Why the scale lies!

Ughh I am a lil frustrated with myself! Yesterday I randomly hopped on the scale and it had me 5 pounds heavier than Saturday! I was so mad and I started to retrace all my food & drink steps and to me it STILL didn't add up. Now I have had those moments of food amnesia when I seriously do not recall eating a lot and if I am on my journaling game I can go back and find the errors of my ways! But I have been faithful to http://www.myfitnesspal.com and logging in food, water, and exercise! So I WAS mad! Well for some reason my anger translated into several eating adventures like 4 mini chocolate bars and an ice cream drumstick. Why I opted to take a negative approach to this set back is beyond me. I guess its like the rebellious child in me acted out. That on top of some car issues... I cracked I guess. But last night I caught myself from what could have been a serious downward spiral!

On the positive side my workout buddy system is a great help. I texted Dawn to ask about class and we met for the 6:30 Thai Pads class at the Krav Maga studio.  The Thai Pad class was a mixture of kicking and punching using different equipment from the regular Krav Maga class. The name comes from the primary equipment you need for class namely Thai Pads! They allow you to do kicks and punches closely together while training. Very effective! So you can strike (punch) then your partner can shift and you can do a roundhouse kick!

Cool right? Thai Pads

We also used another piece of equipment called a punching mitt which Dawn and I worked with to learn the combinations. The combinations were hard to get for some reason!

A mitt to catch punches lol

The class works like a buddy system so your partner uses four "calls" which are punching instructions. You make the calls to your partner who is doing the punching. The calls are 1, 2, 3, & 4 easy enough and they correlate to a particular punching sequence 1- is a straight jab 2- a jab then a cross 3- a jab then cross then hook & 4- put it all together and add an upper cut. 

It sounds easy but the brain takes a minute to catch up! We ended up also doing kicks and various combinations and worked up a sweat. We were watching the class we took last week and he ramped it up and we kinda wished we had gone there! LOL Dawn was more upset than I was she felt the training part was too long in the new class but I reminded her that's why she was mad at the other guy last week because he didn't give enough direction lol Ahhh women no pleasing us!

I liked the new class and now that I have had a chance to learn the combinations I'll take it again. The new teacher was cool and I cracked jokes and he cracked them back!  Everyone there is cool!

Ohhh and he also threw in jumping rope as a warm up! Ughh man I think I will buy a jump rope that's some good exercise! We also did ab work and push ups in between combinations. My abs are still sore from the other day like if I sneeze I flinch lol in pain!

This is a busy weekend (as usual) but its cutting into my workouts! I don't know what to do!

Tonight: I am free but in an effort to get some Spring cleaning done I want to go through some stuff I have to purge! Plus I was a lil tardy to work watching The Royal Wedding so I can't make the spin class!

Saturday: I have an AKA event at 11am then another event hosted by a Soror at 7pm

Sunday:  I have yet another AKA event and its gonna be all day too

Monday: I have Personal Training and I will take an earlier Krav Maga class b/c I have a meeting that evening

Tuesday: Classes till after 9pm so something at work must be done maybe the stairs

Weds.~Krav Maga Level 1

Thursday- Level 1 or Thai Pads

Then its Friday again! WHEW

Ohhh and as an update I got on the scale again this morning and it was back down
:-/
So I guess its not that scales actually lie but they do fluctuate...daily and sometimes several times a day at that! Lesson to all including myself don't get too tied to the scale and I may need to look into putting mine away and relying on Weight Watchers once a week for a little bit to avoid mood swings like yesterday! Here's a good article ~~> Why the scale lies... 

In reading the article I realized I've been "in the box" more recently (ie eating more processed foods) I learned a while ago my body reacts very differently to processed foods like frozen dinners and my body can hold a lot of water weight. Yesterday I was diligent about my water intake and had some fresh fruits and veggies and exercise and voila! Gone! A word to the wise...


Today I brought my Chobani yogurt, a southwest salad, some extra chicken strips, a mango, and water and I am good!

I'll check in over the weekend! Have a great one!

Dating & Dieting-Revisited!

Ok I guess the title is a lil off since we are on a journey towards a healthy lifestyle not a "diet" but the title "Journey towards a healthier lifestyle while dating"  wouldn't be as catchy right? :-)


Well the date with "Superman" went very, very well. :-) After the gym I hit him up to suggest a location but he let me know he already had a nice place picked out! 'Cussssse me! He picked a nice restaurant by the water that I was familiar with since my sister had her 29th birthday dinner there a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day so it was a great choice! I, who is never late, (is that proper English? lol) didn't leave my house until 10 minutes before we were going to meet which wouldn't have been bad but for the fact that I live at least 20 minutes away--Ekkkk!


I NEVER DO THAT! I felt soooo bad! I had to call and apologize and lo' and behold he was already there! I told him I'd be there in 20 minutes and well it set everything behind schedule. That's my type A talking because we both blocked off the whole afternoon (post gym) & evening to see each other so technically there was no firm schedule to speak of! LOL I made it there and he was as fione as I remember and we hugged and I apologized over and over again and he kept making me feel bad about it lol 


Ok so I have a Weight Watchers rule of sorts to check out a menu before hand so when I go to a restaurant I already know what I plan to order. The thing is when you are hungry everything looks good! They also suggest that you don't go grocery shopping when you are hungry either btw. Anyway, I am really starving nowadays and it isn't head hunger or greed! According to MyFitnessPal.com I am burning like 1000 calories with Krav Maga and on Saturday I did Krav Maga and a 1 hour Personal Training session so I easily burned 2000 calories!  I am on some real calorie restriction right about now and I was fasting last week doing mainly liquids so as I incorporate food back I think I was maybe being hyper vigilant but I didn't think about looking up the menu so I felt a little frazzled! :-(


And all that is to say I did what I said I would never do... I became THAT GIRL. You know her! That crazy diet girl on a date! Come on!  You've seen her! She takes like 15 minutes to order her food...salad dressing on the side, butter on the side, baked in no oil girl! Ughhh I hate her! OK so I wasn't that bad! But in an effort to be honest...*sigh* I almost denied that man bread at the table! *hanging my head in shame* Literally almost denied him bread because the waiter came over to ask if we would like bread and I said "No!" LOL  Yes I did. But "Superman" looked at me and said "I'm hungry I been waiting I want bread!" LOL DANG!  


Ok so I read a lot about a lot of stuff but dating in particular when the mood strikes me and one thing that both women's magazine and men's magazines talk about is not being THAT GIRL! They warn women to just exercise a little more that day or eat a little less so you don't have to seem super obsessive over every calorie while you are out on a date and should be having fun because its a turn off. And they warn men that women who act like that can be bossy, crazy, hard to deal with, etc.. So no bueno all around. 


Now to be fair I am not good at eating out. I think of eating out as a time to splurge. I don't order salads for a meal. I want what I can't get at home. But I am trying to remind myself not every time I go to eat out is a celebration. The last two dates were food nightmares because I was going with the flow but in an effort to lose my 30 lbs by June 30th I have to get some balance here because not dating is not an option.


Anyway so the waiter brings the damn *kissing teeth* warm, hot, buttery freshly baked bread and brings 2 big loaves! Now he heard the mini fight about the bread why did he bring two of them?! *eye roll* Then he places them in the middle of the table! It was like and out of body experience I shoved the plate with one menacing finger away from me with an AKAtude LOL and looked away! So of course Superman who works out and keeps himself in very gooooood shape smiles and says "Its all about moderation." I agreed but told him I haven't been moderating very well lately so I need to pull it back in for a minute. He shook his head and ate that bread with butter while I looked away mad! In my crazy carb reduced mind I was thinking "Why cant I be 6'3'' and 250 and all muscle and eat bread!?" These of the thoughts of a crazy diet person. No like seriously for a second I wanted an answer. LOL


Well the waiter came back and I opted for the crab cake and then the choice of sides came up...*insert the Jeopardy music here* Miss would you like fries, No! Mashed potatoes? No! Random veggies in oil? No! Red bliss potatoes? Ok... YES! Who knew bliss meant roasted with oil by the way? My red potatoes came out shiny!!! Ughhhh! Ok so I slowly had the crab cake and water! He noticed that I didn't have the potatoes and asked why I didn't eat them *eye roll* I said "No reason you want them?" He smiled and said no thanks! He knows he saw them looking all shiny! LOL


We talked and laughed and enjoyed each others' company but the time kind of got away from us and my lateness cut into the movie time we were supposed to catch so we ended up walking around the mall and getting to know each other  to kill time to catch the later show. I am not a PDA kinda gal just never have been one for a bunch of hand holding and lovey dovey stuff in public but for some reason I felt comfortable with him, it was nice, and I liked it! :-) 



My Soulmate idols! Can you name that couple?

 
Technically that was our first real date (we met out and about, and then I went to another event he hosted) so it was nice to be ona  real date date with him. He was very....affectionate and we'll be seeing each other again soon. Somehow the topic of him cooking for me (yeah that's how I do! Greedy lol) came up and he said well you aren't eating anything anyway! I told him I am eating just not as much and told him about my 30 pounds by June 30th goals. He seemed a bit concerned and I told him I lost 8 pounds since the beginning of April he asked what I was doing and I told him cutting calories and upping my exercise a lot with the Krav Maga and my personal trainer twice a week. He nodded and said cool but added that for the record he liked me the way I looked when we met. That was in January so I have lost maybe 10 pounds since then and I told him thank you but its my goal for me and to be honest I haven't lost much but working out seems to reshape my body very quickly because the scale isn't really moving all that fast in my mind.  


I was telling Soror Jacquie it is weird people seemed to have missed my first 50 pounds but these last few pounds people seem to really notice every 10 pounds up or down! She said its true because the closer you get to your goal it is more noticeable. Weird! I really don't see it. In fact another Soror posed a great question about when does your mind catche up with your new body and I told her mine still hasn't! I can only appreciate the changes when I look at pictures.


Anyway Krav Maga update! So my friend Dawn & I checked out the KO Heavy bag boxing class! Ok I was gossiping and I got there almost as class started and I see some of the bags hanging from the ceiling so I asked her where is mine!? She informs me that we have to hang the bags ourselves! The hell? The bags are like 6 feet tall and weigh God knows how much? I was like HOW?!?! So she walks over with me and  some tall stranger helps hoist it up and latches it in! I was already out of breath! Now the instructor was this young Black (can I still say black? lol) guy Justin who I met my first day and he gave me a tour. Ok Justin is a Drake (*term used for the cuties that are too young b/c they were born in the 1980s) he's sweet and funny and well he is deceptive! That class was hard as HECK!!!! I told him he is not as nice as he looks! We did various combination of punches, knees,  and side kicks and for the record the "punching bags" ARE HARD! I was like Justin I am not gonna break my foot playing with you! So he explained in doing a round house kick I want to hit the hard part of the bag with my shin.... Is that right? *humph* in between we did something called 21-15-9 and we had to do 21, 15, then 9 Russian twist with a medicine ball, sit ups while passing the medicine ball, and push ups in descending order. Madness because in between our partner would do heavy bag work.


Can we say testosterone? These men where punching the heck out of these bags and jumping and doing knee strikes and round house kicks and just out of control! Yummy! LOL On our way out of class I saw my first Krav Maga "boyfriend" red beard Mike! I informed him that he was still my favorite but Justin worked us out good so he said he was glad to hear it and held his hand out for the Barack & Michelle fist pump! :-O Love him lol I told him "Justin was really good because he looks sweet and innocent see with you I saw crazy coming!" LOL he laughed! So cool!

Well we sweated up a storm and that class is a keeper! I am still feeling a dull ache in my abs! Whew! Good stuff! I am excited about this week's weigh in although I have had a few slips like on Easter my sister and I went to IHOP for breakfast did some power shopping then went to Carrabba's for dinner! I had the chicken parm and lasagna! De-lish! No liquor though! Oh but we split dessert! So I haven't been perfect!  But I plan to do the following:

Monday-Trainer & 30 minutes Chizel In and 1 hour KO Heavy Bag- Done

Tuesday-Off to speak at a Domestic Violence workshop

Weds- Krav Maga Level 1

Thursday-KM Level 1

Friday -TBA-maybe spinning

Saturday- AKA event 11-4 other Event 7-10pm (may train early with Charles)

Sunday- AKA event (early morning/afternoon)


So we'll see what happens I'll check back soon!

Men & Manicures

Well Day 2 of Krav Maga recap is as follows!

Well Thursday  Dawn & I went back to Krav Maga and did another Level 1 class. First things first I am tired of people underestimating me. The check in girl and a classmate from the day before seemed surprised that I came back. Heck I wasn't even sore like that! *eye roll* Anyhoo I got there early because I didn't want to go home and so I spent a few minutes gossiping on the phone with a soror and then I saw a group of like 15 people dash by my car. I was confused and looked down the steep grassy knoll (lol) or  hill of the parking lot and low & behold the blond mohawk guy had the class running up and down the hill as part pf the Krav Fit class! I was like "...da hell!?" I was actually taken aback  lol the instructor had the nerve to wave and smile I me I shook my head and walked away lol

We had a new teacher we did more elbow strikes and various ways to get out of bear hugs and choke holds. It wasn't as cardio intense as the day before and dawn was a little vocal about that lol I reminded her of two things #1 its just like a regular gym every spinning teacher isn't the same so we know not every class will be the same #2 its not an exercise class its a self defense class so we will try the Thai Bag class next week.


Day 3 -Recap!

Well the same teacher from Thursday  was the ALL LEVELS teacher today! WHOAAAAAA whole different energy! But it was a tough workout for sure and I learned a lot! I did get choked a few times...a few times and not just by Dawn either! These men...lawdddd I got a small cut on my hand but I will live! We did a lot of work on the ground both getting attacked and doing the attacking. High energy stuff!
 
Afterwards I did a quick shopping trip and I will post a "This is what getting on track looks like" post soon got some good buys and new stuff to share!

So after that I went to my trainer for our session. It was a great workout it was funny I felt stronger but the workout still got me! I had to do 10 stairs (Yikes!) but on the upside I was jogging up the stairs and went all the way to 7 flights before stopping for water! Good progress! I remember my first stair experience I did like 3 and could have fallen out!
 
Well after my workouts I treated myself to a manicure. My experience lately has been interesting every time I got for a mani &/or pedi I see men. So true to form I saw some men getting manicures today...I am all for men keeping themselves up BUT one guy actually said to the other guy "Got to keep it tight right?" *blank stare.....* Ok yall get your manis but should yall be acting like its a good thing? I mean really? Maybe that is why I am soooo drawn to Krav Maga and the men there. Those are some MEN, MEN! It transcends race, height, weight! Some of the guys at Krav Maga are like a buck O- 5 but have a walk about them! I guess the walk *looking at a 6'5'' 260 pound man* and says "I could kick your arse and you don't even know it!"

 I mean I don't advocate violence but there is something very manly about seeing a man punch and head butt another guy and then take him to the ground and knee him in the face! Just saying... I guess variety is the spice of life but I'll take manly men for 2000 Alex! lol

My pretty pink & green gear! Gloves & wrist straps!

Speaking on manly men...."Superman" flew back into the picture. I guess like Gucci Man'g says "Boys (instead of girls) are like buses miss one next 15 one coming" (lol) Ahhhh 'Dating by Gucci Mang' keeps ya sane I guess! I am not where I was a few months ago when we met...taking a break but meeting lots of nice guys so "just dating" was fine I am outta that phase and open to being in a relationship again....so I know this is more of a nice evening out that I will enjoy and see what happens! Men are kinda addictive. I am all for self esteem and self love but a compliment from someone else goes a long way sometimes! Like the other day I went to run an errand fresh out the shower from the gym hair pulled back no makeup jeans and a tshirt and some random UPS guy had a million boxes but held the elevator for me so I asked if it was ok for me to squeeze on the elevator with him and he said "There's always room for beauty hop on!" Now that was nice :-) Superman likes to go heavy on the compliments and its flattering so maybe its what the doctor ordered after being thrown around by men this morning lol get a nice guy to open some doors and pull out chairs :-) We are going to do dinner and a movie and I am looking forward to it!

Well have a Happy Holiday!

Ohh PS made it to Weight Watchers down 8 pound since April 2nd! My 30 by June 30th is now only 23 pounds left! Whooo hooo!!

Anyway that's all for now!

Krav Maga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well....... I DID IT! I took my first Krav Maga class and signed up for a 6 month membership!

Krav Maga is the official self defense system of the Israeli Defense Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement agencies and thousands of civilians in the United States. Krav Maga is a simple, effective self defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios. (quoted from their site!)

Well let me just say if I wanted something to shake things up...this is certainly it! I will do my best to  describe what happens in Krav Maga but I'll just post a video so you can see for yourself! lol

Well I got my friend Dawn to jump into the madness with me and so we met up for class and worked as a team! We took the Level 1 class. In order to take Level 2 or 3 you have to test into those classes (more on that later). The upside is they have a variety of workout options and we plan to try as many as we can!


Ok so here's the details!


We started class with a bow which is the only formal thing they say they do you bow in and out. We began running in a circle to warm up. We then did 10 push ups, sit ups, and then squats. After that we had to take the heavy bags for a walk. Yeah.... Not sure if you get my drift but basically the heavy boxing bags that hang from the ceiling? Yeah Dawn & I had to put it on our shoulders and walk outside like it was a log. WOW! That was some bull! lol I have a picture with Mike in front of the bags they were almost 1.5 times my height and I gotta ask today how heavy it is! That was a chore!


We then learned the proper way to throw a punch and a palm strike. Serious stuff! The instructor Mike was asking why one would punch in a certain way or use a palm strike instead of a punch and some of the answers were "Say you broke your thumb or hand and you still needed to defend yourself" *blank stare*


 I guess I had a real "What chu talking about Willis?" look on my face! I even said out loud "I mean is that the answer? Because I don't plan to get anything broken" lol Look I am a girl...unapologetically allllll girl too!

So he goes "Ok say you just got your nails done and you don't want to mess them up!" *insert light bulb moment! "Or you go to a wedding and some girl is talking to your man and you want to take her out..." I said oh I get it now and we both said "See we are here" and did the eye to finger motion back and forth to one another! lol Too funny! I like him he is funny and you can tell he's been in a fight or two! Plus he's a red head gotta love red heads (Ok so he's bald but his beard is red!)


Anywayyyy back on topic!!! We also did sparing with smaller hand held punching bags (is the best way I can describe them). So we switched back and forth doing punches and palm strikes on that. Let me just say it takes a lot of energy to punch properly. I now understand why its an insult to say someone punches like a  girl! When you throw a real punch the purpose is to throw your whole body behind it! As Mike said if you are going to punch someone you need to commit to doing damage. Just saying....


By the way they do play music. Mostly head banging heavy metal which I do't listen to but under the circumstances it actually fuels that inner rage necessary to punch someone out so it works! Ok so to mix it up we put the hand held punching bags on the floor and did a flurry of palm strikes as if we were straddled on top of someone and striking them in the face and then when our partner called out "GO!" we had to get up and run at top speed as Mike put it "No gingerly jogging" across the room and start punching the hand held bag they had. Non stop! WHEWWWW! Again palm strikes, running, punches, repeat = a lot of sweat! We also learned how to get out of a choke hold successfully for us not so much for the person doing the choking *evil laughter*  I posted a video below that shows some of the drills we did! Check it out!


Ok so I have a way of judging how good a workout is and its gross; its based on nose sweat. Its just like what it sounds like sweating from your nose! For me, that's a good workout... sweat from inside my nose = a for real, for real workout! My forearms sweat like crazy too under the right workout conditions. Typically spinning classes will do the trick and sometimes my personal trainer's Chizel it class will push me that hard. Well Krav Maga had me nose sweating during the warm up! Score!


Anywayyyy at that point in the workout my mind got slow lol seriously I was fatigued more so mentally than physically. Like my reactions were slow we learned how to shuffle on the balls of our feet and strike (punch). Then we teamed up and one person (A) lead the shuffling while the other (B) followed their random movements. I seriously couldn't keep up my mind was gone! I kept apologizing to Dawn but she said she understood. Like I saw her shuffle right and I would pause then go right... she went left... I went back... she went left... I went right! Madness! LOL Mike explained that the training is done in order to push you to fatigued and still be able to respond especially in a stressful situation like being attacked. Krav Maga is NOT kickboxing. A word to the wise is sufficient. It is a training modality for self defense. The class was pretty mixed in terms of age, race, & sex. There were only 4 other girls but that made the class of about 10-12 about even. Krav Maga is actually one of the things recommended for women to learn self defense. The employee explained a lot of times women come after they've been attacked so while our goals may be mostly fitness we should keep the self defense aspect in our minds as well.  In fact they are sponsoring a 'Women's Only Rape Prevention Event in Columbia' on April 30th, 2011! I am sorry I have a sorority event or I'd go! If you are in the area check it out its interactive and you get to beat people up! 

But back to the class it was was very empowering. I left feeling like I learned something valuable and I feel excited about where I will be physically  and mentally in 6 months. The one thing I did notice was the guys did not baby us! The heavy boxing bags were hard to lift and put back and they did theirs and kept it moving. I had to say "Well now I see why men are so important!" *humph* chivalry dead in Krav Maga  ladies :-) Another thing the girls in the class were tiny little itty bitty things! My friend commented that one probably had 0 body fat and I said this (Krav Maga) is why! I swear skinny people don't tell their secrets! You'd see these chicks in the club sipping water and dancing and think ugghhh how does she stay so small meanwhile back and the Krav Maga ranch she is flipping 200 pound men onto the ground! Well I am telling everyone! Don't look at skinny people and be fooled! They have to work at it too!


It was certainly a GREAT workout and I think the energy in the place was good too. Maybe it was all the testosterone! Most of my gyms are mostly women but there's something about a man's gym! This one in particular all the tattoos and what not! Its a different environment BUT very welcoming and friendly! There was this guy in class and he said "Well only 30 minutes to go!" with a smirk! I responded very seriously "You talk too much! I was perfectly happy thinking there was only about 5 minutes left" Everyone laughed :-) lol 

Ok so we did a Level 1 class and the employee who signed us up is a woman, Dawn asked her what level she was and she said she was a Level 2 so we "Oohh and Ahh'ed" and she pointed out a very cute guy kinda looked like Aston Kutcher at the counter and said "Oh please Will's a Level 3!" And he proceeds to roll up his sleeve and make bicep muscle as he nonchalantly types on the computer and said "Oh did someone call me?!" We fell out!  Jokes for days! Its a very cool place and they are serious about fitness good combo for me!

So here's the deal you can only take Level 1 classes and the Fitness classes until you TEST into Level 2 or 3 classes. You know I like a challenge! So thats my end goal. So get this the test 5 hours long!

:-O

Yes 5 freaking hours! Of course my first question was do I get a certificate and yes you do! Score! So they said it typically takes about 6 months at Level 1 to be ready to test so that's my goal to test out of Level 1 so I can either advance to level 2 and/or have eternal bragging rights! So I'll keep you posted!


Ohhhh we met another instructor with a blond mohawk with brown roots!! Yes! He just looked cool! Maybe its because I am so conservative I always like seeing people that don't conform! But he gave us high 5s and said he's looking forward to us taking his class! I bet lol  He teaches the Krav Fit class which is a combination of Krav Maga and Cross Fit ! (The enemy of my fave Gym Jones but it'll do for now!) We'll check that out soon I have to take a Intro class and its the same day as another event I have in DC I may try to sneak in without the intro that they only do once a month. I dunno though I might not mind waiting until June lol a/w I'll report back! Lastly, if you are thinking about it you may be asking yourself what do you need?


If you may want to try it out here are a few things you will need: light weight (clean-ie not worn outside) shoes, hand wraps, gloves, and a strong mind!  


I wrote most of this last night but didn't post because I wanted to see how I felt today to give a full report! LOL Well I feel really good! I am not that sore and that may be because I did that boxing class on Monday and I was still sore from that yesterday. My mind does feel more alert and clear. I woke up at 4am and felt great I stayed in bed until 5am anyway since I had to reason to get to work at 6am (lol) But overall so far, so good! I will say last night I was starving! I been on a fast and well I broke free on some Chezz it and chips :-/ but I am back on track today. I still plan to buy a juicer and try some of my personal trainer's drinks but my friend made a good point you can buy freshly juiced drinks at Trader Joes & Whole foods I may start there!


Well we are going tonight and I told Dawn about my 30 pounds by June 30th challenge and she wants in! Sweet! Her goal is 30 pounds too but she is giving herself until November! So its on! Oh and as a quick update I am down 5 pounds! So I am 22 pounds away from my 30 by the 30th goal! I may be able to overshoot that goal at this rate! Dawn thanked me for asking her to come because she has been toying with the idea of doing Krav Maga ever since she couldn't take her kickboxing class a while back. Shoot I am glad I have a partner in crime with this because she was already asking what are our regular days! Great for accountability! Some of you may recall Krav maga was on my second "Best Life Ever Vision Board" so yesterday was a cool moment to actually get it off my To Do list!


Well here are a few photos & below a promo video to give you an idea bout what we did in class last night! Enjoy!





He jumped in lol Great instructor and I am still kinda smiling after his class...kinda. I am standing in front of the heavy bags Dawn & I had to carry!



Check-em out! If you dare!

 


Level 2...One day!!! No street shoes!



Welcome! Ha!

 

Oh...ok will do!


 

The morning after!

Well yesterday was my big come back to the gym! Its been almost 2 weeks and it was time! I went for the Chizel It class and then had my personal training session. Then I went back to the gym for a new Boxing class! I am feeling IT today! The class was a lot of fun plus it was a great workout! We started with 2 minutes of  jumping rope. I forgot how much of a workout jumping rope can be! We did four of those two minute jump rope sessions to start off. Then we moved into various stations where we did punching bags and squats with medicine balls and other workout stations with punching bags in pairs. We ended the class with sparing with a partner then switching after 10 minutes. My shoulders and back are feeling it!

I also went by the Krav Maga studio and will take a class on Wednesday evening to try it out. I spoke with the representative and also got a chance to speak with a woman who was there waiting for class to begin. She said she LOVES it and has been going for about 6 months. They have a few options to workout. The Krav maga, Krav Fit which is like Cross Fit which according to their website it is "...principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide." They have a few other classes like boxing and even Hot Yoga. I am pretty much sold and plan to take the class tomorrow and see how it is.

My countdown ~ I mentioned the other day about my count down to June 30th-So I am starting a daily check in called "30 by the 30th!"  I hope you can join me! All you have to do is pick a goal to accomplish my June 30th!

I fasted yesterday my head feels really clear if that makes sense. I am sticking to juices and water. I spoke with my trainer about juicing and I am going to get a small juicer and try it out! I'll keep you posted!

Have a great day!

~*~Shame~*~

What a busy weekend! The Zumba party went well on Friday night. I saw a few people I know and had fun! I was low on sleep so I stayed one hour and got a good sweat and left. I didn't get to workout on Saturday because I was still very tired. I received an award on Saturday for professional achievement and community service from the The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Incorporated at their 70th Annual Founders' Day celebration! It was truly an honor and I was in great company.

 We had a tornado watch and it rained cats & dogs alllll day and night! I even lost my screen door! Thank God for neighbors! One of mine came over and took off what was left of my poor door. He said his daughter lives 2,000 miles away so he is hoping his good deeds will come back to his daughter by some other nice person. That's a good way to think about life in general.
 
So I missed a party that night my friend from law school was hosting for her hubby. I got in trouble because there were single men there and I was a no show lol between the weather and a road trip I was supposed to go on at 3am that morning I was spent and I apologized. I assured her now that she knows every one's deal (apparently several of the men were single and looking) she can have something else and we can go from there :-)
 
Speaking of single men...Ahhh the new friend bites the dust. Quick right? Its gotta be a new record lol but that's for the best for a lot of reasons. Its funny we got into a convo about weight loss because he's lost about 35 pounds after getting diabetes (in his 30s ouch!) and other health issues and I was saying I regained like 25 and it looks like a lot more to me. Anyway he starts to give me all this advice on how to lose weight *blank stare* I tried to interject that I've lost a good bit of weight and I know its about being consistent and he still keeps telling me all the little things I can do. I was thinking why don't I just say dude I been in an international magazine for weight loss so I'm good? But I guess men are by nature problem solvers and he was trying to be helpful *Kanye shrug*Why I wasn't more vocal I don't know. I'll have to think about that as part of my journey.


On the positive side he re-ignited my desire to shake things up with trying Krav Maga and I am going by there today and sign up! I know I was talking about cutting back on all these expenses but I think this will be worth it! I'll check back in on that!
 
 
In other news Jill Scott is back! Her new song SHAME (the title on this post!) is fire! Vid below! Even Eve is in it! Its my new theme song for 2011 can't wait for the ring tone! I mentioned back in May when my ex and I went to see Jill Scott and Maxwell it took us a minute to realize it was her because of how much weight she has lost! She looks GREAT! As she called it "Slim thickness" was her goal! I found some old and new pics and WOW Get it Jill! I think she is my new weight loss idol. JHud has gone too far for me I dont want to be a size 4! I like my curves and meat on my bones and I think that Jill looks healthy and happy! Love her! Have a productive week!



Slim thickness!

 
 
 

Faith without works is dead...

I am using a popular Bible verse James 2:17 to get back on track. The verse basically means faith by itself won't get the job done. I talk about my Vision Boards and most people who are resistant to the idea think its just wishful thinking. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

The Vision Board merely serves as a means of inspiration. I will not lose weight but just thinking it so. I tried that for a few years so trust me I know lol My vision boards help me to focus in my goals...all of my goals. I am pretty proud to say I have checked off a number of goals on my To Do life list so I understand the value of actual movement in accomplishing things. But alas I am still looking to lose 50 lbs by June. Ok 49.2 lol shoot I'll take it.

Now realistically could I go to an extreme and do it given the fact that I have 78 days until June 30th. yeah I probably could because that would be less than a pound a day (really .6). Now I will be honest I did a pound a day weight loss when i was 22 I remember it like it was yesterday lol I took in very low like 500 calories and exercised a lot anything to make my daily calorie deficit 3,500 a day (remember that's the magic number to lose a pound).

I am 35.

I don't have the strength to do all that so I will adjust my sails and shot for 30 pounds by June 30th. That's .3 pounds per day. Please don't get bogged down in my numbers because honestly this is not the best plan for everybody because it is going to cause me to get all OCD with my numbers but honestly its a sound plan. Its actually a .3 pounds per day x (times)  7 days a weeks would yield me 2.1 pounds per week

That's well within the Weight Watchers guidelines of 1-2 pounds per week. Speaking of which I will need to count calories not points to get the cold hard facts. So I joined My Fitness Pal a Soror & fellow attorney put me on to this tool. Check it out! I entered my information and goals and I began tracking! FYI hot tea, butter popcorn, and 2 mini chocolate bars and ughh I have 300 calories left! I think I see the problem here lol

For the record March Meltdown was technically a success lol I lost 9.5 pounds BUT gained it back. I need to be more specific in my goals apparently. So...I intend to lose and (permanently keep off) 30 or more pounds by June 30th, 2011. S.M.A.R.T. Goals remember! (I swear one day I will tag and link these post up! Promise!) :-)

Its funny how 10 pounds at this weight makes such a big difference. *Warning* Get ready for the excuses....Its been a busy 2 weeks. Last week was my sorority's regional conference! Whoooa what a doozey! It was a great conference but I was extremely busy between workshops, working for my regional committee, seeing old friends and oh yeah sleep! I just did not have a moment to spare! I had good intentions though. I even packed workout clothing but really there was just no time. This is a first for me I typically always get in at least 2 workouts no matter what but I can be honest this was a very very busy conference but its all good!

As of today I was up 2 lbs so I am not terribly distraught. I definitely indulged in a few tasty items while I was away but also got in some salads and snack bars to avoid other high calorie treats on the regular. To be honest I was so busy I didn't really get hungry it was more like oh wait I need to eat or I felt light-headed it was just a busy busy time! I had a blast though seeing sorors from all over the east coast and everyone is doing so well! Winning Awards, Chairing conferences, oh and to pop my own collar my chapter won two awards too! I was very excited since I serve as the Awards Chairman and one of the Awards we won was in the area of Health! Good times! Ohhhh and I did do one thing I been meaning to do since last year! Replace all my old (2x) paraphernalia that is too big! I bought all size large shirts and jackets (yes with an "s") lol In fact I got 3 jackets and about 5 tshirts! Everytime I want to wear a tshirt its so big it looks sloppy so I went to town with a smile on my face. Now to be honest some of the items do not fit just so but I don't plan to stay where I am much longer so I figured like the saying goes "Dress for the job you want not the job you have!" so "Shop for the size you want not that size you are?" Yeah that'll work lol





NARC 2K11

  


Sisters in Sweat all cleaned up for the Gala!

 
I wish I could say I got back to town and got right back on track but I been kinda slacking lately didn't see my trainer on Monday and haven't been to the gym at all! I did bring clothing today and the plan to is to go right after work. I need some new sneakers and I am thinking about abandoning my Brooks *sniff* They cost $120.00 (before taxes) and I get about 3 a year! I need to find some in between sneakers that don't cost as much but still provide great comfort! Any suggestions (other than Nike!) please let me know!

I need to work on budgeting that's almost $400 just for shoes! Keep in mind my trainer ( I just prepaid for 24 sessions last week), plus my TWO gym memberships, and other random things like Hot Yoga...It adds up for real! I need to pull some of this spending in or hit my parents up for shoes once a year. Ahh divorced parents = two people I can ask! See 2 new pairs a year and my in between shoe! Problem solved! :-)

What else...oh I met someone new! Its a funny story all thanks to the possible government shut down. Always a silver lining I guess lol but anyway he is interested in Krav Maga too! I posted awhile back about trying that to shake things up a little bit so I mentioned we should check it out! Hopefully that can happen in the next two weeks I'd like to start May strong! Well another busy weekend ahead! I am getting an award from The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Incorporated and I am pretty excited about that! Then on Sunday I have a road trip for a friend's a baby shower out of town wayyyy out of town lol so my workouts will suffer but here's the plan...

Thursday -Socarobics (1hr) &  Chizel-it (1hr)
Friday- Zumba party 2-3 hours of Zumba apparently (lol)
Saturday- Brickhouse (1hr)
Sunday-Nada
Monday-Trainer &Chizel It
Tuesday-Nada
Wednesday-Spinning &other cardio and free weights
Thursday-Socarobics (1hr) & Chizel-it (1hr)

I'll check in! Thanks for the emails and text messages all is well just busy like a bee! :-) Have a great week & let's all get some work behind the faith this week!!

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.Aristotle

Bridesmaid NSV!

Well my good Soror friend is getting married!! Yeahhhhh! And she asked me to be in the wedding! I am honored of course but I really made up my mind this shall be the last trip I take to David's Bridal... as a bridesmaid anyway lol They carry Vera Wang now you know? Needless to say the $30k number on my vision board is not among the offerings but that's ok. Ok back to my point this is the last wedding I am going to be in I just think after 35 is too old to be in a bridesmaid dress. My opinion! No shame for anyone else but for me this is it! Anyone else looking for me to be in their wedding you got two months to make it happen!

My other soror friend said that if most of my friends are my age wouldn't that mean I would not have any bridesmaids in my wedding. I said well I didn't plan to ask anyone! I mean I guess if my sister wants to be in it she can but I just don't think at this stage its all that necessary. Plus I want a destination wedding I couldn't in good conscience expect people to pay for travel, buy dresses, shoes, etc and all that. So *Kanye shrug* It sparked an interesting debate on the issue and a few others agreed and one Soror friend gave a mini protest in honor of her wedding. I said welllllll  I'll read a poem or bible verse but dude this is it! LOL

Anyhow I have been in a few weddings and in fact there was one I turned down and the reason I did was because of my weight. Eventually my friend and I talked about it (and mind you she had been divorced since then) but she was really hurt that I kept her hanging because I really didn't know how to say I didn't feel comfortable so I just kept putting it off until finally it was too late. It definitely affected our relationship and like I said it was some years later we spoke about it and I told her why I behaved like that. She had absolutely no clue. Its so funny I thought it would have been obvious. Her sister is rail thin has always been and our other friends was no bigger than a size 8. At this time I maybe was a 20/22. Nah wasn't at all interested! It was a defining moment for me though about self image and friendship. Real friends don't care about that and after that I vowed to never do that to another friend. I either needed to lose the weight or suck it up and be a faithful friend because that day isn't about me anyway. I was asked to be Maid of Honor twice after that and I still cringe at the idea and the memory of those events. Lets just say I had to make good friends with a seamstress. Each wedding was an emotional ordeal for me but I did it.

Well my bridesmaid NSV (non scale victory) was my trip to David's yesterday! My experience yesterday was very different from the past. I had several choices of dresses and styles and I was able to walk out with something! In fact I actually need it taken in :-) Sweet! Every other time I had to order and then have fabric added. Awful. But yesterday was a good day! Very good. Could have been better these 25 recycled pounds had me a size up which I almost let blow my high BUT  I looked so DAMN good in the dresses I let that negative self talk go!!

That was refreshing! I fell in love with dress #1 but since they had dres #2 in the store in the color we needed I went with it! Oh and the bride was on speed dial and really like dress #2! In fact her text said "I really like that one!!! But which do you like?" :-/   lol I told her I was cool with either! Plus she let us pick out more modern dresses and I already know I am recycling it for the Omega Psi Phi boat ride this summer! Wooo hoo!! :-) 2 for 1 yall!

Anyway I have done NOTHING ALL WEEK! Well nothing but be social! Between my part time teaching gigS and some social outtings. One of which was an evening with Toni Morrison!  I have seen Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni (twice-she is my favorite poet) so this was another treat to see someone live whose words and writings have inspired me and countless others! A really cool thing the law school did was they provided it free of cost to Alumni and students and also donated 500 tickets to local high students who have been reading her work and doing well in school. :-) 

Thrown in with that was participating in a career fair for a school for young girls and oh yeah there were two happy hours and well I just didn't make it to the gym at all this week. This weekend will be pretty bad between sorority meeting, going out, and another sorority event. I don't see anything happening! I am squeezing in a massage because I always get one before any major conference and that's coming up next week! So I have to find a way to get something in before I leave and pack workout clothing to hit the gym while I am away.

Yikes time flies! But whats a girl to do? I worked hard on the food part this week. I bought the ready packed salads I blogged about and I am going to hit WW Saturday morning and I expect some results even if its just a pound or two! March Meltdown is ova its April 1st a new month already!? Wow well time to think of some changes to make for April I am still interested in doing something new to mix it up I think I may go by  Krav Maga   

That's all for now! :-)