Love and other 4 Letter words

L.I.K.E. = another 4 letter word.  Ya'll have heard me mention that I have had a tough dating year.  I am contentedly single, but get extremely frustrated with the tom-foolery some men subject "us" too.  And I've had my share of tom-foolery within the last few years.  I mentioned in my last post that one of my girlfriends got engaged, and that weekend was a "couples" thing.  I was the only single person among 5 happy couples:  2 married, 1 engaged and 2 dating.  No....don't feel sorry for me - I had a blast!  I can deeply enjoy being around my "involved" friends, genuinely feel happy for them and enjoy their company to the fullest - which I did, awesome awesome weekend.  Again, I am (was) content.

However, the Monday after my friend's new fiance unknowingly intro'd me to his college buddy.  Long story which I really don't feel like explaining, but to make it short, we met and are in DEEP like!  I'm not trying to avoid using the other, better known four letter word - we're just not there yet.  However I must say this man is positively amazing!  Ya'll know every time I meet someone new I always say I'll keep ya posted.   And none of them have re-surfaced!  lol.  This man will be here for a while!  At the very least, I've made a great new friend, and I'm not all into the "where will we be in 5 years" thing with him, rather I am enjoying each and every single step of my new friendship/dateship!!!  Yi-ti-deeeee Phluffy Princess!

AND we're attempting to do Insanity together (he already did month 1 a while ago with tremendous success), but here is the kicker....we're long distance!  Which of course presents its challenges, but with my school schedule and his career demands, its actually A-okay.  So....I found an Insanity system online (well, my brother did) and we are starting together on November 1st.  Ughhhhhh....wish me luck with it!  Since my "lifestyle change" or re-committment, I've prayed for a partner who would work out with me and understand and support my fitness goals.  My last relationship was with a man who was attempting depserately to gain weight and would force feed me cookies late at night, before that was a man who met me at my adult low (fresh from WW) and did not understand my eating goals/plan.  A couple of my male friends work out all the time, but tell me I look fine and are not interested in doing anything together.  This year I said to Jesus - look, it is important for me to have a partner that I can be physically active with, where we are both committed to living a healthy lifestyle.  Make that number 77 on my "list"!!!! Amen. lol.  Well, God (as always) delivered!  He's a water drinking, long-term healthy lifestyle committed, ex-athlete who has to actively WORK to stay in shape person - just like ME!

Can ya tell I'm on cloud NINE?!?!  

Faked it til I made it!!!!

One of my friends got engaged a couple of weeks ago, and her fiance had her 2 closest friends come into town "to visit" so we would be there for her day.  I had an amazing weekend!  I love that couple, they are truly inspirational.  They have kept God first in their relationship with each and every step - even remaining completely celibate the entire 3 years of their courtship!  UH-MAZE-ING, right?!  Anywhoooo, I thought that I was allowing myself to "splurge" all weekend but on Sunday at a soul food restaurant I realized OMG I faked it til I made it!  I am talking about this proverbial "lifestyle change" of which we dieters always speak!  As the waitress rounded the table collecting orders, I realized every single person ordered something fried - catfish, whiting, chicken - except me.  And the funny thing is I never even considered, looked at or was tempted by the fried items!  Splurging for me equated to pot roast as opposed to the baked chicken!!!!  I couldn't believe it!  There was a time that NOT ordering fried chicken at a soul food place would have been the hardest decision of my life because although I virtually never fry foods at home, I do enjoy them!  Also....I ordered 2 veggies as my sides, cabbage and green beans!  No rice, mashed or sweet potatoes or mac & cheese, and again to my complete shock - those things weren't a "struggle" to avoid!  I actually ordered what I wanted to have, yet it was a healthy choice and took no coaxing into!  I sat and reflected on my other food choices: water (no soda), little to no snack food despite being offered every few minutes, and lots of fruit and veggies!  WOW - WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!?!  I am not where I want to be, but gosh-dogg-on-it I am pretty freakin' impressed with myself!

Also, some friends noticed I had lost weight and toned up since our last in-person visit and some hadn't seen me since the last 20 lb weight gain (estimation) so they didn't notice a loss per se - but everyone exclaimed WOW PP, YOU LOOK GREAT!  Which made me feel amazing, especially considering my weight loss has virtually stalled since May!  However, a sistah is maintaining and continuing to keep striving!  I wore some size 10 skinny jeans which felt amazingly comfortable and looked HOTT if I do say so myself - check it out:

Now I normally HATE being shot from below - I was standing and the picture taker was sitting on the couch, but even with the universally unflattering angle, I am pretty freakin pleased with how I look!

I also wore a dress that was too small last year but fits super well now - sorry no pics though! :-(  Also....the hair is the sew-in that I mentioned a few posts ago.

Also, the school money stuff has been resolved....God bless and continue to keep my wonderful family.  You know how people say they are my backbone?  Well, mine are my vertebrae, intervertebral ligaments, ribs....heck my entire connective system.....my spinal cord even!  All I provide is the brain (intelligence to actually get thru school) - and THAT is a gift from God!  So the credit is not mine!  That is a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders.

I'm a little under the weather right now, but more on other stuff in a separate post! 

Stress - I guess there is an "up" side?

Hello Friends!
I am going to stop apologizing for not writing posts that a directly weight loss related.  I read your blogs and love the posts about your life and the times that I have written about non-weight loss related "stuff" it was very therapeutic!  So as for me right now, I have been extremely stressed because due to something I overlooked, I have roughly a $20K balance for medical school that I cannot have covered by federal financial aid.  I won't go into all the boring details but needless to say...I'M STRESSED!  That is probably the most extreme understatement I have ever made.  I'm trying to research ways I can come up with extra money - and I had no idea some people make GOOD money blogging!  Ha!  After a little research I realize that is not the answer to my prayers because I don't have the dedication that I would need but it was interesting information nonetheless, and makes me want to support those who do earn supplemental income via blogging.  There is always an honest way to make an extra buck!  God has taught me a lot through this situation and I believe he is going to show favor upon me and help me to work everything out.  Well...yes, I am stressed and for once in my life I have lost my appetite.  I got on the scale this morning after essentially not doing anything for the past 1-2 weeks...and I'm DOWN 2 lbs!  Not the healthy thing, so I am going to work out a bit tonight after all if I continue to do that, I'm losing muscle and fat - definitely not going to give me the figure I'm after!

Anyways, that's what is going on in my life right now.  I am almost to a big landmark at which time I will return to posting weigh-ins.  So that not all is lost in this post....here is a non-scale victory that I accomplished:

25 consecutive, no breaks, MAN style push ups in a row!  

Now that I have been away from working out for a bit, I hope that I can still do that!  :-)

Slave to hair....SEWED SOME IN!

Ya'll have heard me talk about how "we" - both African American women and WOMEN in general of all races will alter our physical activity based on our hair!  I've read about the Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT) craze in one of the zillions of mags I read - one woman wrote about her experience.  How after having it done, you cannot get it wet for 4 days, no showering, no swimming, and....YEP no sweating!  This was a white woman, so its not just "us."  Before relaxing my hair I won't workout for the prior 2-3 days because increased blood flow to the scalp can make the experience less than pleasant....okay, okay, I'll just come out and say it - it'll BURN!  Lately I've been rollersetting my hair each weekend.  I swear, whenever I do it, I feel so beautiful, my hair is so soft and bouncy.  Then I consider going to the gym.  I usually say....lemme just HAVE the weekend (I do my hair Friday or Saturday) then the curls stay intact.  Monday rolls around and I say "Oooh my hair looks good still"  so I won't go!  I am in the process of growing my hair out.  Its almost back to the longest I've ever been able to grow it (which is between APL & BSL for those on hair boards/forums) back in my early 20's - and it was WORK then - and so far I am in love with it!  However, lately I've been feeling like its taking over my life!  At night, I debate how I'm going to wear it the next day...I carefully moisturize and place it in plaits, rollers or pincurls.  If the style is cute, I don't wanna work out the next day!  Then if I do....my scalp is sweaty and after 2-3 days it becomes itchy so I wash it.  For those who are not aware, typically black women don't wash their hair as frequently as women of other races because our hair is drier by nature.  So at best I'm wearing a style for THREE DAYS and lord knows I don't have the time or patience to rollerset mid-week!  I wasn't like this when I first started either journey (hair or weight loss) seems like it was easier.  Maybe because my hair was shorter?  IDK because I think longer hair is easier.  At least I can do a bun/ponytail and look presentable now.  I think maybe its because now that its longer, I love wearing it out! 

Anywhoooo, I'm just ranting about how I felt.  And I wanted a change for the fall.  So....I sewed some hair in!  That's right I pulled out my "bin o' hair" found some Virgin Indian Hair I bought a couple years ago but never used, did a lil research and installed it myself!  Normally I have a stylist do it, but it was such a spur of the moment thing plus I don't know who I trust to do it here (in my current city), and it's EXPENSIVE!  I'm sure with working out it won't last me the 3 months I normally keep it in, but only 6-8 weeks.  I've done weaves on other people many times - and they always look FIYAH if I do say so myself.  So I decided to do it myself!  I do need some practice I will admit but the finished product is gawwww-geous, and I feel free to workout as much as I want! 

Save $$$ - Use the Library!

Hello Everyone!  I'm back on the losing side of things.  I looked back and realized I didn't lose ANYTHING all freakin' summer.  Smh.  I didn't gain what I'd lost back however....that just is not enough.  160+ lbs on my 5'3" frame just will not work.  Plus, I'd stopped working out to get my schedule re-adjusted, so while I was maintaining my weight I was gaining inches (and body fat also I'd imagine) which made my body look a lot "phluffier!"  So rather than to blog about how I was NOT losing, I just decided to chill - refocus and revamp.  And yes, I'm losing again! I will post a weigh in when I hit my mini-milestone, which should be soon...

Anyways - as you may remember I canceled my Comcast services.  No cable, internet or home phone.  I was using my cell to get online and going to my local library to study and use the internet as well.  When I signed up for my library card, the gentleman explained the features of the website and about checking items out:  CDs, DVDs, Audiobooks and regular books.  I browsed some of the DVDs just for fun and was amazed to see seasons of Grey's Anatomy and The Cosby Show (the greatest sitcom of ALL times) available.  Out of curiosity...I looked up some other shows that I followed closely at some point, but had lost track of over the years and they had Soul Food:  The Series and I was ecstatic!  Having these shows available to check out by entire seasons at a time really helped me go without cable!

One day while studying there I decided to browse through the non-fiction because I was looking for the Christian-inspiration section.  Amongst the shelves was a full health, diet and fitness section!  I thought OMGoodness, wow!  I bee-lined to the electronic card catalog and looked up Jillian Michaels, and wah-la - not only were her books available, but also all her DVDs as well as the Biggest Loser workouts!!!  My best friend recently bought a couple of belly-dance workouts and I decided to see if they had any available.  YUP!  The new JM Dvd that LeeLee reviewed?  YUP!  Cookbooks?  YUP!  In my city, there are different locations but they are linked so that you can request material from any of the city's locations and pick it up at your local branch.  I couldn't believe I had slept on library checkouts for so long!  Talk about saving money!  Most times we can copy recipes we want to try out of a cookbook or write them down.  DVDs are a great thing to get from your library because you can constantly change your workout to avoid boredom.  You can try something new to see if you like it without spending any cash.  So check out your local library, especially if you are near a city because I can almost guarantee they will have something you find useful!

Ups, Downs....and a death.

I had some awesome results from my 30 day shred challenge.  I lost 6 lbs in 30 days and that was while NOT being strict.  I have been meaning to do an amazing update about my feelings on the shred, my successes and struggles while doing it, and before and after pics.  However....life had a different plan.  I have a large and VERY close knit family - and unfortunately (for us) God called my uncle home.  I have been mourning and going through with that.  Please pray for my family and I.  I do not want to disclose any details surrounding the situation, but he was 75 and truly lived a full life.  I was blessed to have known him and to have been a part of his life.

Also, I took  my USMLE Step I examination WOOT WOOT!  So.....before that needless to say, I was underground studying!  No seriously....I canceled my Comcast services (cable, phone internet) in effort to focus more.  I use my Verizon Smartphone to get online at home now-a-days.  I never would've thought I would be disciplined enough to make that kind of sacrifice but I did it, and it did help me to stay on task.  I'm not sure that I feel like adding that bill back on now that I know I can survive without it.

With me grieving and studying let me just say.....I'd be surprised if I haven't gained every one of those 6 pounds back.  I'm not getting on the scale for a couple of weeks, but I am trying to get back into my routine.  I'll be catching up on your blogs for the next few days, hopefully everything with everyone has been GOOOOOOOOOOOD!

Weekend in Memphis!

Hello Everyone!  I pray you are all doing very well!  This weekend an old friend was within a 3-4 hour drive of where I reside and called me out of the blue and asked if I'd come for a weekend visit.  Initially my response was the same ole automatic monotone "I don't have the time, I have to study, and I don't have the money"  His response was...."I'm sure you could use a break knowing your work ethic, you'll be rejuvenated and just get here and I will take care of the rest."  My friends all encouraged me to go (those who are also in med school and those who aren't) so I did something completely out of character and acted spontaneously!  I packed my weekend bag and hopped in the car the very next day!  I'd been saying I need to visit all the nearby cities (Nashville, Atlanta, Memphis) anyway while I am living here, and this was the perfect opportunity.  I had a ball!  My friend is always great company, is the perfect gentleman, and absolutely did take care of everything....including the entertainment plans.  At the risk of setting the feminist movement back a few years....ladies, isn't it nice to have a man (platonic or romantic) take charge and all you have to do is sit back and follow his lead?  Well, I thought it was nice!  We visited Beale Street, drove by Graceland and the Stax Museum, saw the movie Inception (which was incredibly good) and went to the National Civil Rights Museum.  The NCRM was incredible....I think it is definitely something every single person should see at one point in their life.  I admit ignorance when it comes to history:  both American and Black, I'm no where near as knowledgeable as I should be due to lack of emphasis on this subject in high school and lack of requirements while in college.  I learned a great deal and found myself getting extremely emotional by some of the exhibits and documentaries.

Now about the food....I swear living in the south makes you fat.  I've said it ever since I moved here.  We went to Neely's BBQ, as Memphis is known for its BBQ and as I studied the menu I was appalled.  All of the dishes came with the option of 2 sides but not ONE of them was a vegetable!  French fries, potato salad, baked beans, and BBQ spaghetti.  Simply sad.  I should be getting a new phone soon (my current one is a good for nothing PDA phone that doesn't work well at all) and like Ro I will be able to take food pics.  I wish I had it this weekend to SHOW ya'll these plates in Memphis!  I did take somewhat of a "diet-free" weekend, but still....since I've been stressing that this time I'm all about a lifelong change, that's not to say I didn't make any healthy choices or that I didn't want to eat anything healthy for the entire weekend!  I remarked about the menu and lack of vegetables to my friend and he shook his head and said "always the doctor!"  which I thought was an awesome compliment!  I DO want to be a physician who practices what she preaches!  I drank nothing but water all weekend (plain...I didn't even bring my beloved Crystal Light with me) and did some tricep dips with a chair, pushups, situps, and squats in my hotel room on Saturday.  When I got on the scale this morning I was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't gained anything!  I didn't lose...but I didn't gain and that proves it is possible to go on vacation enjoy myself, indulge a little and still stay on track.

My friend always thinks I'm overboard with worrying about managing my weight and he kept saying YOU DON'T HAVE A WEIGHT PROBLEM!  Now...I don't know if he is genuinely confused about why I seems so concerned or if he is just trying to be "polite" and disagree with me, regardless of whether he agrees or not.  I got sick of him acting as if I have self-image issues and showed him a few "before" pics from the beginning of the year and he actually was like "Oh...yeah....you were a little bigger."  Thank you for validation in what I was trying to already tell you!  Seems like guys don't believe me when I stress that I am a woman who has to "watch" what they eat and constantly try to encourage me to make bad choices in effort to show that they are pleased with my body and size as is.  This has happened to me numerous times, and it is quite frustrating.  Appreciating my body and looks is one thing, however sabotaging my efforts to live a healthy lifestyle is another thing completely.  I refuse to allow anyone - friends, family, romantic interests, church members be an enabler or sabotager.  I know what my goals are and what my agenda is and I'm going to stick to it!

I will be posting the results of my 30 day shred next week so be on the lookout for that!