November - Out of the Comfort Zone!

New month brings new beginnings. Since I started this journey the first of the month has become my favorite because I have a chance to reflect on the previous and make needed changes. The 1st is like being reborn again. Last night I was able to put the finishing touches on my November schedule and registrar from a new class called Capoiera. This class falls under my new fitness category called "Stepping out of my Comfort Zone." I decided to add this category because my monthly routine was getting to be a little too safe. So by adding this category it will force me to experience new forms of exercises, work muscles that have not been worked, meet new people, learn new vocabulary words, and enjoy life so much more. I have a short list right now but this category will include classes that will run for only a month with an option to registrar again the following month. My list include classes like: Fencing, Ballroom/Tap/ Salsa/Belly dancing, Tribal Fusion, Zumba Dynamix, Tumbling, Running/Hiking club, Golfing for fitness and GRAVITYPilates Boot Camp. Okay, I guess the list is not that short. Most of these classes are offered at my local YMCA and they all cost under $60 per month. The Capoiera class cost $45.00 for the entire month which includes 13 classes. This is a total steal for me.

Capoiera: A form of martial art integrated with dance, ritual, & music. Some of the benefits includes: building endurance, flexibility, mobility and confidence. It improves synapses and circulation. It also fine-tunes concentration and teaches self-control as well as respect for self and others. Lastly, it encourages creativity and an individualistic expression. The first class starts Monday and I can not wait.

November workout plan: 4 Tai Chi classes, 5 Step classes (:30), 7 Weight lifting classes, 4 Yoga classes, 5 Cycle classes and 13 Capoiera classes. This is a well rounded load that I am excited about. One of my friends ask, how can I do it all? My reply to her was "these classes take on a daily average only 1.5 hours out of my day of 24 hours". That is nothing because in the past I would sit and watch TV for up to 5 hours a day. I explain to her that these classes enhance my life and that something that the TV could never do.

November eating plan: Eat according to the Mediterranean diet. This is my eating theme for the month.

November psychological plan: Be concern with the mirror and the fit of my clothes, not the scale.

November social and pamper plan: Enjoy the holiday with family and friends by treasuring every moment that we all have together. Schedule 2 full body massages and 1 Mud Wrap.

Lazygirl update: She has seen the light and it is shining bright. I explain to her that I would no longer be her therapist or coach. It is time for her to make a real plan about her weight lose and stick with it. I told her she was regressing back to her old ways and I was not going to be part of it. She understood and admitted it was time for her to get serous and apologize for using me as her dumping ground.

She finally committed to a plan that focuses on eating healthier and building endurance. This is a a good step for her because she had not made a true commitment or even talked about why it was important to be healthier. Lazygirl, enjoys talking about reducing her weight but not acting on it. For me talk is cheap and it is a total waste of my time. Lazygirl understands that now it is up to her start putting things into place and stand on her own two feet. I told her that my services are no longer available at the drop of a dime but I will continue to support her as a silent friend. Finally, I told her that we could reflect on our progress on November 19th if she like and she agree that would be a good date.

My weekend plans: Mango Ginger body scrub w/Vichy Shower and Halloween Bar-B-Que party.

Question of the day: What do you do to step out your comfort zone?

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe weekend. Don't forget daylight savings! The Holidays are her again!

Losing weight can save you money!

Yesterday I stopped by Target to pick up a few workout t-shirts and made an interesting discovery. I walked over to the Jr. section and found a ton of cute shirts for $5 a piece. Wow! I hit the jack-pot, what a blessing I thought. So of course I had to grab five of them in different colors and all in a size x-large. I had the biggest smile on my face not because of the size but because of the cost.

Since I am a curious person I decided to check out the price of the same t-shirt in WW section. In comparison, the same shirt in the larger sizes were selling for $14.99 per piece. I have to admit that I was a little shock about the cost. So, out comes the phone calculator to find out Target punishment for the fat folks. The cost difference was: Jr. size -5 shirts + Calif. taxes = $27.19 and WW size @ $14.99 + Calif. taxes = $81.51 so by reducing my weight I saved a whopping $54.32. This is a huge awareness and one of many reasons to continue on my journey to a healthier and thinner me. In my opinion Target is not a good friend to obese folks when it comes to clothes.

My question of the day: Have you notice a reduction in clothing cost since you have reduced your waistline?

Lazy Girl update: Yes, I had the talk and I will post the outcome tonight or tomorrow morning. It's was a really good conversation and a break through for her.

Have a wonder day!

Lazy Girl Update!

My office entered a pumpkin carving contest today and won 1st place for the most creative. It was a lot of fun.

Update on "Lazy Girl" and the chicken fat: She did it, she gave in and ate the chicken fat but she did not stop there. She ate fried zucchini, a lot of cheese and the next day she ate fried hot wings. She explained how once she open the flood gates of fatty foods should could not stop. I have to say that I was disappointed and I did not want to hear her reasons for eating those foods. Her first excuse was: "I never agreed to remove the fat and I knew going in that I was going to eat the fat." Second excuse was: It was my day and I did not want to think about eating healthy. I told her that those foods are like the drug "crack" and she needed to stay after from them at all times. To me she looked so defeated and down. I told her to get back on track and start again but she really need to understand her reasons for dropping weight. This is a personal choice and she need to make the decision to give 100%. So that is the rest of the story.

My feelings about "Lazy Girl": This not going to be pretty but here goes. She is a failure when it comes to dropping the weight. She has always been that way and I feel she will never change because she don't want to do the work. Her only reason for dropping the weight is to fit in smaller clothes but that is not enough for her to put in the work to drop the weight. She don't want to stick with a plan or exercise. It's all about talk, talk, talk with no actions. I can not take it anymore, I can not baby her, and I will not continue to listen to her noise about dropping the weight. This is a well educated lady, mentally healthy, no serious illnesses, and nothing to hold her back because her kids are grown. I feel she is wasting my time and sucking all my energy. I am very disappointed in her because I know she can do it if she just try.

My decision about "Lazy Girl": My decision is to take a break from her for the entire month of November starting tomorrow when I talk with her. I will not allow her to talk about what she is eating or doing to drop the weight. I realized that she need a personal trainer and I am not that person. This task of dropping weight has been my life for over 90 days and I am very proud of myself and so many others for committing. My mind and body is still a work in progress so I can not focus on her until my life is together 100%. I feel anger towards her because I have taken this task on and it is so important for me to be healthy. She is not serious and that bothers. So she is on her own from this day forward but I wish her luck. She need to focus on health not clothes size. We're at a crossroad and we must go it alone. I have a passion for this and she does not. That is her choice at this time.

Shocking Salt Recommendation: I read today that our government recommend we eat only 2400 mg of salt per day. Okay, this is the shocking part: 2400 mg of salt = 1 teaspoon per day. Do you all eat more or less salt per day? I ate way more before today. I will be thinking more about the sugar and salt that goes into my body each day.

Next month exercise plan: For the past two day I have been working on my workout schedule for next month. It's going to be jammed packed with cycling, weight lifting and yoga classes. I can see some very early morning at the gym because all the cycling classes start at 5:00 a.m. I even have a workout planned for Thanksgiving. My goal is to work harder and smarter for the next 12 weeks. Today is week 1 and I had my picture taken and I plan to take one every week for the next 12 weeks. Week 13 will be the big reveal.

Next month food plan: For the month of November I have decided to pick a food theme plan. I want to shake up my eating habits and bring in some new dishes. I'm going to eat from the Mediterranean diet plan. This plan includes less meats and more fish. Less starch and more beans/ lentils. Tons of veggies and fruits my favorite. Tonight I had grilled salomon w/veggie salad. Eating fish was a refreshing change. I will also share recipes.

So that is it. I wish you all a wonderful day tomorrow. Peace!

There will be a "lazy girl" update tomorrow.

Fighting for the Chicken Fat! ...You Win.

My darling co-worker who was (formerly known as lazy-girl) was planning a nice evening out with a few of her girls at a local Greek restaurant. She was so excited about her upcoming meal that she wanted to get into a deep conversation about it. So the first thing I ask her was "have you looked up the nutritional facts from the restaurant website?" And of course she said no "why should I?" and I said "because you have set some food boundary and you need to be aware of the nut-facts before you go." I explained knowing the facts keep you in control of what goes into your body. Now, she found the healthy living light only 3 weeks ago and she is doing wonderful. She is not allowing herself to eat the unhealthy foods and she is making an effort to workout twice a week.

Okay, back to the earlier question regarding the nut-facts. Oh boy! she talked about how good the grilled chicken w/rice and the Greek salad with yummy dressing was going to just make her day. Her mouth was just watering and it sound really delicious. So I ask her "are you going to remove the chicken skin from the yummy chicken breast?" She looked at me like I had two heads and said "are you joking? No! I am not going to remove the chicken fat because that is the best part of the meal." I ask her "what makes eating chicken fat so good?" she said it's the favor from the seasonings. I said "seasonings and fat from chicken are two different things." She really went all out to justify why it was okay to eat the chicken fat. I listened like a good friend but I always came back with a reason why she should pass on the chicken fat. So, after 20 minutes into this intense conversation....no no debate about chicken fat, I told her to look at me and listen because I had a question for her. I ask "why would you deliberately digest fat from a chicken when you have been working so hard to get your own fat off?" Okay, there was a 30 second pause and during that time I heard and saw birds singing, and bee buzzing around her head. That question really took her for a loop. She slowly raised her head to me and said "FINE, YOU WIN!" I will try it without the skin-on just this one time. In my head I knew what she really wanted to say and that was "I WAS RIGHT" but I will take "you win". I also told her to get the dressing on the side so she could have more control over it. I gave her a hug and wished her luck.

California passed a bill last October requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to post nutritional facts by 2011. California is the first state to enact such a law in the battle against obesity. I love this law because it allows me to see and understand what is going into my body. There is no more guessing about how many calories or fats I am consuming in one setting. Now, whenever I walk into a restaurant I always ask for the nut-facts before I order. It's about taking control and never having to ask "why did I eat that?" Guilt free life is the way for me. Just for fun I like to go check out different restaurants nut-facts and it amazes me how many calories and fat grams are in some of the dishes. Checkout: Chili's, T.G.I. Fridays, Chick fil A, Pat & Oscars, Cheese Cake Factory (nut-facts only in restaurant), etc. Some restaurants make it really hard to find the nut-facts but they are there just keep fishing. Here is one order that will blow your diet right out the water: Chick fil A - Peach Milkshake 21oz comes in at - 850 calories, 21g fat, 1g fiber, 15g protein, 144g sugars (there are 34 teaspoons of sugar in this one drink) most people have no idea about this sugar fact: one teaspoon of granulated white sugar is equal to about 4.2 grams. Divide 144 by 4.2 grams to get the number of teaspoons. This one shake just blows my brain away. I have not even added the meal to this total. With this information, there is no reason to wonder why Americans are so fat. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand about what goes into our bodies.

My target goal when going out to eat: Calories 300 and under, Fat 5 g and under, Carbs 50 g and under, Chol 5 g and under, Fiber high as possible, Fat sat & trans none, sodium 200 and under. Sodium is really hard but I ask for no added salt. Most of the time I order from the side menu because there is more of a control factor involve. This can be expensive but in the end it is better for my body. Overall I prefer to eat at home and I do 98% of the time but now that I have the nut-facts all the fears of eating out has gone away.

Just a few thoughts!

Recapping thoughts:

Exercise: I hit my weight lifting class today really hard. The instructor told us that today was all about the inner thighs. After the 3rd thigh exercise my legs felt like jello. The workout hurt so bad but I made it happen. This guy in front of me had to take many break between each routine. I give him a little smile to let him know that it was okay to pass-out. This class is so brutal, it can make a grown man cry. My friend said the class is hell on earth but she loves it. It's not for the weak!

Food: My food choices has been very healthy. No cravings or binging moments. As of today my house is a white rice and pasta free zone. I have binged on these foods for so many years and it feels good to have said bye-bye. I will allow myself to eat these foods on occasion but only outside my home. My coworker thinks since I stopped eating these foods my weight has drop a lot in just 4 weeks. My body is much smaller now.

Yoga: This week I realized that I need to add a few more yoga classes to my monthly routine so I am on the hunt for a yoga studio. My gym offers yoga classes and I appreciate that but I need an environment that is more relaxing and exclusive. I am hopeful that I will find the studio before the beginning of November. Yoga was another class that I disliked but I forced myself to attend and now I can not see my life without it. Yoga is one class that I crave.

Weekend: My classes will include Pilates, swimming and spinning. For relaxation: 1 hour massage. For fun: bowling party.

To all my blogging friends have a wondering weekend!

90 days down-12 weeks of awareness!

Today marks 90 days since I started this blog and regained my life. My life has truly changed and it does not include fat girl. She is gone for good never to return.

My vision for the future is living life with no guilt, fear, self-hatred, confusion, and despair about my body. This vision has been a longtime in the making and I am proud to be at this point in my life.

For 12 weeks I have become aware of myself and what is needed for me to be successful :

Week 1. Realizing my life was unhealthy and out of control.
Week 2. Realizing that being overweight is not acceptable.
Week 3. Learning to put myself first 100% of the time.
Week 4. Make a healthy plan and sticking with it for the rest of my life.
Week 5. Start exercising and pushing myself to my body max.
Week 6. Start a food boundary list and sticking with for the rest of life.
Week 7. Not allowing myself to get distracted or justifying my wrongs.
Week 8. Exploring boredom and the connection with food.
Week 9. Facing my "binging behavior" and correcting it.
Week 10. Focusing on my body in a positive way.
Week 11. Locking doors behind me and tossing the key out.
Week 12. This week is about reflecting and enjoying my new life.

So looking forward: My plan is to continue to shake up my workout routine by adding more challenging workouts like, yoga boot camp, bikram yoga-heat, capoeira, rock climbing, free-styling running, and boot camp swimming. I feel excited for the next 12 weeks. There is so much more for me to explore about myself.

Body fat: down 13% since July 29th and down 3 dress sizes

On a "Qi Gong" High!

This will be a short post today because the only thing I can think about is keeping my Qi Gong high. Today my body was sore from my step class yesterday and my weight lifting class today. The cure that came to mind was a relaxing Qi Gong class. So I decided to go to the class for some much needed relaxation. We did a ton of breathing, playing with our fingers and rubbing ourselves. It's sounds very strange but it a wonderful way to relax the deep muscles. I think most of the folks in the studio was force to take the class because of possible anger management issues. I felt a little out of place but once again it's was not about the people in the class but the benefits of the exercise to me. We all set in a circle for 1 hour just relaxing and breathing very deep. This is a great exercise but I have to say that my favorite is Tia Chi because it feels more like a relaxing workout. But I really needed this class today because I have maxed out my muscles.

Today I scheduled a full body massage for this weekend so this will help repair my beat up muscles. I also have a Vichy Shower and massage scheduled one week from Friday. The Vichy shower is my all time favorite body treatment. It is so relaxing to have someone wash, scrub, and massage my body all in the same day. It's my heaven on earth. I decided when I started this journey to pamper myself with one spa day and two massages a month. This is my way of rewarding myself for all the hard work.

Exercise: Yoga and Boot Camp is on the schedule for tomorrow.

Thank You Melissa!

I would like to thank Melissa over at (Melissa's Adventures Blog) for taking the time to honor me with the "One Lovely Blog Award." It made my day and it gives me the kick to continue on my journey.

This blogging world has been a total blessing to me and my health. I love the positive and helpful feedback. Thanks to you all for the support and encouragement. I wish you all continued success.

In Fashion: Today was the first day I felt like I was in fashion. I was not afraid of being accosted by the show "What not to wear". That would be my worst nightmare if one of my friends called the show on me. So I always try to walk out the house put together very well. My new outfit was a hit and I got a lot of positive feedback regarding my weight reduction. I felt very proud of myself. This has been a silent journey for me because I did not wanted to drag my family, friends and co-workers down that yo-yo world of dieting. This is not a diet but a life change. It's about doing not talking.

Today's exercise: Today my friend ask me to do a step class with her because she was not able to exercise over the weekend. I said yes but my heart did not want to take the class. I hate step and all that it stands for. There is no reason for me to hate that type of exercise because it's a great cardio workout. Well, I went with a positive attitude and had a blast. It was a very hard class because I was not familiar with the steps but I hung in there for 45 minutes. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it was going to run out of my chest. Now on the other hand, my friend was upset about the instructor and his jokes. We found out today that our instructor is in love with Wendy Williams so he decided to teach the class in her voice. I have to say that it was pretty annoying but funny and the other class members seemed to enjoy the act. I could tell 15 minutes into the class that my friend was ready to go so I tapped her on the shoulder and said "it's about the cardio baby not him - lets do this!" when I told her that she got fired up and finished the class real hard. She thanked me after class and acknowledge the benefits of doing it every Monday. Well, I guess it's a thin line between love and hate because the step class is my new friend.

Boundary Food List: Over the weekend I had a craving for ice cream. It was not boredom or hunger. I have no answers at this time but it went away. I just held out and told myself that ice cream has no nutritional value and it's not part of my plan. The list keeps me on my toes at all times.

Happy Shopper!

My shopping experience was the best ever. My confirmed pants size is 16 and shirt size is XL. I tried on a XXL shirt but it was pretty big around and under my arms. So, I can say good-bye to woman's world and hello to misses world. My purchased included 3 pairs of pants (jeans, cargo, and dress), 2 shirts, and one jacket. I also pick up a pair of black flats to go with my new outfits. These sizes are very pleasing but there is still work to be done.

In the past I would have been okay with size 16 because I was only concern with clothes size. But now I am looking at the big picture and health means more to me size. I still have a nice layer of fat around my belly, arms, and inner thighs. I will continue with my cardio /weight lifting classes and eating healthy.

Weekend exercise classes: Cycling, Kick boxing, Yoga, and Weight lifting - I dedicate 2 hours per day to exercise over the weekend.

Locking the Doors...!

Today I need to talk about the doors that are behind me now. I have named all my weight realizations doors. Since this journey begun in late July I have walked through many doors to get to this period in my life. These doors are the ones I have left open or cracked for over 20 years. These doors have been my confusions, distractions, burdens, heartaches, justifications, and enablers. I have listed these doors by name and reasons for keeping them open in the past.

1. Door of distraction - inside this door I had to face what was keeping me from dropping the weight. This door gave me freedom to give-up on me and my goals. Before I could close this door behind I had say no to giving up and yes to drop the weight. I decided to focus on myself for 6 months and not allow anything or anyone to stand in my way. So, I decided to get out of my own way and make it happen. I have locked this door behind me never to open it again.

2. Door of a unhealthy eating - inside this door I had to face the fact that my eating habits were unhealthy for my life. I had to question everything that went into my body because if I did not my health would have continue to decline and my weight would have continued to increase. All my attempts to reduce the weight in the past failed because I never took the time to educate myself on healthy eating habits or setting food boundaries. But now I have locked this door behind me never to open it again.

3. Door of inactivity - inside this door I had to face the truth that the lack in exercise was bad for my health. I had to face the fact that exercise is important on this journey and I had to give 100% everyday. Exercise has played a huge roll in my weight reduction so it must be in the plan. Now this door is locked behind me never to open again.

There are so many doors that I have locked behind me never to open again. I am so happy that I allowed myself to face these doors head-on and deal with them ASAP. These doors are my past and path to a healthier me. I have to thank God for giving me the wisdom and love for myself to walk through these doors. There will be many doors to go through and I look forward to that walk because in the end I will be a better person for it.

Exercise: missed class today because I had a meeting so I will be hitting the cardio blast really hard tomorrow and Saturday.

Food: No cravings for sweets or fatty foods. My boundary list is working very well.

Saying Good-bye to sizes 22, 20, & 18!

This morning my butt, belly, and legs said good-bye to my size 18 pants. My breast, oblique's and arms said good-bye to my size 18 dress shirt. The feeling is so amazing.

Once again I would like to explain how it feels to be taken up even less space now. First, my pants fix like a potato sack and I can feel the air between my legs and the fabric. Secondly, my belly is not the same size as my butt and that makes me very happy. I am happy to say that the friendship is over between the butt and the belly. I believe my butt will fit size 16, my legs will fit a size 14, and my belly will fit a size 17. My shopping experience will be interesting because of my size variations. I can not wait.

When I started this journey back on July 21, 2009 I had no idea how fast my dress size would drop. It appears that I have dropped 3 dress sizes without dropping much weight according to the crappy scale. Actually, I tossed my scale out over two months ago because it would put me in a bad mood. Living by the scale was not the way I wanted to live my life. I have been tracking my body fat percentage and as of today I have reduced my fat mass by 13%. My secret is weight lifting. In my opinion this is the best exercise for burning fat and I would recommend doing 2 classes a week to get good results. For so many years I avoided weighting lifting because it seems like a waste of time but I was wrong on so many levels. Weight lifting rules!

My life has changed in so many ways since I started this journey. I have picked myself apart and questioned everything that I was doing wrong and that was almost everything. I have learned that it takes questioning every move I make and correcting it as soon as possible. It's about being successful and I am on that road.

My lazy friend update: She thanked me for telling her the truth about her behavior and how laziness has impacted her life. Her goal today was to get up and move. She also started researching the internet on ways to change her behavior to make her life better. She feels hopeful and excited about her new awareness.

Exercise: Yoga was my cardio today. The instructor focused on arms and the belly.

Laziness!

It's just pure laziness! This post is about my friend and her struggle with weight. She made her list and did well last week but she slipped up and ate something that made her ask the hated question "why did I eat that?" Today she talked about not being motivated to think about food but she wants to be healthy. She did not want to put in the time to make healthy foods. She talked about her fear of failure. I told her to go to some websites and pick out a few healthy recipe and make a grocery list. So, she did and it made her happy again about her plan.

We went grocery shopping with the list and a plan but when she hit the door of the store she lost all her excited and let her boundaries down. She complained about not wanted to wash or cut up the veggies. Cooking was out as well. She was more focused on other shoppers. It was just a bad experience for her and myself. Most of the items she picked up was already cut and washed so that made her happy. When she picked up a loaf of multi-grain bread she complained about it not being sliced already. I asked her to take out the list but she refused stating it's to much work to stick to the list. Over at the yogurt case she stood there looking so confused at all the choices available to her. She ended up picking up a fatty bake chicken, cheese, and rolled oats. Her goal was to get out of that store as fast as she could. I was in total shock.

I asked her what happen in there and she explained how overwhelming it was for her. It was almost like having a panic attack. In a strange way I was very happy to see this side of her because it answered a few of my questions.

This was pretty hard to say to her but I did because she needed to her it. I told her that her problem is laziness. She don't want to cook or exercise because she is lazy. To my surprise she agreed and ask for help. I told her that this behavior need to stop and it should be at the top of her list to fix. My friend really wants help and I feel bad for her. I explained that she could put a stop to this behavior if she would just do what needs to be done. I told her to force herself to cook healthy foods and exercise. The only chance for her is to educate herself on laziness everyday and make the needed changes to better herself.

Exercise:
Great workout today but I went light on the cardio because of my cold. It felt good to be back in the gym.

Eduction:
Today I decided to go back to school to earn other degree. The first degree that came to my heart was Philosophy because when I read the Greek meaning it blow me away "love of wisdom". There is a little fear because writing is my weakness but I welcome the challenge. Classes start in January so I look forward to my new journey.

Body Image!

This weekend I was in bed nursing a cold. Being sick is so annoying. I hate to think that I have someone's nasty germs in my body. So gross! I am the cleanest person in town but it got me. While resting I had time to think about my weight and my body image. I have a few questions that I hope to answer in the next 4 months. My questions are:

1. Will I be happy at my new weight?
2. Will I know if I am happy at my new weight?
3. Will I be able to see myself skinny?

Now self-image is a sister to self-esteem. My self-esteem is healthy but this self-image is another story. I have been obese for 20 years and this has been my image. I guess time will tell how I view my image.

I spoke to one of my skinny friends about this and she informed me that she thinks about her weight all the time. She said her body is not perfect but she is okay with it. Her goal is to continue to improve it. I guess this will be my life soon.

This morning I decided to buy some new clothes that fit my new body. I have no idea how to dress this new body. One image site states I should buy clothes that fit my curves but those types of clothes are not comfortable at all. I need a personal stylist to help me pick the right clothes for my new body. Eddie Bauer website allows you to pick from suggested outfits and that seems to work for me.

All suggestions welcome regarding body image.

I am hoping to be back in the gym tomorrow because I miss it. Please cold go away never to return!

The "Belly" In The Mirror!

Day 9 of my cardio blast! It's going very well and I am improving my cardio endurance everyday. This morning I ended up taking another weight lifting /Cardio class because my kick boxing class was moved to a earlier time . The instructor had us during a ton of exercises geared towards the arms and shoulders. She worked us really hard in the abs area as well. The class was a little soft because of the instructors focus but it was worth my time. My plan this week is to take the weight lifting class from a male instructor. I like mixing it up because men target different muscle. So this week the men will rule my cardio workouts.

Today while in class I took a long look at myself in the mirror. The first thing I wanted to do was criticize my body shape. I saw the extra roll around my belly and pinched it really hard. First, word that came to my brain was "ugly". The second word was "okay". So, I told myself "stop the crap talk" and be happy with your dedication to this journey. It just blows me away how I can be working out really hard and the negativity hit me like a brick. It's really sad because I have not had any negative thoughts for awhile. I am a very positive person so the negative image of myself really angers me. It just come out of no where! I have slimmed down so much since I started this road trip and everyone can see it. I can see it as well. So what was the problem today? It's crazy. I will figure it out and blog about it soon.

The belly is my target for the next three weeks. I am going to put in more time at home during belly exercises. My obliques need some work so I can see a ton of side crunches in the near future. There is a positive story about the belly this week. I put a pair of dress pants and my to my surprise I was able to use the first button without holding in my belly. That brought a big smile to my face. No more second buttons!

Side Bar about the boundary list: Yesterday my friend told me she ate a food that was on her boundary list or it should have been on the list. Frozen yogurt and she justified it by adding sliced bananas. She felt very guilty and asked herself the famous crap question "why did I eat that?" She explained how she let her boundaries down without thinking about what she really needed and that was protein. She did well the first week but she started out her second week on a bad note. This lady does not trust herself and she is always waiting to fail. I told her to remember this feeling and stay focused. Obese folks can not let their boundaries down at all. Sometimes I think she want to fail so she will have something to talk about. She has a history of this behavior and we have talked about it before. She is very good at justifying her bad behaviors and than feelings like crap later. I told her to get back on track and take another look at her list. No more justification.

I am going to focus on my body image in a positive way. I have one body so why should I beat it down.

My Blog Dedication-Happy Birthday Sister Friend!

Today I am dedicating my blog to my best friend Roberta because (today) is her 41st birthday. Roberta has been my best friend for 22 years. We were classmates in 12th grade in a required business class.

Just a little history! My mom moved me and two of my younger siblings to this very small town in Texas from the largest city in the state. Now, the town was so small it only had one blinking red light and no street names. The town was so small there was only one school that served K-12th grade. The school was so small we only had 35 seniors enrolled. This was a total shock to my system because I came from a school with over 900 seniors at the time of enrollment. I was mad at my mom for pulling me out of school during my 12th grade year. But looking back on it that was the best move for me because I met the person that would be my best friend for life.

Okay, back to my best friend. I remember sitting in this very small class with only 6 students in it thinking, how can I get out of this place. I set across from Roberta the first week and realized three things about her: she was very smart, she was very shy and she was someone that I wanted to be friends with. Now, I have a true passion for shy people. They are very interesting once they open up and I like that. She was very shy but we became friends very fast. We finished high school and college together. She has been by my side the entire time. She is a friend that will call you just to check on you. She would give me the shirt, pants, underwear and socks off her back without blinking. I love Roberta more than a friend, she is like a sister to me. So, today I decided to honor my best friend by listing 41 reasons why I love her. Roberta thank you for loving me and accepting me for me. Happy Birthday Sister Friend!

41 Reasons Why I Love My Best Friend:

1. because she loves me
2. because loves God
3. because she respects me
4. because she is honest
5. because she is loyal
6. because she tender
7. because she is smart
8. because she has patience
9. because of her giving heart
10. because of her values
11. because of her sweet voice
12. because she is devote to her family and friends
13. because she gives good hugs
14. because she will never turn her back on me
15. because she prayed for me when the doctors found a cancerous tumor on my kidney
16. because she recruited people to pray for me during my surgery and recovery
17. because she loves nature
18. because she comes to visit for me two weeks out of the year
19. because she never judge me
20. because she speaks to me from a loving heart
21. because she loves my family
22. because she always put my feelings before hers
23. because she makes me feel comfortable
24. because she gives wonderful advice
25. because she is very wise
26. because she laugh at all my corny jokes
27. because she love my wild and crazy stories
28. because she brighten my day when I am sad and happy
29. because she supports me 110% all the time
30. because she loves me at any size
31. because she is my self-esteem builder
32. because she is a great listener
34. because she is trustworthy
35. because she is my equal
36. because she is my backbone
37. because she has a beautiful soul
38. because she is beautiful
39. because she loves life
40. because she goes on adventurers with me
41. because of who she is - my best friend in the world

Roberta, I love you from the bottom of my heart and the soul of my core. Thank you for loving me and supporting me for so many years. I love you girl. Happy Birthday and Peace!

My 35 Minute Talk About-Brussels Sprouts! Funny

Today I worked it out in my weight lifting class. This month the instructor is focusing on endurance training. The training includes lifting weights at a very slow pace and holding. I notice today that the class was pretty easy and the hour went very fast. I think it's time to up the weights to make it harder but I will consult the instructor. The instructor kicked our butts during the cardio drills. She made us jump rope with squats for 7 minutes. We also did 7 minutes of football runs. That was enough for me. It's all about building endurance. The cardio train will continue tomorrow morning at 5:45 a.m. when I will drag myself to the gym for a cycling class. Its all about discipline and staying focus.

Last week I encouraged my friend to start a food boundary list because she has struggled with her weight for many years. She did and her life has totally changed. Her food boundaries includes junk food and fast food restaurants. Because her list is working so well, she had a strong craving for brussel sprouts today instead of powdered donuts (her all time favorite). For about 35 minutes we talked about how much we love brussels sprouts and how to cook them. We laughed about it for about 5 minutes once we realized what our conversation was about. We both need to get a life! Our taste for junk food is totally gone and never to return. We agreed that this is a different world and we love it. Brussels Sprouts Rule! Fresh not frozen.

One more thing-my lunch was awesome today: It was fresh and very healthy.

Brown Rice Tortillas Wrap:

My Recipe:

Stone ground mustard - small amount
1 Brown Rice Tortillas - Gluten and Wheat Free-Very good but not as flexible as flour tortillas.

fresh spinach - hand full
shredded carrots - hand full
1 slice Havarti cheese
shredded red cabbage - 1/2 hand full
1/2 apple-thinly sliced

Great wrap for cleaning the digestive system. Yum-Yum



Brussels Sprouts Recipe:

8 sprouts- cut in half
1/2 onion
salt and pepper - taste
1/2 cup water

Toss all in pan and steam for 10 minutes with lid on.

All Is Well!

Cardio Blast Day 5: My workout class was very productive, it included 30 minutes of cardio (jump roping, skipping, and jogging in place). We also did 15 minutes of weights and abs. I was in the 100% club. 26 days to go!

All is very well in the eating department. Eating smaller portions and sticking with my boundary list.

Very short post today because all is very well.

"Binging" - I Had No Clue!

I just found out that I have been a "binge eater." I was the type of binge eater that ate on & off during the day. The foods that I would binge on in the past are on my boundary list now. My favorite food in the world to binge on was "white rice". I would cook a big pot of rice also every other day. I would leave the cooked rice on the stove and dip into it all day long. Most people do this type of dipping with ice cream but rice was my favorite. I would add butter and cheese to the rice because the favor was just heavenly. Oh, boy! Those were the days because I had no clue that I was a binge eater.

According to binging.com this is an unhealthy behavior in which an individual will eat a large quantity of food in a very short period of time. I never realized I had a form of binge eating. Having a disorder was something I never wanted to believe. But, I needed to believe it. If I did not believe it I could have never corrected my bad behavior. I have been a " binger" for many years and that is why I struggled with keeping the weight off. Well, that is all over now. No more binging for me. I am cured!

These are my promises: I will never binge again. I will never overeat again. I will never allow myself to eat foods without nutritional value. I will never eat when I am not hungry, I will never have this disorder again. I am reborn!

No more "binging"! Now I have a clue!

Happy October 1st-New Beginnings!

Happy October 1st! It's a new month and time to shake up the routine. This month will be all about cardio. I have decided to challenge myself by doing 45 minutes of cardio everyday this month. The classes will include: kick boxing, boot camp, cycling, water aerobic, Zumba, and Hip Hop. These cardio classes will help burn fat and that will be my focus this month. My target is the belly and inner thighs. It is a little over the top for me but I can do it.


Last month I was able to drop 7% body fat and it really shows in my clothes. I believe by increasing cardio this month and sticking to my food boundaries list my fat percentage will fall about 10%. I can not wait to see myself at the beginning of next month. I am planning on posting pictures before the end of the year. This has been a wonderful journey but it is not over yet.

Today at work I was able to put my food boundaries in play. A few of my coworkers brought in cookies and ice cream to celebrate the beginning of our new fiscal year. I talked about these items as being my favorite but they had to go on my boundary list. One of my coworkers told me to dig in but I told her "no thank you". She pushed and pushed but I would not give in. I politely told her that I had set some food boundaries and those two items had made my list. She said "good for you for being strong." I was very proud of myself. My desire for those foods are totally gone. I have not craved those foods one time since I made the list. It's all good!

So that is the plan for the month.