, learning new dances and new songs, working on my business legal status, sending my song off to industry reps for review, entertaining my boyfriend, sleeping 4 hours, going to my 9 to 5 everyday and losing track of days. Stress had got me. Not the stress that makes you give up but the kind that puts your body in constant motion and survival mode. I wasn’t eating poorly, but I wasn’t eating on schedule because everything else had taken over my schedule and my body was WAY out of wack. I had to come up with something cute and funky to wear that didn’t show I had gained any weight.
Okay, wait weight. Weight! I don’t care about the number, do I? Keyona had to get a grip. I went to my closet to attempt to find something to wear without crying. I chose a funky little T-shirt I’d purchased from Walmart, a black cropped sleeve jacket and dark jeans. I sucked in as I slid the jeans up and buttoned . . . I’m tripping. These jeans actually fit, why am I sucking it in? The T-shirt, fits. Jacket, fits . . . arms not screaming from suffocation. You see how our brains can fool us into thinking something is real and it ain’t? I really thought I had lost control but it was the stress of everything else throwing my normal schedule off balance that made me second guess how sexy I still was!!! (Sorry, had to toot my horn a little).
We panic when some special occasion is coming up. We go on crash diets – grapefruit diet, cabbage diet, fruit only, no carb, low carb, who carb? and anything else we can think of but really, it’s the time we take 6 months prior that counts. Remember the episode of the Cosby Show when Claire was trying to get into this SUPERBAD sequined dress and needed to lose about 5 lbs (I think it was 5)? No one can lose 5 lbs in a week unless you are exercising half a day, every day for an entire week and eating barely enough to survive – you’ll be sick and dehydrated in no time. We have to stay on top of our game. If I hadn’t been on my game those months leading up to the photos shoot, my practice wedding day really could have a disaster (WHEW, thank God for Zumba®!!) I say this to say, do it now while you have the time, before you have to panic, before you buy a dress two sizes smaller in hopes that you’ll be motivated to lose the weight (yeah, I watch Say Yes to the Dress, so what).
Until next time, take care of the body you got, keep your stress down and smile! “You look so much better when you smile” (Kirk Franklin)
“Maybe I shouldn’t have had that cake at the office party,” you say to yourself as you pray that the Spanx® and long line strapless bra you purchased from my favorite store, Bare Necessities, will hold in those few inches you psychologically gained between the last fitting and the day you actually walk out in your beautiful white gown. That’s enough to make anyone say, “Man, bump dis!” There are a myriad of emotions for a bride on her wedding day and I got to experience them briefly during a photo shoot for Seven Events Unlimited, an event planning company. No, it wasn’t my wedding day but it was sort of like practicing especially worrying if that dress Michelle purchased for me was going to fit. The gown we chose from Lefty’s Bridal fit perfectly across my back, waist and hips. Since I was wearing a perfectly fitting bra, there was actually too much room in the boob. The truth is though, I had expanded enough in the dreaded spare tire to feel self-conscious about how I looked in this beautiful empire waist cream wedding gown. I began to wonder how I would look on my real wedding day. Would that day’s pictures be an indication of the real day? I was nervous my back fat had grown and was hanging. My chubby arms appeared chubbier than normal or was I really just overreacting?
I had taken a month off from teaching my regular Zumba® Fitness class because of all the singing engagements and band rehearsals that were stuffed into my schedule and I was beginning to feel stuffed into that dress. My long line bra was a 36 instead of my usual 34 band and you know how going up a size can make you feel. I hadn’t completely slacked off; I had done some substitute Zumba® classes, gone to the gym and was really watching what I put in my mouth. What could it be? Am I doomed to this 10/12 destiny? It’s not a bad size but dang, I’d like to show my midriff just once and be proud – at least before I’m showing a pregnant midriff one day.
Guess what next . . . another photo shoot 6 days after the wedding shoot. That is NO time to get that waist line together. I began to panic thinking should I starve myself or workout till I pass out. Then my good sense kicked in. Ain’t no way I was going to lose anything with those tactics and keep my sanity. Wait, sanity. And there it was, right in front of me. I had been running in 6th gear all month, going from rehearsal to rehearsal, to ZIN Zumba® Street Team Party, to Dance Ministry rehearsal, learning new dances and new songs, working on my business legal status, sending my song off to industry reps for review, entertaining my boyfriend, sleeping 4 hours, going to my 9 to 5 everyday and losing track of days. Stress had got me. Not the stress that makes you give up but the kind that puts your body in constant motion and survival mode. I wasn’t eating poorly, but I wasn’t eating on schedule because everything else had taken over my schedule and my body was WAY out of wack. I had to come up with something cute and funky to wear that didn’t show I had gained any weight.
Okay, wait weight. Weight! I don’t care about the number, do I? Keyona had to get a grip. I went to my closet to attempt to find something to wear without crying. I chose a funky little T-shirt I’d purchased from Walmart, a black cropped sleeve jacket and dark jeans. I sucked in as I slid the jeans up and buttoned . . . I’m tripping. These jeans actually fit, why am I sucking it in? The T-shirt, fits. Jacket, fits . . . arms not screaming from suffocation. You see how our brains can fool us into thinking something is real and it ain’t? I really thought I had lost control but it was the stress of everything else throwing my normal schedule off balance that made me second guess how sexy I still was!!! (Sorry, had to toot my horn a little).
We panic when some special occasion is coming up. We go on crash diets – grapefruit diet, cabbage diet, fruit only, no carb, low carb, who carb? and anything else we can think of but really, it’s the time we take 6 months prior that counts. Remember the episode of the Cosby Show when Claire was trying to get into this SUPERBAD sequined dress and needed to lose about 5 lbs (I think it was 5)? No one can lose 5 lbs in a week unless you are exercising half a day, every day for an entire week and eating barely enough to survive – you’ll be sick and dehydrated in no time. We have to stay on top of our game. If I hadn’t been on my game those months leading up to the photos shoot, my practice wedding day really could have a disaster (WHEW, thank God for Zumba®!!) I say this to say, do it now while you have the time, before you have to panic, before you buy a dress two sizes smaller in hopes that you’ll be motivated to lose the weight (yeah, I watch Say Yes to the Dress, so what).
Until next time, take care of the body you got, keep your stress down and smile! “You look so much better when you smile” (Kirk Franklin)
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Time is working against me
Time has become my enemy in so many ways. I’m in my 30’s and on the downward spiral they say in ability to lose weight and keep it off. I’m going to keep fighting but time is fighting against me. As a new independent artist, I still work a regular desk job. Let’s not talk about what I’d really like to be doing as I have dreams of grandeur walking in for the last time and passing out CD’s to all my co-workers right before I throw up the deuces! But do you know that means that time is messing with my workout regimen. Something has got to give; really. Getting up in the morning after I’ve spent as many hours as I could with my boo the night before without actually spending the night typically means I didn’t get enough sleep to wake up at 4:30 am to get an hour work out in. I can usually get an hour of cardio in after work but if something happens on the way home or someone asks for a favor of rehearsal is at 7pm instead of 8pm - the work out plan just went out the door. And then meetings, and time to write, rehearse on my own, do vocal exercises, speak my honey’s love language, maintain my house (OH, someone please help), and just imagine trying to do all that with children. Hat’s off to the supermoms and dads because I don’t know how you maintain sanity. I only have one solution and they are just going to have to like it.
I will be working out during my work day. There, I said it and if I get in trouble, oh well. I won’t be any good to any job if I’m not healthy. What happened to companies that promoted healthy choices, working out during the day or promise you a balanced work-home life? Well, I’m holding these people to that promise. Working out in the middle of the day (since I HAVE to be at work) seemed to give me motivation to finish as much work as I could before going to the gym. Ooooh, and then to get that shower in the middle of the day, as my friend Monica says, is like pressing the restart button especially on these muggy summer days or ladies during those days. I’m excited already just thinking about it. I’m anticipating the sweat, my abs getting firmer and flatter, seeing the men watch me GET IT IN!! I bought my weight lifting gloves and I’ve got my strength training schedule down. Not doing this is not an option. I feel the extra flapping under my arms again and my tummy seems to be growing (and NO I’m not pregnant). Other people say they can’t see it; they don’t think I’m gaining weight but oh contraire monfrair, my little red dress told the tale at the last photo shoot. My funky little tees are telling a slightly different story around my belly.
This is one of those places where I feel like we’ve lost control of ourselves. We feel like we have to work and work and work but who said working eight hours was realistic? I mean really, raise your hand if you actually work the entire eight hours you are physically at work. I think I’m more productive when I have taken an hour or hour and a half break from this desk and computer and emails and phone calls and reports and fake co-worker friendships (be real, you know all those folks are NOT invited to your cookout). So I need a commitment from YOU, yes YOU, that we will not allow work or busy life to keep us from having a healthy life. Exercise! Do something fun. Don’t’ make it wait for you. It’s like telling your child that you’ll put something on layaway and you never made a plan to pay for it and bring it home. If we don’t make a plan for working out and staying healthy, it won’t happen. Tell me what you plan to do to make sure you get that exercise in and we’ll hold each other accountable. Let’s go!
I will be working out during my work day. There, I said it and if I get in trouble, oh well. I won’t be any good to any job if I’m not healthy. What happened to companies that promoted healthy choices, working out during the day or promise you a balanced work-home life? Well, I’m holding these people to that promise. Working out in the middle of the day (since I HAVE to be at work) seemed to give me motivation to finish as much work as I could before going to the gym. Ooooh, and then to get that shower in the middle of the day, as my friend Monica says, is like pressing the restart button especially on these muggy summer days or ladies during those days. I’m excited already just thinking about it. I’m anticipating the sweat, my abs getting firmer and flatter, seeing the men watch me GET IT IN!! I bought my weight lifting gloves and I’ve got my strength training schedule down. Not doing this is not an option. I feel the extra flapping under my arms again and my tummy seems to be growing (and NO I’m not pregnant). Other people say they can’t see it; they don’t think I’m gaining weight but oh contraire monfrair, my little red dress told the tale at the last photo shoot. My funky little tees are telling a slightly different story around my belly.
This is one of those places where I feel like we’ve lost control of ourselves. We feel like we have to work and work and work but who said working eight hours was realistic? I mean really, raise your hand if you actually work the entire eight hours you are physically at work. I think I’m more productive when I have taken an hour or hour and a half break from this desk and computer and emails and phone calls and reports and fake co-worker friendships (be real, you know all those folks are NOT invited to your cookout). So I need a commitment from YOU, yes YOU, that we will not allow work or busy life to keep us from having a healthy life. Exercise! Do something fun. Don’t’ make it wait for you. It’s like telling your child that you’ll put something on layaway and you never made a plan to pay for it and bring it home. If we don’t make a plan for working out and staying healthy, it won’t happen. Tell me what you plan to do to make sure you get that exercise in and we’ll hold each other accountable. Let’s go!
Monday, June 20, 2011
I've been Setback!!!
Eating right and working out is hard. Eating right and working out is hard when you have a tight schedule. Eating right and working out is hard when you have a tight schedule, are lacking sleep and just down right down feel like it. What’s harder is feeling like you fell off and have no way to return; when you feel like you’ve failed. (Sigh)
This weekend I had a photo shoot with my favorite photographer and my Radio Show Co-Host (Speak on That coming soon to blogtalkradio.com). We chose red dresses for one look; RED is my favorite color! I bought this dress two months ago and let me tell you, I look HOT in it!!
As I slid the dress on and zipped it up, I found out that I had gained weight in EVERYONE’S favorite spot . . . yes, the midsection, the belly, the dreaded abdominal devil had expanded just enough to make me say, “AW MAN” and at that point, I hated my favorite red dress. I didn't even NEED a spanx or ANYTHING to hold it in just TWO months ago. Now I’m thinking, “I’m here, I don’t have a back up red dress, WTH do I do?” I go for the suck in and PRAY that it doesn’t look that bad in the pictures. Do you know what happens when you suck it in? You look stiff and fake and scared and like you’re not breathing . . . makes it hard to look natural in pictures; my advice, don’t do it, no matter how good you think you look, it just makes you look like . . . uh, you’re sucking it in. (Sigh)
So now, I’m sitting here evaluating what did I do wrong? I’m drinking my water, I’m going Zumba crazy, eating good food, eating often . . . wait, how much did I eat? My new beau is a chef and has been making the best meals. Only one problem, he doesn’t know how NOT to fix me a huge plate of food and I’m bad at saying, “I’ve had enough” especially when it’s so good. And yes, I, even I have slacked on the weight training because of a tremendously busy schedule. Key Key, you’ve got to make a choice honey. I’ll admit, I went on scolding myself and then gave myself the “yo, snap out of it” look in the mirror. This is a minor setback that I can come back from. I just have to reorganize my schedule and tell some people and things, “No, can’t do it. I’m busy taking care of myself.” My schedule is already packed pretty tight (actually it’s being held hostage by my full time 9 to 5, but let’s not go there). Last summer, I was weight training on my lunch hour and doing cardio at home. That’s not hard is it? Nope, it just means going back to being diligent and going to the gym the same way I come to work every morning (I love seeing nice, hunky men sweating and grunting . . . oh, sorry, sometimes that is the extra motivation).
Let me just say, I want to beat myself up so badly and say to hell with it all but then I remember how good I feel now compared to how I used to feel. I admittedly think about the people I know that say to me, “I wish I could look like you” and I really want people to keep saying that. I like going into a store and being able to fit a regular size and even more than that, I think of how I’ve lowered my risk for a myriad of diseases that plague my family like Type II Diabetes, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Gout, Migraines due to poor food choices, increased adult acne, chronic fatigue, joint problems because of weight, asthma, and on and on . . . That’s when I remember that it’s just a minor setback. We can come back. SO . . . if you didn’t do so well on the food challenge the past two weeks, let’s try again. This time, You may eat food outside of your house on the weekends (except fast food) but TRY really hard to be sure you fill up the food chart, eating vegetables and fruit. AND DON’T FORGET THAT WATER!!!
The next installment will be “What you don’t know about food.” You’d be surprised at how some foods we eat are marked as “Healthy” but some of them turn out to be the culprits in our diet. One that you’ve probably had recently: Cereal. I know, I’m getting ready to ruin your life over cereal but trust me on this one.
Keyona
#PixieDustPotent
This weekend I had a photo shoot with my favorite photographer and my Radio Show Co-Host (Speak on That coming soon to blogtalkradio.com). We chose red dresses for one look; RED is my favorite color! I bought this dress two months ago and let me tell you, I look HOT in it!!
As I slid the dress on and zipped it up, I found out that I had gained weight in EVERYONE’S favorite spot . . . yes, the midsection, the belly, the dreaded abdominal devil had expanded just enough to make me say, “AW MAN” and at that point, I hated my favorite red dress. I didn't even NEED a spanx or ANYTHING to hold it in just TWO months ago. Now I’m thinking, “I’m here, I don’t have a back up red dress, WTH do I do?” I go for the suck in and PRAY that it doesn’t look that bad in the pictures. Do you know what happens when you suck it in? You look stiff and fake and scared and like you’re not breathing . . . makes it hard to look natural in pictures; my advice, don’t do it, no matter how good you think you look, it just makes you look like . . . uh, you’re sucking it in. (Sigh)
So now, I’m sitting here evaluating what did I do wrong? I’m drinking my water, I’m going Zumba crazy, eating good food, eating often . . . wait, how much did I eat? My new beau is a chef and has been making the best meals. Only one problem, he doesn’t know how NOT to fix me a huge plate of food and I’m bad at saying, “I’ve had enough” especially when it’s so good. And yes, I, even I have slacked on the weight training because of a tremendously busy schedule. Key Key, you’ve got to make a choice honey. I’ll admit, I went on scolding myself and then gave myself the “yo, snap out of it” look in the mirror. This is a minor setback that I can come back from. I just have to reorganize my schedule and tell some people and things, “No, can’t do it. I’m busy taking care of myself.” My schedule is already packed pretty tight (actually it’s being held hostage by my full time 9 to 5, but let’s not go there). Last summer, I was weight training on my lunch hour and doing cardio at home. That’s not hard is it? Nope, it just means going back to being diligent and going to the gym the same way I come to work every morning (I love seeing nice, hunky men sweating and grunting . . . oh, sorry, sometimes that is the extra motivation).
Let me just say, I want to beat myself up so badly and say to hell with it all but then I remember how good I feel now compared to how I used to feel. I admittedly think about the people I know that say to me, “I wish I could look like you” and I really want people to keep saying that. I like going into a store and being able to fit a regular size and even more than that, I think of how I’ve lowered my risk for a myriad of diseases that plague my family like Type II Diabetes, High Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure, Gout, Migraines due to poor food choices, increased adult acne, chronic fatigue, joint problems because of weight, asthma, and on and on . . . That’s when I remember that it’s just a minor setback. We can come back. SO . . . if you didn’t do so well on the food challenge the past two weeks, let’s try again. This time, You may eat food outside of your house on the weekends (except fast food) but TRY really hard to be sure you fill up the food chart, eating vegetables and fruit. AND DON’T FORGET THAT WATER!!!
The next installment will be “What you don’t know about food.” You’d be surprised at how some foods we eat are marked as “Healthy” but some of them turn out to be the culprits in our diet. One that you’ve probably had recently: Cereal. I know, I’m getting ready to ruin your life over cereal but trust me on this one.
Keyona
#PixieDustPotent
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Would you starve your children?
Would you starve your children? Would you let them leave the house without eating anything? For the mothers who adore their babies, they would never let their babies leave the house with empty bellies or something to eat on the way to day care or school. So, why do we leave the house without eating? Be honest, do you eat breakfast? No, no . . I don’t mean once you get to work, I mean within an hour of getting out of bed, do you have your first meal? No? Nothing? Not even a piece of fruit, a cup of water or juice, NOTHING?!?!?! If you skip breakfast, you are hurting your chances of having that killer metabolism we all want. “Oh, I just can’t eat that early!” Okay, let’s consider your food timeline.
What time was the last meal you ate yesterday? Count the hours to your first meal of the day.
If the last time you ate was oh, let’s say 8:00 pm. You went to sleep, slept good too, woke up to get yourself ready for work. Most of us leave the house about 7:30 so think about this, if you haven’t eaten yet, by the time you get to work, it’s already been 12 hours since you ate! Are you trying to starve yourself??!?! If you wait until 10 or even worse, lunch at 12, you are now evil, hungry, slow and unproductive. Now, let’s go back to my first question: Would you starve your children? If your answer is no (which I really hope it is), then let’s not forget to take care of ourselves and eat some breakfast.
Uh huh, that’s a long time isn’t it if you don’t eat breakfast. Even if you wait till you buy something at work, the stress of the commute has probably made you more irritable and stressed and you don’t even have anything in your stomach to combat that but the sound of growling!!!
According to Mayo Clinic Nutritionist, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., “Eating breakfast reduces your hunger later in the day, making it easier to avoid overeating.”
You know you go looking for the biggest donut to fill that hole in your stomach . . . yes YOU!! Okay, maybe that was me, sorry. But I don’t want my people passing out at work, trying to stay awake in the 9 o’clock meeting but fading fast, head ‘bout to hit the desk because you don’t have any food in your system. Food has calories; calories = energy. That’s energy to tell these people, “This meeting has gone on long enough and nothing has been accomplished.” Ooops, there I go again, inside voice jumping outside.
When you eat breakfast, you tell your body, your metabolism, “Hey everybody, we’re making moves, get ready to conquer the world!” Your body knows to burn the calories, use it for brain power, muscle strength, burn the fat. Oh, what should you eat? This is my favorite part. Eat a whole meal; none of that a little yogurt, a piece of fruit or toast mess. Eat some real food. Cook some eggs and bacon for a good protein fix. I often have salmon and vegetables in the morning; yes, I’m for real. It gives me the Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D that doctors say we need to help combat a number of health issues.
So, I’m begging you, don’t starve your “child” in the morning and send them off into the world with nothing to fight with.
What time was the last meal you ate yesterday? Count the hours to your first meal of the day.
If the last time you ate was oh, let’s say 8:00 pm. You went to sleep, slept good too, woke up to get yourself ready for work. Most of us leave the house about 7:30 so think about this, if you haven’t eaten yet, by the time you get to work, it’s already been 12 hours since you ate! Are you trying to starve yourself??!?! If you wait until 10 or even worse, lunch at 12, you are now evil, hungry, slow and unproductive. Now, let’s go back to my first question: Would you starve your children? If your answer is no (which I really hope it is), then let’s not forget to take care of ourselves and eat some breakfast.
Uh huh, that’s a long time isn’t it if you don’t eat breakfast. Even if you wait till you buy something at work, the stress of the commute has probably made you more irritable and stressed and you don’t even have anything in your stomach to combat that but the sound of growling!!!
According to Mayo Clinic Nutritionist, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., “Eating breakfast reduces your hunger later in the day, making it easier to avoid overeating.”
You know you go looking for the biggest donut to fill that hole in your stomach . . . yes YOU!! Okay, maybe that was me, sorry. But I don’t want my people passing out at work, trying to stay awake in the 9 o’clock meeting but fading fast, head ‘bout to hit the desk because you don’t have any food in your system. Food has calories; calories = energy. That’s energy to tell these people, “This meeting has gone on long enough and nothing has been accomplished.” Ooops, there I go again, inside voice jumping outside.
When you eat breakfast, you tell your body, your metabolism, “Hey everybody, we’re making moves, get ready to conquer the world!” Your body knows to burn the calories, use it for brain power, muscle strength, burn the fat. Oh, what should you eat? This is my favorite part. Eat a whole meal; none of that a little yogurt, a piece of fruit or toast mess. Eat some real food. Cook some eggs and bacon for a good protein fix. I often have salmon and vegetables in the morning; yes, I’m for real. It gives me the Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin D that doctors say we need to help combat a number of health issues.
So, I’m begging you, don’t starve your “child” in the morning and send them off into the world with nothing to fight with.
Friday, June 10, 2011
This Time, I WIN!!!
Today's assignment is to write a letter or poem to the food that keeps you falling off the wagon. Here's mine, I hope you enjoy!
Reese cup, WTF?!
You know you do me wrong
I can’t eat just one
And then, I’m jacked and farting all day long
Chocolate Cake
Ah, you certainly complete a date
Just to have you, warm and properly dressed on my plate
Even before I’d ate . . .
How about a every night, about 8?
Hamburgers with multiple slices of cheese
See how you do me?
All sauced up and greased
With fries on the side, always ready to please
You three were once staples in my diet
But now, don’t even try it
I’ll succumb to you only once in a while
But fat on my butt, stomach and thighs
You shall no longer pile
I love this beautiful frame
It makes my man bow and praise
So I’ll resist you day by day
Come on dammit, bring it, this time, I win this game!!
Reese cup, WTF?!
You know you do me wrong
I can’t eat just one
And then, I’m jacked and farting all day long
Chocolate Cake
Ah, you certainly complete a date
Just to have you, warm and properly dressed on my plate
Even before I’d ate . . .
How about a every night, about 8?
Hamburgers with multiple slices of cheese
See how you do me?
All sauced up and greased
With fries on the side, always ready to please
You three were once staples in my diet
But now, don’t even try it
I’ll succumb to you only once in a while
But fat on my butt, stomach and thighs
You shall no longer pile
I love this beautiful frame
It makes my man bow and praise
So I’ll resist you day by day
Come on dammit, bring it, this time, I win this game!!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
2 week Food Challenge
Okay, here we go. The hardest part of losing weight I found is not the exercising. We can burn calories taking a walk, playing with the kids, jumping up and down, or going Salsa dancing (like me and my girls did - whew that was fun and sweaty!). The most difficult thing to get a hold of is the food we put in our mouths. Hold on to your hats, I'm getting ready to give you a lot of information and homework but don't worry, just refer back to the blog or shoot me a message. What I really want to do is make sure we're making life changes that are actually maintainable. This is not going to be rocket surgery, I promise. I mean, I can't tell you to eat bean sprouts or drink shakes for the rest of your life, can I? HECK NAW!!! That's how most of us end up regaining any weight we lost. (In your best cheerleader voice) Ready?!?! OKAY!!!!!
The food challenge for the next two weeks is . . . to only eat food prepared at home. Why? Well, when we go out, we cannot control the amount of salt, sugar, butter, sauce, or preservatives in the food and typically, we eat more than we're supposed to. I know I do; I leave restaurants feeling like WHOA, roll me outta here!! On the weekend, you may eat out EXCEPT fast food! I don't want you touching french fries or any burger from YOU KNOW WHERE! I ain't naming no names but you know exactly where I'm talking about, your favorite last minute stop shall no longer be your favorite stop. For those of us who have someone that likes treat us to a meal or two, please go ahead and order the steak, the Tilapia, the salmon, hell go for the lobster and tell your date that it is a part of your healthy eating plan. I mean, if you really want the salad, eat it but I don't anyone going hungry. You'll never survive if you're hungry. That's easy right. Uh, but wait, there's more AND you get to choose a cheat day. This is a principal that was confirmed by my dear friend, fellow singer and vocal coach Eric Arceneaux - http://www.youtube.com/user/EricRCNOmusic. His tactics might be a little radical to follow, but if you're game, I mean, the proof is in the pecs!! I mean, pics :-)
You have two homework assignments.
Food Chart
Food diaries work, yes they do but most of us don't have time to jot down EVERYTHING we ate. We're going to have colored coded food charts. Every time you eat a fruit or vegetable of that color during the day, put one X in the box but leave room in the box just in case you eat more items of that color on that day. The goal is to get at least 5 X's each day. Yes, this is a trick to get you to eat at least 5 fruits and/or vegetables a day.
This is the fruit and vegetable chart. I am NOT against eating meat; I once was vegan but had to put meat back in my diet and I allow a few dairy products here and there (but OH that is SO dangerous for the ozone layer!!) So please eat some meat - steak, Salmon, Croaker, crab (real crab meat), chicken, lamb, turkey - EAT IT! We don't lose weight because we don't eat enough good food, so please, don't starve . . . eat my dear. Let's get some squash, mango, zucchini, eggplant, blueberries, raspberries, apples (ooh, I love apples), pears (did you know they had red pears? I love those too), oranges, pineapple. Be careful with the pineapples and bananas, they have lots of natural sugar so if you're following through on the water, you'll be quite sugary sweet :-)
Hmm, I should make this a little more difficult though . . . and I will, no rice or potatoes until you've had three vegetables for the day. Uh huh, I said it! These are starches that your body processes as sugar and ends up in that lovely spare tire around our waists. :-) Thank me later.
The second challenge is to come up with a workout schedule for the next two weeks. It should include 40 minutes of cardio at least four times a week and 30 minutes of strength training two/three times a week. The strength training can be lifting weights or things like lunges, push ups, tricep dips, squats, yoga even!. We all have busy schedules so you have to plan it. Let me know what you came up with for the next two weeks and how you're doing with the food and water challenge. Its not going to be overnight, but we're going to work at it together. Until next time, let's get #PixieDustPotent with One Dress Size Less!
Keyona
You have two homework assignments.
Food Chart
Food diaries work, yes they do but most of us don't have time to jot down EVERYTHING we ate. We're going to have colored coded food charts. Every time you eat a fruit or vegetable of that color during the day, put one X in the box but leave room in the box just in case you eat more items of that color on that day. The goal is to get at least 5 X's each day. Yes, this is a trick to get you to eat at least 5 fruits and/or vegetables a day.
Hmm, I should make this a little more difficult though . . . and I will, no rice or potatoes until you've had three vegetables for the day. Uh huh, I said it! These are starches that your body processes as sugar and ends up in that lovely spare tire around our waists. :-) Thank me later.
The second challenge is to come up with a workout schedule for the next two weeks. It should include 40 minutes of cardio at least four times a week and 30 minutes of strength training two/three times a week. The strength training can be lifting weights or things like lunges, push ups, tricep dips, squats, yoga even!. We all have busy schedules so you have to plan it. Let me know what you came up with for the next two weeks and how you're doing with the food and water challenge. Its not going to be overnight, but we're going to work at it together. Until next time, let's get #PixieDustPotent with One Dress Size Less!
Keyona
Thursday, June 2, 2011
One Dress Size Journey
Blog Directory
Welcome to my One Dress Size Journey! I am on a journey to drop one more dress size . . . why? Because the camera is evil. As a performer, I'm in front of the camera all the time and I want to look my best. Hell, I just want to look good all the time, how about that?
All of my life, I was a chunky girl. Chunky, chubby, wearing a size 14/16 girl, even in elementary school. So you know shopping with mom was always a GREAT TIME filled with lots of eye rolling, frustration and sometimes crying. Every year, the doctor would put me on a new diet, and after a few weeks . . . what diet? After I became an adult and graduated from college, my blood pressure crept up and so did my weight. I wasn't as active as I had been before and the scale showed 205lbs at my heaviest. Here I am, singing at my brother's wedding. Yes, I was the big girl bridesmaid. And can you believe my brother, damn nut picked a STRAPLESS dress?!? Of all things for your chubby sister, this was not a smart idea. I had straps put on my dress so it would stay up but that just made it feel like a moo moo.
Yo, this wasn't going well and I hated being the "big girl" in the picture. About 2007, food began to make me miserable. I had gas all the time and sometimes worse things would happen everyday. My stomach was constantly in pain and I wasn't losing any weight no matter how hard I danced, walked the track or crunched. Finally at work one day, I decided I was going to find out what the problem was. I cut out all dairy - eggs, milk, cheese - all fast food, junk food and eventually went Vegan to figure out what the problem was. My doctor even sent me to have a colonoscopy at age 27. On a vegan diet, I lost 20 pounds without exercising. WOW!!! I was now buying size 12 but still buying a 12 out of the Plus Size store; I wanted to buy a 12 or smaller out of the regular size! When I think back, the food I was eating wasn't necessarily killing me but it was setting me up for hindered quality of life. If I had stayed on that path, who knows what kind of medication I'd be on now. I slowly introduced meat back into my diet and some rewards for training hard and eating well.
Right before my 30th birthday, I hired a personal trainer and he got me into that 10 range. I was so happy!! He had me lifting and sticking tight to my eating regiment. I was ready to take the stage and start my singing career. My skin was clearing up and I discovered I had some serious Pixie Dust.
Welcome to my One Dress Size Journey! I am on a journey to drop one more dress size . . . why? Because the camera is evil. As a performer, I'm in front of the camera all the time and I want to look my best. Hell, I just want to look good all the time, how about that?
All of my life, I was a chunky girl. Chunky, chubby, wearing a size 14/16 girl, even in elementary school. So you know shopping with mom was always a GREAT TIME filled with lots of eye rolling, frustration and sometimes crying. Every year, the doctor would put me on a new diet, and after a few weeks . . . what diet? After I became an adult and graduated from college, my blood pressure crept up and so did my weight. I wasn't as active as I had been before and the scale showed 205lbs at my heaviest. Here I am, singing at my brother's wedding. Yes, I was the big girl bridesmaid. And can you believe my brother, damn nut picked a STRAPLESS dress?!? Of all things for your chubby sister, this was not a smart idea. I had straps put on my dress so it would stay up but that just made it feel like a moo moo.
Yo, this wasn't going well and I hated being the "big girl" in the picture. About 2007, food began to make me miserable. I had gas all the time and sometimes worse things would happen everyday. My stomach was constantly in pain and I wasn't losing any weight no matter how hard I danced, walked the track or crunched. Finally at work one day, I decided I was going to find out what the problem was. I cut out all dairy - eggs, milk, cheese - all fast food, junk food and eventually went Vegan to figure out what the problem was. My doctor even sent me to have a colonoscopy at age 27. On a vegan diet, I lost 20 pounds without exercising. WOW!!! I was now buying size 12 but still buying a 12 out of the Plus Size store; I wanted to buy a 12 or smaller out of the regular size! When I think back, the food I was eating wasn't necessarily killing me but it was setting me up for hindered quality of life. If I had stayed on that path, who knows what kind of medication I'd be on now. I slowly introduced meat back into my diet and some rewards for training hard and eating well.
Right before my 30th birthday, I hired a personal trainer and he got me into that 10 range. I was so happy!! He had me lifting and sticking tight to my eating regiment. I was ready to take the stage and start my singing career. My skin was clearing up and I discovered I had some serious Pixie Dust.
What is Pixie Dust?? Pixie Dust is the magic that draws you in to a woman. As children, we know Pixie Dust is the magic dust trailing the movements of the character Tinker Bell. This dust can help humans fly if they believe in happy thoughts. The essence of Keyona was coming out because I was now confident enough to let it sprinkle among the world. I wasn't hiding behind clothes, I could show my arms, legs, wear a form fitting dress and strut proudly across the room like, "Yeah, I know, I'm FINE!!"
So now, I'm on my final weight journey to make it to single digit dress size . . . can I have an 8 please? I don't care about the weight actually; I'm proud to say I'm about 174 lbs at 5'5". Forget that damn chart, I'm healthy and happy. Why a size 8? To say I actually did it and perhaps I could get a flatter stomach too. That's the hardest part.
So, here I am, rocking a size 10 and thinking, "What do I have to do to get to an 8?" Well, here's where we hold each other accountable. People ask me all the time, "How did you do it? Can you help me?" Follow me on this journey to another dress size and I'll share everything I'm doing, grocery list, exercise pattern including my Zumba Fitness Class and even what I choose when I have to eat out. I can't promise a weight loss number but I can tell you that my blood pressure is better than perfect, cholesterol levels excellent, skin glowing, lip gloss popping, Pixie Dust gettin' 'em . . . I feel SO good. I'll give you a weekly and monthly challenge. This will take discipline, determination and an open mind so if you're ready, I'm ready, Let's Go!!
Check out the vlog for your first challenge - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO690gzc3Uk
Let's Get Pixie Dust Potent!
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