Day 28 1:30 pm - Hair...A valid excuse NOT to exercise

I hate where this is going to take me...
Unlike Chris Rock's recent exploration of the Black hair care industry, this entry is meant only to explore a recurring dilemma for me: How to incorporate exercise into my life without ruining my hairstyle.
For those of you who don't have a clue about what this refers to, I'm sorry. I'm not going to explain it. Explaining the hair issue to those not of my color nor gender, is annoying to me. Soooo you're welcome to read on at your own risk.
I have not exercised in two days because I just got my hair done yesterday. When leaving my stylist, I said "Let me go home and workout." She replied "Why didn't you do that before you came here?" She's was right! What the hell was I thinking??
The last time I was faced with this problem, I shaved off all my hair. I have no desire to do that right now. I love my current style, so now I have to come up with an exercise routine that takes into account my hair appointments as well as upcoming events (where the cut obviously matters dahling!).
How ridiculous, but nonetheless a completely valid excuse NOT to exercise.

P.S. -No I don't want braids, or a weave...Thanks in advance for those suggestions.

Day 28 - What I Won't Give Up

This is a "living" entry. Here's where I will list the food and beverages that I refuse to give up; no excuses. Some of these items are really bad for you but hopefully the list won't grow that much and maybe there will be some deletions as I become more serious about this lifestyle change.
Note: I consume all of these things in moderation.

• Coffee with caffeine preferably from Starbucks
• Bacon from The Original Pancake House in West Caldwell, NJ
• Red Mango or Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt
• Sugar Free Chewing Gum
• Patron Tequila
• Red Wine
• Real Butter (unsalted)
• Real Cheese

Here's the most arrogant statement you'll ever hear me say (or read me write lol)..."What I know about food can fill multiple volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Try and school me if you like, but there are no substitutes in my mind for what I've listed above."

You guys are welcome to try and offer some but I ain't gonna like 'em...I promise.

Day 17 - Creeping Pounds

I sometimes find myself watching these shows with titles like "The Fattest Man Alive" or "The 1,000 pound Woman" on Discovery Health, TLC or the like. I think like most viewers, I watch transfixed and mesmerized thinking to myself, "How did they let themselves get like this?"
It's a valid question. These folks were walking at one point and bed-ridden the next. When was the tipping point for them?
Instead of judging them, I began to relate...because it has happened to me...on several occasions, but on a smaller degree of course.
Pounds creep. I experienced my first major weight-loss breakthrough in 1990-91. My mother had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic and liver cancer. Ironically I didn't lose the weight because of stress. In fact I am a bona fide stress eater, but my sister and I had started an amazing program where we ate healthy food and exercised at home daily. The pounds creeped off little by little and I was in control of my health as opposed the lack of control I felt I had over my mother's deteriorating health. After Mommy died, the pounds started to creep back on again little by little; this time in the opposite direction.
So...two kids later, the yo-yo of pounds in one direction or the other continued to bounce. At my heaviest moments, I always wondered "How did I let myself get like this?" What's funny though, is that I never asked myself that question while trying to lose the weight. But I'm asking myself the question now.
When I see the pounds slowly (excruciatingly slow) creeping away, I try and remember that I didn't gain the weight overnight so I shouldn't think I can lose it overnight.
Pounds creep. Here I am at Day 17 and I've lost only four whole pounds, but I'm trying really hard to convince myself that it's OK. I'll try and stay motivated by reflecting on all of the times I've successfully lost weight before; knowing that every successful attempt had been a healthy one.
That's what really really matters...Right?

Day 8 - Eating Out (aka My Favorite Restaurant Scene in When Harry Met Sally)

My most memorable and favorite scene from When Harry Met Sally was the restaurant scene, but NOT the one you're probably thinking of...



Sally was way ahead of her time.  She didn't give a damn if she sounded like a crazy anal retentive loon.  Here's a woman who wasn't afraid to order her food exactly the way she wanted it prepared.  Check her out with "oil and vinegar on the side".  No one was asking for that back in the day!  Granted, I don't plan on ordering pie a la mode (I type while biting my knuckles), but I can certainly use her ordering methods when I go out to eat right?

Day 6 - What Inspired Me to go Nude

A few of the things that inspired me to change:

1. I was diagnosed with a Vitamin D deficiency - when my doctor told me that my number was an 8, it didn't mean that much to me until she told me what the normal range should be from the lowest to the highest...20-100.  That made me blink a few times.  I realized that my aches, pains, lethargy, and depression all could be caused by this one problem....in addition to the fact that I'm overweight of course.
2. Two movies - Food Inc and Botany of Desire.  If you haven't seen them, then please do so right now.  The former deals with how the food industry has trained us to eat and how, ironically enough, we're to blame.  The latter focuses on the survival of the fitess in the world of plant life...very good stuff.
3. Looking at pictures of myself - I have gone up and down and up and down; all fully documented in four-color...enough said.

It isn't enough to say you want to change.  I think my problem has always been not remembering why I wanted to change.  Sure I want to look good but I want to FEEL good too.  I will look to my inspiration anchors above if I lose sight of the why...Hopefully that will help.

Day 5 - Pantry Conversion and Integration

I'm not the only one in the household who wanted to make a change this year.  My younger daughter has decided she'd like to try her hand at being a vegetarian (but the kind that eats fish; so I think they're called pescetarians?...) She hasn't really been clear about her reasons for doing this but I fully support her decision.

So you've got me; the wholefoods, natural person.  Then you've got my youngest who doesn't want meat (but will eat fish).  If it was just the two of us that would be simple, but we also have my oldest in the mix who doesn't want to change a single thing...

I'm working out a shopping list and meal plan that can satisfy us all. I refuse to be that person making multiple meals to suffice the various eating habits of the household members. Here are the challenges:

• We can't eat fish everyday.
• The youngest won't eat brown rice.
• The oldest insists on having a meat in every dinner meal.
• I don't want to eat pasta (not even the whole wheat type).
• The oldest doesn't like tofu.
• The youngest (the VEGetarian) doesn't really like a lot of...vegetables.
• Most of the "youth-friendly" vegetarian foods you find in the stores are over processed.
• The youngest hates beans.

There's going to be some amount of "versioning".  This can't be helped.  I can see myself making huge meat-free but veggie-heavy stews of some sort and while the girls put theirs over pasta, I'll put mine over brown rice.  The oldest will have to bend sometimes with her insistence on eating meat in every dinner (give me a break).
I'm in the process of researching recipes because dinner is really the main concern; which is cool.  I have to make some discerning choices at the supermarket and educate myself more about what "minimal processing" really means.
And speaking of research...I recently came across the issue surrounding the use of raw olive oil and almost started googling to the point of obsession.  But then I realized that obsession is the murderer of any task I undertake because then I start to tire of the whole project and lose interest.  So I decided, I'm not going to stress about olive oil and just continue to buy the extra virgin like I always do...see?  Now that was easy!