My first Bikram Yoga Class

Well its 1:30pm on December 31, 2010 and everything on my 2010 To Do List was checked off after I took my first Hot Yoga class this morning! That's actually a little mind blowing. Oh this is from the classroom its on the glass door at Charm City Yoga! All true!

Charm City Yoga is great! Very welcoming atmosphere and there is an energy there. By doing yoga at my gym I forgot that Yoga is not just exercise...its deeper than that! I had that experience last Christmas when my Mom, sister, and I went to do a class at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in The Bahamas. Great place I'll definitely go back to!

Anyyy wayyyy by being the procrastinator I am I put Hot Yoga off until today lol always testing limits lol and what a wonderful experience it was.Ok wait when I say wonderful I mean cleansing, challenging, intense, and freeing. There was a lot of stuff I needed to let go from 2010 and some things I needed to celebrate and the class was taught in such a way to do that. What an experience! I feel lighter although I am actually 2 pounds heavier lol but no worries! :-)

The teacher Steve Satta was great. He reminds me of Steve Ross the Yoga guy from TV! Love him! I purchased the 1 month new student unlimited pass which was only $40.00! Great deal plus I am going to do a 21 Day yoga challenge and I was not excited about doing that to a DVD being in a classroom is much much better!

During class I noticed someone from my former career life & law school and we spoke after class! It was a great boost because he told me I looked greaaaaat! I told him I lost weight about 80 pounds now, have less stress, and life is good! It was nice to catch up with him. He says he does the class from time to time!

A/w that was a great way to end the class! I also spoke to the teacher and told him how much I enjoyed it and would be back.

Hot Yoga -Done ✔ next up world domination! :-) I am proud of myself for for following through on this goal and not waiting until the new year! (by a day) lol

Well tonight the plan to to visit a Soror's church then go to a friends house for game night and bring in the new year! It'll be a good combo of what I need in 2011 a stronger spiritual walk and good friends and good times! Oh and I will be bringing Scattergories & Wii to put a beat down on them! A lil competition for 2011 won't hurt no body either! LOL Happy NEW YEAR ALL!! DREAM BIG!! See ya next year!

Dear 2010:

 In the words of Jay Z

"I came, I saw, I conquered...

Yall should be afraid of what I'm gonna do next!"

 My remix :-)

Oprah's Vision Board

One of my sista's in sweat emailed me about the Oprah online Vision Board program. I heard about it but never jumped in because I like working with my hands but I gave it a go last night! What a blast!!! Check it out! http://www.oprah.com/packages/o-dream-board.html

Telling my story...



"Tell the story you want to live and you will eventually live it." ~ Abraham-Hicks

Well I been talking a lot about Vision Boards and their benefits all over facebook. I can be honest and say the first time I watched the The Secret DVD I was sucked in. Not jsut becasue Saint Oprah gave it the thumbs up either-found that out later! But the concept made perfect sense. The Law of Attraction is a concept as old as time but it made more sense to me after the video. Its simple and its based in the simple concept that "like attracts like" so if you are a happy and positive person you will tend to attract other happy and positive people. Now that is not to say negative things will not happen and this is not just a bunch of hopeful thinking but it does mean that if you keep a positive attitude the results will more than likely be positive.

I was listening to Steve Harvey this morning and he was talking about the Law of Attraction and he made a good point. The Law of Attraction is as real as the Law of Gravity. It doesn't matter if you believe it or not because it is at work in your life. He went on to say you can go to the top of a building and jump and you'll see gravity at work. lol He's iggnat lol but its true.

I found out about the DVD from a friend and mentor and she had a big dream she was working on and things literally fell into place. It was amazing watching it unfold and I hope she writes a book one day because to get where she is she didn't do the "right things," kiss up to the "right" people, join the "right" groups, go to the "right" parties, etc. but she reached her goal...and then some in fact!

A/w she shared The Secret DVD with me and I ran to Best Buy and bought a copy the same night. They discussed Vision Board in the DVD and I began creating Vision Board that night. Its my favorite part of the video! They talk about how comedian Jim Carey wrote himself a 1 Million dollar check before he hit it big because his intention was the be a millionaire. Sweet! 

A/w In 2009 I began working on a few Vision Boards I have some on cork boards, some on poster boards, and some electronic ones in PowerPoint. I focused in on my health and wellness in 2009 and I made a board that I found recently with images of the Iron Girl and an African Amercian woman with her hands raised wearing a Team in Training outfit! Ironically I took a picture JUST like that at the end of the race -although my arms did not look as good as the models lol but it was a reminder about the power of the law of attraction. I didn't even remember that picture until I found it! Now to be clear cutting out pretty pictures is just the start I actually had to do my part, commit to team in Training, raise the money, workout, show up for the race, and believe I could do it to make that goal a reality. I think that is the part that a lot of naysayers get hung up on. My bible verse is "Faith without works is dead" so please don't walk away thinking I spent 17 months wishing, hoping, and praying to lose 100 pounds! LOL But if you been following my blog you know better but I had to put it out there!


A/w this quote above hit me this morning...

So it got me thinking what kind of story do I want to tell? My knee jerk answer is a happy & healthy life well it isn't so much knee jerk it was actually well thought out some years ago BUT its a "catch phase" of a story not THE story! So my goal is to work on that. I also need to work on working out! I haven't worked out since Christmas Eve! Kinda in a slump again!  My friend Dawn reminded me about my 30 day workout challenge? What happened to that? I dunno! But I told her I would start up fresh with a new challenge in the new year. I already signed up for a 21 Day Yoga challenge. This is my year to tackle yoga in earnest.

On a good note I actually lost .6 pounds no not 6 pounds you read it right .6..POINT 6! I will take it! I can't recall what happened last Christmas but I am happy that I did not gain better than that I lost.  :-)

One thing that makes writing new chapters of my story easier is looking back at past success. I got this post card from Team in Training in the mail yesterday and it gave me a kick start to go back to working on my vision board. :-) Think about what you have been able to check off on your To Do list and use it as a source of motivation to keep moving forward!

I do indeed now to create some new ones!

"Tell the story you want to live and you will eventually live it." ~ Abraham-Hicks

Wasted Time

I had an interesting discussion with a soror of mine about two lingering issues that involved a fear of failure I need to overcome in the new year. One was weight loss and the other dealt with relationships.

I talked about achieving my weight loss goal and then regaining some of the weight. Then the way my last relationship ended after I made a conscious decision to go into that more open and honest than I normally do and I feel like both back fired big time.

Regaining the 25 pounds (or so) really bothered and still bothers me and I feel like I wasted the last 4 or 5 months because I am still losing and regaining the same 15 or so pounds and if I kept on top of my game I would be at my goal by now! Wasted time...

The relationship matter well that was 6 months out of my life I will never get back. I could have been with someone else developing an open and honest relationship or I could have been alone (but not lonely) and working on myself and being open to meeting someone else. Again... Wasted Time.

Her take on it was anything moving you towards a goal (being healthier or being ready for the right person) is not failure... its progress.

This post came to mind while reading the Black Women Do Workout Board where the members were asked how they felt today (the day after Christmas and all the food etc.) Most said they did well. I mean some of those women are superstars and go hard all year long. But most said we did well. We may have had more food than usual or food we do not normally eat but we felt fine because we did not over do it. Others said they wished they did well. I felt bad for them because I know that morning after guilt. I posted back saying to forgive yourself, make a plan, and move on. 

So ironic I handle others with kiddie gloves but I go hard core on myself I see. So taking my own advice in both cases I am going to forgive myself, make a plan, and move on.

2011 is almost here. I woke up and cleaned out my bedroom & bathroom closet, organized it from top to bottom, and threw out a ton of old health and beauty aid products. My Mom was kind enough to start cleaning out my home office which has morphed into some kind of "Clean House" candidate. My goal is to get my "house" in order before December 31st.




Always LOVED this ad! YES I WILL!


So my "house" includes my home, my mind, my spirit, and attitude! 2010 had some great moments and a lot of it had to to with my outlook and the great expectations I put out there! So its time to get that mindset back. I had a great Christmas eve workout with Charles who got me a great gift; a 2011 desktop calendar with daily Success Quotes! Perfect right? I had a great Christmas got some new workout clothing, money, smell good stuff, jewelry, and a good time! I hope you all did too! I am just counting down to 2011! So every year I pick a theme for that new year they are either funny, candid, humorous, but always real. 2011's theme is:

2011 My Best Life Ever!

My Crush!

OMG I don't know if I have talked about him....but...he...is AMAZING! AND HE IS NOW ON FACEBOOK! I have a huge crush on GYM JONES!!!! I don't even know if I have talked about Gym before but Gym Jones isn't a real person Gym is a gym...in Utah... lol yup it aint cute that's for sure!

"Gym Jones is not a cozy place. There are no televisions, no machines, no comfortable spot to sit (just plywood and diamond-plate), and there are no mirrors. The training is difficult. There are no shortcuts. Physical and psychological breakdowns occur. Our culture, dedicated to The Art of Suffering, is both safety net and inspiration. Individuals push hard and risk more alongside trustworthy peers."

My lust for Gym began after the movie The 300! If you missed it, its the movie about King Leonidas and his army of 300 men who fought the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. The amazing thing was they went to TOWN on thousands battle after battle and it was only 300 of them hence the name! Anyway that movie moved me I dunno maybe something about a small group of hot hard bodied men willing to leave their land to protect their women and children and be total bad azzez to change the world. Yeah I can dig it! But I bought the DVD set and DUDE I still quote that movie! "This is Sparta!" So much for not killing the messenger! Ha!

Well the movie came out in 2006 and I was really working out HARD CORE like 6 sometimes 7 days a week 2-3 hours of Les Mills classes and on my "down" time in between class I would hop on the treadmill or elliptical! Oh yeah and that's the year I did the Baltimore Half marathon without training...yeah bad azz... so anyway I was in awe! And there was all of this buzz around how the actors had to go to some crazy gym to train to look the way they looked in the movie! I mean there is method acting and there is method acting. Anyway I thought that was all smoke and mirrors but notttt ma'am that was their bodies! They went to Gym Jones and under the "guidance" of Mark Twight (the owner) they turned into amazing works of art!

The idea that one could transform themselves like that was amazing and inspiring to me on a lot of levels. It reinforced my belief that exercise was the way to go. A/w I learned more about the gym in the video and I fell in love! It is HARD CORE I googled it and found my love Gym Jones and I said one day I will go and train there. There was in Utah :-/  I mean I hear it beautiful and all but wow!

Butttt I was like so what? I still wanna go! And get the tshirt! See like pledging you can go wearing a Gym Jones Tshirt all willy nilly! You gotta EARN it! SOLD! Then I found out it wasn't an "open" gym like that! You had to apply! Write an essay! Pledge? Say what? Well something like that anyway. I was hurt but licked my wounds and sat on the sidelines and read their website often over the years. Pearls of sweat, blood, tears, AND wisdom! There are essays on all sorts of topics and I found such motivation there. There are too many to copy over so read them for yourself under the section called KNOWLEDGE but this is one to give you a taste:

PRIVATE

Private Does Not Mean Closed

BY MARK TWIGHT

Acquiring the spirit necessary to win, which includes a positive acceptance of pain, is difficult in a society where comfort is more highly regarded than capacity. When genuine physical fitness is the norm for so few it is hard to avoid being dragged into the morass. You become what you do. How and what you become depends on environmental influence so you become who you hang around. Raise the standard your peers must meet and you'll raise your expectations of yourself. If your environment is not making you better, change it. We did.

*tear*

Ok so I don't know about you but I get a lil verklempt reading stuff like this and at the time I was working soooo hard and I was hearing from sooo many people "You are working out too much"  "You will hurt yourself" "That's not normal" Well they may have been right I did suffer some injuries in 06-07 but at least I felt like there was a place that GOT ME! Got it! Got the drive I have to exercise until exhaustion and feel good about it.

A/w eventually Gym Jones began to really open themselves up to week long, month long and 2 day seminars to people. I was excited but the cost was a little steep. I missed my chance in 2008 when my Mom had to go to Utah for work so at least the hotel would have been free BUT to be honest I wasn't ready for Gym Jones in 2008 but as I began to think about putting together my 2011 Fitness Vision Board and I dunno what made me google my old crush Gym but I did and I saw they were on FACEBOOK! Huge!!! B/c Gym Jones does not conform (ok I stole that from an Omega Psi Phi step team lol) but there they were!

I went to the website and there is a session in July-SOLD OUT! But one in November is still open. I am scared lol but excited. I think Imma go! Anybody else down ?!

From this came a goal of actually doing what has become known a The 300 gansta!

"300"
25x Pull-up +
50x Deadlift @ 135# +
50x Push-up +
50x Box Jump @ 24" box +
50x Floor Wiper @ 135# (one-count) +
50x KB Clean and Press @ 36# (KB must touch floor between reps) +
25x Pull-up
300 reps total


Anyway I had a personal training session planned for tomorrow and its a family affair so it will be me, Mom & my sister! Pictures & jokes to follow! lol I also plan to hit up a different WW location since my site is closed this weekend for Christmas. I was up again on the scale! Talk about frustrating but I am still playing games! But I can say I was craving the butter popcorn again but finding Gym Jones website made me grab my EAS myoplex lite protein shake and some almonds instead! Today is a new day and another chance to get it right! Its so important to fill your mind & spirit with good and encouraging things I been slipping on that! Game on! Oh and its date night with old, new guy or shoudl i call im new, old guy? lol :-) A/w he sent a cute text this morning...Ahhh I think I like him, like him :-)

Anyway later peeps!

The Pursuit of Happiness

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the

right to pursue happiness. 

You have to catch it yourself. 

~

Benjamin Franklin

Good Ole Ben! :-) As the year is coming to a close I was reflecting on 2010 and I must say 2010 was a great year. I am happy and striving to or rather pursing happiness as the year comes to a close and as the new year is fast approaching! A new year with new hopes, dreams, and possibilities! I am being hit from all sides on the concept of happiness. I wanted to share some of the links Glamour Magazine posted 50 Things to In An Instant Good Mood! The first thing? EXERCISE! Coolness! Don't Be a Martyr! 10 Steps to Letting Go. 10 Ways to Find Happiness. Take Action! 10 Ways to Increase Your Happiness. Why Choice Is the Way to Happiness.

Good stuff!

There were some high highs and then there were some low lows but I will "count it all joy." I been saying for months I need to work (or rework) my vision board. Hummm well let me define a Vision Board its a visual depiction of things you want or want to happen or achieve. Here's a great article from Oprah (of course!) What the Heck is a Vision Board http://www.oprah.com/spirit/How-to-Make-a-Vision-Board-Find-Your-Life-Ambition-Martha-Beck

I love Vision Boards! I can say my 2009 Boards brought a lot of things to reality like losing 100 pounds, doing my triathlon, staying focused on my workouts and personal training sessions.

I am an advocate for the book The Soulmate Secret and I did create a vision board or treasure map. But after breaking up with The Mister I ripped that joint to shreds lol very therapeutic. It really isn't for public consumption anyway but he saw it so I need his bad chi off my path to my soulmate! I haven't been motivated to re-do it just yet but I'll work on it in 2011. I need to work on my list and see where old, new guy fits.... Anyhoo we have plans this week and I am excited :-)

Anyyyhoooo!

My goals for 2011 that I shared on another facebook group are
1. Losing 50 pounds
2. Becoming a certified spinning instructor
3. Getting certified to teach a Les Mills program
4. Get into Yoga (especially Hot Yoga)
5. Stay on my workouts & training sessions.

I will break that all down in another post but I have discussed the need for SMART goals so I'll work through that process with you all and see what shakes out in 2011!!

Ok a word to the wise I was a "victim" of a random act of kindness the supervisor for the other side of my department! He is an early riser like I am and invited those early birds of us to go to Starbucks on him! How nice is that? I don't drink coffee (I always say drinking coffee and smoking were the only two bad habits I didn't pick up in law school lol) but he said coffee, tea, or water I jumped in and asked "OR HOT CHOCOLATE!?" Like a big kid! He said sure so we took a little field trip and I saw something de-lish and different! Now I am very much a creature of Type A personality habit (lol) BUT I saw this Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate! Now doesn't that SOUND GOOD?! WELL IT WAS!!! YUMMMM! Well the on going lesson of Weight Watcher "Education is power" goes right here! I looked it up AFTER I slurped it down and it was a whopping 13 points (I thought it was 15 but that was based on someone else's nutritional info but I went onto the Starbucks site afterwards! I'll take that minue 2 points!)

Lawd I only get 33 points a day but I didn't have breakfast and well I just had some popcorn so that's my lunch especially since I saw how the lady makes it! A whole half slab of butter! No wonder its so good! We always joke that its like crack well butter is...well crack like! lol 

I can say the popcorn wasn't all that great for some reason (why does that happen?!) so that was my fond farewell to the popcorn lady. I'll go stock up on some 100 calorie packs! While food shouldn't make you happy...I will say his act of kindness and the hot chocolate did bring a smile to my face. I am a simple girl :-)

Anyhow Bodycombat calls tonight!

Wii Wii Wii!

I found an alternative form of exercise this weekend in the form of Wii! My sister bought a Wii & Wii Fit program some years ago and it is really fun! This weekend we bought the Just Dance 2 and what a workout lol plus it was pure comedy! After a few minutes of Proud Mary I was sweating something fierce! Its great! My fave was OutKast! lol Christmas the battle is on! A Soror mentioned they have a Michael Jackson version! Sweeettttt!  

Sunday was Mom's birthday and we took her to a champagne brunch. I tried to plan as best as I could and I did ok. I only had 2 mimosas now that I know they are 4 points each; I took my time. I stuck to seafood like crab legs and steamed shrimp. I had a few pieces of bacon and just tasted the other things andddd I was okay until the dessert! They had this bread pudding that was TO DIE FOR! I won't even tell you how many servings I had! Whew! Well what the heck is a serving of bread pudding anyhow?! 

I bought a cake from Sugarbakers   a very well known and liked cake spot in Baltimore! That was de-lish! Good thing it was small I swear I could have ate the whole thing! That's it below! Ain't it cute!

Monday I made it back to the gym for personal training with my Mom who is visiting for a while. She has a personal trainer back home that she was inspired to get one after I had such great results with Charles! So she got the real deal lol it was a hard workout that ended with 100 crunches! She was excited to see she could actually do 100 crunches lol I was too! She's lost about 20 pounds over the last year and looks great! She was always a gym rat I remember her taking me to Suzy Marlow (LOL Nu Yorka/ Bronxites may know!) an all women's gym when I was a kid and she ot me my lifetime Bally's membership back in the day too! So she's been on a workout kick even before it was trendy I guess! A/w the session just reminded me that I like my one on one time. I am spoiled! I paid for 7 more sessions and I will get the 24 sessions in a few weeks to carry me through to the spring.

The weekend flew by andddd just like that its Tuesday and I am counting down to the weekend again! I don't have big plans for the Holiday just going to enjoy some down time and the family wants to do dinner at home. I would have been happy with reservations! But oh well! Old, new guy and I may get together I had the best intentions this weekend but shoot I be tired at night (yes I said I BE tired) and with out schedules being so different well it just hasn't happened. Its like the best of both worlds a relationship but still plenty of time to myself (lol) he calls and sends text messages and I am not breaking my neck to "fit him in" or being made to feel guilty either. He said we'll work it out and I told him if he says so but I need to stop being so negative... Something to work on for the new year I guess. He asked if I can make biscuits from scratch lol I asked him why would I need to know that and I am offended he asked when there's a perfectly good Popeye's near my house! lol Jokes for days with this guy

Weight Watchers is closed this Saturday and next Saturday! :-( but I am going to go to my WW leader's other meeting Friday and weigh in and get "The Word!" I need to see about these goals and work harder I am still striving to make a 30 minute a day commitment but with the change in the season and it getting dark so early and my eating outside my points well moving forward.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt!

I had a real moment of denial in Weight Watchers this morning. As I said yesterday I was banking on 3 pounds based on a mid-week weigh in. Well I could have been bought for a dollar when I heard I was up 2.6 pounds! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! This is a new high, meaning I weigh more than I did 2 weeks ago when I went back! How is the possible? Wellllll let's go to the video tape....or my WW journal and well it tells the tale.

My first issue is that dang butter popcorn at work. I have no idea how many points it is. None. I had it 4 days this week. Second issue liquor. I had a good bit this week. White wine is now  points per 4 oz glass. I don't drink 4 oz of wine at a time m'kay? So when I went over the last week I was wayyyyy over. In fact somethings I just plain forgot I ate!

Even better were the things I actually did remember and even journaled but thought it was okay like the two (22 point) Chick fila milkshakes oh and the Oreo McFlurry. Then there was the evening out I talked about and I had a lot of finger food. A lot and then as we recall I had that brownie with ice cream and 2 more drinks. Ohhhh and then there was croissant I had Friday morning. :-/

I am just not sure how I got here...now not the 2.6 added pounds that I am clear on that (now) but the denial! I am really confused as to how I carried on like that this week (again) but thought I'd lose weight! I feel like getting Lawrence (once Larry) Fishboure to scream "WAKE UPPPPPP"in my ear!!!

Weirdddddddd isn't it?! So weird! Well I went back home with some clarity and made a sensible breakfast: 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 boiled egg, a sandwich round, and laughing cow cheese= 6 points.

I went to the gym and worked out with Charles for 1 hour and then did 15 minutes on the elliptical. I didn't feel like doing socarobics so I left. I had a snack- 3 mini slices of low fat cheddar- 3points and 10 seedless grapes- 0 points= 3points (Total= 9pts)

I had a community service project and it took a little longer than expected so I had a small bag of chips
4 points (Total=13 points)

I came home and had baked tilapia stuffed with crab meat -7pts and  veggie medley-2 points and 1/2 cup of rice and peas -4 points (Total =26 points) I have 7 left for the day.

I took a protein shake and an apple that I may have later.

I got to get on it this is not a game! I was so hyped to not be a new year's person but I am just playing games here! So Day 1 went well and I am calling it an early night and going to hit the gym tomorrow before we take my Mom out to brunch for her birthday. We are going to a champagne brunch and I need to earn some good points and plan what I will eat because I know what they offer. As an alternative I may just order from the menu and not leave myself open to that much temptation.

As Whitney Huston said "The forest is OVERRRRRR!" I gotta get back in the game for real for real. I re-upped my personal training sessions and I am tightening up. I am on it yall!

TGIF!

TGIF!!! Yesterday. What a day, what a day! I had to leave work early (and FYI I did well at the office party I really wasn't hungry and there were fruits and veggies and I had a brownie and a bite of a piece of a weird looking chocolate peanut brittle cake!) Well I left at 2pm and I did not make it to my door step until 7 O CLOCK!!!! THAT'S RIGHT 5 FREAKING HOURS!!!! MADNESS!!!

It barely snowed but it was crazy and the traffic was never ending. *smh* I got home and literally got into my pjs and went in the bed! On the way home a soror friend and fellow attorney called me about an episode of Oprah that I listened to over the phone (lol Thanks Soror Jacquie!) and when I got home and after I had my Regional Committee conference call the replay came on. Basically this woman married a gay man who gave her HIV. Needless to say he was on the down low and she had no idea. This is an epidemic! I heard her story before but never had all the details well good for her for standing up for herself and suing him. Lord knows I would have filed criminal charges as well. I had a case one time like this. The charge was intentional transmission of HIV some jurisdictions consider it assault. Heartbreaking. He lived a double life and she got caught up in his confusion and carelessness.

Since I blog about health it made me think about the importance we each have to our own health and well being.  People can tell you anything only you can love and trust yourself enough to be vigilant about your health. This man didn't even love himself based on his behavior so why would he care and love her or care about her safety and well being? So tragic but she certianly has had a test that birthed a testimony. She also has a new man and is having a baby I have my own opinion about that but it was her choice to make. Anyway links to the show below!

http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Why-She-Sued-Her-Husband-for-12-Million-Dollars-and-Won_1

 http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Free-from-Life-on-the-Down-Low




Oooooooooooooooooook *exhaling* well I am doing another post about food since those seem to be popular! I went to do some shopping this week to help with this conversion to Points Plus. I only lost 1 pound last week and "it wasn't not funny" (MTV Real World fans know what I mean) but as I revealed I was not doing my due diligence I had all sorts of things and had it not been for me working out I would have gained I bet! So this week I worked on tighten that up.

I went to the produce market and got some bananas, blackberries, mixed green salad, and pink lady apples (my favorite!)

I hit up the Giant and got the follow items:

My staple Chobani Greek yogurt! They have new flavors pineapple & pomergrante! I have not had them yet but I will check in and let you know! They were on sale 4 for $5.00. In the new WW points system it is 3 points and that is great! I shared with my WW group that the Activa is 4 points and is half the size and half as filling so I ams ticking with Chobani!

I loveeeeeeeeeeee Laughing Cow! As you can see its only 35 calories and they are great! I use them instead of slices of cheese or cream cheese even on sandwiches and burgers!

These are new to me and good for the winter time! Most were 2 points per serving and very tasty! It was a quick 5 minutes in the microwave and it was good to go!

I picked up a few Lean Cuisines for emergencies. My system doesn't work well with the sodium in frozen meals but I only have time from time to time!

 A/w BIG SHOCKER here with the points most were 6 or 7 points max now...
Classic lasagna- 9 points 
Lemon pepper fish-8 points
Parm crusted fish -8 points
Glazed turkey-6 points

Needless to say these are too high considering what they provide but I guess thats the point of Points Plus its almost like a South Beach approach. Here are some articles & blogs about the new program of course http://www.weightwatchers.com/ can be your first stop. :-)

http://danicasdaily.com/weight-watchers-points-plus-the-new-program/

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/12/07/2010-12-07_new_weight_watchers_point_system_may_encourage_dieters_to_eat_healthier_experts_.html
http://www.diet-blog.com/10/weight_watchers_points_plus.php

I will check in on my weigh in!

“I’m just having desserts & liquor"

“I’m just having desserts & liquor" ~ declares Laura Linney at dinner on  Showtime’s newest hit “The Big C” seems all too appropriate for last night's adventures.

Most of you know I don't go out on a school night as a rule because I am an early riser, no matter what. My internal clock wakes me up by 5am regardless of when I go to sleep. Seriously. If I close my eyes at 3am I am up like a rooster at 5am. My body rejects sleeping in no matter how hard I try. Well last night a good Soror friend of mine invited me to a political event and I went to go support.

First of all the house was amazing. I mean not only huge  (read indoor pool) but beautiful also decorated beautifully! It was nice! Real money... Not Oprah money but some real money, like they hired valets *blank stare*

Anyway the event was great and the catering was great too. The company Class Act I have had the pleasure of having before and last night they did not disappoint! I went with the intention of having a glass of wine and staying about 1 hour. Well I had two glasses and didn't get home until after 11pm!

The food came... mini crab cakes, Bruschetta, mushroom some kinda flaky goodness (yes I made that up!), and Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce, and the best the grilled jerk shrimp! To die for!!! In the interest of full disclosure...I had 3-4 jumbo grilled shrimp, 4 mini crab cakes, 2 chicken satay, and 2 of the mushroom goodness and 2 glasses of wine... I am guessing about a days worth of points! Not good considering I only had 15 left! I did well yesterday before going out too! I had Chobani yogurt, almonds, Talipia stuffed with crab, and a veggie medley! Now that doesn't sound like a lot but it was 18 points leaving me with only 15. At my best guess the evening was 16 points in just liquor... ohh yeah see what had happened was.... 

Crab cake!! Yummmm!



Thennnn after the event I got talked into going to Bonefish for dessert (and more) liquor! A former co-worker/supervisor came and it was her birthday and I haven't seen her in a while and wanted to catch up! I got the flourless brownie with ice cream & 2 appletinis! To my credit I only ordered one the waiter brought a second round of drinks without asking?! Who does that?! Anywayyy The other person with us goes to my trainer too and I told her we have to tell Charles we split this dessert! The devil is pictured below*smh*

On a positive note I did do Body Combat earlier that day! In fact I am still pretty sore! The teacher talked a little too much for me but it was a good workout! I must say I was admiring mysef in the mirror. I found an old card for my digital camera and it had the pictures from my trip to Alaska on there and DANG I thought I looked a lot smaller by that trip! I had lost almost 40-45 pounds but my face was still sooooo puffy and I was shocked. Your mind's eye can fool you is all I can say! 

Alaska Summer 09

Dec 2010

  

Alaska Summer 09

Dec 2010

I aint even looking up the points in that damn browine! Aint gonna do it! I will just assume I used my extra 49 points already and tomorrow I have a gala and well I will need to be more deliberate in my choices. That's really all I can say. I can't beat myself up about falling so far off the wagon and I am sure the scale will tell the tale. But to be fair to myself I did some good and not so good. I bad evening doesn't ruin almost a week of doing well. But of course consistency is the key. I am hoping for at least 3 pounds this week per my middle of the week weigh ins I am looking good for that so fingers crossed and here's to staying in control Friday evening. Old, new guy may come and that might keep me on track lol things are still going well. More good conversations and revelations. I began reading this book the 5 Love Languages. Its a good book on how different people communicate their feelings and I am learning a lot.  But we'll see we need to spend time together and go from there. But so far I am enjoying the ride :-) even though I am all about knowing the end of a story but I am really trying the nothing ventured nothing gained approached and thinking good thoughts.

Annnnyyyy wayyyy I did do some good food shopping yesterday and I will do another entry about some of my new finds!

Today is the office holiday party! I swear this season is dangerous!!! I found these good articles on Holiday parties at work and good strategies to stay on track! Click the titles below for the  Eat Smart at Office Parties - Good advice! &  10 Tips to Deal with Holiday Weight Gain- Advice 1-Take a Lowered Fat/Calorie Dessert or Dish to the Party. I liked this idea and did it this year. I brought rotisserie chicken so at least I knew there would be a good healthy lean protein option to go for!

Hope they help!

Please check in with me on how it works out for ya!



Forever 21!

All it takes is 21 days to make a new habit. Three short weeks. Anything you do consistently for that period of time will become habitual.

There are lots of articles, blogs, and sayings out there about how long it takes to make something stick. And 21 days seems to be the magic number! Here are a few Develop A New Habit in 21 Days, 21 Day Habit Blog & the list goes on and on. My ultimate goal is 30 days but I know 21 is the magic number.
So I had to be sure to mark this milestone. I planned to go spinning but opted to go home since it was so cold but I did the Jackie Warner On Demand core workout. WOW Jackie! I love her show and know she is a beast but danggggggg!!!!

Well that time has flown by...at times...it also marks the Monday after the break up with The Mister (as I referred to him as) so its been a blessing that it has flown by but when I hit 6 months and a day I'll feel better about that situation. Ah maybe not but I will feel better when more time has passed than I spent with him.

Anyhoo I am still working on the food part not sure what I am so anxious about but I been eating a lot of chocolate. I had like 6 pieces today. They were minis but still!  They add up!  I need to journal more that usually helps me to sort out what's going on inside but I havent been motivated to go too deep I guess. In part it may be old, new guy and putting myself out there again but nothing ventured nothing gained and I just refuse to let a bad dating experience keep me from being in a happy & healthy realtionship.

I am down like 3 pounds I am not getting excited until I weigh inSaturday morning though. My home scale is usually a pound or so heavier than the WW scale and like 4-5 pounds more than my Doc's scale. So I am not doing the happy dance just yet but I need to keep on track!! My goal was 20 by Dec 31st but I'd be elated in 10 to be honest!

A lazy Sunday

Again with the best laid plans. I have this on again off again reflux and I had the bright idea to have a grapefruit last night and I was sick as a dog all day! I have a Rx for it that I tried to fill it with no luck so I got something over the counter and rested all day. No bueno!

In the end I guess maybe it was for the best. I been going non-stop and everything happens for a reason so I took advantage of the day in bed. Had a few nice convos with old, new guy. He's funny & I do like him. He talked about working out in the new year not that he's overweight but he's been smaller. He made a comment that he hates exercise but loves what it does to his body. He's looking to lose less than 20  pounds :-/  lol everyone has a goal lol anyway I suggested he find something he likes instead of running but I can't relate b/c I love the gym! I joked about a senior flag football league lol he was kind enough to remind me we were in the same generation....oh lol first date number 3 is still pending he's becoming a bit impatient but Imma do my best this week our schedules are very different but we'll work it out soon enough. I enjoy the phone calls and text messages though :-) Its seeming all a little to easy this go around but maybe the third time is the charm!

3,500

Well for the record... 1 pound of fat loss or gained is as a result of over eating or creating a deficient of 3,500 calories. Ahh simple math... In theory! Well this week at Weight Watchers I lost 1 pound. That technically is a good thing but dang nam it I wanted more! A lady lost 5 pounds last week and she looks like she is at goal already so what the heck?!? Well as soon as I heard it I was like "ehh" and the WW check in lady said with a smile "Well it is a LOSS!" I said "Ehhh" and got off the scale. I instantly ran through in my mind what could have gone wrong I mean I worked out and did pretty good at least I was tracking again. But when I thought about what I had...Sunday the all you can eat brunch where I basically had all my daily points plus a good bit of my weekly 49...I also had fried chicken wings, butter pop corn at work that I have no clue how many points a bag is...chocolate candy...and 2 milk shakes...Ummm yeah I'mma take my 1 pound and run lol

So this week we got to pull it together. I did not get a chance to go grocery shopping but tomorrow I am going to hit the gym hard and then the produce market for some fruits & veggies. I already plan to have curry shrimp and some chicken dish. Planning is key in terms of food and exercise.

Exercise:
Saturday-30 minutes
Sunday-Spin, Body Pump, Body Combat
Monday-30 minutes
Tuesday- Spin
Weds.-Body Pump & Kickboxing
Thursday-30 minutes
Friday-30 minutes

This is the plan. Saturday we'll see what the scale says about my plan. I must say the new WW journal is great and gives room for your plan for the week, level of hunger, goals for the week, and a great new section anticipated obstacles & solutions.

My personal trainer is off this week so that was what I listed as a possible obstacle and the possible solution was to take extra classes. Another issue was snacking my solution is to plan treats and not just go with the urge.

So I did my 30 minutes today after a longgggg day and I am patting myself on back for that! I just did some walking, squats, upper and lower body weights while watching a movie!

Well I am reposting this poem yet again this week! Boy did I need to read it!

If I ONLY Lost Just One Pound Each Week in 2011
By Valentine’s Day I’d be 6 pounds lighter! I’m telling you – I’m loving it!
By St. Patrick’s Day I’d be 11 pounds lighter! With the luck-o-the Irish I’ll make my goal!
By Easter I’d be 12 pounds lighter! I’d be a cuter bunny!
By Memorial Day I’d be 21 pounds lighter! Won’t let it rain on my parade!
By Flag Day I’d be 23 pounds lighter!Boy, could I wave my flag then!

By Independence Day I’d be 26 pounds lighter!That’s a neat declaration of independence from overeating!
By Labor Day I’d be 35 pounds lighter!What a wonderful reward for all my hard work!
By Columbus Day I’d be 41 pounds lighter!What a joy to discover what I can do!
By Halloween I’d be 43 pounds lighter!I didn’t think I’d have had a ghost of a chance!
By Thanksgiving I’d be 47 pounds lighter!I’d have so much to be thankful for!

By Christmas Eve I’d be 51 pounds lighter!
Talk about being merry!
By New Year’s Eve I’d be 52 pounds lighter!It’s not just a new year, it’s a NEW ME!!
My Weight Watchers leader shared this with our class when some of us were upset that we ONLY lost 1 pound... 1 pound may not seem like a lot but in 1 year thats 52 pounds gone! For some of us that would surpass our weight loss goal so be encouraged 1 pound a week is a GREAT thing!

The Weight Watcher gods must be watching....

Man if it didn't happen to me I wouldn't have believed it! Well I am still at work because I have a Links, Inc. event this evening after work that a Soror who is a member invited me to. So I drove in and had my protein shake and a co-worker and I went to lunch and got a whopping surprise! We both wanted chicken salad well at the Agency next door they have a fancy new cafeteria and well they are going green and going healthy! Well these folks gave out the nutritional information on their sandwiches! Well why'd they do that? I was happy to guess lol anyway we had lunch I opted for chicken salad on white bread I was just in that kinda mood and I still need to clock in the points. My co-worker was kind enough to point out that chicken salad was the highest in calories and fat on the menu! S-thanks!

Ok here's the kicker as always I am feeling like a sweet snack around 3pm. I have a plum but that isn't what I want and the snack shop that sells the mini chocolates I usually buy which are like 2 points for the small pack of M&Ms or 2 points for the mini twix is closed. I buy them because it fixing the fix I need! Well we have vending machines and I opt to go there and bum some money off a co-worker.

Well apparently the Weight Watcher gods were watching and they were not amused! LOL The first problem was my quarter didn't work! I mean do people make fake quarters?! Well my co-worker came with so she bailed me out with a different coin and I saw what I wanted humm hummm peanut M&Ms...

Well I punched in the corresponding letter and numbers E-10 ...here I go.... E... 1...humm wait...wait...where is the zero? No not number one I want 1 and 0?!?! When did they start making a number 10 button on vending machines?! I look with panic at E1... Got damn Nature Valley Granola Bar!?!?! ^%$###$&*) Whatttt! Literally I was screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" in the hallway lol Damn...I let it go and took the damn granola bar... Its aiight its a little sweet...but tomorrow is weigh in and I am sure the points gods know what they are doing lol

Have a good weekend!

:-)

A human life...

Well Day # 17 is here I got talked into joining a committee and they meet tonight at 6pm. My goal is to leave by 6:45 and go home or try and catch my trainer class at 7pm. Last night was Day #16 I did Body Combat and 15 minutes on Lippy before class. It was a good workout and I was glad I made it there and worked out. I'm more than 1/2 way to 30 days!
I was so sorry to hear about Elizabeth Edwards who passed away of breast cancer. And then poor Aretha Franklin 's diagnosis! It was kinda weird considering yesterday's post about my reason for getting my health together in 2009. We have all seen Aretha get bigger and bigger and look so unhealthy. I sometimes look at my old pictures and wonder why no one said anything. My mother always says she did and yeah in her own Jamaican way she would... like buying me a $700 treadmill in 2008 (lol) that was a big "HELLO" but your health is really just one of those things no one can make you realize anything. You have to "get it" on your own. That Ah Ha moment is the only way to break free and even then its a battle. No sooner than I get home I was hit with some tragic news about a good friend and soror and I am just again reminded life is too short.

"A human life is a story told by God." ~ Hans Christian Andersen

All in the family!

Well I got a great article about my Uncle Henry I wanted to share ~~~> Jamaican scientist makes prostate cancer breakthrough!

I know when I began my journey in 2009 my health was my primary focus. I am not going to lie I did want to look and feel better but I had Aunts that have passed away from breast cancer, a grandmother who died of complications from diabetes after having her foot amputated, my Father and another Uncle were treated for prostate cancer and well that's a little scary. While I love buying new clothing and showing off a new body in the end what does that matter if I do not have my health? I will gladly live to 100 years old if I can be like my grandmother who at 95+ (although she still claims 88 years old lol) and she still goes to look for "her old people" at the hospitals (most of whom are in their 70s mind you), does fundraisers for her church, and still runs a little side store business. *smh* People wonder how I do all the things I do and I always say ALL the women in my family (both sides) are just like me. Funny... had my blood work done last year and I do have higher than normal levels of B 12 so it is seriously in my blood lol

But my point is we are all born with certain predispositions and I know cancer and diabetes are two health issues I need to be mindful of. As was high blood pressure. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 28 years old and I was devastated! I was in my 20s although I chalked it up to stress at my job but really my weight did not help at all. My Mother was diagnosed with high blood pressure at 28 when she got pregnant with me. She said it went up and never came back down. I did not relish the thought of take pills until I was well in my 60s. So my Doctor said join Weight Watchers and exercise at that point I lost about 45 pounds and did well to keep it off for a while and I was able to reduce my medication. Even though the scale kept yo-yoing over the years the exercise helped to keep me on the lowest water pill dose necessary and then last year when I lost about 60 pounds I was able to stop taking medication all together! That's a huge victory. 

I often hear people say they look better and feel better in their 40s then they felt or looked in there 20s and I am well on my way. In fact I found pictures from my 30th birthday in Vegas and in compassion to my 35th I look like two totally different people. Its amazing.  I would post but in order to protect the innocent and guilty I promised to never show those pictures lol maybe I'll do some cropping lol

Anyhoo no exercise for me yeaterday. Everything hurts...my abs, my legs, my arms...everything so I took a pass yesterday. Unforuntely I took a pass on proper eating last night too however I know that was for emotional reasons and I accept that and will work on that. I am still within my weekly points because I execised so much already so I am still hoping for a good lost on Saturday. My lesson this leg of the journey is failure isnt fatal. I can skip a day and get right back on. I am already 16 oz in on my water and eating a healthy breakfast. In fact I wanted to share!

I found some snacks I wanted to share since the food post always get good feedback!

Having this now for breakfast its 110 calories 1 fat 23 carbs 2 fiber 3 protien = 3 WW points

Had this yesterday for a mid morning snack this was a little higher it was 4 points extra carbs with the pretzels I guess

Got them at Safeway 2 for $3.00 I'll get them again good to snack on while at work.

Last thing was this before and after picture of Monique! I mean DAYMMMMNNNN! I love it! Moving forward with Spinning tonight!