Hey All!!

I have been very, very tired lately and it is my own fault.  I guess I could say that I got wrapped up in the holidays, and bummed out by all of the cold freezing weather and snow.  I also could say that having company for two weeks  put a dent in my eating/workout schedule.  I could blame SAD, the lack of vitamin D, President Obama (really, isn’t everything his fault nowadays? *eyeroll*)……..

But, truthfully, I can’t…the month of January was a total eating and exercise plan fail!  Nah, I don’t like to say “fail”  – too negative – tho the extra 5 pounds that are sending me back over the 200 lb mark don’t seem like a “win” to me.

We all know the drill, I was just surprised that I could get back into the old habits so easily after the kick ass summer that I had.  But, ladies and gents, I am paying dearly for my indulgences.  No energy, tired red eyes and overactive bladder (too much sugar) weight gain  and a penchant for just either laying around or surfing the web mean one big thing – Blood sugar is out of control again.

So I must take charge again and get back on track.  The only upside to all of this is that instead of wallowing and continuing my downward spiral, I am really hating how I look and feel.  No wig , makeup or clothes can mask an unhealthy body.  And the sluggishness – I used to be so sharp!  So, it’ll take a couple of weeks of hot fudge/vanilla icecream waffle sundae detox ( do I know how to cheat or what?!?) to get me back to my old/new self again, but I have to do it !  And I can do it!!

Today I re-measure myself and use that as a starting point….If you all don’t mind, I won’t post numbers again till I am feeling better, and I am sure that what I will be seeing won’t make me all puppies, kittens and rainbows.

Now that the weather is decent, I am also back outside running, and I am pricing treadmills this week.  No excuses!!

I don’t know what my lack of training for the month of January is going to do for my half marathon that is scheduled in March. This mornings run was pitiful…..I could feel the fat on my legs laffing and holding on ! “Ha ha, you aint gettin rid of us that easy!!”

On another upside, I saw a friend in the grocery store today (back to the veggie aisle!) that saw me at my peak in August!  She told me that since seeing me and what I accomplished, she went on her own weight loss program and lost 50 pounds!!  She couldn’t stand being the “fat one” next to me!!  LOL – well honey , if it made you make a positive change in your life , hate away!!

It will be a slow process trying to get the bod used to healthy foods and water again, but I will try to post more that once a month!

So how bout you ladies, gents and facebook friends?  How have you been holding up during the Great Arctic Blast of 10?  Let’s hear from you!!

As always, you can do it!!

Til next time…..ooh look, carrots for dinner….yum…..

Happy Holidays!!

Hello All!!

How are all of you!!?!?  I hope that you had a great, lessee, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwaanza, Ramadan, Hanukah, Hari Krisha, Winter Solstice, Hail Satan…..did I get them all!?

Well, this is Week 8 of our Second Chance/Do Over Challenge…..how did you guys do?  Yuh huh, oh, I see…mmmhmmm…..yeah mee too!   Christmas cookies and the fried turkey kicked my ass too and I’m about to ring in the New Year with every chicken wing imaginable plus some eggnog and bubbly…..

I did manage to keep running, so the damage is not as bad as I thought that it would be but…..I am up about twenty pounds…..the pic above is me running on Christmas day as Santa.  Got lots of folks honking their horns and smiling and waving……and I also got a few middle  fingers from some Scrooges!

Not to fret, not to worry..It ’s never too late to start over.  Even tho I have gained, I am still way ahead of where I was last year at this time.  So, ladies and gents, January 4, 2010 will be ….yes say it together now….8 WEEKS TO A BETTER BODY CHALLENGE – WE MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!  The hams, chitlins, cookies, fudge and food gifts need to be eaten – no thrown away – no eaten, who we trying to fool – by Jan 3rd.

This new 8 weeks is important to me because that is the countdown to my birthday in February.  I have managed to eat my way back into a 14, so I would like to get back down to a size 10 by February 21st.  I CAN DO IT!!

More later, I gotta finish getting ready for tonite!!  You all have a great New Year, be safe, take your DD if you are planning to paaartay, and get ready to sweat come ‘10!!

Do it again in 10!!

YCDI

Hey All!!

Soooo, how are we all doing on our little challenge eh?  New Year’s is just around the corner, let’s get to tonin’!   LOL!!

Me?  MMM…wellll….exercise-wise, I’m doing great!  I’ve been running at least 10 miles a day, and I got in 3 strength training sessions for the first week!

Food wise – I suck!  Still haven’t gotten back to tracking and I don’t know what the problem is!  I have plenty of tracking pamphlets, and I even bought a nice new food diary in case I needed extra room and I wanted to do the Food/Feelings thing.  But truthfully, I can’t be bothered with it!  The only deduction that I can make is that I am exercising so much I have subconsciously tricked myself into thinking that it doesn’t matter what I eat.  And I do admit that after a seven mile morning run, I do treat myself to a second chocolate caramel latte…  Bad Tracy!!!

The scale showed no change, which doesn’t surprise me…between the muscle and the extra food , everything balanced out.  But (note to self here) I must must must get back on track!!  177 keeps me 20 lbs from 100 lbs lost and 24 pounds away from my Weight Watcher goal…so I need to get crackin!

I would like to say that looking at the size 8 pants that I want to wear and the ever so snugness of the size 10’s are making me rally…..but quite honestly they are not.  My 12’s fit very nicely – almost too nice!  I’m looking pretty dang luscious lately!!

I know that no matter how much I change, I will never be a rail thin person – it is not in my genetic make up.  And truthfully, even as a little girl, I have always wanted to look like this:

and this:

and hell why not:

Cuuuurvvy ladies, soft and beautiful and sessy! But could tear you a new one if she had to… and the truth is, that with the right wig and a little adjusting girdle wise, I am there already!   Brick….Houuuse!

So that may be subconsciously putting a monkey wrench in my challenge.  With the exception of Nigella, who is a healthy 14-16 (yes you are!), all of these women probably fall into the 8-12 range.   And while there is nothing wrong with loving your curves (which I truly do!!) I must press on !

Why – because I set a goal and I am going to see it thru!  If I dont like what I see, I can always change.  But I doubt it, I have loved everything , every change, every challenge so far!

Next week – write, write, write!!  Starting Monday (this weekend is girly weekend with hotel, drinks and good food, sorry) it’s weigh, measure, and write!  I can do it!!

Til next time!!

So I here I go again. Trying to lose the same 20/30 pounds that I can never quite get rid of…once I’m home anyway.

Sigh.

Okay so here we go.

Goal

To be 150lbs at the end of the 8 Weeks ta Better body Challenge Round 2

Plan

Exercise: Twice a day with 20 – 40 minutes worth of cardio in the morning combined with 30 – 60 minutes of weight training and abs. Add to that 60 – 90 minutes worth of cardio in the evenings.

Diet: 10 glasses of water a day and 25 – 30 grams of fiber a day. I’ve found I work best when I work on what to add to my diet and not what to take out.

Miscellaneous

Stress: Stress is a big factor with me. I’ve been in a perpetual spiral of nothing going right so I’m genuinely pretty stressed on a daily basis. I’ve learned that if I’m too stressed the weight just won’t come off, no mater how hard I try or how great I’m dieting.  So the key for me is to find a way to manage my stress so it doesn’t affect my weight loss.

Depression: I’m prone to depression. Fighting the blues is a daily battle with me. And if things are really bad I just don’t want to move. So, the key is to walk/run everyday regardless of mood.

Work/Life Balance: I’m a obsessed with my work. I’ll work ’round the clock and won’t take the time to stop and go work out. Since I’m a write it means I’m not moving much, so I definitely have to make myself back up from the computer and get to exercising AND remember to eat.

Food Diary: Like ms. Tracy said “If I bite it write it.” That’s the only way I’m going to really know what I’m eating and be able to make the necessary adjustments.

So that’s it. My weight loss plan and goal. I’m starting this challenge at 168.9lbs (don’t ask – it’s been a stressful couple of weeks) so I need to lose roughly 19lbs in 8 weeks to meet my goal. It’s definitely doable, but I will admit my will power is lacking so I’ve got an uphill battle to climb.

Let’s get it started.

Today is a new day. So what are you waiting for?

Hey All!!

Dontcha love second chances?!?  And thirds?  My favorites are the sixty sevenths!  No matter how many do-overs you get, it is NEVER too late, so hop on this wagon and let’s ride!  Hyahh!!

All right, 2009 is almost toast!  At the beginning of my new Journey, I expressed the need to finish what I started.  Unfortunately for me, I have adult ADD, so I have started a lot of stuff!!  Remember Seven Heavens?  50 Million Pound Challenge? Those T – shirts? And now, 8 Weeks to a Permanent Charley Horse coupled with another 16 weeks before my first 26.2 mile marathon!

So, ladies and gents, we are gonna wrap all this up in a nice bow and start fresh for 2010!!   8 weeks is approximately the end of the year, give or take a few days.  Sooo…Ms. Tracy is going gonzo, going out with a bang, and going to finish all that was started in 2009 and look 2010 in the eye fresh and ready to kick ass and take names!!

As we have stated before on Sweet Potato – you gotta have a plan.  Make a goal and map out how you are going to reach that goal.  Those of you who are following this challenge and/or participating in your own way, I suggest making a chart or something that you can pin up and look at everyday.  Make a checklist. Go online and /or make a chart or graph of your goals and progress.

JUST WRITE IT DOWN!!!  Cuz, if you don’t, you will find yourself “forgetting” or skipping or just plain dropping the whole thing – like I did for the month of October.  No tracking my food, no logging my weekly running miles, no charting my weight losses, I even started skipping Weight Watcher meetings.   And here I am – 177!!  That is 13 pounds up!  At my lowest , I hit 163 – 10 pounds from my goal weight! Remember that? Let me remind you…that was when I looked like this….

Yep, for about 15 minutes in August, I wore a single digit (8) size!  And, dangit, I am getting back into those!!  Right now, I still can wear my size 10 jeans, but I am more on the 12 side.  Still not bad, I am a long way from this…..

November 08

But…..I wanna finish, I wanna see what 153 looks like and I WANNA GET BACK INTO THOSE SIZE 8 JEANS!!!!

Yeah, Yeah I know, size doesn’t matter, inner beauty, strong black women, white women,  hair, distorted body image, sexism, God, fighting against body type,  bla bla bla – You be You, Let Me be Me – And Me wants to be a size 8!!

Anyhoo, back to goals – I am listing mine and how I plan to get there by December 31st – Just in time for New Years!

8 WEEK CHALLENGE

Goal – To be 16-20 pounds down by December 31st, 2009.  To reach my 100th pound mark – and my final Seventh Heaven goal (157). To get to almost normal on my BMI chart on the 50 Million Pound Challenge site – and to come within 3-4 pounds of finishing that challenge (153).

I would also like to print and hand out the T-shirts from the 50 Challenge and the other contest we had – the winner was Linda L. !   – before the year is up.

Steps to take to achieve or come close to the goal:

EXERCISE

Running – At least 7 mi per day (a little over a 10K) with one day rest.  Alternate days add a 4-5 mile evening run/walk (easy).

Strength Training – Three days a week , upper, lower and core training with free weights and machines ( one hour per day). One day rest in between and one full day rest to recoup.

EATING PLAN

Weight Watchers points plan – follow points for weight group and add extra points as needed for exercise.  FOLLOW TO THE LETTER.  Start weighing and measuring again and if I bite it – WRITE IT!!

I am going to get a chart to check off my days for strength training , runs and weight gains/losses.  The exercise portion looks a little tough, but I’m just taking what I have already achieved to another level  – Onward , Upward, and Forewards!!

And, ladies and gents, this is my personal routine – yours might be entirely different.  But plan something do-able for yourself, push a little and see what the end will bring – got that from church!!

Shout out to Mr. Casper, who visited my hometown, was literally blocks away from where I live, but didn’t bother to say or email one peep!  See how you are!!  I would’ve bought lunch!!  LOL!

Hello to Facebook friends and family – I miss you too, but I’m on a mission!  Kiss Kiss to Mr. W, my partner in crime, and to Henry, my running buddy who got us kicked out of Starbucks the other day – that is another post!

As always – YOU CAN DO IT!!   Let’s tie up these loose ends and start off 2010 fit, healthy, wide eyed and ready to take on the world!

……..coffee buzz over…….I gotta book a massage, my back is killing me….

New Look for Fall!

Hello Everybody!!

It’s been much too long since I have posted last, and for that I am truly sorry!  I missed you all, but Ms.  Tracy has been quite busy!

Since my last post I have:  run a 5K, 10K and am training for a half marathon.  Then a full marathon but that is not until Spring so I have some time.  I have purchased two more pairs of running shoes, a really expensive UnderArmor cold weather running suit, a couple more wigs, finally got some man-action from the dating site that is employed, has all his teeth, not married and not a jerk, and managed to get and get over the flu.

In the course of all this, I also managed to gain, then lose, then gain again – 10 pounds!  Hopefully some of this is muscle, tho truthfully I know that some of it is Halloween candy and peanut butter (sigh) banana graham crackers. Oh and KFC.  And not following my Weight Watchers program like I should cuz dammit I run almost 12 miles every friggin day PLUS strength train every other day and after ALL THAT if I can’t have an occasional (read: every day) four piece extra crispy wing dinner then life is just not worth living…….

Um..yeah..so…I’m gonna pretty much sh*tcan the month of October for the challenge and ask for a do-over starting fresh in November.  I got it all planned out.  I got a gift subscription sent to me from Henry (I guess he got tired of answering my questions) for Runner’s Magazine.  They also sent me a Runner’s Log Book.  I hate starting at the middle or end of anything, so November 1st is my date for the first entry!   Right now, the entries will look sorta like this:

7:00 am – 7 mi run – easy pace (1 hr 45 min)

9am-4pm – Work, eat, play, run errands, buy more running stuff, get some love, fight with someone, blog, facebook, watch food network and cry…

5pm - 6:30pm – Strength training or second 5 mi run

On the upside, I have lost some inches here and there :

Waist – 35 – down one inch

hips – 38 – down one inch

bust – 39 – down two inches

upper arm – 12 – down one inch

upper thigh – 20 – down one inch

calf – 15 – down one inch

So……something is working, I would just like to get my passion for doing things in an orderly fashion back.  Too much cheating here and there, I think that I am getting bored with the routine.  But you know what, cheating is getting boring too!  Granted, I still love food and can see myself very easily falling back into the spiral of overeating, but instead of filling a void with food, I am now just eating to get it over with, almost mechanical eating.   

So in a way, I am getting over food – I am even starting to dread the holidays!  The thought of wasting a perfect day off preparing all that food when I c0uld be running or visiting w/friends or anything but attending an all out eat fest annoys me.  You know, I could make it fun and have a “Chopped” challenge with my sis-in-law – 30 minutes to whip up a Holiday meal with dates, chicken thighs, soy sauce and oatmeal cookies!  Yess!!!!…….Nah, those wet blankets would never go for it…..

Anyhoo, I also gave myself a wig makeover.  I found that folks couldn’t see my cheekbones and chin with the longer wigs, so I got a lighter, shorter low mainenence look for fall!   Oh, I almost forgot the new “spacesuit”!  This literally stops traffic – I am either that hot or I need to get a sports bra…..

Great to be back – Next post, some new friends, Why Mr. Casper is in trouble, and why Food Network is straight up Porn for Dieters!

You Can Do it!!

- The majority of Americans now support a public option in health cae – Washington Post

- Roland Burris won’t vote for health care reform if a “strong, immediate” public option isn’t in place to compete with private insures - The Washington Independent

- CBS News asks if quality, affordable health insurance is possible at $900B?

- Black Women’s Health Study reveals ‘prudent’ diet linked to lower breast cancer risk for normal-sized women – The St. Louis American

- The Grio says Black men need to wake up to the facts of our women’s health

- TheLedger.com talks about fighting AIDS at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

- Boston University lands $9 million dollars to continue a black women’s health study – Boston Business Journal