Food...wise...

I would be remiss in my blogging duty to not discuss food in this process. Some experts say food is 80% of the battle in weight loss. As the experts say weight loss = cutting calories + exercise. The basic math that is always talked about 3,500 calories = 1 pound. Counting calories is daunting so I do Weight Watchers although I have done calorie counting too. Weight Watchers gives you a short cut to the calorie counting; which is helpful. Also the meetings help to keep me focused. Every week there are good topics, you share your weight loss challenges, and triumphs and you get support. Some people don't like to journal or talk in groups but seriously it helps. The journal is a big thing b/c last week I lost 1.4 pounds in 2 weeks and I was upset BUT when I went back over my food journal it revealed lots of eating out, high calorie treats, and empty calories. This week I cut back and lost 3.2 pounds! It makes a difference!

Counting calories is kinda like balancing a checkbook. You have a starting balance (Your BMR) you have withdrawals (the calories you consume) and the deposits you make (Your exercise).

Choices are important when I go out and here are a few tips:

1) I cook my food for the week. I make things like Turkey Chili.

2) Because I am soooo busy I try to find short cuts like pre cut veggies, pre-cooked meat, frozen dinners!

3) I check the online menus before I go to restaurants so I am not hit with sooo many choice. It gives me control. Even if I decide to have a bacon cheese burger at elast I already know the points and can act accordingly.

4) I may eat 1/2 my meal and have an adult beverage or dessert. I am not about depriving myself but I understand there's a cost to pay if I do not do my part.

5) I stick to bakes and broiled things. My faves are baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, salmon, chicken salad, soups, and crab cakes.

6) I do not drink soda more than a few times a year maybe. I stick to low calories fluids like water, Fuze, & reduced calories juice. I sometime do half water half juice to reduce the calories I consume. Water is a must I drink about 50 to 60 oz.

7) I take a multi vitamin ( I try to take it daily)

8) I take my lunch to work almost everyday. Helps to save money and control calories.

9) I sneak veggies in. So when I make chili I will add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables to it and an extra can of diced tomatoes.

10) I eat what I like! Meaning I do not grab a hold of every new trend I try things and if I do not like them I will not force myself to eat them. Case in point- hummus. I know people love it I don't'! Fage greek yogurt- Yuck! Alternatives I do like spinach and artichoke dip so I'll have that or Chonbani greek yogurt is great.

***Bonus- I journal my food and exercise. I used www.sparkpeople.com and www.fitday.com both are great FREE online communities to get you started. I use the WW on line journal and paper one most often.

I hope this helps. Like I said I would be remiss in my weight loss blogging duties if I did not include some discussion of food. Exercise wise I am really feeling like I am over that hump and food-wise I am getting there as well!

Week 1-EDD Just Do It!

Well Week 1 of the Every D@mn Day Just Do It challenge went well. I missed 2 days although Saturday was the lonnnnggg conference and Sunday I spent the whole day cleaning and throwing out plenty of trash that had to get out of my house so technically I was active on Sunday.

I had my trainer today it was a good workout as usual and my trainer mentioned a few gym members are doing the YMCA Turkey Trot! I thought about it last year but didn't do it but this year I will. I have done one 5k in 2007 so this will be a good thing to do again! I hope a few of you local folks will join me!

Challenges

Well I see challenges ahead so since by nature, I am problem solver I went right to work.

By the way this is the challenge (& not a problem) :-)

I am too busy for my own good! But I am busy doing things I truly enjoy for example I enjoy being an ACTIVE member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and I enjoy being an ACTIVE member of The Junior League of Baltimore. I am getting active with my Alma mater the University of Baltimore School of Law as well as the University of Maryland Alumni Association. Then there's the Monumental City Bar Association and yup I am getting involved with them as well working on reestablishing a mentoring program with the law school and I am getting back into church and there are my friends and family members I have relationships with and well you get the idea.

The whole idea behind this blog is to help navigate the busy lifestyles we tend to have in order to make fitness a priority.

This Saturday my workout routine will be interrupted yet again because I am a busy woman. I have missed a few Saturdays over the last 2 months and the trend has been that I would not make up that session. For the most part the 2 days I do personal training are 2 consistent workout days for me. They are great because I KNOW that I KNOW if all else fails I will get 2 good workouts in on those days.

But on a weekend like this or like so many others, I need a way to avoid missing my steady workouts! This week I said I have to stop that so I asked my trainer to meet tonight (Friday) instead of tomorrow since I have an all day AKA Conference on Saturday. When I say all day I mean 7:30am to 4:30pm and its at a hotel over 30 miles away. I am on a Regional Committee so I need to be there early to prepare for our presentation as well. Now Fridays are typically date night but I am on a self imposed hiatus; that's for another blog at another time lol so tonight's my session instead of tomorrow. Fridays tend to be days I either hit the town or crash so I am tired on Friday evenings but I am not "claiming" that this time. I will be well rested and ready for a good workout tonight!

Ok challenge #2 is my allllllllllllllllll day conference! How will I get a 30 minute minimum workout in tomorrow? Remember that will be Day 6 of 30 days of the Every Damn Day- Just Do It Challenge! I was emailing one of my Sorors who is also working out and losing weight, she offered to do a 15 minute walk during lunch with me. So that's 15 minutes taken care of. Then I realized we are going to a hotel and I checked on line and they have a gym! She nixed that idea and let me know she is not getting sweaty lol so we will see what I do but I will bring my Brooks and do something for 30 minutes during the conference tomorrow. I could always wake up early and do the treadmill before I go as well.

The lesson is I (you) have options! Every day I (you) can get it in! I already know Saturday will be a long day and we are going out to dinner afterwards so the likelihood of working out when I get home is remote. To avoid missing day 6 I am planning in advance or as I once heard someone say "I am planning on purpose" to get my 30 minutes of activity in over the next 30 days! Here is an article on the benefits of exercising 30 minutes a day! Join me!

Exercise 30 minutes...Who knew?

Exercise 30 Minutes a Day? Who Knew!
Most Americans aren't aware of national recommendations, study finds
Posted September 29, 2009

TUESDAY, Sept. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Despite 14 years of public education campaigns, only one-third of Americans know about national recommendations for a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day, and fewer than half meet that goal, a new study has found.

The lack of awareness is greatest among men, the unemployed and people born in the United States, the researchers said. Their finding came from an analysis of data from 2,381 people who took part in the 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey.
One reason why efforts to spread the message about physical activity are having limited success is the "highly generalized, saturating effect of media in the current environment," the authors wrote. "Through varied sources, many are bombarded with multiple physical activity and general health promotion 'recommendations' that may be challenging to differentiate."
A report on the study is in the October issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
Since 1995, the U.S. government and national organizations have used radio, TV, print publications and the Internet to make Americans aware they should be doing at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
If more people followed the recommendations, it could help reduce rates of chronic health problems, said the study's lead author, Gary Bennett, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University.
"Physical activity is important for protecting against a large number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, some cancer, diabetes, even some cognitive disorders," Bennett said in a Duke news release. "So the physical activity recommendations are extremely important to help increase awareness among the American population about the amount of physical activity that is necessary to reduce the risk of developing these diseases," he added.
"We've seen a lot of discussion about prevention in health-care reform debates over the last few months, and it's becoming clear that increasing physical activity among Americans may, in the long run, reduce some of the major costs that burden our health-care system," Bennett said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about physical activity.

Day 4

Well today was a longggg day! I made it to work at 6:30am. I slept well last night and woke up ready to go so I left 1 hour early. Anyway I was tired but played some loud music and went straight to the gym after work. I did Socarobics and called it a day! Day 4 done!

Day 3 of 30

I had a longggg day! I got home after 7pm and a smay of you may know I leave my house around 5:30am to get to work and I have 1 1/2 hour commute buttttt I made it up my mind that I would do the 30 minutes of exercise every day for 30 days. I came home and got right on the treadmill!

F.Y.I. I was still in my work clothing (lol) oh that poor Ralph Lauren dress shirt! But day 3 is done!

E.D.D. Just Do It-Day 1 of 30

Well the 30 days of 30 minutes of "Every Damn Day-Just Do It-Nike" fitness challenge began yesterday. So this is what went down...

60 minutes- Personal Trainer

60 minutes - Chizel It Be Fit Baltimore Mega Fitness cardio workout. The City of Baltimore has a great program called Be Fit. It is done in collaboration with several partners including my personal trainer Charles Harris. It was an hour long cardio class held at the Cahill Recreation center @ 7pm. In a show of support, I went with some of the other Chizel It heads. It was a good workout and I will post pics later on. The most amazing thing was a 70 plus year old woman who had the body of a...I dunno a bikini model in her 20s! I am talking cut up! Six-Pack and just fly! How inspiring! It was a large crowd of almost 50 people of all ages, sizes, and fitness levels. Good stuff Mayor Dixon!

Today...oh today. Its only 10:30 am and I am already tired! I am not even half way thru my workday! But its Day 2 and I packed my workout clothes and I will hit the gym after work. There is a 5:45 Maximum Circuit Cardio class and I should get there just in time for that otherwise I may do the treadmill and wait for Charles' class at 6:30pm EITHER WAY I AM GOING TODAY! I have already made up in my mind that I will not fail so I am free from the fear that can come with putting yourslf to the test. What about you?

Every D@mn Day-Just Do It!

Ok my new prize possession (see above) *Paris Hilton voice*

Don't you love it?

Nike has a way with words! Just Do It is a great marketing slogan but

this takes it to the next level!

I hope people don't get offended but even if they do guess what? I like it! And that's what matters since

I paid for it! :-)

Well I hit the big 50. 50 pounds gone....Now onto the next goal of 75 pounds. I went out shopping this weekend and had a great time! In January I did some shopping and it was a very different story. I was not at all happy about it. There's nothing like having to go to the back of a rack to find your clothing size...its like you cross your fingers that there's something there for ya.

I am midway in the rack now lol which feels good. I picked up a few items but one in particular was an AWESOME purchase that would be a size 16....dress for the upcoming Monumental City Bar Gala!

In case you missed it I said a size 16! Its going to go perfectly with my Christian Louboutians! The big reveal will be in early December :-)

In January I was in a 24... Its been a long journey I mean 50 pounds in 9 months in the scheme of thing seems slowwwww to me but I am not getting caught up in that.

I am not a true size 16 but with this designer and style I am and I'll take it! I bought some 18 pants and jeans and even got some size 14 tops. The cool thing is everything fits! None of that "goal" clothing hanging up like a carrot on a stick these are things I am gonna wear this week!

I did a lot of shopping this weekend! Thanks Dad! Life is good!

Some people at work have noticed & that's cool too.

Well the point of the post. I need to push myself to get in a little more exercise. Nothing drastic but EVERY DAMN DAY I want to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise. My job is cool one of the perks is free classes like yoga and pilates and they have even offered the room for us to bring in DVDs to workout on our own. So this should be easy!

Before & During Pictures

Dec 08 & Jan 09 ~ Oct 09 (-52 pounds)

Well I almost didn't post these but it is a good thing.

So these are my Before & During pictures... Its been 8 1/2 months & I've lost 52 pounds that's about 6 pounds a month I am happy with that although my goal was 10 a month but slow & steady wins the race!

After pictures to follow!

:-)

Let the Church say AMEN!

I am really excited this Saturday my church Mt. Calvery AME church is sponsoring a 6 mile hike on the NCR Trail. For over a year I have been planning to go on a hike but just have not done it. So when I heard on Sunday the Health & Wellness committee was promoting this activity I was so happy! I have often felt the church should be at the forefront on the obesity epidemic especially in the black church since our community is plagued with high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer all of which are related to being overweight. I am extremely proud of my church and looking forward to the hike on Saturday! The last hike I went on was in January when I went to Sedona, Az with my Mom & Sis and while I finished that hike around Bell Rock I was reallllllly worn out. I am looking forward seeing where I am now fitness wise. I see such a difference in my workouts with my trainer in the few months we've been working out so I am looking forward to it! I will post some pics for sure! If only to show my "before & during pictures!"

ITS GOOD!!!!!

Well it’s my unofficial weigh in (b/c its at home) but this morning I hit the 50 pounds weight loss mark! In the spirit of football season rather GIANTS Season (5-0 Babyyyyyyyyyyyy) I found this graphic to celebrate! Thanks so much for all the love, support, and encouragement!

Well this is half-time and I am not stopping. Today is Columbus Day and I am celebrating my day off with a 10:30 Chizel It class and 3:30 Personal Training session. Back to work!

Countdown

Well I am counting down to 50 pounds loss... Its close actually like 3 pounds away. I have never lost 50 pounds before. I've tried several times but never hit that goal. So this is cool. I got a lot of encouragement at a recent event from friends, colleagues, and associates who have not seen me in sometime. I had a few people say they keep up with the blog and are really impressed by my dedication and they were inspired to get their workout on. All good stuff! Many thanks!!!

I am back to my workouts and I am feeling good. I feel stronger, I am leaner (is that a real word?), and I know exercise has made that possible.

Currently, I am working out 2 times a week with my trainer and another day or 2 in the gym. I typically stay for 2 classes or a class and time on the treadmill. Its working! My size 22s, 24s, 26s, & 28s are gone. A majority of which I donated to The Junior League of Baltimore's Wise Penny ! I am in my size 20s now (as Mo'nique would say) I know yall skinny heffas might not appreciate that but I am happy not staying there but happy to be here!

Monique aint playin!