Call it Quits or Not?

Now that I'm on the other side of 35, I find myself, more often than not, considering calling it quits on my dream of having flat abs-- or anything close to it. After all, isnt it at about this age that everything starts working against me as a woman? Metabolism decreasing. Bone density decreasing, etc. But that doesn't stop me from always chastising myself for bad eating or not exercising enough. From my research and personal experience it can take years of consistently doing the right things to achieve the results that I desire. That being the case, that means I could be near forty before I have the body that I want. And what's the likelihood of me doing the right thing to make that happen? So far today all I've eaten has been carbs! Pancakes for breakfast, breadsticks for lunch. What chance does the grapefruit I plan to eat this evening have against that?

That brings me to the question I seem to always be asking myself. Should I just give up the dream? Call it quits on having a slamming body? Is it even possible to do this? After 16 years of tweaking my diet and trying to make exercise apart of my regular routine, is it even possible to call it quits?

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Skinny Fat New Year Resolution

I'm tired of thinking about fitness! Here I am on vacation exercising as I write this when all I want to do is sit on the couch and read. Is that so bad a desire? How can it be, for gods sake? It's reading! Don't the powers that be say we need to do more of that too? Truth be told I'm only doing this because I've been eating cake & cookies and other carbs. The 2 grapefruits and orange that I've eaten don't coke close to the bad stuff. So this is out of necessity.

Since this [exercise] is not want I prefer to do in my spare time, I got to thinking what I can do to not have to do this. Eating better is what I came up with.

In the next few days while most of America is resolving to lose weight for the new year, I'm resolving to prepare more healthy meals at home. Time to put my cookbooks to work, wipe the dust off of them.

Happy New Year!

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

If I Were a Boy--Fitness version

If I were a boy I would have an awesome body without putting forth a lot of effort.

If I were a boy I would have as many children as I wanted without my body having any evidence of such.

If I were a boy I would have little to no responsibility for my children and would, therefore, have plenty of time for the gym before or after work.

If I were a boy I would stay in shape easily by playing basketball with a group of my friends.

If I were a boy I would down whatever I wanted and still burn fat because of my high metabolism.

And finally, if I were a boy, and chose to do none of this and gained a nice gut, I can still be hot because I'm not judged by my figure.

How sweet???

LaCharmine (L.A.) Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at http://www.lajefferson.blogspot.com/

Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/

My Blogs:
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Can You Handle the Truth?

Leslie Sansone has a great body! Not too big, not too small. As I pump my arms and lift my legs to feverently to the beat of the music in her video, I couldn't help wondering if she achieved that body from simply power walking??? What does she do personally to keep her body so nicely sculpted? Inquiring minds want to know. Seriously. I used to wonder the same thing about Denise Austin--another woman who's physical body I stand in great admiration of. When I would be drenched in sweat doing one of her many exercise programs, I would skeptically wonder if I was on the road to transforming my body into something remotely close to hers. Or do I, like Denise Austin and Leslie Sansone, need to commit my life FOR YEARS ON END to reap such benefits.

I just want the truth. I want the numbers. Fitness experts should tell folks that it will surely take more than a few months of dedication to exercise and an healthier diet to have bodies similar to theirs. Most of them have been at it ALL of their lives. Health and fitness is their life! It's not something they, like us, pick up and put down depending on which way the wind blows.

Know the truth and live the truth!

Where's the Beef?

Why does it seem like whenever I buy some cubed steak or beef pot roast,that's when I hear something that I already know--we should as little beef as possible due to how long it takes to digest in our bodies. Knowing that is precisely why I only buy beef every so often HOWEVER that doesn't stop the guilt from hovering all over me while I'm cutting a steak knife through my steak or pot roast. Naturally, I recommitt myself to no beef for awhile after that, then it's back to boring chicken,chicken,chicken. Time to break out the cookbooks.

Fitness Accomplishment

I'm pretty proud of myself! Just a few minutes ago I completed Leslie Sansone's 5 mile walking video--the entire video, which equates to an hour long power walk! This is an accomplishment for more than one reason. Number one, exercising on a Saturday afternoon is NOT something I normally do. Number two, so far this week I've only managed to complete four miles throughout the course of the day and yesterday I only made it to two miles because a few other obligations that got in the way--woke up late, had errands to run over lunch, then my son's cub scout meeting in the evening. Nothing out of the ordinary for a single, working, single mom. Anyway, the fact that I still fit in the workout this afternoon after the morning activities AND the upcoming evening activities that I have, I deserve a pat on the back. Thank you very much! I'm prayerful that the momentum continues!

Overcoming Today's Exercise Obstacle

So far I'm behind schedule for this Friday afternoon. It's one thirty in the afternoon and I've only completed one mile of my walking video. In the words of my high school history teacher, "This is not good. Not good at all." According to my new workout regimen, I should be at three miles by now! Problem started this morning with waking up late and having to leave early due to the weather. But as soon as I got to work, I popped in my DVD--at my desk, no less--and knocked down the first mile of the day. Yep, that's how committed I am to this program! On my next break, I'll sneak in another mile, then the last two at home--prayerfully! I'm also glad to report that I've been eating pretty good, too, and drinking lots of water. No wonder I feel a little thinner today!

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.
Available at http://www.amazon.com/ & www.createspace.com/3370359
Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/
My Blogs:
A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

My New Doable Exercise Plan

Yesterday I spent my lunch period at work working out. Since our building managers have finally refurnished our fitness center with a working television with DVD & VHS player, I was excited to get back to working out AT WORK. For my particular circumstances, it's the best way for me to achieve some sort of consistency with my exercise regimen, which we all know is one of the keys to success.

Although I purchased and have received the 10lb Slimdown program by Chris Freytag, that program is entirely too intense for me to do at work. I'd be too sweaty and would definitely need to take a shower, which would prolong my lunch time, thus my time at work. Who wants to do that, right? Therefore, right now I'm working out with Leslie Sansone Walk at Home video. It's perfect for the workout regimen I'm creating for myself.

The program is 5 mile walking program broken down in individual 1 mile walks. My plan, which I devised yesterday, is to do one mile in the morning before work, 2-3 miles at work between my lunch & two breaks, and the last mile in the evening when I get home. If I keep that up, plus eating more vegetables & drinking more water--the other part of my weight loss plan--I should be able to see noticeable results by the end of the year.

Oh yeah, speaking of weight loss, I plan to do this without getting on the scale if that's possible. Those darn numbers can be so discouraging when they don't budge after you put in considerable effort! I figure I can pick out a pair of pants that fit too tight right now and measure my progress with those. After all, it is my waistline that's my primary concern. The jury's still out on that one. I might weigh myself this Sunday. We'll see.

I'll keep you posted.

It was the Banana Pudding

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving. Who needs to get on the scale to know that they went just a tad bit overboard? Not me. All I have to do is look at the near empty pan of banana pudding and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I need to kick up my exercise regimen! Good thing my Chris Freytag 10lb Slimdown DVD came in the mail over the weekend. With that, my walking DVD, my jump rope, and my hula hoop...Aww shucks! Somebody's gonna be fine as wine bringing in the new year!
Here's what I'm doing this week and beyond to combat the holiday pounds:

• 2 daily 15 minute hula hoop sessions
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator from the roof of my parking garage
• Using my workout DVD over lunch or before/after work
• Eating more veggies, drinking more water, & eating less sugar

What's your plan?

Confession of the Day: Questionable Motivation

"Mommy, I haven't seen you work out this hard in a long time." My daughter commented while we were exercising in our apartment's fitness center yesterday. And, yes, I was working out harder than I had in previous exercise sessions. Ironically, she had no idea that she was behind the intensity--her and her dad.

Yes. Her dad, of all people. Apparently, the Sunday before when he attended church he made a comment about me being a "big girl"! Had my loose lip daughter not felt the need to share this unflatterring information with me I would have been none the wiser, but that isn't the case. She let it out and I had a reaction that even I hadn't anticipated.

Embarrassment. For lack of a better word, that's the closest sentiment that describes how I felt. My ex-husband and I have a history. A big part of that history is him always finding me attractive. Don't get me wrong. This isn't about me wanting my ex to keep having the hots for me, but the last thing I want for him to be doing is looking at me, like "Uggh. She's letting herself go." I wouldn't want any of my ex's to view me like that. Just so happens that he's the ex I'm going to encounter on a regular basis because of our children.

So, yes. I was getting my physical fitness on BIG time to turn this situation around. PRONTO!

Improvision & Rewards: A Fit Life Must Have

I'd planned to hit Zumba class today, but that didn't happen for reasons I won't get into. However, that didn't stop my quest for exercise. Improvising, I call it. I pulled out my Just Dance Wii game and got busy for some about thirty minutes of intense dancing. It was great! I even broke a bit of a sweat, although nothing close to what would've happened at Zumba. Still. Then I rewarded myself with a scoop and a half of Tripple Chocolate brownie ice cream left over from my boyfriend's birthday weekend. Terrible? I'd say NOT. Everything in moderation, right? Right.

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good!

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359
Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Small, Effective Changes Work!

Sooo....I got on the scale this morning. Something I haven't done in quite a few months. BUT it was good news. Although I still have a little ways to go before I get to where I want to be--about 20lbs smaller--I was glad to see that I've come down from that scary place in which I was heading towards...fast. That wasn't a place that I wanted to be. What's really good about what the scale declared to me this morning was that I don't have to run myself CRAZY to lose weight! It only takes small, yet, consistent changes. For example, since the latter part of August, I've been feeding myself and my family home cooked meals. Why haven't I always been doing that? I'm not sure...Actually, I am. I allowed life to get the better of me. Between my personal interest, church activities, writing demands, children's activities--cooking fell down to the bottom of the priority list. Then I found myself wondering how in the world I was allowing myself and my children to eat so much processed foods when I know it doesn't have a good thing for us! I had to remind myself of the "SUPERWOMAN" that I am. While I may not be able to or desire to cook EVERYDAY I can, at least, make sure we have something HEALTHY to eat at home (i.e salads, chicken sandwiches, soup), or I can prepare meals in advance like I used to. Back in the day, I would bake chicken in the morning as we got ready for the day. I may be a bit older but I still have that in me.

Exercising is the other small change I've implemented.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, it's so easy to exercise multiple times during the week. Crunches, leg lifts, dumbbell curls, push ups--all while watching your favorite T.V. program. Yep, it's that easy. And with the fitness center at my apartment complex, I've been hitting the treadmill approximately three days a week.

The combination of the two is working "small" wonders!

Overcoming Obstacles

Wow! That wasn't hard at all! Yesterday after work, I I hit the treadmill in the fitness center of my apartment complex for forty-five minutes. Then this morning I hit the floor for some ab work--something like 5-10 mins--bicycle crunches, side crunches, leg lifts. Still got to work early on top of that! So, of course, the question is, "Why don't I do this at least 5x's a week, if not everyday? It was certainly easy enough! The answer is just as simple: Excuses! Working, cooking dinner, doing laundry, helping with homework, social networking, writing, watching television, sleeping, etc. One way or another, they're all excuses.

Today in my fitness walk--similar to my spiritual walk, continual--I've been forcing myself to overcome these self-imposed obstacles, a.k.a excuses. In doing this, I find that I am not only less stressed, but experiencing more success. Over the last couple of weeks, my son and my daughter have both commented  that my belly is looking a bit smaller. How cool is that?

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at http://www.amazon.com/ & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: http://www.lajefferson.com/

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com/
All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com/
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

"Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Why am I so happy, you may want to know? Unfortunately, it's not because my stomach was miraculously flat when I woke up this morning! Instead, I'm ecstatic because my gym membership has expired. After they took $250 out of my checking account 2wks ago to automatically renew my membership, without my authorization,
I'm extra glad to be free of them. This time I won't get suckered into renewing again either!

Even though I like hitting the gym when I find the time--not often enough--I found something better, more effective, and more fun. Zumba! If you're into fitness I know you've heard of it. Anyway, the fact that my gym charges an additional fee for their Zumba class I figure I might as well support an entrepreneur who does an excellent, exciting class instead if giving more money to a multi-million dollar corporation.

Now all I've got to to is get to the damn Zumba class!

LaCharmine Jefferson,

Author of Unfinished Business, the story of one woman's addiction to the wrong man for the wrong reason & what she risks to get him out of her system for good.

Available at www.amazon.com & www.createspace.com/3370359

Website: www.lajefferson.com

My Blogs:

A Day in the Life of L.A. Jefferson @ http://lajefferson.blogspot.com

All Things Love @ http://all-things-love.blogspot.com

Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/lajefferson

Confession of the Day: Belly Gazing

If it's true that we're predisposed to characteristics of our parents--good or bad--boy oh boy, did I catch a doozy from my dad. Particularly, during my teenage years, I can clearly remember my dad criticizing--that's putting it midly--people, especially women, for being overweight.

"Ughh!" He'd unapologetically say. "These women are just lazy, letting themselves go like that. Who do they think is going to want them with all that fat on their bodies?"

Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not! Seriously! He would even talk about my mother, who wasn't even a big woman. But just the fact that she wasn't as skinny as she was as a teenager and young adult was enough to be on his "unsightly" radar.

But there's good and bad news. The bad news is that I'm not nearly as bad as my dad, but, I do possess his critical eye. And, like my dad, my primary target is women because, unfortunately, society dictates that it's okay for men to get fat. They can still be considered desirable. Since becoming a skinnyfat, when I come into contact with other women, my eyes automatically gaze toward their stomachs. It's become somewhat of an addiction. Anyway, if the stomach is fat I cringe for two different reasons:

1. It's unsightly
2. It's like looking in a mirror at how I look to the outside world.

On the other hand, if it's flat--or close to it--a myriad of thoughts ramble through my mind. Among them are:

1. What did I eat today? What did she eat?
2. Are small stomachs genetic in her family?
3. How often does this woman exercise?
4. Did she have a tummy tuck?

Crazy, right? I know. Believe me, I chastise myself each and every time. But that doesn't stop me from doing the same thing over and over again. It's a vicious, insane cycle!

A Surprising Good Conversation: Health & Fitness Advice

Motivation and encouragement can come in the strangest of forms. On a recent unplanned--right now all of mine are unplanned since I have no real schedule--gym session I experienced such. After a mild argument with with my significant other I needed some time away from him, the kids, the house. Most importantly, I needed to exercise because I was seriously lacking and feeling every bit of it! It was about eight o'clock in the evening, which was pretty late for me but what the heck--it's summer time. The days are longer and if I'd stayed home I wasn't going to do anything but lay across my bed for about two to three hours watching T.V. before going to bed. I need to stop placing limitations on when I can and cannot go to the gym. In my current condition, I need to be at somebody's gym whenever I can get there!

Anyway, I arrived at the gym all pumped up to power walk away the frustrations of life with my favorite workout music playing through my iPod. I ended up choosing a treadmill  next to one that was occupied by an Indian gentleman who didn't, I couldn't help noticing, have any music player with him. Why does this matter? Because when I listen to my music during my powerwalks, I'm prone to sing along with my music and I'm somewhat inhibited when the people next to me don't have their own music to listen to. It's not my intent to aggravate folks during their workout. Before I could put my earbuds in my ear, the gentleman commented on my armband that held my iPod.

"You know, those really aren't good for you to wear while you're working out."

Oh boy,  I thought. Not only was this guy a "talker", he clearly was a "smartypants" talker." I just had no idea how much Mr. Smartypants Talker had to say! From the armband comment he went on to give his seemingly educated--or highly researched based--opinion on a variety of aspects regarding the tricks of the health & fitness industry to keep us unhealthy and unfit! Of everything he had to say, my most important takeways were:

 

1. "Swipe your gym card as much as you can," he said. Set a high gym goal, like -7 days a week--so you'll fall comfortably around 3-4 days.

 

2. "Throw all your Splenda out." Of course, I've heard the naysaying about Splenda and other sugar substitutes but within the context of his conversation, I made a absolute decision to stop using Splenda for good!

 

3. "Eat chicken, beef, & pork only 3 times or less per week." Again, nothing new but he just made it sound like the most senseable thing to do.

In the five years that I've had a gym membership, I've always avoided personal interactions, preferring to use the time for a little quiet time. However, after this experience I'll be a little open to random conversations with the "talkers".  Like my new Indian friend, they may actually have something worthwhile and life changing to say.

Beach Body in 2 Wks? Too Little Too Late

June probably isn't the best time to get beach body (as though I were close to that ) ready. Heck! By the time I get into a routine, here in Michigan, we're likely to be preparing for the fall. So, what exactly does that mean? Should I even bother trying? Or should I just go buy myself some better fitting, preferrably loose fitting, summer clothes? Matter of fact, my local Walgreens store has some cute loose-fitting summer dresses that would be perfect! I guess that's not the worst alternative. After all, I am in my mid-30's now. Not quite so young to be showing a lot of skin just because it's summer time. Times like these I'd give just about anything to go back in time to my 20-something year body that I wasn't satisfied with because I was so hung up over my less than flat belly. Talk about not appreciating what you have until it's gone. Oh well! There's always next summer or an upcoming vacation, or party, or some other event that I'll want to look good for.

Among the 1st things that I thought about this morning was that I havent eaten any vegetables in the last 2 days. That's bad, isn't it? By far this isn't the first time that I noticed this habit.

Now on the positive side I also didn't over indulge in any bad food either. Case in point, past night I allowed myself a treat for the past-- break & bake choc chip cookies. Drum roll please... I only ate 6!!! Why is this an accomplishment? I'll tell you. Back in the day I would have easily baked & ate the whole pack. So today, I'm celebrating progress and planning to eat lots of veggies over this Memorial Day holiday weekend.

Another Ab Product Temptation

How many products have there been? All advertising to be the BEST THING since sliced bread!

I was so close. I almost did the unthinkable--at least in my book. I mean, I was literally minutes away from putting the box in my shopping cart when a rationale voice on the other end of my phone unknowingly brought me back to my senses. It was after my son's soccer practice and I had made a stop at Target before picking my daughter up from drivers training. Let's see...I needed some dish detergent, sandwich bags, and a few other household products BUT my main objective was to purchase the Ab Lounger. Remember the Ab Lounger? Yes, I know this particular product is old news, however, I know too many people who swear by the results it produces--if you use it, of course. Anyway, as the product is old, it was no where to be found in the store BUT the Perfect SitUp was! Backstory: I was mildly interested in this fitness equipment when I first saw the infomercial but I always reminded myself of my firm rule against buying into the endless advertisements for abdominal exercise equipment. They all advertise the same thing, don't they? Providing money back guarantees, and everything to suck you in further. The key is--you have to use the equipment ALONG WITH A PROPER DIET in order to get the desired results and that's where most of us--okay, where I fail.


As my friend was advising me to check out the product reviews before I purchased the equipment, I was reminding myself of the Bender ball and the 8lb medicine ball for abdominal exercises that I had at home and had not been not using. "What makes you think you're going to use this?" I admonished myself. "Do you really want to spend $100 on something that's going to eventually end up taking up space in your house?" NO!

So, after about an hour browsing the fitness aisle I settled on a new jump rope. I figure I can use that while my son is at soccer practice before I walk the track and most importantly, it won't take up any space in my house.

Clearly, as they called out their preferences for where they wanted dinner from on Monday evening, my kids don't get it yet. They're not dealing with their mom of yesteryear. Gone are the days of mindless trips to McDonalds, BK, or Little Caesars. If I can AT ALL help it, we'll be eating every meal at home. And when I REALLY on top of my game, most of those meals will be meatless.

Fat Loss Secret Hoarders

Why can't folks just tell the truth??? Don't they know the truth always comes to light. Eventually. A "friend" of mine who maintains her weight very well WITHOUT exercising, so she says, claims watching her food intake is all she does. Hmph! Now I finally find out the truth! Water pills! And I would have never found out if I hadn't been eating lunch with her the other day. Anyway, this girl comes into our dining area and asks in a whisper, "Anybody have any water pills?" And without so much as second thought, my friend was like, "I do!" It was then that the light bulb went off in my head and I knew she was a fake! I lost respect for her. I mean, seriously, what would have been the harm in admitting to taking a daily water pill for weight maintenance? Was she afraid she'd look like the cheater that she turned out to be, in my eyes at least? I just wish folks would just keep it real. Whether you take a daily water pill, rub some kind of magic potion on your fat zones to keep them toned, have a standard bi-annual appointment with your plastic surgeon, or you only eat one meal a day--whatever it is--don't keep it secret from your girlfriends! We're all in this fat battle together. Let's share and share alike!

Another step in the right direction. It's 11AM-- my lunch time, right? Thing is, I'm not that hungry. So, rather than eat my lunch anyway along with my lunch buddies, I opt to eat the grapefruit that I've been carrying around all week for a mid morning snack! Wasn't that a good idea? I think so!

There a comes in every skinny fat's life that she's gotta start making better food choices. Today mine was 1/2 a veggie wrap for lunch, the other 1/2 for late afternoon meal, and a cup of vegetable soup for dinner. Besides the cookie that I ate, today was a near perfect eating day. Yay me!

If I had a flare for dramatic antics, I would have fell out in the middle of the floor of Wilson's Leather Outlet store when the clerk disclosed in an off-topic conversation that she was pregnant. She was so thin I had to take a double look as I was thinking, "Huh?" The girl was as thin as a toothpick! Seriously! When I got look at her 14 wk pregnant belly, the first thing that popped into my head was, "Damn. No wonder folks be thinking I'm pregnant."

If not for the cute tote bag and leather jacket I was buying on sale, I would've undoubtedly been depressed.

It's no secret that it's plenty more out of shape people walking around than it is in shape people. Think that makes me feel better? Absolutely not! In fact, it makes me feel worse to be in such company! I'm supposed to be among the exceptions to the rule. Unfortunately this fact has not metriculated to my physical self, but someday it will. I'm hoping it's before the end of my time on this planet.

Arrrgh! It really burns me up when I feel someone's eyes gazing at my middle, especially if I've been caught NOT sucking my stomach in. All I can imagine them thinking is, "Is she pregnant?" Considering it was a guy, he was probably checking out everything BUT my tummy! Still, this is just how my mind works.

Guess this day was doomed from the start when I bought a glazed donut & coffee for breakfast. Speedwalking a few times a day did nothing to motivate my decisions for the remainder of the day. I still ended up buying a brown sugar poptart for an aftenoon snack. Then, after work, I let my daughter convince me into Big Boys for dinner where I ate spaghetti and a small portion of a brownie fudge cake dessert! Now i have the nerve to try to salvage the day with some dancing before I go to bed!

Wrong Side of the FitnessTrack

While my daughter and sister are heading to the gym, I'm pretty sure that I'll be heading to the store to buy a  pack of Oreo cookies--not the BIG pack but not the snack size either-- to enjoy while I have a couple of hours to myself--my son is outside playing. I know that's about as wrong as two left feet but that is soooo where my head is this evening after a day of rest & relaxation from work. And one thing I've learned on this journey to living a healthy lifestyle is, "If you're having a craving for something in particular, grant yourself permission to indulge." If you don't, as I have learned too, the craving will just keep knawing at you like a dog knawing on a bone. Sometimes trying to deny yourself the craving causes more harm than good, mentally and physically! Guess you figured where I'm going with this, right? Right! I bought the cookies! But, oh, how times have changed! For the better!!I couldn't even polish off the entire pack! Not that I was trying to, but I do remember when...Midway through, I put the remaining cookies away then pulled out my iPod and got to dancing those calories off!

 No, I don't feel the best about the two small slices of pizza I just ate at 11pm as I lay in the bed about to go to sleep, I do feel good about my committment to move more during this week. May even be renewing my gym membership. We'll see.

Good Company Reaps Better Choices

From time to time--okay, A LOT--I feel like eating something that I really want to eat. Pancakes or a glazed donut for breakfast, chicken tenders and fries for lunch, and pizza for dinner. Most recently when I've had those kinds of desires I happen to be in the company of some health conscience coworkers who helped me make better decisions. For example, on Friday I planned to buy a donut from our cafeteria to go along with this delicous flavored coffee that I brought into work with me.  As I shared this with her she encouraged me to only eat half of the donut. At first I was like "whatever", but after some thoughtful consideration her advice made perfect sense. Another time I went to the cafeteria with a coworker. While I was intending on getting a grilled chicken quesedia, she was intending on a lighter alternative. Walking and talking with her I ended up purchasing some soup and I felt much better.

Yes, it can get frustrating always talking about diet and fitness, but having other like-minded persons in your company, making good choices is a bit easier.

Oatmeal for breakfast is a good start to this morning. Hopefully, the rest of my meals for the day follow suit. Might be a good idea to get to the grocery store.

****UPDATE****

Didn't make it to the grocery store. Didn't cook any dinner. Me and the kids have been over my mom's house all day as we prepare for the homegoing of my grandmother. For dinner, we had Pizza Hut pizza for dinner. Personally, I had three slices in the course of 4 hours. Not bad, huh? Not to mention, before I left home this afternoon I did do some crunches and pushups. Yay me!

Wrong Place, Wrong Time, BUT...

Gosh, I haven't seen my cousins in a month of Sundays or more. It's sad that a death in our family had to occur for our more recent gathering. Of course the occasion was sad but that didn't stop me from noticing the physical differences between my sister and I and my two of my cousins--my aunt's daughters. From the looks of things, something was definitely wrong with the picture. "Okay, our side obviously got the fat gene?' I declared.

Clearly that was the case because my mother, my sister, and myself were definitely carrying more weight--especially around the middle--than my aunt and her two daughters. WTF!. And what's worse is that my aunts children are the ones who supposedly LOVE to eat ALL THE TIME. So why, then, was it my sister and I who were carrying all of the fat??? I just want to know!

I mean if they LOVE to eat, what exactly are they eating: fruits, vegetables, beans, multigrains?  That's what I want to know.

Or are they eating and EXERCISING? Could that be it? I know back in our school days my cousins were involved in more athletics than my sister and I. One cousin played softball. The other ran track. When my sister and I talked about playing sports with our mother she would say stuff like, "Y'all don't need to be out playing and sweating in that hot sun. You'll coming home all stink and stuff." SMH. However, no need in dwelling on the past. I'm sure what athletics I didn't play in middle school and high school have very little to do with my current battle of the belly bulge. It's about the here and now.

I can't speak for my sister, but I'm not going to keep being one of the "fat" ones at family gatherings.

Zumba Fitness yesterday evening and PopTarts for breakfast this morning. Combination for success? Fitness experts would surely say "NO!"

Stress--A Fat Burner?

Surely it borders on some level of insanity for a person to wish for a stressful situation to plaque their life simply for the hope of a little weight loss.I wonder who would do something like that?  ALRIGHT ALREADY! I admit it. IT'S ME!  I'm the crazy one. But, WAIT! Before you pounce on me, let me explain. During a rare and random house cleaning moment, I came across a picture of myself --actually, a picture of me and my son--from a few years ago and guess what? Easily, I was at least 20-25lbs smaller thanwhat  I am today. At the time of the picture my son was 2yrs old. As a matter of fact, the picture was taken at his 2yr old birthday party. Without close inspection, a person could have easily thought the picture was taken some 10yrs ago. My face was thin, my usual shapely legs looked as thin as toothpicks. And the killer part is that I wasn't even exercising during that time! When that fact dawned on me, that's when I remembered what was going on in my life at the time. My husband was on the NUT, really showing his a$$ at that time during our marriage, taking me through some serious DRAMA--hence, the divorce shortly thereafter. LOL! But that's why I was so darn skinny! And without any effort! So just for a minute, one little minute, a quick thought entered my head, "Hmmm, maybe a little stress wouldn't hurt." BUT, I came quickly to my senses. Guess it's back to my exercise & diet efforts.

Rockin' the Jeggings...HOT!! or Not

As good as I look in these jeggings that I'm rocking on this beautiful pre-Spring day, the last thing I should be thinking about is the belly bulge hiding beneath my top. Well, I'm not really thinking about it, but it's always there staring me in the face when I get dressed. Even though I feel sexy as all get out, somewhere deep inside I think, "Damn, you'd be even hotter with a flatter belly." Think that stopped me from enjoying a deliciously, satisfying breakfast at Big Boys this morning with my kids. NOT! After all,  breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Omelets, hashbrowns, turkey sausage, waffle squares. Mmmm. Absolutely delicious! So whenever I treat myself or am treated out for breakfast, I make sure I eat good--you know, get the day started right! I ate good and I feel great--belly fat not withstanding!

Food vs Sweets

7:45 P.M.

Me and the kids indulged in Olive Garden for dinner this evening. A much appreciated change from our usual burgers & fries or pizza. After salad and breadsticks I didn't have much room left for the actual meal so takeout it became.A couple of hours later I started craving those fudge striped cookies--no, I never got around to throwing them out. But I figured eating a bit more spaghetti was better for me than eating the cookies. From my personal assessment, foods high in sugar are more damaging to ones belly than actual food. At least most foods contain some nutritional benefit.

Chicken--The Enemy

"Okay, honey. Looks like we have to cut chicken out of our diet." I announed to my daughter when I came home from another informative session at the beauty salon. The loctitians at the shop are always discussing informative and interesting topics, either with each other or with their clients. Anyway, my daughter promptly looked at me like I'd lost my mind FOR REAL and started cracking up! Only she didn't know how serious that I was.

Interesting enough this was the second time that I heard in the beauty shop of someone warning of consuming too much chicken. Difference is, the first time they didn't really say why. During that conversation, they'd only said it wasn't good to eat chicken more than once or twice a week. This time, however, the conversation went further into the why's, pertaining to the enormous amount of hormones injected into the chickens so they can grow faster or be bigger. Yes, I'd heard of this before, but I'd never tied it into why my daughter has always battled with her weight--besides the fact that we ate too much fast food & too many sugar filled sweets. I cut out beef years ago. We eat  more veggies. I switched to brown rice instead of white rice. I bake food instead of frying it, etc. Still, my daughter remains on the heavier side. And you know my belly issue.

Therefore, while she's on her weight-loss kick and I'm revving mine back up, I'm going to tweak our diets a tad bit and see what happens. Maybe with this, she'll be more likely to eat more fish.

3/17/11 1:00P.M.

So far so good. Dry Cinnamon Toast Crunch & coffee for breakfast. Snack: Apple. Lunch: Pizza slice. Could've done better with lunch, but I also brought a small soup to eat that late afternoon before I leave work so I can eat a light dinner. AND I plan to get my exercise on this evening before I go to the doctor to have my foot examined. Yes, after nearly 3 months of walking around with a sore, sometimes throbbing, big toe on my right foot, a couple of my coworkers finally convinced me to have my foot looked at by a doctor instead of going along with my self-diagnosis of a possible spranged toe. I'm hoping the doctors can do something to hurry the healing along so I can get back to performing the lunges correctly on my 10lb slimdown program. Lord knows I don't need anything to use as an excuse for not exercising.

Did I Do That???

3/16/11 7:30P.M.

How in the world did I end up shoving a chocolate covered donut in my mouth at the end of the day? It was bad enough that I ended up with a Burger King hamburger and small French fry(their rendition of the size) for dinner because my loctitian was running an hour behind schedule and when I left to get something to eat while I waited, I was too hungry to make a healthy selection. Sure, realistically, whether she started on time or not, considering I didn't bring any healthy snacks with me for the time I'd be at the shop, I probably would've ended up with something unhealthy for dinner anyway, but I was still mad as hell. Nevertheless, when I finally left the shop, I considered picking up a Carmel Mocha from McDonalds for the ride home. Craving a little sugar, I guess, but I disciplined myself and continued in route to my moms to get my kids. Somewhere along the way I lost that discipline because as soon as I caught sight of the YumYum Donut box on my mom's stove I almost knocked one of my nephews over trying to see what was left in the box! A chocolate covered donut! Oooh! Yummy! Perhaps that's why God led me away from the mocha because he knew I had another treat waiting on me, right? Anwyay, my mom--bless her heart--offered me the whole donut when I'd only asked for half of it, so I obliged :)Figuring in that I didn't get any exercise in for the day, the only thing I can congratulate myself on is not giving into the idea--can't call it temptation because I really didn't want anymore--of nibbling on more of those Keeble Fudge Stripe cookies that I conveniently forgot to throw away.

I went to bed praying for a better tomorrow.

3/16/11 7:30P.M.

How in the world did I end up shoving a chocolate covered donut in my mouth at the end of the day? It was bad enough that I ended up with a Burger King hamburger and small French fry(their rendition of the size) for dinner because my loctitian was running an hour behind schedule and when I left to get something to eat while I waited, I was too hungry to make a healthy selection. Sure, realistically, whether she started on time or not, considering I didn't bring any healthy snacks with me for the time I'd be at the shop, I probably would've ended up with something unhealthy for dinner anyway, but I was still mad as hell. Nevertheless, when I finally left the shop, I considered picking up a Carmel Mocha from McDonalds for the ride home. Craving a little sugar, I guess, but I disciplined myself and continued in route to my moms to get my kids. Somewhere along the way I lost that discipline because as soon as I caught sight of the YumYum Donut box on my mom's stove I almost knocked one of my nephews over trying to see what was left in the box! A chocolate covered donut! Oooh! Yummy! Perhaps that's why God led me away from the mocha because he knew I had another treat waiting on me, right? Anwyay, my mom--bless her heart--offered me the whole donut when I'd only asked for half of it, so I obliged :)Figuring in that I didn't get any exercise in for the day, the only thing I can congratulate myself on is not giving into the idea--can't call it temptation because I really didn't want anymore--of nibbling on more of those Keeble Fudge Stripe cookies that I conveniently forgot to throw away. because by the time I got home from picking the kids up fromm my mother's I had a short time frame to help my son with his homework that we really should have finished over the weekend--don't know why I didn't do that--I was dog tired. I figured I'd make a better effort tomorrow.

7:45 A.M.

On the stairwell heading down to the cafeteria with only $1 in my pocket for coffee so that I couldn't accidentally buy that donut I was thinking about earlier, I passed a fellow fat belly woman. She couldn't hide hers anymore than I can hide mine, because like me, she didn't have a whole lot of fat in other places on her body. In fact, I was kind of surprised to see her belly fat because it was relatively new for her. A couple of years ago she was in pretty good shape, courtesy of the using the stairs for exercise on a daily basis. Obviously, she stopped.

Seeing another woman with a protruding tummy provided me with little comfort. For one, that woman is a grandmother--at least 20 years older than me. So, in fact, it's pretty depressing that I'm in the same boat, physically, as a grandmother! Tear, tear--one from each eye.

My afternoon exercise plans have been cemented. Back to my 10lb slimdown program!

Self-Sabotage So Soon

7:15 A.M.

Last night I reaffirmed my goal of getting rid of this unsightly belly fat. Even if that means renewing my gym membership for the next few months. Even if that means reconfiguring my schedule--or creating one--so that I can have adequate time for reading, writing, family, AND fitness! Side note: the way in which the above items are listed is purely coincidental and says nothing of their order of importance. Anyway, I'm just wondering why in the heck I wake up thinking about a damn cinnamon crunch bagel w/hazelnut cream cheese??? Can you say self-sabotage? Seriously, for about 2 minutes I lay in bed contemplating if it were possible for me to get up, shower, detour to Panera Bread and get to work by 7:00 A.M. Considering it was already a quarter to six, I concluded--not so sadly--not. Was I sad? No, because I knew I was wrong as two left feet.

Then, after I'm dressed and preparing to leave I quietly scold myself for not disciplining myself to have gotten up early enough to get a workout in instead of thinking about a damn bagel first thing in the morning. SMDH!

On the drive to work, I consider a donut from the cafeteria when I go for coffee!

Does this sound like the thoughts of a person disgusted by fat currently hanging over the top of her pants? NOT! SMDH again!

Fat Fighter

Can somebody please hurry up and invent a product or serum that zaps fat after only a few hours of vigorous exercise? Or better yet, no exercise at all. I'm not playing! Here's what I'm thinking. There's the morning-after pill to prevent unwanted pregnancy in the case that protection isn't used during intercourse. Now, if they can invent that, why can't they invent a pill that you can take to ward off fat from whatever fat-filled food a person may eat? Isn't that a good idea?

Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies

Keebler Fudge Stripe cookies...they were a bad idea from the start. But I bought them anyway--a case of the snack sized bags, no less--under the false pretense of them being for the "kids" lunch. Yeah, right! Ask me how many bags I've eaten and usually after 9PM! More than one bag a night, in some cases, especially like now when my menstrual is on its way. Whatever the case, it's the same old story. I bring junk food into my house every now and then to test my level of discipline.  Result: I fail miserably. Feel like crap. Throw out the remainder of the junk--that which I havent eaten--thus, waisting money. Therefore, tomorrow, on my way to work the remaining 8-10 bags will be going with me to be gifted to my coworkers. Let them enjoy the calories.