Toris Weight loss

It's been a while

2011-05-01T12:36:00.001-07:00

Well it truly has been a while and I'm still on my journey to ultimate health and fitness. Since December I'm proud to say I've lost 17 pounds which is wonderful but I still have just a lil bit more to go. Most people don't think I need to lose weight but they have no idea how I used to look and it takes another 20 pounds for me to reach my best health. I carry my weight great because I have hips, thighs, and this butt. I get a lot of attention from both men and women so aggravating it truly is. Most women really think they would love to have my backside they have no idea how troublesome that would be for them. I accept it because it was given to me from my grandmothers how beautiful they were indeed.

Obesity is socially contagious..

2010-03-29T16:01:00.000-07:00

While driving today, I heard a advertisment stating if you have fat friends or know someone obese your chances of obesity is increased by 20%. This goes back to the ole saying, "Frinds of flock always flock together." The statement is saying friends do the same thing that is why they are friends. After hearing the commerical for a product I couldn't even me. This information is so crucial because this can cause people who are obese to become socially mistreated and or stereotyped by society. People will start disassociation with obese people and other ramifications can and will occur until the point of violence upon obese people. Majority of people obese are African American women and their children. What does this mean for black women? They will not be hired for work, disassociatd from everyone and mistreated by all. I've tried my best to warn black women but they are a stubborn group. There are very few of us in exercise classes or at the parks. OMG! I can only fear what this means and what will happen when the Healthcare reform they all willing support without reading will do to them. The hidden dialog behind the scenes and what they have in store for obese women, men, and kids. Obesity, will be fought with the highest degree and from of judgement ever seen by this generation who willing lacks discipline to exercise and eat right.

Reference:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2144473.ece

Color Red

2010-03-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

As I try to educate people on the color red most people discredit the fact big business uses suggestive marketing techniques in order to influence people to eat or spend money. The color most used in marketing in red it's a vibrant color and works great. This color is used as a suggestion to get people to eat and I challenge you to write down all your favorite foods and then take the time to hightlight which one's consist of the color red either in packaging or color. You will be surprised. I found the perfect article on color suggestion in business to share.

http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Colors-Make-Your-Services-Most-Attractive?&id=3183

Sugary drinks may cause panceas cancer

2010-02-20T06:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, now as we drink all those sugary drinks we love we only think about two ailments bladder infection or urinary tract infection. Both these infections are bad but they are treatable. Chinese scientist performed a study in Singapore with people who drink at least two or more sugary soft drinks had increased risk of pancreatic cancer compared with people who did not. This does not apply to juice it only applies to sugary soft drinks. So, if you are drinking juice you are fine. The study was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomakers and Prevention.

Heart Health

2010-02-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

I found this article today on Heart Health and thought I would share this information with you because it lists things we should be doing for our heart by age and as we progress. All our organs are extremely important but our heart is like the motherboard in a computer. Without this organ we can't function at all. We have to make sure to take care of ourselves. That' why I thought this article was very benefical. I didn't write this article I simply copied the article from yahoo news to share with you and provided their link.

Heart Health
In Your 20s
Stub Out a Social Smoking Habit
Smoking is enemy number one when it comes to heart disease, and even just a few cigarettes can do damage: New research from McGill University in Montreal found that smoking just one cigarette a day stiffens your arteries by a whopping 25 percent. Plus, smoking erases the hormonal advantage you have from estrogen, which can leave you vulnerable to a heart attack before menopause, explains Dr. Bonow.
Don't Ignore the Birth Control Factor
Remember that hormonal contraceptives slightly increase the risk of blood clots, so if you've ever had one, make sure to discuss it with your doctor before going on birth control. And if you're currently a smoker, don't take oral contraceptives, because the combo can be especially dangerous, says Sharonne N. Hayes, MD, director of the Women's Heart Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Watch Your Alcohol Intake
Moderate amounts of alcohol can have a beneficial effect on your heart. (By "moderate," we mean one drink a day or about 5 ounces—but many restaurants serve far more than that.) Overdoing it can raise triglycerides, increase blood pressure and lead to weight gain, thanks to all those empty calories.
In Your 30s
Get a Grip on Stress
When you're juggling career and family, it's crucial to find stress management techniques that work. "Untamed stress has a direct negative impact on heart health," says Dr. Stevens. "The constant bombardment of adrenaline raises blood pressure and destabilizes plaque in your arteries, making it likely to cause a clot or heart attack."
Lose the Baby Weight
No, you don't have to fit into your skinny jeans by the time the baby's 6 months old, but do aim to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight within one to two years. "Carrying around extra pounds can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and other heart disease risk factors," Dr. Bonow says. Also remember that it's easier to lose weight in your 30s than in your 40s, when your metabolism slows down.
Stay Social
It's important to stay connected to friends and family for the sake of your mood and heart. Research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that high levels of loneliness increase a woman's risk of heart disease by 76 percent. On the flip side, having strong social support can help lower your blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular functions. Set aside time once or twice a week to call friends, or make a monthly dinner date.
In Your 40s
Make Sleep a Priority
Thanks to peri-menopause, fluctuating hormone levels can interfere with a good night's sleep. But not getting at least seven hours of shut-eye regularly can lead to increased blood pressure, low-grade inflammation and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, all of which are harmful for your blood vessels and heart, explains Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, a cardiologist at New York University School of Medicine and coauthor of Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas. Lack of sleep has also been linked to weight gain. So establish good habits: Turn in (and wake up) at the same time every day—even on weekends—and do your best to relax before going to bed, whether it's watching a favorite funny TV show or reading.
Reassess Your Risk Factors
You may discover that your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels have changed in this decade, even if you aren't doing anything differently, says Dr. Hayes. In fact, 22 percent of 40-something women have high blood pressure and 50 percent have high cholesterol (a jump from 38 percent of women in their 30s), according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Also, be sure to get your thyroid checked around 45; hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland), which becomes more common as women get older, can negatively affect your cholesterol levels as well as your heart.
Step Up Strength Training
You start to lose muscle mass more rapidly in your 40s, which causes your metabolism to slow down since muscle burns more calories than fat. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to stave off those extra pounds. To help maintain muscle and keep your metabolism going, aim for two 15-minute sessions weekly of lifting weights, using a resistance band or doing other toning exercises.
Carve out Personal Time
"Between the demands of work and family, it becomes even more challenging to find time for yourself in your 40s," says Dr. Mieres. But it's crucial to do so—not only to help ease stress but also to guard against depression, which commonly crops up in this decade and can raise your risk of heart disease. "Find at least 10 minutes of ‘me' time every day to do something—even if it's just chatting on the phone with a friend—that helps you destress and regroup," says Dr. Mieres.
In Your 50s
Move More
Around menopause, you tend to gain extra weight around your belly, which can lead to insulin resistance, inflammation and heart strain. Cardiovascular fitness also starts to decline, particularly if you're not that physically active to begin with. "Unfortunately, at this point, women have to burn more calories to stay at the same weight," Dr. Stevens says. Start taking the stairs instead of the elevator whenever you can, walk faster around the mall, or jog to the mailbox to send letters instead of sticking your hand out the car window as you drive by. Small changes really do add up.
Have an ECG
Silent heart abnormalities become more common in your 50s, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart's electrical activity can pick them up, says Dr. Goldberg. Also ask your doctor if you should have a stress test; this is especially important if you're just starting to exercise.
Add Fiber
Besides being good for your cholesterol and blood sugar, pumping up your fiber intake (think whole grains like oatmeal, brown rice and flaxseeds, as well as beans, fruits and veggies) can help prevent constipation, which becomes more of a problem as you get older and your digestive system starts to slow down.
In Your 60s
Get Even More Vigilant About Screenings
After you go through menopause and get older, your blood pressure and cholesterol tend to go up, and blood vessels get stiffer. "Have your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol measured yearly," advises Dr. Goldberg.
Consider Medication
If you have hypertension or high cholesterol, the way you've been managing it before may not be enough. "As you get older, you may need more aggressive therapy," Dr. Bonow says. "High blood pressure that was controlled with one medication may now require three to control it." Talk to your doctor about whether you need to add to or adjust your medications to control your risk factors.
Be Alert to Symptoms
Now is when the first noticeable symptoms of heart disease may appear, so it's important to know what's normal for your body and be on the lookout for worrisome signs like chest discomfort, shortness of breath or changes in exercise tolerance—meaning you suddenly feel winded going up a flight of stairs or feel unusually tired for no apparent reason, says Dr. Mieres. If these appear, see your doctor pronto!

Ref: http://health.yahoo.com/featured/82/protect-your-heart-at-every-age/

Michelle Obama anti-obesity campaign

2010-02-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

The Anti-Obesity campaign has started which is a Nationwide initative for Let's Move and is targeted towards children. This move will eventually spread across adults. This is the beginning of things to come for us all. Is this good or bad? I agree people need to move and our children should be healthy and as they become healthy kids they inturn become healthy adults. How will people respond to such a move? How will parents take to this initative? As I read in another article it appears children on medicaid appear to have the largest numbers of obese children. What will this mean for medicaid children? These questions have yet to be answered and what will they do to make sure parents are purchasing healthy foods for their children? What if parent's do nothing to help their children lose weight? What happens to this broad spectrum of parents? We will have to wait and see how this new intiative will be implemented as time goes on.

If you want to read more about the Let's Move Intiative please click the link below:
http://www.futureofcapitalism.com/2010/02/michelle-obamas-anti-obesity-campaign

SNOW DAY IN TEXAS! HiPpIHoOrAy..

2010-02-11T11:25:00.000-08:00

After taking the kids to school cleaned the house then started doing my firm fitness. I've been watching Starz:Spartacus Blood & Bone and the show is awesome. The best part of the show are the men because every man in the show is totally fine and I mean hey are ripped up like Gladiators are supposed to be exactly what I imagined men in those times looked like. I went to the website and found the exercises they had the men perform and they were similar to the Firm Fitness for women. All I could do was say wow! I guess that is why after 10 workouts you look totally great. When I started doing those exercises I remeber people mostly men asking me did I work out I was wondering why they were asking me that so much. After taking some photos with my dog I saw my arms and legs where I looked really cut up and I hadn't made it down to my real size at that time. So, if you wanna look and feel great I challenge you to do at least 10 workouts with firm fitness I've posted the video to my blog. Now, remember ladies please push yourself the exercises look easy but start doing them and you will feel the difference. Have fun looking grea... remeber love yourself because you are you're first and foremost love... fall in love with yourself this year!

Cheerleader Tryouts!

2010-01-24T20:35:00.000-08:00

My husband sent this to me and I thought I would share this video with the rest of you. These girls are enjoying themselves and seem to show no shame in their weight or size. There is nothing wrong with not being ashamed of being fat and they should feel good about themselves no one has the right to make another person feel bad. The problem I see in the video is where their size is extremely huge and it seems to me they have no intention on doing anything about their weight. This is the saddest part of the video. They seem to enjoy their extremly large size and I mean one of the girls is so large she can be a cow. The other girl is about the size of smaller cow but extremely large. What they will not talk about is the fact that these girls are sick. Please believe me they are sick.

Newest deal found today???

2010-01-22T18:27:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to do it so I finally did it. I completely did the Jailbreak on my ipod touch. Now, I will have to see what all I can really do and all the free apps I can get with the jailbreak. I just got tired of paying for everything it's was time to free myself. The best part about the jailbreak you can simply uninstall it by resetting the ipod and Apple would never know it was jail broken. Wow.. best part of this deal it was all for free..

http://blackra1n.com/

Hypnosis Download!

2010-01-21T14:27:00.001-08:00

After being sick for the last few days with sneezing, sniffing, coughing, and fever I finally broke free. Now, today is the first day I feel halfway decent but I'm tired from all my body has gone through over the last few days. I've pulled something out of the closet I hadn't thought about using in a while, my hypnosis downloads I purchased and placed on CD's as back up. I've downloaded the hypnosis sessions to my Ipod and created a hypnosis playlist. I figure I better start listening to these CD's again since I'm so tired from being sick and I have no energy. When I lost all that weight over a year ago, I was listening to these CD's rather frequently. I would have to say they work since I was so caught up with exercising that if I didn't exercise I would feel stiff. I couldn't sit still in my chair and work because all I wanted to do was stretch and work out. I certainly hope I can start feeling that way again to lose these last 30lbs. I will keep you posted. Feel free to purchase hypnosis on line at:

http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/?2563!hd&gclid=CIXu0f_Ctp8CFQJinAodhh2nzg

News on Haiti

2010-01-14T13:49:00.000-08:00

President Obama has promised millions in Aide to Haiti but right now they are in need of water and supplies. I heard UPS is giving free shipping for care packages. I will be going to purchase water later tonight to send to Haiti. After all this news as I continued to read I saw Western China had Avanlanches which have trapped about 5,000 people over there. Please believe me when I tell you there is so much more to come. We haven't seen the worst yet. Mankind has been so selfish and caught up in their own ways and has no respect for nature or it's surroundings so Mankind will pay for being selfish. It's the poor people who suffer the most through all of this. People get in shape so when the time comes you will be able to live through enduring times. What if you had to walk 5 miles? Could you do it right now? What if you had to go without food right now? Could you survive without getting sick or weak? Get in shape and keep your minds in shape because these are going to be some troubled times.

Haiti 7.2 Earthquake! Major devastation...

2010-01-13T10:13:00.000-08:00

Well, looks like I was correct there was something coming after-all. We have to rember we are all composed of energy and we have to pay attention to animals. Their behavior is never off and when you see animals trying to flee then you need to follow whatever direction they are going in. This was the tragic mistake many people made with the Tsumai. All the animals started getting out of there. There wasn't a bird, dog, or cat to be seen. I wish I could be there to assist in Haiti but I can guarantee you this the animals started moving out of there. No one paid attention for sure. One thing for sure people will learn to stop, look, and listen. Animals still use their senses and they can feel the vibration in earth. I do not care what is happening in your life. Pay attention to earth's first signs which are your animals such as birds, cats, dog, even ants... Pay attention becuase those who know what is about to occur do not release information and warnings because they fear people will go mad or crazy. That is not their decision. Therefore, you have to rely on the one thing you know best. They are never wrong, your animals take time to pay attention to their behaviors and how they gather and move around. This is your first sign that something is underway. I've listed below a website where you can read where even a mouse can predict earthquakes... Please people they will not warn us you have to pay attention to your surroundings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/animals/newsid_3033000/3033702.stm

Slept like a baby!

2010-01-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

I've made some adjustments to my schedule and now I use the treadmill to run for 1 mile. My goal is to run 1 mile in less than 12 minutes. Afterwards, I go directly to the pool to start working out. My only problem is the water's PH, I can't see a dang thing because I keep forgetting to take my goggles. I've made sure I have them for tonights practice. It's a lot of work and things seem so slow right now. I have so much work to do. I didn't even bother to attempt butterfly because my arms are not strong enough to carry my body weight at this time. Plus, butterfly stroke takes a lot of strength in which I just don't have right now. Currently, I have way too much body fat to pull. That's the reason, I'm having such a difficult time with freestyle at the moment. As usual, my winner of all the strokes, my savior of all time was backstroke. Last night I was able to complete at least 2x100 yards. My goal tonight is to shoot for 3x100 yards. I remeber in swim practice we always started with 10x100 yards. Afterwards, we would do 5x100 freestyle, then 5x100 backstroke, and 5x100 breast-stroke. Compared to now that seems like a whole lot of work. All I can do is work at it. My first goal is to reach 10x100 free-style and get my turns under control.

Pictoral Key to the Glyph Code! - Photo - Fringe

2010-01-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Pictoral Key to the Glyph Code! - Photo - Fringe

WIFI in fitness clubs

2010-01-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why fitness clubs have not thought of this idea but I will be calling them to suggest Wifi for their members. Many people would love to have the ability to access their web content or watch movies using Wifi. Usually, when I work out there are televisions with free viewing near all treadmills. However, the conent is never anything to spark my interest. When I want to work out I'm not in the mood to watch the news because it's depressing. The average person is either looking for something relaxing or adventure. I may want to watch my own content rather than what is being offered in the club. It's nice they try to offer their viewing but there's no way to please everyone because we are all different. Wifi would be the perfect answer because we could access our own material right from our ipods, cells, or laptops. The goal in fitness clubs is to keep you going but when it becomes mudane and boring people stop going. Another great idea is to have a board posting for those who are seeking workout buddies. Many people simply do not have suppport systems which is why they fail in their weight loss goals. Fitness clubs could even offer online web forums for people to communicate with one another. When I go down to the gym the people are not friendly except the staff because their sole purpose is to keep you coming for the membership dues. Other than that, I often feel out of place which is why most people stop going. I mean no one speaks or even say hello. They don't offer support or anything. You simply pay and that is the end of it. Now, you can pay a huge whopping fee for a personal trainer but who really has the money for that. Besides, that person is there to push you they are not your friends. Often, you don't even have anything in common with one another. These were things I noticed as I walked around the gym. I will make it my business today to share all these ideas with their manager sometime this week.

Swimming for exercise

2010-01-08T06:35:00.000-08:00

Went to work out yesterday but all treadills, ellipticals, and weight machines were full. I've always taken my swim suit so I decided to do some lap swimming. It has been years since I've actually done some real swim training. I was able to complete 800 meters with backstroke and only 100 meters with freestyle. Now, I can honestly see why my coaches were amazed at my backstroke abiity. They were shocked to see I was stronger in backstroke than any other stroke. It's like this, can you run faster backwards or faster? We all know we run faster forward, except in swimming I'm faster in backstroke. I don't know why but I'm more relaxed when I swim using backstroke. It was my favorite of all strokes in swimming.
I'm thinking of joining the master's swimming program. This is a program for all swimmers over age 18 and they accept all levels of swimming. If you want to do competitive swimming or other programs such as lap swimming. I'm more interested in competitive swimming which means I've must do a lot to get in shape. It will be well worth the effort to get out there and compete again. I did it along time ago and I believe I can do it again. When I first started swimming I was 12 when I started training. Other kids in my divison were faster and knew all the strokes from years of training. I was coming in late which meant I had to play catch up. I caught up with them in speed, strength, and stroke achievement in under 4 months. That was dedication and I'm still proud of myself to this day. I began beating those who were coming in first place and I made so much improvement they had to give me the most improved award. I believe I still have that will and determination to go back and start competeting in the masters program by this summer.

YOU WERE WARNED! Now what will you do??

2010-01-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Today, at work I received an email that our company now has the health rewards program. This is a program which pays up to $450 a year to members for staying healthy. Basically, if you are healthy you will be rewarded for doing so. The downside is what are the pentalities to those who are not healthy? What will they do those who refuse to eat right, exercise, or even take small steps toward a healthier life? I kept trying to warn people but they wouldn't listen. Now, the healthcare reform has been the biggest issue. However, they are not disclosing valuable information to the general public. On 1/4/2010 I read where at least 11 states are filing a lawsuit stating consumer rights are being infringed upon. No details at this moment but I'm still waiting. I know my good ole home state of Texas was on that list. I'm so thankful that I went to school and learned as much as possible and saw this disaster headed our way. I've never been able to get the black community or other black women's support in this matter. I'm still trying to work on that but it's impertative I continue to write as this thing unfolds. This health movement will be ugly for Blacks because we have the worst health of all racial groups. We have the highest numbers in the major categories, BP, BMI, glucose(diabetes), and cholesterol. My people I urge you to do something about your health. You will be held accountable for your health. We discussed these issues while I was in school. Many times, I heard students say, "It's not fair, people who don't take care of themselves get health insurance and still do nothing as all those benefits are paid." I've been in the grocery store and watch the smirks on their faces as they watch a fat black in one of the scooter reserved for the elderly pull up with two baskets of food and the baskets are loaded with junk food, at least two cases of soda, huge boxes of cereal loaded with sugar, plenty of meat which is bad for the health, and no fruits or vegetables. People are mad and disgusted by this behavior..and this type of behavior will be met with the strictist of punishment ever seen by our society. They are not playing this game anymore.

YOGADAY USA!

2010-01-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

Yoga is being celebrated worldwide on Jan 23,2010 you have an opportunity to take a free yoga class by finding an even in your community visit: yogadayusa.org
I tell you it did me a world of good and my back, neck, or shoulders no longer hurt from yoga. Try it this January! Visit the website and enter your zip code to find a free class in your area. Please hurry before all classes fill up!

The New Year is in it's time!

2010-01-04T01:24:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad the N. Year is over and I can finally get serious and start to lose these last 30lbs. This week my goal is to cut back on meat consumption. I will choose at least 3 days this week in which I will not eat meat at all and consume only fruits, vegetables, rice, fiber, and plenty of water. The water will and fiber will keep ne full. Since, I've overeaten this weekened. Today, Monday Jan 4th will be the first day without meat, then Wednesday, and Saturday. I will go to play Dodgeball this Saturday as well. Right now I can't sleep so I'm headed to 24hr fitnes to work out on the tread mill and sit in the suana room to relax before this busy, busy, Monday mornning.

2010 No more purchasing high priced video games!

2010-01-02T14:31:00.000-08:00

Previoslu, I've seen or heard of an advertisement where you could rent or purchase video games similar to Netflix. Today, I found it and signed up since I found out I could get the newest release games without paying the whopping huge price of $40 to $50 for one game. The best part of the deal is that you get to keep the game long as you want just like Netflix and it's all one small price. I have 3 games on the way, Mortal Kombat which I love, Assassin Creed II, and the great Super Mario for Wii which just released. This is how you shop smart and save your money. If I had gone to Gamestop, Walmart, or Fry's I would have paid a bundle somewhere between $150 to $175 for those games. I'm only paying a small amount of $14.95 now you can't beat that! This is going to be a wonderful year full of so much because I'm going to save, save, and save on all purchases.

ADs for smoking!

2009-12-31T13:35:00.000-08:00

Will you continue to be manipulated? What will you do this year? Fight for health and stop the manipulation. I don't know about you but I'm on my way to the gym to do my first workout at 24 hour fitness which I paid for online. Enjoy your New Year and Be Safe!

A DAY TO REMEBER! Lesly R. Brown...my inspiration

2009-12-31T12:44:00.000-08:00

One of the events which had such a profound effect in my life was when my sister died of Diabetes complications. She was so sick and ill every day. My sister was going to Dialysis 5 days a week. She needed to go onto the kidney tranplant list but had to lose 100lbs first in order to get her name on that list. She did everything to try and lose weight including and up to drug use. That is how frustrated my sister was about Diabetes and losing weight. As a last resort, she tried to use cocaine to lose weight. God Rest Her Soul. She was such a beautiful person and she lost her life because she didn't understand the ramifications of eating good ole sould food!
I remeber as a child we were praised when we ate a lot. My granmother was so thrilled to see us eat all our food. My dad used to say, " now that is a real Williams" when you would go back for seconds or even thirds. They encouraged us to eat uncontrollably and we never ever took vitamins. The first time I ever saw a person take a vitamin was when I was 18 and lived with my ex at the time. He took those vitamins religously. His mother was a nurse and she made sure they took their vitamins on a daily basis. Ultimately, as I watched my sister's life wither away from her I knew I was looking into a Mirror. I had a choice either die or fight to live. I did everything from joining a fitness class in school and lifting weights but no matter how hard I tried I could not lose the weight. Not until I finished my Associate Degree and went on to the University. I started taking those nutritional courses and they were awesome. I began to read just how much we have been manipulated into obesity and if you notice the newest trend now is weight loss. A lot of $$$$ to be made on weight loss. This is the newest wave of business in the USA.
This method has awalys been used in business, give them a product they love, get them addicted-knowing they will be sick and dying, then make money when we take this addiction away. This method was used when they allowed prohibition(Alcohol) to become legal. This method was used when they advertised smoking as the coolest thing ever in the early 1900's and later. Within the last 15 years the medical profession has made so much $$$ on stop smoking programs and then comes all of the no-nonsense advertisers to get your money and offer no results. The will of man was broken from each one of these addictive behaviors. Food was next on the list. I remeber as a child we never had snacks and they were not mandatory. They first introduced snacks, then came the value meals, next on the campaign was the "Super size" you actuallly paid less for more food. What a bargain it was and we all ran out for these wonderful deals. Everything got bigger our taste in homes, our taste in cars, and of course or wallets were even fatter as jobs became plentiful so we could afford everything our hearts desired.
Think my brothers and sisters, I urge you to control your desire to eat big luscous meals tomorro. I urge you to think about your health. They keep telling everyone about accountablitity and what that means in health-care is one's ability to take care of themself. You will need to take care of yourself by eating less and getting fit. Take the time to walk to the store. Stop riding in scooters at the store because they are accessible. Drink water instead of soda and limit your meat control. I will discuss all of these things at later dates.

I love you Leslie and I will remeber you always!
Please people select the link below so you can see the ads for smoking in the early 1900s and on.
http://indymotorspeedway.com/cigs/1950s.html

Greatest Deal I found today!

2009-12-31T11:52:00.000-08:00

Get rid of those high cable bills! Start looking into Internet television services. Pay once price and no more monthly bills! I will be trying these services for the New Year. It's time to slice the bills....I've listed a website below which has a number of companies offering service.

http://www.worldtvpc.com/

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well it's the New Year and people will celebrate tonight. I think I will try someting different this year. My motto has always been however you end the year is the way your entire year will be. Therefore, I will start exercising at 11:30pm tonight up until past the New Year. I intend on living a healthy year this year. A Year full of less fat and more exercise to help me look and feel great.

Things to do this New Year.

Yoga-Now,if you are interested in trying yoga feel free to visit sunstone yoga online http://www.sunstoneyoga.com/ They are having a special introductory rate of $10 for 10 days. I suggest anyone to try it and see what it's all about.

Gym membership with 24hour fitness. I signed up online. They are running a special you can have all access. O initiation fee & you pay your first and last month of dues. This offer expires 12/31/2009 So hurry people! I paid only $58.64. I think I'm going down there as soon as I get off work at 2:45pm today for my first workout! May as well end the year correct.

Food For Weight Loss!

2009-12-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

To effectively lose weight you must always remember exercise makes up 25% of equation while food makes up another 75%. Now, I know you are wondering then why does everyone tell you that you must exercise? Well, you have to understand exercise helps you internally with your internal organs, muscle, and strength. Food on the other hand, makes up the biggest portion because of the ole saying, "You are what you eat, from your head down to your feet." This is one of the most profound sayings ever because it is true.
In order to lose weight as a female you should go to a high fiber diet. Why fiber? Well, if you ever take the time to make a fiber drink with water only you see will see the drink swell. This is what happens in your stomach as well. Therefore, when you consume fiber you feel full. Fiber also adds digestion, helps prevent constipation. I can sit here and write all your fiber foods but the easiest and cheapest way to go on a high fiber diet is to purchase Metamucil smooth texture powder which comes in 1.5lbs or smaller boxes. The easiest way for me to drink this powdery substance was to make it as a daiquiri drink mixture. I would put a little juice, water, ice, and two tablespoons of Metamucil in my blender and make my drink. I would have one for breakfast, lunch, and as a snack later in the day. Before I knew it, I was eating smaller portions and with exercise up to 10,000 steps a day I was losing anywhere from 2-3lbs a week. I was so motivated I would reach anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 steps because I was feeling so much better. When you exceed 10,000 steps and go to a high fiber diet you can't lose in the weight loss battle. Tomorrow we will discuss metabolism boosting foods.

Astronomy News

2009-12-30T05:49:00.000-08:00

Before I could research astronomy news yahoo had already posted we were having a Blue Moon for the New Year which occurs once every 19 years. Always remeber whatever happens on Earth there will always be unsual activity in the stars. Our dimensions and universes are connected. Everything revolves around one another. We are all made of energy which reaches into the galaxies. One of the most exciting courses I took in college was Astronomy. We have come so far in technology and scientist today are so close to reaching other dimensions through the study of the newest in cosmo science which is String Theory a science studying the 11th dimension. You would be so amazed where our technology is headed today but that is another story...

References:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_sc/us_sci_blue_moon

Today's most interesting news-Sea Lions Have Dissappeared.

2009-12-29T20:50:00.001-08:00

Yahoo news reported today, Sea Lions have mysteriously disappeared from Pier 39 a San Francisco, California Pier. They report there was a mass gathering of the Sea Lions previously. I'm dying to hear what you think may have happened to the Sea Lions. Personally, I think they may have gone for food. However, when the Tsunami in Indonesia occurred animals were running for their lives and no one paid attention. We will just have to wait and see. Now, I will have to check astronomy news to see if there is anything interesting going on in their news.

Reference:
http://news.yahoo.com/video/sanfranciscocbs5-15751300/sea-lions-mysteriously-disappear-from-pier-39-17346489

The Math Behind Weight-loss!

2009-12-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

One of the things I remeber about losing weight is the fact that you must exceed 10,000 steps a day. I suppose you would ask why? Well, in order to lose weight you must committ to doing exercise that will burn at least 500 calories a day. You must understand the math behind weight loss. Remeber the ole saying, "Everything revolves around math." That is a very true statement.
Here is the math to weight loss a formula you should always remeber when trying to lose weight. When I followed these matematical approaches weight loss began to happen. Previously, I couldn't understand why I could not lose weight. It's simple, if you have the time to do some of these tedious things. However, if you downloaded Lose It! then you are very close to a new beginning. Weight loss takes dedication and motivation in order to lose weight. So, I've listed the formula below.

1. 1 lb of Fat equals 3500 calories
2. Every 2,000 steps equals 1 mile.
3. Every 2000 steps equals 100 calories!
4. If you reach 10,000 steps a day you have burned 500 calories.
5. If you can burn 500 calories a day then in 7 days you will have burned 1
pound of flesh off your body.

Tomorrow , I will discuss how you can apply this formula to your food intake..

Relaxation

2009-12-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

I found a wonderful website through American Airlines I would have to say it's a grand idea for relaxation. They even provide relaxation tips. Everyone, is getting involved in helping people find other ways to cope rather than the destructive behaviors we display today. Many of us and myself included do so many other things for pleasure which are not conducive for our bodies such as smoking, over-eating, drugs, tv-watching, internet surfing, etc. We mistreat our bodies every day for our own self pleasure and indulgence. Many companies have teamed together to help combat the obesity rates in America. There is a mass campaign to thin our waistlines. People are somehow missing the hidden messages. A few years ago Mcdonald's was giving out yourself fitness DVD's with salad purchases. That reminds me, I will be writing them to see if they can bring that campaign back. It was very nice and I still have my DVD's. I have the strength and core workout. I never got the chance to obtain the cardio and yoga. I sure would love too. I've waited and waited and they have never brought this campaign back.

You will love this website by American Airlines!

http://www.theflagshipexperience.com/flashpage.html?en_0

total steps

2009-12-28T20:25:00.000-08:00

At 7:00am I was up to 1000 steps, by lunch time at 10:30am I was up to 3500 steps, by the time I got off work at 2:45pm I was at 5200 steps. after walking to the store and sitting here on this computer most of the evening. I'm at a total of 6334 steps. Looks like I will be very busy before I go to bed because I've got to log a total of 10,000 steps in order to lose 1lb. Anything less than 10,000 only helps me maintain my weight that is why I haven't lost weight. I've been averaging a total of 6500 to 8,000 steps a day which is why I haven't gained any weight but I haven't lost weight either. It's time to kick it up a few notches to reach and exceed 10,000 steps a day for total weight loss success.

Link to watch Alvin & The Chipmunks Sequeal!
http://fairyshare.com/watch-95515271b68ef9925#

Exercise today!

2009-12-28T19:51:00.000-08:00

Well my today was busy today after eating and drinking all weekend. I started my day at 6:30am cleaning, 7:00am firm fitness, 7:30 gazelle for 20 mins, and 9:30 firm fitness with the kettleball. I also did two 3 minute sessions of Kegel exercises to stregthen my pelvic floor muscles.I also walked to and from the store today despite the cold that is just how motivated I am to exercise and get these last 30lbs off. I believe I will end my day with some yoga to relax firm fitness kettleball again before bed.

I believe I was dehyrdrated from drinking because I've been drinking water like crazy for the past two days. It has tasted so good I've consumed close to a gallon of water in the last 24 hours so I would have to assume I was dehydrated from drinking. I can say I feel great since I've been drinking water and I can tell you it never tasted so good. LOL!

Link to movie Avatar: http://www.tomwans.com/video/dd9a24a5f0b17ed516b9cd9bf10cf8c3/Avatar#

BOYZ VS GROWN MEN

2009-12-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Boys Vs Men

A boy wears sagging pants a man wears a suit
A boy hits a girl a man caresses his wife
A boy wants to be a thug, a man has a career
A boy has lot's of girlfriends while a man has a wife.
A boy lives with his mother and a man lives with his family.
A boy is selfish and does not share while a man works and provides for
his family.
A boy insults his girlfriend while a man praises and uplifts his wife.
A boy runs at the thought of a relationship while a man proposes and
marries his best-friend.
A boy takes his girl-friend to clubs so he can scout for more while a
man takes his family on vacation and enjoys family time.
A boy will not cook or clean because he waits for his mother while a
man cook and wash when his wife is tired.
A boy is selfish while a man is always sharing with his wife.
A boy is inpatient while a man is understanding.
A boy describes a woman as a female dog while a man calls her by her
name.
A boy walks through a door and races to get in front of women while a
man patiently opens and hold the door or allows women to proceed
before him.
A boy pushes a girl's hand while A man holds a woman's hand.
These things you determine if you have a man or a boy as a significant
other.

Great Exercise Gift from PowerAde

2009-12-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

I found this wonderful site where I can now take my favorite music for exercise and gather the beats to create a great exercise playlist for my Ipod or any other MP3 Player. I'll be gathering some great music and using this device as soon as I'm done I will update site with how this works. I'm downloading the player right now. Wish me luck people!

http://www.poweradegb.com/motivation-zone/pulse/

Perfect Exercise to tone my hips and thighs1

2009-11-30T13:55:00.001-08:00

I was so exicited to find this video series. Perhaps, these are the exercises my body needs to get my hips and thighs back down to normal size.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T11:34:00.000-08:00

I decided to spend Thanksgiving working today. This would give me an opportunity to relax and simply enjoy myself. I don't have the desire to spend this day with others because over the years it has been the same tradition of eating like pigs and when you don't participate then you have to hear all the crap they give you. People simply do not respect you when you want to do something beneficial for your mind and body. I just wanted to enjoy myself, watch my karate movies, study yoga, and practice yoga today. I was invited to join a yoga channel today. It was great and I was very thankful for the invite. I thought I would share that information with whomever is interested. Peace of mind means a peaceful body.

http://www.yogaonline.info/yogaforhealth.htm

Premature babies into adulthood

2009-11-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

This was the reply I sent to Science Daily on the previous article on GERD.

As a person with GERD, I certainly hope scientist can get it right. As we are getting sick even when we do not eat acidic foods. When this occurred, I knew there was something else going on. Perhaps, those of us with GERD are having allergic reactions to some foods. I certainly wish they would investigate how many people were born premature and this develops in adulthood as a result of being born premature. I know today, many babies are born with this condition as a result of prematurity. Perhaps, those of us who are sick with Gerd were premature as I was. My body acts different than the rest of my entire family when I eat food. In the end, my mother and I both believe a lot of my problems have stemmed from being born premature which does cause a person to have a lower immunity. I will stay updated as they discover more but I certainly believe prematurity and undeveloped internal organs are the cause of GERD and other dietary problems. No one monitors prematures as they develop into adults.

Acidic Burn does not cause GERD

2009-11-22T07:53:00.000-08:00

I came across one of the most interesting articles this morning on the condition GERD. It seems scientist have performed tests on rats and their results revealed acidic burn is not the cause of GERD in rats. They gave rats extremely high doses of Acid burn and weeks later the rats started to exhibit acidic burn. Researchers now are saying GERD may be caused by the Esophageal cells to release chemicals called cytokines which in turn attract inflammatory cells to Esophagus and those inflammatory cells cause the damage called GERD.

UT Southwestern Medical Center (2009, November 19). Reflux esophagitis due to immune reaction, not acute acid burn.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111335.htm

BODIES EXHIBTION WEST END DALLAS

2009-11-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the write ups from the Dallas Observer. In this review of the exhibition you can see where the first thing mentioned is the Holiday Thanksgiving and how much we love to eat during this time. They are warning people about their eating habits and asking them to go down to the West End before having their meal to take a look at the human body.

Getting Under Your SkinBy Kaitlin Ingram

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and, man, am I ready this year. I've been dreaming about mashed potatoes and cornbread dressing for more than a month now. But despite being one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving is also dangerous--and not just relatives-getting-drunk-and-blurting-out-family-secrets dangerous. I'm talking about dangerous for your health, people. We all know obesity is an epidemic in America, and Thanksgiving is all about stuffing faces. But fret not, fellow food-lovers, because I've found a surefire way to keep you from going back for seconds (or thirds): Sometime before the big meal, go to West End Marketplace, 603 Munger Ave., and look at a bunch of real, dead human bodies. If that doesn't cure your appetite (as well as your burning curiosity about human anatomy), I don't know what will. The popular international show Bodies: The Exhibition will be on display through April 2010 and features real, polymer-preserved bodies posed in various positions, showing all of us non-doctors what really goes on underneath our skin. Weekday tickets are $22, weekend tickets are $24, and discounts are available for kids, seniors, groups and members of the military. For more information about the exhibition, visit bodiestheexhibition.com. To purchase tickets, go to bodiestickets.com.

It's been a while

2009-11-21T11:22:00.000-08:00

It seems I've been a little out off focus and to regain focus they are hitting us with everything possible to make people aware of how they need to lose weight. A persoon I know was at a job and they were informed that if you had a BMI of 40 you need not show up or if you had HIGH BP, cholesterol, or Diabetes controlled or uncontrolled you would be sent home. Wow!.. The things I have spoken of have come to the surface. I even saw where Star Jones was hosting a program called:Obesity in Black America. Just today, the West end is opening the Bodies Exhibition. The prices are quiet expensive but I've got to go and find out what the exhibit is all about. I believe it will be quiet fasinating to see the human body on exhibit. This is a rare opportunity for my children. I've got to make my young black girls understand how important health will be in their generation. They don't have the luxury of letting themselves go and eating everything in sight. Otherwise, they will not be allowed to work and if you can't work you can't eat. Fitness and Health will everything in this next generation. I vision a time where they will go back to the times of the Greek Empire. Most people do not realize this but the Greek empire was fasinated with fitness and health to the extent of having a government run program where everyone was required to exercise at noon time. All jobs ceased and people would work out from 30 mins to an hour. This was required of everyone. What a wonderful stress free society they would have been. This is where we are headed, this is our future and the future of our children. The time is now. The time to rethink is now. The time to change is now. Those who do not are dead!

2009-09-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

Now it seems everyone is in an uproar over this Healthcare Reform. What will they do? How will they do it? What will this cost? In my opinion, the easiset thing to do is to make people become more responsible for their Health. In other words, people who purchasse gym memberships and exercise should receive the highest discounts. Those who do not pay higher premiums etc. In order to achieve this you must regulate the membership fees of clubs. There should be no enrollment fees unless you are not insured. Clubs should inlcude such things as kids exercise programs and use of facility with parents. I have a 10 year old who loves to swim and she can't go down to the pool with me because she is not allowed. Why not? She is part of my family. I'm not saying let her come in when she wants to but she should be allowed to come in with me. What about my 15 year old daughter? Why should I pay membership for her? Why can't she come into the gym with me to exercise or participate in a class? What I'm trying to do is break the cycle of African American women not exercising. How can I teach them and they are not allowed to participate in anything with me at my own gym. I want them to see what a yoga class is all about. Children learn from their parents and do as their own parents. So, after having a membership I still have to go out and purchase videos. Wow! What about my insurance? I still pay high premiums and deductibles. I'm not rewarded for the extra effort I took to take care of my health. I even took the time to lose up to 40 pounds without being diagnosed with Diabetes but because I wanted to look and feel great.

Free Diabetic Diet Books

2009-08-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

HEALING STRESS

2009-08-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

I've come across some wonderful information on energy healing. I've been reading about Reiki Energy Healing, I think I will try some of this Reiki. Since, I'm a very stressful and nervous person I believe this will be great for me. If you want to find out more please visit the following website for free online information...

http://www.reiki.org/Download/FreeDownloads.html

The Math Behind Weight-Loss

2009-08-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things I remeber about losing weight is the fact that you must exceed 10,000 steps a day. I suppose you would ask why? Well, in order to lose weight you must committ to doing exercise that will burn at least 500 calories a day. You must understand the math behind weight loss. Remeber the ole saying, "Everything revolves around math." That is a very true statement.
Here is the math to weight loss a formula you should always remeber when trying to lose weight. When I followed these matematical approaches weight loss began to happen. Previously, I couldn't understand why I could not lose weight. It's simple, if you have the time to do some of these tedious things. However, if you downloaded Lose It! then you are very close to a new beginning. Weight loss takes dedication and motivation in order to lose weight. So, I've listed the formula below.

1. 1lb of Fat equals 3500 calories
2. Every 2,000 steps equals 1 mile.
3. Every 2000 steps equals 100 calories!
4. If you reach 10,000 steps a day you have burned 500 calories.
5. If you can burn 500 calories a day then in 7 days you will have burned 1
pound of flesh off your body.

Tomorrow , I will discuss how you can apply this formula to your food intake..

Active weekend!

2009-08-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

I stayed Active weekend playing Raquetball with my husband. We played at least 2 hours on Saturday but I ran out of gas during the 2nd game. I had to get something to eat so I could feel better. I drank plenty of water for sure. According to my pitcher I drunk at least 1/3 gallon of water and then some. Sunday morning we played again for at least 1.5 hours and I had to get home so I could rest up for Kickball later. I had a great time at kickball on Sunday, we won our game and I got to run all the way through the bases this time for a home run.

I strongly see the future of the Healthcare in the USA slowly headed towards a society where you will be rewarded for taking the time to implement fitness in your life. We are headed in the direction of Fitness and people must take the time to be more responsible for their own health. What does this mean for African Americans? Well, they most likely will be double charged for preventable illness such as high cholesterol, high glucose levels, Type II Diabetes, etc... African Americans will have to get on board with being active. I can see where patients will be penalized greatly for not taking care of their own health. African Americans especially women must get on board to taking a more active approach towards their own health. Many people are running to Doctors to get the lapband and or Morbid Obese surgery. What these people do not realize is that since they never changed their habits by implementing physical exercise they will gain the weight back in a minimum 5 years. Hell, one lady on my job had the surgery and last year she was small by December 20098by March of 2009 she was already gaining most of the weight back. Already back in her fat clothes once again. Wow, is all I could say at that one.
Most people are not paying attention to what is going on with Healthcare especially in the Black community. However, the President has already started a website for healthcare in which, all Presidents have had this website but this one is being emailed to everyone.
You can visit the website at: https://www.presidentschallenge.org/index.aspx

30-Day Yoga Challenge

2009-08-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited because today I decided to perform a search on Yoga for hips. The video was awesome. I actually felt my hips as I performed the poses. After performing poses I felt great. Some were difficult but these are exercises I wil certainly implement in my exercise regiment. Today's Exercise included the following:

push ups-50
Sit ups-30
Treadmill/Gazelle-20 minutes
Yoga for hips

Lunch-Raquetball 30mins intense competition with my husband.

Evening: Raquetball for an hour.

I also joined the 30-Day Yoga challenge at http://30dayyogachallenge.com/

Soul Train was the best thing ever, how did it end?

2009-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

One of the best TV shows African Americans had was soul train but that ended as Rap came on the scene. The next generation had no interest in being themselves they divided into two types of Blacks. Those who were gang bangers and those who wanted to change for the better.. What did this mean??? Well, those who wanted to change for the better no longer wanted to embrace being black so they changed everything and became the new found whites of America. They didn't and do not dance simply enjoying and expressing who they are. When I go to most black settings, I'm the only one who wants to dance or simply just get up and do something. Sitting around eating, gaining weight, not being active was never for me. I sure miss Soul Train.. one thing for sure I do not care about getting my hair wet or sweaty cuz guess what??? I can do it all myself. Remember, I learn quick just by watching.

I got this post from a friend on Facebook.,
http://www.eztakes.com/store/streaming/watch.jsp?pid=0170295

What happened to the Karate Epidemic of the 70's and 80s?

2009-08-13T12:44:00.001-07:00

Back in the 70's Karate and Kungfu were the biggest form of fitness. What happened to this era? Well, it seems since African Americans could learn how to fight and defend themselves there had to be a well designed plan to end this epidmemic. Men had come home from the Vietnam War which was located in Asia. They had first hand exposure to these ancient forms of defense. Most likely, they brought their knowledge home with them after the war ended. Now, when the men returned all they spoke about would have been all they had learned from the War. Then, Bruce Lee came on the scene. He began making Kung Fu and Karate movies revealing all kinds of secrets on the big screen. This may have gotten him killed for revealing ancient secrets but no one really knows. Previously, people never thought much about the Japanese or Chinese population. This new epidemic had everyone thinking they all knew Karate or Kungfu and people all over were afraid of them. However, as time continued children all over were watching Karate movies. They were the best thing ever. Children as myself would run outdoors to practice playing Karate. This activity kept us healthy and fit. We were exposed to how they learned certain techniques and movements. What people didn't expect was that we could see the movements and mimic them as quick as they were. When people saw this they had to end this movment of Karate. The U.S has always perputrated a plan to keep Blacks from defending themselves. All sorts of laws were put in place to keep Blacks from obtaining legal guns. Therefore, huge numbers of Blacks were learning how to defend themselves with their hands and feet. This became a problem and this generation and era of Karate had to end. They couldn't allow our population to become fit, healthy, and knowledgable into ancient art forms of Karate and Kungfu. This would have made Blacks very strong thus the era had to end. As a child of the 70s, we continued to try and learn this form of fighting. I practiced so much people in my neighborhood believed I knew Kungfu. All my friends were afraid of me because of all I could do. They were mimic forms of movements I had learned from the movies. Hell, once I even bodyslammed a girl who wanted to fight me. Therefore, girls never fooled with me too much. They were more afraid of what I could do. Later, I went on to learn correct forms of gymnastics. Previously, I learned how to flip watching the Karate movies. I was brave and bold. I never feared much of learning anything. I could watch anything and learn it. There were many more people out there just like me. Therefore, the era and most wonderful generation of Asian Art form ended here in America. Now, we welcomed the age of Obesity...

Jupiter Images

2009-07-31T23:34:00.000-07:00

The latest information comes out this week confirming that Jupiter was hit by a Asteroid. Now, Nasa says it will share information online on future updates with objects coming near Earth. The funniest part of the whole story was the guy who captured the image of Jupiter being hit is a amateur Astronomer. This goes to show that anyone can help watch the skies. My next big investment will be a telescope so my family and I can participate in watching the galaxy. Actually, all astonomers are joining together for the 2009 Astronomy project. This is something I seriously want to teach my girls. There is so much going on in the skies. When I took a course in Astronomy, I loved it. There was so much to learn about the skies and how earth is affected by what goes on in the skies. Just like in Biblical stories when the three Kings watch the sky and new by the signs in the skies that the Saviour of our World was born. His name was Jesus. They followed the stars and found the infant and brought him many gifts. I've always found that story fascinating in the fact that I've always wondered just how they knew what the signs in the sky were? How did they obtain the knowledge to know certain signs in the sky meant someone was born and whom for that fact? Many stories in the bible had me raising questions because I've always looked outstide the box. The basic information in the bible has never been enough for me. I've always asked Why? What? When? I've always wanted more detailed information. Which tells you I was not well liked by the Church. I was always told, "You do not question God." I've never seen it as though I was questioning God, I simply wanted to know the truth. Just how did they come across such information.. I'm still learning.

What foods increase metabolism?

2009-07-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Metabolsim is the process of breaking down all the foods we eat. If your body doesn't break down what you eat then it turns to fat. If you eat the right kinds of foods you can help speed up your metabolism to help breakdown the foods you eat and with exercise it's a sure approach to weight loss. Which foods speed up your metabolism?

Vegetables
Fruits
Lean Proteins
Fish
Healthy fats
Whole grains

When looking at the above list, it really doesn't tell you much. Most people, receive this list from their doctors and proceed with their own list made from the above food list. You have to know which foods actually speed up metabolism. I was given a list similar to the above list years ago. While obtaining my minor in nutrition, I learned more detailed information on the above list of foods. Therefore, I wanted to create a list of each categories and the exact foods which cause the metabolism to speed up.

VEGETABLES
Brococlli
Lettuce
Cucumber
Zucchini
Celery
Tomatoes
Cauliflower
Eggplant
Mushrooms
Spinach
Artichokes
Carrots

Meats
Fish
Tuna
Skinless Chicken Breasts
Cornish Game Hen Fish
Tofu Turkey Bacon
Lean Sirloin
Tenderloin
Cabbage

Fruits
Strawberries
Grapefruit
Melons: Cantaloup, watermelons
Apples
Citrus Fruits-Pineapples, Oranges,
Pears

Lean Proteins
Fish
Tuna fish
Sardines
Peanut butter

Whole grains
Brown/Wheat Bread
Brown/Spaghetti
Brown/Rice
Nuts: peanuts, pecans, walnuts,
Oatmeal(I usually get the variety kind)
Raisin Bran or any other whole grain cereal

Dairy products:
Yogurt(Low-fat of course)
Drink only carnation milk... no 2%, no whole milk only 2%
Fatfree

Another rule of thumb is to remeber to eat every 3 to 4 hours. One of the best things I found out about fiber is that it keeps you full. At least 30 minutes before a meal I make my delicious Fiber shake. I use a blender, 1tsp fiber (of choice)water, ice, small amount of frozen juice, and mixt it up. Fiber gives the body a very full feeling. This is the best idea yet. I never knew fiber was so beneficial. My choice of fiber is Metamucil or Benefiber mixtures. Including fiber in my diet was the best decision I had ever made.

Oh boy! Jupitet Hit may have been hit by a Asteroid or Meteor!

2009-07-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Now, 2012 predicts that Earth will have some catasrophic events which will occur. That is one of the main reasons for me trying to get physically fit. In case, things spiral out of control I will already be ready if I can't eat all the food I want and in the event that I can't use a car, I will be physically ready to walk anywhere without major problems. Besides that, I want to look and feel great. I was so miserable when I was bigger. Feeling great has it's positive points, I can easily participate in activties I love and I no longer have daily pains in muscles and joints.
When I received my Associates Degree one of the greatest classes I had was Astronomy. I loved that class and I look to the skies as much as I can. As of July 19 2009 the same day NBC was airing Meteor, one may have struck Jupiter or an Asteroid. Scientist are not sure yet. Here is the photo..

[DA June 25, 2009] Of Ants and Galaxies « The Daily Astronomer

2009-07-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

[DA June 25, 2009] Of Ants and Galaxies « The Daily Astronomer

This is what the Sky looked liked the Day Michael Jackson Died. What beautiful sight in heaven.

Dodgeball game

2009-07-18T12:59:00.000-07:00

I had a great time playing Dodgeball on Thursday. I decided to post some of the videos I have of the game. Each week I will start posting both of my games Dodgeball on Thursdays and Kickball on Sundays. Hopefully, this will keep me motivated. I've been tired lately but I'm trying to regain my strength so I can continue my games. The weather has been hot and keeps me indoors until nightfall. It's been too hot for me to be in the sun with as much exercise as I do daily. Starting Monday, I will stop eating meat with my meals. This last 30lbs has been very difficult to lose. I've changed my diet so I've slowly slipped back into some of my old habits such as drinking beer at the bar with the teams, eating meat more regularly, and I've not been as active as I could be. lately, I've stopped my early morning exercise regiment before 6am. So, I think I have to get back to my old ways to finish up what I've started. I've got to accept that I can't slip back into my old routine. Each time I've lost weight, I go right back to the old routine trying to do like everyone else and that doesn't seem to work for me. I'm different than my friends or associates. Each time, I cosume meat I gain weight or I can't successful lose weight. I've been able to maintain my weight but I haven't successfully lost weigh anymore. With that said, I've got to get back to my old way and stay with it otherwise I will see myself right back into that 200lb mark.

My newest baby to the family!

2009-07-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Find more photos like this on PETtell

How to build ripped muscles

2009-07-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

Many people wonder how to obtain ripped muscles and are not sure how they can accomplish it. I came up on a very wonderful article last week discussing just the thing and explaining how you can obtain ripped muscles without taking any drugs. The article explains how muscles are actually built up. This is done by a few processes in the body. First, when you perform effective exercises it causes stress on your muscles. In turn, the stress on muscles causes tiny micro-tears on the muscles which causes muscle aches or soreness. The micro-tears are repaired by your body's own stem cells which comes from bone marrow creating new muscle tissue. The new muscle tissue becomes new muscle. This was a great article to read..

Reference:
http://www.aralifestyle.com/article.aspx?UserFeedGuid=904bf890-db23-4551-95d2-1f5aa83e9e6a&ArticleId=2089&ComboId=4185&title=New-development-builds-ripped-muscles-legally

Dodgeball Champions of Dallas!

2009-07-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

May 26,2009 my Dodgeball playmates decided to enter a league and play some mad dodgeball. We played a group of excellent teams, most played flag football which was the team in Red. They were pretty tough and had some girls on there who through some powerful balls. We lost to them the first time but had to play them again and we won. They were the toughest team out there except our team. I have to give them their props because they were a excellent group of people with some awesome girls. I've listed some pictures... After playing 7 teams best game out of 3 from each team we finaly won the entire series in one night. Go Dallas Dodgeball!

High BMI will disqualify you from being hired...

2009-07-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

I've warned people about this time and time again but no one wants to listen. Well, I'm the only black still playing Dodgeball and Kickball. I love the two sports and I exercise at 6am in the morning. One of the greatest exercises in the early morning is my Firmfitnessdirect tape. Wow. they have the greatest exercise tapes designed for women. They tell the truth when they say you can see visible results in 10 sessions. Please believe me after 10 sessions or 10 days you will start to firm up and look really nice. The tapes are fun and you have to keep a clear mind. Just take your time.
I've been still reading and the topic is coming up more and more on the internet about High BMI and using this as a tool to disqualify applicants. I feel this will totally destroy many black women. They ignore their bodies and they want to protect their hair. Therefore, the thought of sweating is not going to happen. They are very inactive in big numbers and this will keep us from working. The saddest part is that they will not know why they are not being hired. What about those who do not have computers at home? What about those who do have computers but do not use them regularly? I have so many friends but they either have no computer or they are never online. I live on online either working, learning, or doing some sort of research into Health.
Clarian Health is one of the companies who is being blasted all over the internet with their new policy on hiring methods used for people with high BMI and how they will dock their employee's paycheck anywhere from $15 each week or $75 per month for continued high BMI. They will also dock pay for those who smoke. Also, employers do not have to hire you if you have a high BMI. With these methods, many African American sisters will be out of work. They will not have a clue as to why they are not being hired. Therefore, I contacted K104 and the Steve Harvey morning show. People need to know.
Many black women talked about me and called me crazy at work for trying to lose weight. I finally did it and I feel wonderful. Just today, I exercised at 6am for 30 minutes. During my lunch hour I exercised playing raquetball for 30 minutes. This evening after having a light dinner I exercised for 1 hour practicing my kicks, catching, and throwing for Kickball and Dodgeball. Then I went to play another 30 minutes.
I still have another 30lbs to lose before December. On every other Saturday I play Dodgeball for 2 hours. Every Thursday, I play Dodgeball with a league and every Sunday I play Kickball with a team. With all of that exercise I'm having a difficult time losing the last 30 minutes. But then I did stop exersing at 6am in the morning and during lunch breaks. As of last week, I changed my lunch break to an hour lunch to exercise. Since, I'm no longer busy in the morning and I work from home I'm now doing my exericse during the first 30minutes of work. When the sun goes down then I'm at it some more for an additional 2 hours. I stay busy busy busy at home. This is the only way to lose weight. You have to increase your physical activity and cut your calories to a minimum of 1200 calories. Always rember to stay hyrdrated. Eat plenty of fruit and cut meat consumption down. I began with starting out cutting beef consumption from everyday down to 5 days a week. Then after two weeks I cut my meat consumption down from 5 days a week to 4 days a week. The next two weeks I cut meat consumption from 4 days a week down to 2 days a week. When I finally made it down to 2 days a week I ate only either one of two choices: Chicken either grilled or baked and or Fish.
Another big flaw I had was drinking sweet drinks. That is another story.

References:
http://www.hrbenefitsalert.com/can-you-dock-workers-for-smoking-and-overeating/

http://www.bigfatblog.com/clarian-health-others-will-dock-your-paycheck-if-youre-fat

2009-07-04T08:25:00.001-07:00

When I'm lacking energy usually around certain time of the month. The one thing I can do is take Vitamin B12 along with my regular vitamins. Whenever I have sports to play I take two vitamin B12 tabletes to help increase my energy levels. It's been difficult for me since I was a child because of all the vitamin deficiencies I had from being premature at birth. Many times we were hungry ass kids due to poverty. One of the most important vitamins I learned about was B12 supplied energy. Whenever, I'm not feeling at my best this is the vitamin I take to increase my energy during and after exercise. Also, vitamin B12 increases your cell production to help you fight diseases. Furthermore, you can't take too much of it to cause any kind of toxicity. Wow! so when you are feeling down it's great to simply purchase the pure Vitamin B12 in pill form found at most grocery stores, pharmacies, GNC, and other nutritional stores. You can purchase vitamin B12 in either pill form or you can purchase the liquid form which will process right into your blood stream faster. The vitamin is very low cost so why not increase your energy?

References:
http://ods.od.nih.gov

What is your energy vitamin?

2009-07-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

CLARIAN HEALTH

2009-07-02T07:10:00.001-07:00

This is only the beginning of things to come. They will oust blacks on everything because as you know the group of people with the highest BMI are African Americans, Hispanics, and then poor whites. There's no problem with Asians, Arabs, Africans, or any other groups. These kinds of methods by employers will greatly impact American lives. The company Clarian Health is doing the following starting in 2009:
- Fine employees $10.00 for BMI over 30
- Fine $5 for each condition over the levels;cholesterol, glucose, blood
pressure and other conditions are levels which are high.
- If they smoke they will be charged another $5 on their check.

The company's reason is because unhealthy employees cost companies so much money each year in unexecused absences, sick leave, and FMLA. When an employee is out sick they can get paid for that day yet no work has been done affecting work production. Also, if the employee goes on an extended leave the employee is paid while off work and work production is affected. Sometimes, depending on the company and how big it is the company is forced to hire another employer usually or close to the same rate of pay and they have to pay for the new employee's health insurance. At this point, the company is paying for two employee's for one job. Finally, the sick employee comes back to work and now you have double employees, double insurance, and or other benefits. The employer has lost. My brothers and sisters, I have asked many African American women to start exercising with me. Finally, I gave up and started playing sports with Caucasians. I'm the only black female out there besides me there is only one black male out there.
Whenever, I mention any form of physical activity blacks especially females act like it's the end of the world. When they see me exercising they talk about me. I learned to ignore them because making them happy can only hurt myself. When I go out into public and look nice I receive all kinds of snares, ugly looks, and mean expressions from black women. Other races of women always have a kind word to say but not the African American women. Their jealousy towards anyone who looks great is beyound the scope of normal jealousy. It has a profound effect on how they view and treat other women. In the end, their immateur attitudes and behaviors will overwhelm them and they will find themselves without basic necessities in life.
My case and point is a sister I have who drove BMW's, Lexxus, Mercerdez Benz, without ever attending a day of college in her life. Now, she does work and she types which has helped her tremendously. However, her perspectives are way out off. She purchased a big $250,000 home without a spouse so I don't know how she is swinging it and she claims to purchase all other expensive items. Now, she has been sick with having fiborids for the last few years. Instead of spending money on her health she has spent money on nothing except material items. Whenever I've asked about health insurance she never has any. This is what she does, takes out some cheap health insurance so she can show the employer and she opts out of the health insurance at work because it costs money. Then, whenever she is sick she some how manages to get on the charity case list at Baylor Hospital. Therefore, she waits her turn then go in for surgery. She would rather hurt and wait than take out her employer insurance and take care of her health the right way. Blacks believe the material things in life makes them feel great and will somehow provide them with importance in life. They somehow do not understand that they can't play with their health. Therefore, health at all levels is ignored.

Referenceshttp:
http://www.fitsugar.com/500359
http://www.hrbenefitsalert.com/can-you-dock-workers-for-smoking-and-overeating/

Clairian Health

2009-07-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

This year Clarian Health will launch it's new program to fine obese employees. Wow, was all I could say but at the same time being lazy and only eating does have it's hang ups. People have to stay active and eat less as possible. As we age, it becomes more difficult to maintain the same amount we eat and balance our weight becomes a difficult tasks. Now, over time the government has kept weight down by allowing people to smoke cigarettes. Now, that cigarettes are no longer allowed people are becoming more obese. This has to do with our appetites for various things. If you take cigarettes away now the person has to fullfill their appetite by some other means. This means they take to the easiest thing accessbile-FOOD-the issue is not the food it's how much of the food is taken in. How active is the individual. The key to weight loss is controlling the appetite. How is this done? Most people take drugs to control their appetite, other's may have obese surgery, while others lose the battle of their appetite. Individuals have to focus their attention on something else rather eating and watching television. I lost a whopping 50lbs when I stopped watching TV and started exercising. Wow! what a differnece it made in my life.

Kickball on Sundays!!!!!!!

2009-06-17T22:15:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I believe I've made a mistake signing up for Kickball this season. Dang, I don't know about you but it's freaking hot outdoors. It's almost unbearable and the first day of Summer is not until Sunday. What was I thinking? Now, the spring wasn't so bad since it was cool but now it's hot and I can't run in that heat or do anything. Instead, I workout in the mornings and at my lunch at 10:30am and then I get off work take a nap, chill on the couch and internet. Finally, I get out the house to jog at around 9:30pm. I just can't do that heat. So, what's the plan for Kicball this summer? I have no freaking idea. All I can do is hope my God will be merciful as I play ball in that heat this summer. One thing for sure I will have to wear some cool clothing and will need plenty of water and anything to keep myself cool.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME KICKBALL???????????

Now the end of Season Party was awesome as I got to pary with Ole School Friends. Boy, I sure love those guys for sure they are fun natural fun! It's nasty baby!

Getting Frustrated For Real!

2009-06-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm working my butt off trying to lose these last 30lbs and I just can't get it done no matter what I do. The only other option is to go into starvation mode. I've consistently been running every day. I run through my lunch break and I run at least a minimum of 3 to 5 miles in the evening. I average a good 5 or 6 miles a day running. The only other thing I can think of is to add my Firm fitness tapes back into my program. Plus I play at least two sports, Dodgeball and Kickball. Now, I've measured the steps Kickball doesn't have me as active there is more standing around on that one. Now, dodgeball is another story, I'm pretty active in that sport. Currently since I've purchased my running shoes, I've run a good 45 miles. Here's the current report from Nike Plus.

Why I was having Dizzy Spells

2009-06-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

I kept having those Dizzy Spells well after my gallbladder surgery. I decided to look at the fact that I may be pre-Diabetic. Every other weekend I start feeling very bad. I would feel so bad I couldn't move all I could do was lie down. I didn't know what was wrong with me. After searching, I decided to start looking into Pre-Diabetes. It turns out that I may be pre-diabetic. I read many blogs where people spoke about this and how they felt. I was experiencing the same symptoms. I just want to feel and look great.
Nothing I did in the beginning was working. Something changed and I couldn't figure out what it was. Now, as soon as I changed my foods on Sunday I was feelig so much better. I felt so great and I had no dizzy spells. My husband cooked hamburger helper and instead of eating what they ate I chose to go to schloztys to get me their regular sandwich which is made with the sourdough bread that I must have. Later, I went to kickball and to myself yes, I lost weight at least 1lb.
Also, I purchased a glucose monitor and it really helped me to monitor my blood glucose numbers. On Saturday I felt terrible my number was at 100 and when I felt great on Sunday my number was at 80 well below 100. I'm fighting this with everything I have. The best way to do this is to continue exercising and keep researching everything on Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes. I've signed up to get into a study on the Automimmune antibodies that may be present since I'm at high risk for Dibates. This test will show me if I have those antibodies present which will show that I will have Diabetes. It's exciting and I really need to know if those antibodies are present in my sysrem.
When I lost weight last time, I did a few things correct. First, I cut all meat consumption out of my diet, I started drinking at least 2 liters of water a day, I ate only vegetables at least 3 days a week, at least 2 days a week I would eat only fruits. The fruits I ate consisted of cantaloupes, pineapples,watermelons, oranges, strawberries, and grapefruits. I ate no breads, no heavey meat, no fried foods, and the weight just started coming off.

Now, I've found the following websites in regards to GI Diets which also has free Books for download.
http://www.glycemicindex.com/

Weight Loss_What have I discovered?

2009-06-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Since, I had my surgery I've had a difficult time trying to continue losing weight. I exercise regularly and I even play two sports. I've not understood why I'm not able to lose weight. I was able to lose weight in the beginning but since my gallbladder surgery I wasn't able to lose any weight. Every since my husband has been home from Iraq he has started cooking again. Usually when he cooks, I'm not able to lose weight. I've expressed this to him and he gets aggravated but it's the truth. Whenever he prepares meals for us I stop losing weight and start gaining weight. I also feel bad whenever cooks. Also, I've been having dizzy spells. Therefore, I decided it was time to take a look at what I'm predisposed too and start looking from that perspective. The biggest issue I have is Diabetes. I'm trying to prevent from having Diabetes. I decided to purchase a blood glucose monitor and see what were my numbers. The day I purchased the glocose monitor I was not feeling good. When I checked my blood, I was sitting at a whopping 100mg/dl. Wow, this indicates pre-diabetes, not high enough for Diabetes but high enough to declare Pre-Diabetes. I've decided to start looking at Glycemic diets and this is what I've found so far. It seems to me there is one thing common amongst foods I can't eat and that would be if it's white it's not right. I have to eat Wheat Bread, no rice, no corn, potatoes but only the sweet are good for me, and milk only if it's 1%. Therefore, I've begun to research Glycemic Diets to see what they were all about. I decided to try the diet and guess what? I've lost 3lbs in a weekend and I feel so much better. That is amazing!

I'm so Hungry

2009-04-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

Wow, I'm cutting back on all those snack foods and meat. My body is craving mad for all that bad stuff. I've gotten back into full gear with my exercise so I can look great for the summer and for my vacation. If I could put it into words how I feel I would but at this time the only thing I can do is post a picture of what it feels like to be me today!

powered by SweetIM

Discovery

2009-04-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

I've found a number of new things I will be posting. One of the most important things I remember when I was healthy was a clear state of mind. I had plenty of patience and felt great. It was nothing for me to exercise for 2 hours. One of the most important things I learned while performing gymnastics was yoga. Gymnastics incorporates many forms of exercise in order to achieve many movements. At this time, I've begun a journye backwards into the world of yoga in order to get back into shape. Although you may lose weight, you have to strengthen your muscles and tone your body. This aspect is missing when many people opt to have surgery to solve their weight loss problem. I chose the more difficult task and that is to find inner peace and forward into a journey to help my mind and body achieve it's greatest potential.

You can have 10 days of yoga at www.sunyoga.com

Wow what a Weekend

2009-04-08T07:36:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend full of exercise and fitness. Friday night, I stayed home to chill because I knew my weekend was going to be busy. Saturday morning, I opted to work at least four hours. After that, I rested and later I went to play the most active game there is, Dodgeball. Wow, I had a great time throwing and catching the balls. I had some great throws too, my husband was not as active as I was and he was shocked I could catch his most difficult ball. That means I got him out a few times. The best attack they have against me is going for my feet since I can't jump as high but I will try to get down low to catch the ball.
Afterwards, we went home to rest and then went out later to go bowling. I couldn't bowl because it was during this time I realized my left leg was still injured and hurt really bad from pulling a muscle back in December. I couldn't believe all this time I had not felt pain in over 3 months. I guess that is because I don't bother stretch at night anymore. I know there are so many things I need to do for my body and yet I still continue to be lazy. So, that is one thing I intend on fixing and that is stretching before night and early in the morning.
Sunday was a busy day as well because I got up trying to clean the house and move around plus I had to get ready for Kickball. I knew it would be difficul becuase I was so sore on Sunday morning. My back was hurting, muscles in my legs were hurting, I was hurting all over. When I arrived at Kickball, I was shocked to see that all my team showed up for the game this week. They still put me out in the outfield and acted as though I was going to mess everything up when I kicked. They were shocked cause I made it to first base this week and I even ran to make it to second base by sliding in. I was a little hurt but I heard the other team yelling "Second Base" I was like, "oh hell no, I ain't going out like that" I ran and then I dove in to beat that ball. They were all shocked to see that move. Overall, my weekend was great and full of excitment, fun, and plenty of fitness.

RAQUETBALL

2009-03-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, this week I've decided to an hour long lunch so I could play raquetball on my lunch. It was fun and I loved it. Before I could get out the door my husband wanted to come and play. Instead, I decided to take him with me after work. We had a great time, and I accomplished my 10,000 step goal. I made it over. I reached at least 12,800 steps got on the scale and realized that I lost 2lbs in one day. Of course, I did perform a body wrap on myself.
This weekend will be busy for me since I have dodgeball and kickball this weekend. I'm just trying to prepare myself for this busy weekend. I'm thinking of going bowling if I can find the strength.

Massage Wednesday

2009-03-12T06:17:00.001-07:00

I feel great after having my massage. My body is still sore from dodge ball. That game takes a lot out of you. I can't recall experiencing so much pain after playing when I was a child. On the other hand, my daughter wasn't hurt at all. She was fine the next day and ready to play some more. It's days like this I realize just how out of shape I am. It's been a while since I've started back doing my firm fitness tapes.It's been difficult since I had the gallbladder surgery and having the moped accident. It seems like everything is trying to get in my way of me achieving my goal. This year, I've decided to lose at least 25lbs by July 1st. That date seems like it's a long way down but in reality, the date seems to get closer and closer. I've started stressing because I don't believe I'm getting anywhere with all of the exercise I've been doing. I'm trying not to get discourgaged but it's difficult especially with no support group.

DODGEBALL STORY SATURDAY

2009-03-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time Saturday playing dodgeball. I ran, dodged, hit, and caught balls. We had so much fun playing the game, I still remeber falling almost everytime they hit me at the feet. One guy was popping me real hard with ball on my thighs. I'm not sure how many falls I took but I tell you it was a lot and as usual I overdid myself. Tiara came along this time and she was so lazy but sneaky with her game. Tiara would wait until you were trying to get someone else out and she would kindly throw her ball at the person either hitting you in the backside or back shoulder but no matter what she went for a person's backside. Her team certainly took care of her because everytime I went for her I got out. They defended her and she always managed to make it near the end.

Destiny two friends came with us because I wanted to see how they really acted and responded with my baby. Those kids are not her friends. They are users and they double team my baby. They do not like her and all they wanted to do was go against her. I saw animosity, anger, and much dislike for my baby. It's cool because their shit is being put to an end. They never tried to play with her or anything. Just like I explained to Destiny, what kind of boy goes to play with his little sister at this age? Why wouldn't his mother let him play with boys? What is wrong with these mothers today? They do not try to teach their children anything and they make their boys play with girls. No wonder so many black men have become gay...

Jogging in the night!

2009-03-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

I ran the track pretty good last night. I ran that first 400 without slowing all the way around. I couldn't believe it..haven't been able to do that in a long time. I had a pretty good time despite my dogs being bad and my daughter running around like she was crazy. I enjoy taking her because I want her to know how to take care of her body. I preach to them all the time telling them their body is everything and do as much to take care of themselves. Never, mistreat your body because it will come back to get you. I know how that felt and I didn't like it. I feel so much better this year. In fact, it's safe to say I feel great and I'm so energized since I've been taking my vitamins, eating fiber pills, and sticking to my presribed diet. I'm confident I will be able to meet my goal of 25lbs by June 30th. This weekend, we have Dodgeball as a family on Saturday and Kickball on Sunday. I'm having a great time.

2009-03-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

I played Kickball yesterday and had a great time. However, I keep trying to kick that damn ball into next year and seem to keep kicking the ball straight up into the air. Well, you know how that went. What I don't like is that there are so many people on the team you don't get but one good time unless you are within the first few people at the begining of the line. We have no practice, so this tells me I have to purhase a ball so I can practice. Now, this week will be busy I have both kickball and dodgeball this week back to back. I sent an email to all the WAH represenatives but none responded back. I don't understand why they do not participate in anything that I send out but oh well, I will continue and plus I have all new friends who are all on the same page.
We go to Dyers Bar on Dyer street after kickball and boy do we have fun. I enjoyed my teammates and they do all sorts of crazy whacky things to have fun. I love it and they are full of energy. I'm really enjoying myself!!!!!!!!
Thurdsay I went to the doctor office and I weighed in at 158lbs... wow! I gained two pounds but they warned me of this since they had to give me steroids injections because of my injuries from the moped accident. My appetite did increase but as of today I feel more in control and when I got on the scale I weighed in at 154lbs. This is great because my scale is calibrated along with the doctor office. I always check my weight before going to the doctor office. It's always the same. I'm so proud of myself. I guess by being active this weekend really helped out. I can't wait for this weekend.

Wow, It has been refreshing.

2009-02-28T11:43:00.000-08:00

I decided last year instead of spending money on everything else like hair and other things, I would spend my money on my health. I joined a health club for no more than $29 a month. You can't beat that and it cost less than having my hair done. Another, thing I decided to implement in my journey to be healthy was montly massages. I joined massage envy for only $29.00 and I get 1 massage a month. The best part is that if I don't use my massage that month they roll over, which means I can accumulate massages.

Now, most people think the gym is only comprised of weight machines but actually they gym has many othe features to help you when you don't feel like exercising. First, I can go down to the gym and get into the jaquzzi to relax. The water is warm and massages the body. This gives me an opportunity to relax and get away from it all. Secondly, I can go sit in the steam room and burn calories while reading. Furthermore, they have raquetball courts where I can play raquetball with the wall and have a great time without a partner. As you know, the wall will always hit back. Last but least, there is always the gym in which you can play basketball. In other words, there are various activities at the gym so it's not all about hitting machines. If you are creative you can find some pretty enjoyable activties at your nearest gym.

3 reasons why workouts may not be working!!

2009-02-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/3-reasons-your-workouts-arent-working-376716/

I saw this and had to read it. I remeber when I first started working out and I started losing weight but then all of a sudden I stopped. I couldn't figure out why this happened. This was a great read but what it doesn't explain is that when you begin exercising you are heavier and if you start out like I did doing an hour of exercise and burning calories like mad doing activites such as kickboxing and Latin Dancing then you will be shocked to learn a few things. These activities were great but I stopped losing weight because I lost 20lbs. This was great but what I found out from doctor was that my body had gotten smaller. When this happened, my body adjusted to the amount of exercise I was doing for the larger weight size. Once, I lost weight and my body adjusted this meant in order to lose more weight I had to increase my exercise at least by 30 more addtional minutes. WOW! I had a hard choice to make.... that kind of exercise is for an athlete in which I'm no longer. So what did I do....
I had to trick my body. I had to sit down from my exercise and at the same time I had to restrain myself from a lot of foods I loved. Also, I found out that I needed to drink 2 liters of water a day rather than 1 liter of water a day. I decided to take a month off from exercise. I would still continue my walks but I needed to restrain from the cardio all togther. Now usually, it takes your body 2 weeks to get out of fitness. I chose an additional 2 weeks because I needed to trick my body to believe that it was no longer fit and it was lazy again. Why do this??? Well, the reasoning was so that my oxygen intake and outake would understand that the new body weight was my actual weight. Once this occurred, I could go back to my routine and I would start losing weight again. I did this and guess what it worked. I went back to the gym and my activities as before, and I started losing weight again.

2009-02-27T07:54:00.000-08:00

I was very excited today because the weather was perfect. Unfortunately, I chose to work the rest of the evening. I had to get my money but since I chose to work so late in the evening, I didn't get out to exercise. Instead, I decided to listen to my music as I worked and I didn't sit down while working, I chose to dance. I had a great time signing, working, and dancing.
I went to the doctor's office earier and I gained 2lbs in a month. Although, I didn't lose but considering I had to have a steroid injection I did great only gaining 2lbs. They warned me I would be hungry and please believe I have been every bit of hungry.

FEBRURAY 25TH

2009-02-27T06:26:00.000-08:00

Finally, I made it to the track today. HOORAY!!! Well, since it has been a while since I last ran, I was shocked at how well I did in running. I made it around the track faster than I expected. The run was easier for me to handle, I presume it was because I was lighter than last time. My chest was not burning and the wind felt great. Neither was I out of breathe as I expected. I was really surprised or perhaps it was because I had my IPOD on my arm and my music kept me relaxed. Last time I jogged I was 20lbs heavier.

kickball!

2009-02-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

Although, I was injured I still injured I tried to participate in the game. We had a great team, there was a guy named Spencer who was great he liked getting down and dirty for his balls. He was full of energy. The women on our team were great as well. They were not scarry or anything and ready to play. I felt bad I couldn't give my best to the game. Hopefully, this Saturday I will prove myeslf more worthy of the game. I kicked ball twice and was not able to get to first base since I was hurt. I wanted to get out there so bad and participate in the outfield but I knew I would only hurt myself worst.

2009-02-21T10:57:00.001-08:00

After learning about Diabetes and it's complications, I decided to take a minor in nutrition. That was the best decison I could ever make in my life. I learned a lot about food and advertising. First, the color red is used on foods and in commericals as you watch television because it induces the mind to eat. In other words, this color is used as a hypnosis technique. You will not find any information related to this information except in nutrition books or classes. This is discussed in great detail. One assignment we had to take a look at all of our favorite foods and make a list of those which contained the color red on them. Here is my list.
Big Red Soda-color red everywhere
BBQ Frito Lays-Color red
Cheetos-Color red
Cheeseburger-Color red (Tomatoes)
Rotel Dip-Color red
Chocolate Chip cookies-Oreo-color red
Dr. Pepper-Color Red
As I watch TV the commercials displayed food such as:
pizza(color red)

2009-02-21T10:51:00.000-08:00

My weight Loss

2009-02-20T18:18:00.001-08:00

I decided to write this blog because it is important for African American women to understand the trials and tribulations of losing weight. Last year, I weighed in at 196lbs and before that I was at a whopping 204lbs. I was sick and I knew I was sick. Each day after eating for over an hour on my couch and without moving a muscle towards exercise, I was killing mysself.

It wasn't until it all struck close to home that I realized what I was doing to myself. My father, had another daughter her name was Lesley Rochelle. She talked to us many times on the phone the summer of 82 or 83. She was so nice and I wanted so much to meet her. My dad promised he would let her come to stay with us the summer of 1983. We talked to this girl for over six months on the phone. Before summer arrived he asked her to send a picture of herself to us. When we received the picture, my step mother kind as she was, immediately stated this was not his child. Then, he started ranting that she was not his child because she was a big girl. As for me, I couldn't tell the difference. All I knew was what he told us. First, he said she was his daugther, then he says she is not his daughter. As a child, I was heartbroken and wanted to see my sister.

Years went by and I'm sure her heart was broken because he lied to us all. Well, years later he had us come over telling us that he had gotten in touch with her and wanted her to meet us. I went over to his apartment and he was cooking up everything. Well, to his surprise she never showed up. His feelings were hurt this time. I couldnt't blame her because he previously hurt this child for no reason. She had no idea that this man she wanted to love so bad was so evil. We knew first hand how he felt about his children. Hell, he even abandoned us in the end and my grandmother had to come and rescue us. (God Rest her Soul). Well, Lesly didn't understand him as we did. Most likely, she assumed that he loved us and not her. She simply didn't know that he was a selfish man and cared for no one but himself.

After realizing that she would not show up for his little get together, I finally told him that I couldn't blame her and it was all his fault. I kindly reminded him how he did her so many years ago and how she may have never forgotten and wanted to get his ass back.

Surprisingly, she kept in touch with him, but that was sometime later. Finally, she met him in person and she told him she was dying. She was diagnosed with Diabetes a few years ago and her life went downhill soon after. She went from taking pills to going on insulin to having dialysis 2 times a week up to 3 times a week until she was on 5 times a week. Her progression with diabetes was very rapid and quick. She had no control over her eating and lifestyle.

I can only imagine what she endured her five years of Diabetes. Her life changed very rapidly, when I finally got to meet her she was very sick. I could smell death upon her. My kids and I went to see her. She was kind and she was sweet and she looked just like my dad. The only difference was that she was just bigger. At the time, I was doing great but I had my own weight problems and didn't understand that all this affected my life as well.

At least 10 years prior, my grandmother called me to tell me that my dad was diagnosed with Diabetes and she couldn't understand why he would receive such a diangosis. What I reminded my grandmother (Mary Johnson) was the fact that he had come from not only her but from his father too. This could be something that ran on his father side. The good part was that he was put on insulin pills and did not have to take the injections. This meant, that with some lifestyle changes he could manage his diabetes and live a long productive life.

Well, as time continued he found his daughter and found out she was insulin dependent and that she was on dialysis 3 times a week. The doctors wanted her to lose weight to control her diabetes. After about a year, she went to five times a week on Dialysis. This meant she could not travel unless a Dialysis facility was near. My dad wanted her to go to a school reunion but she could not make it because it was such a small place and there were no dialysis center available. I felt bad for her and I knew she was dying. I made the most selfish decison I could ever make in life. I decided it was best not to get close to her because it would damage me and my children.

Therefore, I kept away as my sister struggled with this fight. I'm so ashamed of how I behaved in this situation. I failed and I neglected a sister who needed me and wanted to know me and my children because I was afraid to hurt.

In the end, I still felt the pain and hurt when she passed away while awaiting to get on the list for a kidney transplant she so desperatly needed. We all seem to think or belive that we can handle any situation and that our decisons are best for all those around us. The truth is that I was afraid of her disease. I was afriad of this illness. I was a coward to face this illness. She faced it head on and dealt with her situation.

When the call came that she was in the hospital and all of her family needed to be there at that moment, I knew she was in trouble. I made sure to be there for her, but I was too late. She had gone to Dialysis and when she came home she was in pain. Since, her pain did not stop her neighbors called her an ambulance. She went to the hospital and she never came out that hospital. One of her friends stated that she was in her room and all alone. The machines started going off and no came to help her. She stated that she went to the nurse station, as they were talking and laughing. She told them that my sister was sick and needed help because all her machines were going off . She stated, my sister had already flat lined and they worked on her for an hour to get a heartbeat. Therefore, they called the family after getting a heartbeat to tell us that she had fallen into a coma and we needed to decide on whether or not to take her off life support. With that said, I knew she was a vegetable and she was brain dead. All we saw was a shell. Her true lifeform was gone a long time ago. We all decided when to remove her from life support. We all went to the hospital and I watched them take her off the machines. She took a long time to die. She had a very powerful heartbeat, which lasted for well up to four hours. I stayed until her last beat occurred. I felt bad the entire time because I neglected this sister. There was no way to bring her back and there were so many questions I desperately needed answered. However, I let this opportunity slip away from fingers to understand the dept of Diabetes. What it was like to live such a life. The struggles she faced day in and day out. I failed not only her but myself and my own children. For, this is one disease which follows into the next generation of people.

I would soon find out so much more!