Nutrition for Black Women - My Thoughts

The entire nutrition standard needs to be revamped to take into account a Black woman's specific dietary needs.  No, I will not sugarcoat it or make it palatable for those who want to whine about reinforcing "differences" between the races.  Let's be realistic.  The entire medical system is built around the societal standard of Caucasians.  Take BMI for example.  According to that I would have to weigh between 120 and 135 to be considered healthy at my height of 5'3", but realistically if I weighed that little I would look like I was a walking skeleton.  So let's reevaluate this.  Does BMI truly reflect the dietary/nutrition needs of everyone?  I can vehemently state NO!  With all of the dietitions, nutritionists, personal trainers, doctors, and health educators in the Black community, why hasn't more research been done to address this obvious discrepancy?  Before I go off on my tirade let me define some things:

BMI stands for Body Mass Index.  Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height.  According to the CDC, BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems (CDC).  Why is it used?  Calculating BMI is apparently the best method at this point for "population assessment of overweight and obesity."  It only requires your height and weight and can be measured by anyone. The use of BMI allows people to compare their own weight status to that of the general population.

There goes the "itch" right there.  The "general population."  What's that supposed to mean?  Obviously it doesn't mean everyone because those words in and of themselves do not seem to indicate everyone.  If they meant everyone, then they would say "everyone."  I think general population in this sense is more accurately defined as a situation in which an area or segment of the population is known for doing something but everyone isn't referred to because the generalization doesn't exactly apply to everyone.  For example saying "everyone in the South drinks iced tea" is a statement that isn't entirely true.  Some people don't because they are allergic or don't like it, etc.  However making the statement that the general population of the South (or better yet a specific Southern state) drinks iced tea would be a statement that can be proven through checking the statistics regarding sweet tea sales in relation to the population of the "South" or state in question.  So in summary; general population refers to most of a population.  I think that determining which population you are discussing is far more relevant to understanding its usage.  So who exactly does the term general population refer to in most medical scenarios and instances?  You guessed it if you said primarily Caucasians.  This goes for blood pressure, glucose levels, hemoglobin, and other forms of health measurements used to determine good health.


When the CDC uses the term "general population" they are accounting for those for whom the BMI would not apply.  It doesn't surprise me that myself and other Black women have difficulty relating to the BMI chart.  It simply doesn't apply to a lot of Black women; however, without any other forms of measurement, it's something we have to deal with until we ourselves create a measurement system more indicative of our dietary and nutritional needs.

Here is the standard of measurement for BMI (this table is from the CDC website):

Below 18.5	Underweight
18.5 – 24.9	Normal
25.0 – 29.9	Overweight
30.0 and Above	Obese

At my current weight of 159 pounds and my current height of 5'3" I fit in the 25.0 - 29.9 Overweight category.

"Your BMI is 28.2, indicating your weight is in the Overweight category for adults of your height.

For your height, a normal weight range would be from 104 to 141 pounds.
People who are overweight or obese are at higher risk for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol."

Hmm.  Once when talking with a relatively plump white lady several months ago, I was very surprised to find out I weighed more than she did although we were the same height.  She weighed 135 pounds and was lamenting how she desired to be 110 again.  She was floored when I told her my weight was over 160 pounds and noted I didn't look bigger than her.  She surmised that I must be mostly muscle and since I was not working out at that time, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and eating whatever I wanted in copious quantities, I could easily attest that this was not the case.  When I pointed these things out, she jumped to her next conclusion that some people just carry their weight differently than others.  I agree with that but this was just not the case.  She could quite easily fit into the BMI standard.  I could not and probably never will which suits me just fine.  The anorexic physique does not appeal to me.

Whenever I get a physical I'm fine on everything except my iron levels.  They have been low since I was a child and it is difficult for me to maintain them at what is supposedly "normal" even with proper diet and iron supplements.  I have found that I am not the only Black woman who has this issue and always wondered if there was something more to be considered.  I experienced some difficulty as a child with it to the point of hospitalization but as an adult I never experienced the adverse effects of too low iron (red blood cells/hemoglobin).  On my physical I was just below where I needed to be and refused to eat liver (yuck!) or take the cow pills that are iron supplements.  My doctor just shrugged and kept stepping.  She has found out the hard way the end results of trying to convince me to do things her way.  Generally I just find out why I'm feeling a certain way from her and find my own remedies.  I was feeling extremely stressed out and overly anxious while in graduate school.  She suggested Lexapro...I found that passionflower pills from the local natural foods store were simply divine.  Just be mindful not to take two of them like the directions say!  It relaxes you A LOT.  I usually don't show up to the doctor unless something is wrong.  Amazingly enough I haven't been sick in months which is unusual for me.  Sinus infections and bronchitis are the banes of my life.

So back to the topic at hand.  Why do we as Black women, not have our own standard?  You may ask, "What about Black men?"  Well they are included by extension but I'm going to focus on Black women because from what I can see, we are the most unhealthiest.

I see it when I'm out and about EVERY DAY.  Did being grossly overweight become a standard and no one told me?  According to the CDC, 54.2% of Black women 20 years and over are obese.  Not fat.  Not chubby.  Not "just a lil" overweight.  OBESE!  I don't view this as bad news.  I view this as something that really needs to grab the coattails of the Black American conscious and come to the forefront of our focus.

When men talk out about this, many women immediately call them misogynistic and accuse them of looking for reasons to check out women of other races.  I found one brother on YouTube (Jarreau) that made me laugh so hard regarding his take on overweight Black women specifically Christian Black women.  Am I wrong for laughing?  Probably.  Is he wrong for pointing it out?  Not in the least.  Check him out.  I made the mistake of taking a sip of water just as he made the statement, "Why y'all eating so much?"  GOLD.  I came across another article on the Merc80.com website called "Curves Not Cul-De-Sacs."  Another article that made me laugh because to me IT IS SO TRUE!  I'd be remiss if I didn't take a certain cavalier attitude with my weight especially when a nice big butt accompanied it.  I'm still trying to save it while pursuing my weight loss endeavors.  It's my best ASS-et.  Good food (usually and more aptly junk food) made me feel great.  Chocolate cake donuts were the best.  If I felt stressed, sweets always put me back on the up and up.  He's not off the mark in the least.  He generally reiterates my feelings on the matter: 

Culturally speaking, yes, we like ‘em with a little more “meat on the bones”.  But the meat should be tender, not fatty.  If I can see the muscle striations on the meat, that means the fat is gone.  For many of you, I do not see meat, I see fat.  And we’re not talking “thick”, chubby, or “out of shape”.  We’re talking OBESE.

Now his take on men is one I don't necessarily agree with but I am looking at it from a woman's perspective.  He stated:  Do men need to lose weight too?  Yes.  But at the end of the day, a man’s size and weight are hardly ever a major issue to his attractiveness.  In fact, the larger he is the more manly he appears to be."

This statement made me kind of view his whole article in another light that went from mostly positive to, "so you saying Black women with a little meat on their bones aren't attractive."  I had to stop myself from spiraling into that vat of cynicism and reread what he wrote at the top in bold (see above).

I am mindful of weight because I know that thyroid issues run in my family and sets me up for hypo/hyperthyroidism in the future.  Before I assume that someone eats too much I always think to myself about whether they have a thyroid issue that they are unaware of or some other health issue.  Those are also factors, other than food, that can exist and cause us to be overweight.

Am I overweight?  According to the CDC BMI calculator I am.  Visually I do not look overweight.  I go by how I feel.  I didn't look overweight at my heaviest (165) but I felt terrible, slow and sluggish.  My knees hurt badly and walking short distances felt like running a marathon.  Down six pounds I feel like I can jump over the moon.  A great deal of that weight came off my mid section and arms for which I am very grateful and I am encouraged to keep going with the great progress I've seen in just three months.  I had set my goal weight at 145 but would be happy at 150.  When I weighed around that weight before (along with good diet and exercise), I felt phenomenal.  Yes, the CDC BMI calculator still considered me overweight but I felt great.  Isn't that what's most important? 

On my bucket list for the future:  Pick the brain of those Black men/women in the health and nutrition fields about their take on more specialized calculations for the Black community.

That is all.

And That's the Way It Goes...

So yesterday I get an email...an unexpected email.  Several months ago I was informed that a short story I had written was accepted for publication in an anthology about the Midlands of South Carolina called A Sense of the Midlands.  I was thrilled!  Then the email.  The email that informed me that the story cannot be published because the publisher does not have the rights to reference Cocky or Williams Brice Stadium.  For those who don't know, Cocky is the mascot of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Williams Brice Stadium is where the Gamecocks play.  I won't lie if I said that this didn't take the wind out of my sails a bit but now that I have had a day to reflect, I am still happy actually.  I mean, I'm not happy about not being published, but I am happy that I was selected in the first place.  It means I have at least some smidgen of talent, doesn't it?

Well must carry on.  I am working on my novel...I guess I have to be careful about what I reference.  That's not something that has ever occurred to me, that certain icons cannot be referenced.  It probably wouldn't matter if the story is freely distributed but for "for-profit" initiatives I suppose I can understand the desire to protect ones copyright (and if not, get a piece of the "pie").  I am now aware of this and will construct future stories accordingly.  My story A Meeting on the River will probably never get published because I have no intentions of changing it, and that's fine with me.

Long Time No Update!

My current novel word count for Nanowrimo:
Novel Word Count: 35,643

 My progress thus far...13,357 words from goal with one week left!  I can do it!  Just because I haven't been updating doesn't mean I haven't been busy.  I've even gotten a bit of crocheting and knitting done as well. 

So I came across the Amigurumi Ninja Challenge in a post in the Nappturality.com forums.  So the gist of it is to crochet your own ninja using her pattern that the creator so graciously provided for free until November 30th.  I had been eyeing it for awhile.  Then you are to take an original photo...what I entered was a bit more inventive than this photo.  Then you submit it and she adds it to her Facebook page.  The ninja with the most likes wins some awesome prizes!

Deadline is tonight!  Readers help me out here.  Like my ninjas!

My son always calls the cars with the paint that changes color in the light Maseroya colored.  Since the yarn I used replicated that it seemed to be the perfect name for the ninjas.  I even gave them a story.

Maseroya Ninjas

Siya and Oba, the most advanced of the Maseroya Ninjas, have been tasked with protecting the sacred altar of the great Maseroya master, Mazarine Blue.  The altar holds the secret to their great powers of stealth and mastery of the Ninja arts.  They have hidden it in a secret realm between the spiritual plane and reality.

I simply couldn't pass up a great crochet challenge.  I knit a dog sweater for my coworker's dog.  I've only seen a picture of it...it's a miniature of some type she affectionately calls the "so-ugly-it's-cute" mutt.  I did it in bulky yarn so it worked up in just an evening with minimal sewing (my favorite!).  I'll post a picture if it fits the mutt.

Anywho, on the fitness tip, I have some great news!  On October 25th, I had 17.5 pounds to go to reach my goal.  Now I have 15 pounds to go!  Yep.  Eight weeks in with 20 pounds to lose originally, I've lost 5 pounds!  Slow and steady wins the race.  I've been gushing about this all day.  I'm sure my kids are ready to rip their own ears off.  It just felt so good to see that scale say 160.4.  I haven't stuck to the November challenge as well as I should but it doesn't seem to be affecting my progress at all.  I lost another inch off my abs for a total of two inches lost and one inch off my hips.  I don't really care about the other measurements as much.  My clothes fit better and I feel much better than I used to.  Yay for progress!

What's Going On?

Halloween was awesome!  Sorry no pictures...we went store diving.  Many of the stores in the area like Publix even Marshall's had Halloween crawls.  Then we ran out of gas!  Yes, in the middle of a busy thoroughfare the car sputtered and died roughly a mile or so away from the nearest gas station.  It had been rainy but the rain gods had smiled upon my husband and he made the trek rainfree and dry.  I put on the flashers, told the kids to be quiet more than a few times and got cramps in my fingers from crossing them after near hits from the drivers attempting to turn into the businesses (mostly restaurants) in which our van was conveniently blocking.  Now how about when my hubby was just crossing the street with the gas can a cop car finally pulls up behind us?  Nice timing, LPD!  Nearly thirty minutes of constant swaying between speeding cars and you finally decide to come and make sure no one hits us!  Our gas hand had been going up and down all week confusing us as to how much gas we had in the car.  Now we have a pretty good idea...hubby's gotta get the floater fixed.

Well, after that debacle we went back to our neighborhood, my husband entirely too pooped to contemplate any more store diving.  We gave out candy.  My kids enjoy this because they get to jibber jabber with all of their friends, give out candy and wear their costumes.  No complaints about not doing the "real thing" because they were having just too good of a time.  Thank goodness.

Fitness-wise...I pulled or sprained something in my right oblique/lat area this morning.  My husband wanted to rest more so he didn't go with me leaving me to my own devices.  Well, I'm extremely motivated and really pushed myself.  Apparently too much, as it were.  I did go to town with the side bends and I even added the captain's chair as my core is getting much stronger!  I didn't feel pain until I got on the row machine.  I made it through my reps but did feel pain.  I took a longish break and went on to the tricep machine (you sit and pull the handles up to work the triceps).  I didn't make it too far on that.  My side hurt entirely too much.  So then I went and cooled down on the elliptical. 

It wasn't until I got to work that I realized I might have an issue.  My side ached to the point of pain.  After an hour I got a bit more concerned.  Around 11 I was really concerned because the pain turned into a burn prompting a call to my husband.

"Sounds like you might have a minor pull.  Did you do proper form?"  I grumbled about him not coming with me to make sure I did things right but he didn't want to hear that.  He berated me for not paying more attention to my body and not trying to cram everything in.  Well maybe I did try to cram everything in to the point I cannot identify what exactly caused me to pull it.  It hurts.  Aleve be damned and the pain relieving wrap be damned!  I am in a great deal of pain still so obviously I did something that is going to prevent me from working out.

I went by the local school district office to view my daughter's artwork there.   She had been bugging me all week to remember and today was the last day.  So after the gym I went over there (grumbling about the traffic all the way). 

My budding young artist and her watercolor Charleston-style house!  She doesn't like the picture but she guesses "it will do" (her words).  She's been in the state fair and the local art museum also.

I'm knitting hats!  I got some books from the library and I am presently making a beanie from Chic Knits for Young Chicks.  Updates to come!  I need to get something done for Nanowrimo...I haven't written a word on my novel yet. 

Crochet for Halloween

It's about that time of year again.  Halloween.  It isn't something I celebrate usually for a variety of reasons.  It has proven problematic with having four young school-aged children, however.  Now we make sure they get their share of candy  but we do not allow trick-or-treating, at least not in our neck of the woods.  We have done similar types of outings such as trick-or-treating in the dorms at my alma mater (we missed it this year) or having the kids give out candy to children who are doing it in the neighborhood.  They aren't content with doing just that this year.

I've found a list of stores that are participating in trick-or-treating on Halloween.  They will just have to be content with that.  We carved a pumpkin last night, something I hadn't done since I was fifteen.  It was relatively easy.  I only had one of the four bother to help and even she eventually abandoned me in favor of Candy Crush.  She did pick the design and take out a handful or two of the seeds...that was it. 

Here is our (my) creation.  Scary, isn't it?  I adore it because it looks absolutely hilarious from the street, and we are the only house that has one so far.  We may do another one...I'm aiming for a vampire or black cat.  It remains to be seen.

The children wanted costumes (of course they did) for Halloween and I made it abundantly clear I wasn't buying a single one.  So I'm making two of them, my stepdaughter can crochet and make her own (with my guidance) and I don't know what the boy is going to do.  He's going to have to figure out Freddy Krueger all on his own.  So we have a Clawdeen Wolf from Monster High who can't match worth a darn and a vampire.  Their costumes are pretty much the same aside from one wanting to be black and blue (the vampire) and one wanting to be mis-matched.  So I tackled Clawdeen Wolf first.  The ears are easy so I focused on the top which I made in pink and black.  The skirt is in purple.  I told her she could forget about those boots.  Then I made the blue tank top for my little one.  I ran out of black yarn so I couldn't finish until yesterday.  Here they are!

 This is my little vampire (or vampress...who taught her that word!).  She absolutely loves this halter.  I don't think I'll have enough time for her skirt so I may have to settle for a pre-existing one.  She didn't seem to mind. 

 Okay, this doesn't look exactly like Clawdeen Wolf but she didn't care.  She only cared about the colors and the style.  She loves the tank and she loves the skirt.  The skirt is supposed to have ruffles all the way up but she was happy with this (thank goodness). 

The pattern for the top came from the Slice of Sweet Halter pattern on Crochetville!  The skirt is the Tiered Ruffle Skirt from Ravelry!  The girls chose what they wanted...I would have been more original had I started these earlier.  I know for next year.

 I'm teaching my girls how to crochet now.  My vampire has mastered chains and single crochet and is intent on making me a skirt!  Well who am I to discourage ambition!  Have at it baby girl! 

I am having temporary withdrawals from lack of new yarn acquisitions.  Okay I just made that up as an excuse to get more yarn.  I've been partly content.  My gift basket from Lion Brand yarn came through not too long ago from a giveaway I won back in January, and I had fun with that for a couple of months.  The novelty has worn off and I need new yarn to tickle my fancy. 

Christmas is coming up!  Or what I call the biggest yarn stash buster of the year!  I am aiming to make hats and scarves for local hospitals and assisted living homes in the area so I need to get started right about now!  I will hold off on making purchases until I have successfully whittled down my rather large stash of yarn.  Well at least that's the plan...


Updates coming soon!

Fitness Thoughts and November Challenge!

I worked out alone this morning.  My hubby wanted a break even after I told him I wouldn't complain, whine, or give him the evil eye for working me so hard.  I trekked to the gym alone.  I don't work twice as hard without him there.  Yes, I did get through the workouts but I didn't give myself that extra push that he would.  I need that extra push.

I've zoned in on my obliques.  Up until my mid to late twenties, they were a non-factor.  They never put on fat and I never worked them.  Then all of a sudden they just popped up.  This picture from two years ago tells the tale.  The black check shows some oblique action...I'm not completely contrapposto, I'm mostly straight.  I was starting to get a little belly action too as indicated by the red check.  I remember I was around 152 pounds then.  I am ten pounds heavier now and you wouldn't think it would make so much of a difference...but it does as you can see.  I think 145 is a good weight for me so 17.5 pounds left to go!

I have decided to add more oblique workouts.  Technically I'm not supposed to do crunches or any "crunch-like" movement per my doctor due to a hernia.  I've been doing side crunches anyway.  Bad, I know.  I did a google search to find some good oblique exercises.  This ONE has some gems!  I will double check with the hubby to get his thoughts...he may have a variation that works better.  I've found that whenever I find something I think is great, he has a better version of it.

Okay enough chitchat about obliques. I decided to enter the Black Women Losing Weight November Challenge!  So the deal is for you to give up all bad stuff like soda, sweets, and simple carbs.  Done and done!

Here are the guidelines:

• No Soda – That includes diet soda. Already done.
• No Fast Food  Zaxby's...gonna work on it.
• No Alcohol  Easy enough...I don't drink it.
• No White Bread – Easy enough...I never ate it.
• No White Sugar or High Fructose Corn Syrup I've been avoiding this for years (trying to)
• No Store Bought Juice – I guess Naked Juice is out.
• Any packaged foods you eat should have less than 12 grams of sugar per serving. I do this already...
• No Sugary Snacks –  First thing I did three weeks ago.
• No Pasta I love pasta but it was easy to give up...will continue.
• You can have artificial sweeteners in moderation – Don't use them...I don't even use the natural ones like agave and honey. 
  

This should be easy.  The challenge is to keep that up through Thanksgiving and even I don't know if I can resist my Mama's red velvet cake and sweet potato pie!  I am partaking in a Naked Juice Smoothie today (Green Machine) as I had a coupon.  Without thinking I had went and asked my boss if he liked Naked juice (he's into fitness and natural eating too) and the look on his face was beyond priceless (***DEAD***).  When I realized my folly it took me a minute or two to stop laughing before explaining I meant the juice.  I had asked him if he liked it to see if he wanted to get a coupon...perhaps I should have thought that through more.  He was like, "I knew what you meant." (wink, wink) So yeah, no Naked juice at work or anywhere else for that matter.  Goes right up there with, "Oh, your husband works you out?"  This question almost immediately follows my casual comment of "I work out with my husband."  Everybody has a dirty mind these days!

Here is a coupon for $1 off on a 15.2 ounce bottle of Naked Juice.  I don't know how long they are going to have the promotion for so get it while it's hot (and naked).  What an unfortunate name.

Back to the challenge.  I will definitely work on giving up Zaxby's, the very last fast food frontier I have to cross.  Those grilled chicken sandwiches are so good.  I don't even get fries or onion rings.  I get celery with a water to drink.  I had their Blue Zalad with Mediterranean dressing and grilled blackened chicken yesterday.  I have to stay away from that place.  I've been good about giving up the sweets otherwise.

Rather than wait until November, I'm starting today. 

Tunisian Crochet Headband Pattern (FREE!)

I discovered Tunisian crochet a few years back before I learned how to knit.  I loved it, creating two toned fabric in the Tunisian single stitch (tss) and later learning how to purl.  The thing is this process takes up more yarn than I typically plan on using for any one purpose so I rarely do it.  I own several sizes of double-ended crochet hooks for whenever I get that itch.  I had to scratch it two days ago when I did this headband.  I debated about whether to offer the pattern but seeing as patterns in Tunisian crochet are becoming more popular, why not add to the mix?

This pattern has no purl stitch, just the Tunisian single stitch and chains.  The "shells" aren't really shells at all, just a few loops pulled together.  Sound confusing?  Allow me to explain.

For those who don't know how to do Tunisian crochet, let me borrow someone else's video to show you the basics of casting on and the simple stitch.



For those who are like me and like reading directions, here you go:

Casting on:
Chain the desired number of stitches.  Working back into the chain, insert hook into first chain from the hook.  YO and pull up loop.  You now have two loops on the hook.  Insert hook into the next chain, yo and pull up loop.  Continue this across all chains.

Return Row:
At the end of the row, yo and pull yarn through one loop.  *Then yarn over and pull yarn through two loops.*  Repeat * to * across until you have one loop left on the hook.

Tunisian Single Stitch:
See those nifty bars left by the return stitch?  *Insert your hook into the first bar, yo and pull up a loop.*  Congratulations!  You've just made the first stitch.  Continue * to * across until all bars, including that stubborn one on the end, has a loop pulled up.
Complete return row.

Tunisian Open-Work Headband

Worsted Weight yarn (I used Vanna's Choice)
    This would be lovely in a DK weight yarn to really emphasize the lacy quality
5 mm hook

First measure your head, or your victim's head to see how long to make it.  I think this would make a lovely scarf as well with more starting chains.

Chain a multiple of five stitches plus 2.

Ch 17.

First Row:
Cast on as usual.  The fun part comes in the return row.  Ready?  Yo, pull through 1 loop on hook, *yo, pull through 2 loops on hook, ch 1, yo, pull through 4 loops on hook (makes a "shell"), ch 1, yo, pull through 2 loops on hook;  repeat from * to last stitch and pull through 2 loops on hook.

Second Row:
(Loop on the hook counts as a stitch).  tss in next stitch, *insert hook in next ch-sp, pull up a loop, insert hook into top of shell, pull up loop, insert hook into next ch-sp, pull up loop, tss in each of next 2 stitches;  Repeat from * across.  Return Row:  Yo, pull through 1 loop on hook, *yo pull through 2 loops on hook, ch 1, yo, pull through 4 loops on hook (makes a "shell"), ch 1, yo, pull through 2 loops on hook; repeat from * to last stitch, pull through 2 loops on hook.

Repeat Row 2 until the proper length.

Final Rows:
I'm putting this even though I didn't do mine this way.  I just slipstitched the ends together from the last row to the first to avoid sewing...scandalously lazy, yes it is.  Here is the way for those who don't mind taking the extra steps towards perfection.  I like clean connects so bear with me.

Repeat row 2.  On return row: At the end of the row, yo and pull yarn through one loop.  *Then yarn over and pull yarn through two loops.*  Repeat * to * across until you have one loop left on the hook.

*Insert hook into vertical bar of the next stitch, yo and pull up a loop and go through loop on the hook.  Repeat from *  until you are left with one loop on the hook.  Fasten off and you are DONE!


Whipstitch the two ends together.  Blocking is optional.  I would have definitely blocked if I was using thinner yarn but with worsted I didn't see the need.  I can't take complete credit for this.  The elements of the Tunisian stitch were written in severe shorthand in my journal, obviously taken from a book I could not procure (I didn't write down the name of it either...darn).  Must have been a Books-A-Million run.  Either way, it makes a pretty headband.

ENJOY!

Fitness Thoughts

I love reading on the treadmill or elliptical at the gym.  It seems to make the seconds and minutes zoom by therefore increasing my actual productivity more so than music and the subtitles to CNN/ESPN.  The thing is the books I desire to read are paperbacks which do not want to stay open on their own accord.  Nerveracking.  So I decided to save that reading for more stationary times and pulled out the only hardback book I own with large print that doesn't have anything to do with art, crochet, or knitting: Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine by John La Puma, M.D.  I got this for a great deal at Food Lion in their book bin.  What's sad about that is this Food Lion is right next door to Books-A-Million that I have never bought a book from.  Any who, I've had it for over a year and hadn't actually cracked it open.  The only reason I even had it readily available is that it managed to escape my trip to 2nd and Charles last weekend.

First things first, this man loves food.  I mean seriously.  I am going to steal his television tagline of, "The fountain of youth starts in the kitchen."  He shared that doctors aren't really taught about nutrition in medical school which I already knew thanks to Michael Baisden.  A woman was on his show once talking about how she changed her diet not at the behest of her doctor but of an older gentleman at the grocery store who suggested she cut out meat and dairy from her diet to see if it helped her high blood pressure and diabetes.  She said that within six months both her blood pressure and glucose levels had stabilized and eventually she no longer needed medication to control them.  This encouraged her to find out more about nutrition.  This stuck with me because she was adamant in her insistence that diet was the most important part of beating the main disease culprits that are the bane of the Black community.  Now that this guy has already confirmed what I've heard before, I'm definitely getting into his book now.

Here are some nuggets he had that are just too good not to share.  For the folks who have to have their fix of fast food, grab a fistful of almonds within twenty minutes of ordering.  Apparently the antioxidants in the almonds begin to block the artery-stiffening and inflammatory effect of the saturated and trans fats in the fast food.  Bet you didn't know that.  I sure didn't.

Now I have been giving starches a hard time in my diet...this guy is working on redeeming them.  Apparently there are different types of starch and one of them is called resistant starch which can be your fat burning friend.  Eating more foods high in resistant starch cause you to burn more fat throughout the day because you use the fat before you can store it.  Examples of those are types of beans/legumes like lentils, peas, soybeans, and beans.  Since edamame is a form of soybean, those should count, right?  I love those things!  I do partake in the Vegetarian Ruprict from Moe's Southwest Grill.  I think it is mostly healthy with the black beans, grilled peppers, olives, cucumbers, pico de galo, and onions I get piled high on it.  Just ignore the super starchy tortilla chips and sodium laden cheese sauce they slather all over it.  That's why I eat those with a protein shake.  I am of the opinion that if you balance everything out (starch to protein ratio), you won't store it as fat.  This has a basis in some nutrition reading I did some time ago.  I am going to be on the lookout in this book to see what Dr. La Puma has to say about it.  Those Rupricts are hella hard to give up.

I'll give more little nuggets from this book as I go along.  I am reading and rereading for thorough understanding and memory.  Best of all, the darn thing stays open and flat while I work out.

Something else I have decided to do is to add green tea to my diet.  A cup in the morning, a cup after work and a cup before bed.  Decaffeinated, of course.  I have some organic green tea I just bought.  I read ahead in the ChefMD book to see what he thought about green tea and it seems I'm good to go!  Some things I learned:

Black tea, green tea, white tea, and oolong tea all come from the same plant.  They are all prepared differently which lends itself to the different tastes and health benefits (and apparently colors).

It helps protect you from having a heart attack and stroke and may help in delaying the onset of cancer.   I wonder if Lipton counts too.

Tea has no carbs, fat, protein, or calories...like water (bitter water, bleh!  I just tried some Honest Tea Green Tea and I honestly added a whole lemon to it to make it drinkable).  It does have catechins which are flavonoids (which are apparently good for you).  Green and white tea have more than black and oolong tea.  Black tea and oolong have their own types of flavonoids.
Flavonoid:  Usually colorful plant chemicals with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects; there are over five thousand of them.  They belong to the polyphenol family. 
Polyphenol:  Chemicals such as flavonoids and tannins, responsible for the coloring and protection of some plants and that fight heart disease and cancer.

A downside to this book is the need to constantly search for definitions because he just throws these words around willy nilly.  The upside is his index is pretty comprehensive and makes it easy to find the definitions of these obscure words he throws around.  I just added the definitions here to save you a Google search. 

Independent of this book, I read somewhere (the result of a Google search) that green tea contributed to fat burning which is what had initially peaked my interest in it.  Well, I'm going to start on Monday after I stock up on lemons.

No workout this weekend!  I'm a little achy (which is good) and I intend to work even harder next week.  Pain = progress.  I can visually see a difference around my middle but I have a long way to go still.  If it doesn't rain tomorrow I will take a few laps through the neighborhood and if it is raining I guess I'll attack my elliptical. 

Unidentified Yarn Queen and Pretty Shells Crochet Pattern (FREE!)

Last year during a trek to the local flea market, I came across a young Mexican lady selling her wares which happened to be...you guessed it, yarn!  This particular color caught my eye and unfortunately there was only one skein of it.  She didn't have specifics that she could give me about but from what I can tell it appears to be a rayon and natural fiber mix (not cotton though).  I would say it is about a size 3 crochet thread and I'm itching to make something with it.  I am the queen of unidentified yarn.  I have many skeins that I have to play the guessing game, having acquired them from swaps and other sources.  I am still searching for the perfect pattern for this beautiful yarn.  Any ideas?

 This is one of my favorite scarves!  Last year, I sold a similar scarf at a vending event at my alma mater.  I had originally made it to enter in the state fair but for whatever reason I always miss the deadline.  So I decided to make another one.  It is a simple crochet pattern consisting of shells, roughly 7 inches x 6 feet.  It has great texture and the yarn creates a wonderful drape in the fabric.  This is made from one of those many unidentified yarns I have acquired over the years.  I have one more skein of it left.  It takes nearly two skeins to make a scarf this size so it is up in the air what I will do with this final skein.  If I had to take a guess I would say it was similar to homespun, definitely a man-made material, acrylic/polyester mix, fingering weight.  Obviously I put a lot of thought into this.  

Pretty Shells Pattern

Any size yarn (fingering weight used here)
Use hook size that works well with your yarn (3.5 mm)

Ch. 43
Row 1:    2 dc in 4th chain from the hook, sk ch, *sc in next chain, sk ch, 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch* Repeat * to * across to last two ch.  Three dc in last ch. Ch 1 and turn.

Row 2:  sc in first dc, *2dc, ch 2, 2 dc in next sc, sc in ch 2 space*  Repeat to last shell.  sc in top of ch 3 stitch.  Ch 3 and turn.

Row 3:  2 dc in sc from previous row.  *sc in top of ch 2 space, 2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc in next sc*  Repeat across to last sc of the row.  3 dc in top of ch 3 stitch.  Ch 1 and turn.

Repeat rows 2 and 3 until desired length.  I always end with a row of single crochet across the edge to anchor it into place.

Comment if you have any questions!  There is some variation of this pattern all around the web.  Most of the time I see it with a 5 dc instead of 2dc, ch 2, 2dc but it is the same kind of idea.

Getting Back on Track with my Health

Let's face it, staying motivated to exercise isn't easy.  With work, school, kids, nagging bosses, meetings, and the plethora of other things we all have going on with cell phones and tablets attached to our hands, government shutdowns and the imminent end of the world as we know it, it's amazing we get much of anything done.  With all of the talk about health insurance, it is sure to make some contemplate the idea of preventive care (eating healthier and exercising) even more now, myself included.

Three weeks ago, I went to the local flea market.  I went initially to get out of the house away from the  hubby and kids.  That's necessary sometimes.  I decided to go by and see some old friends while I was there.  I used to sell at the flea market regularly and considered a lot of the vendors some of my favorite people.  Any who, I ran into Annette, a really nice woman from Trinidad and Tobago who was always my vending buddy.  After we chatted for a bit, she kind of cocked her head to the side and said, "You're looking a little chunky there around the middle.  Be careful, you're getting older and it will creep up on you."  Now I don't generally take too kindly to folks reminding me of my age, especially as I intend to stay 29 for several more years, but I was caught more off-guard by the "chunky" remark.  I was chunky?  Yes, I am getting older, and yes, I was aware my metabolism had slowed.  It had not slowed enough for me to not eat boxes of Twinkies (the Sweetest Comeback EVER!), a half-dozen chocolate cake donuts (every day after work for $2, can't beat it), and chug down Mountain Dew like it was the elixir of life and still have people say, "I wish I had your figure."  That happens quite a bit so no wonder I never realized I was "chunky"!

So, I went home and stepped on the scale, which I immediately regretted.  165 pounds.  I hadn't been that heavy since my second pregnancy in which I went up to a whopping 171 pounds (immediately dropping to 140 post pregnancy).  In August 2012, I weighed 146 pounds, right at the start of a master's program.  I graduated in August 2013.  Here it was the end of September, and I weighed 165 pounds.  How did that happen?  Where did that come from?  Then I started looking at myself.  My arms were much rounder.  Why hadn't I noticed that?  I generally ignored my abs because after three kids and a stint with diastasis recti, there hadn't been any reason to pay them much attention.  My pre-baby abs were long gone.   They were seriously out to lunch now.  I had love handles!  I never had love handles in my life.  I love my butt...it took me nearly ten years to grow it, but it was the only asset, so to speak, I even liked about my body now.  My face was rounder and I noticed that my knees ached a lot.  Constantly, in fact.  This just wasn't going to work.

It didn't take me long to realize that I was holding my health as a ransom to my own self-esteem issues and love for chocolate everything (except ice cream).  Quite frankly I didn't want to have to weave through either one of those particular issues so I just opted to just take my health back with a vengeance.

My husband, a personal trainer, really got it that night for letting me get out of control.  Poor guy, he was damned either way.  He insisted I looked fine and just needed to tone.  "Stop being so hard on yourself, you can get that off easy.  Think about the people who are much bigger than you."  That's what I like about him.  Every time I start complaining, he always manages to bring up someone who is much worse than I am.  I must thank him for channeling my self-deprecating tendencies into feelings of regret and self-disdain at my own selfishness.  So I challenged him to help me get toned.

He began PMA Fitness Training a little over a year ago.  He slows down around this time of year with clients so he has time to devote to me (yay!).  We have four months left on our joint Gold's Gym membership, a membership we had neglected to use for nearly six months with him opting for Planet Fitness and me opting for Zaxby's.  So back to the gym for us...well first it was at home (for me) with an Arabic belly dancing video set on Youtube.  That was fun.  Then I hit the gym the following Saturday to present for a total of almost two weeks so far. My husband won't let me complain and I can appreciate that.  I want to sweat and I want to hurt.  Makes me feel productive.  I'm amazed how much wind I have retained over the months.  It took my knees a week to stop screaming at me and they actually feel lighter now.  I had Baker's cysts behind them for awhile so I already knew my propensity to gain water on the knees.

I work out Monday, Wednesday, and Friday supplemented with an elliptical at home and walks through the neighborhood.

I've lost 2.5 pounds and I feel awesome.  Let me backtrack a bit.  I changed my diet as well.  I eliminated all processed foods and sweets from my diet and I increased my water intake.  I've done this so many times before that I don't even go through the "sweets" withdrawal symptoms.  My body's probably like, here we go again.  I only eat lean chicken (all natural from 14 Carrot) and fish.  I had a love affair with kale eating it every day until I realized it was making me exhausted (did you know Kale could do that?).  I increased my protein intake tremendously.  I want to lose weight but I want to maintain muscle, preferably those in the gluteous maximus area.  I've never been much of a cook, not because I couldn't do it.  I had no desire to do it.  There's a difference.  We bought a steamer last year, and I think we made the most use out of it in these past two weeks than in the entire time we owned it.  I have a wok also...I'll have to work my way up to that.  Everything else is baked.  I also made homemade pizza, which the kids loved sans the red and green peppers I would throw on them.  Generally they don't mind eating right which makes this journey super easy for me.  In another month, I am going to throw in a fasting day as well.

There was some definite water weight loss.  My arms slimmed down and such.  This past weekend, I went back to the flea market and saw Annette again.  I thanked her for pointing out my "chunkiness" for without her observation, who knows how far I would have gone.  She conceded that she needed to work out as well and I gave her encouragement.  It's hard to get started but you don't want to stop once you get going.  She said to me, "Yeah, you don't look as bloated now, a little trimmer.  Keep it up."  And I will.