New Stats

I achieved a goal I wasn't actively going for.  On the captain's chair, I can now do the leg raises with straight legs instead of bent knees.  My abs have gotten stronger!  They hurt right now as I've been working my abs extra hard yesterday and today but obviously it's been working out.  I did ten of those before fatigue set in.  I'm so happy!  I remember when I could barely hold myself on that thing.  Progress!


Duck walks are the business.  A painful one but no joke.  I've been slacking off on my 125 bodyweight squats a day so I'll get back to it tonight.



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Stat time!


Here are my stats from February 21, 2014:


Height: 5'3
Weight: Fluctuates between 154 and 156...I'll claim 154.
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 30.5 in (down from 31 in.
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (down from 34)
Hips: 41 in. (down from 42)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24.5
Arms: 11.5


It's been almost 2 months exactly.  Here's where I am now:


Height: 5'3
Weight: 148-150
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 26.2
Waist (at belly button): 30 in (down from 30.5 in.)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (no change)
Hips: 41 in. (no change)
Chest: 35 in. (no change)
Thighs: 24.5 (no change)
Arms: 12 (up from 11.5)


Not too much change other than my weight and another half inch off my waist.  Didn't lose a thing off my pooch although it is 32.5 inches when I first wake up in the morning (weird).  I'm working on controlling my water retention.  Amazingly enough taking grains out of my diet (a two week experiment) has seemed to help that.  I've also started drinking two cups of cold water first thing in the morning as well.  It's helped me feel better during my workouts.  I'll have to update how all of this makes me feel overall especially at the end of my two week experiment.  Today makes 1 week no grains. 

A Picture Is Worth....

Ok, so I'm in the room cleaning up and I find a pair of pants that I haven't been able to wear since 2012.  So I decide to try them on and guess what?  They fit!  Perfectly.  Hey, don't just take my word for it:

As a bonus, here is a progress picture from January 2014 at 159 pounds wearing size 12 pants:

Down a total of 17 pounds from my heaviest at 167 pounds!  These pants are a size 10!  Five more pounds and I'll be completely happy.  Those arms are looking good too.  I could afford to lose a little bit of for the abs as well but overall I'm happy for now.

Remember the Give It 100?  Ok it's been roughly 60 some odd days and I can do 25 pushups and 3 pull ups!  Total of 30 before I'm through and 5 pull ups before my arms say no more. The real ones too.  Progress!

I finally made it to a Zumba class last Thursday.  It was a lot of fun and requires a lot of endurance and very little inhibitions for dancing in public. I have both. I just neglected to bring a towel and water which had me drinking over a gallon for the rest of the night and first thing in the morning. Lesson learned.  I've never sweated that much. I'll probably do it once monthly so it doesn't take away from my weight training.

Feeling Good, Getting Strong

Somehow my crafting blog became my fitness blog.  Go figure.  I am still crocheting and knitting but have yet to actually master the art of completing.  Projects have either been left undone or frogged.  I did put together two 1000 piece puzzles and pinned a bunch of stuff on Pinterest so I was a bit creative...somewhat.  So, yeah.

I got an upper respiratory infection from my youngest around the 26th of February.  Misery.  The kids all caught it and recovered after a day.  I caught it and was sick for a week, even missed a few days of work.  Hubby caught it and it knocked him down too.

THEN because life wasn't eventful enough, the alternator in the car died and left me stranded on the one day the temperature dropped from 60 to 30 in a 15 minute span and left me waiting an hour for a tow truck.  Why do alternators give NO WARNINGS whatsoever?  Things just stop working.  I'm driving along.  It's pouring rain and the windshield wipers stop working.  I try calling my husband to fuss him out but he doesn't answer.  Then I noticed the lights on the dash were dim and after a quick test of the interior lights, I knew the battery was dying.  I quickly turned into a Dollar General parking lot and cut the engine which was apparently a smart move, not letting the battery completely die.  I've had a dying alternator before so I knew the signs.  It was rainy and cold but the tow truck driver was nice and pretty darn cool.

The rain finally cleared up over the weekend...heavenly seventy degree weather!  Could it be that spring is finally here?  I certainly hope so because my muscles aren't feeling the temperature rollercoaster South Carolina's been on the past couple of weeks.  Speaking of muscles...

I've decided to put my powerlifting aspirations on hold temporarily.  Why?  I would rather have muscle definition.  I'm strong but nothing about my physique screams it.  I want defined arms and legs, especially arms.  They are slender now but where is my Michelle Obama muscle definition?  Nonexistent.  So my husband is changing up my routine to that of a body builder although I am still doing some of the powerlifting development routines. 

So I got back on the bench today.  I can bench press the bar ten times with perfect form.  It isn't wobbly or falling to the side.  Not the 45 pound bar.  The 50 pound bar.  I don't know what happened but somehow I got stronger.  While enthused, I wish it would bring muscle definition.  I upped my cardio and will go to a Zumba class on Thursday.  I'm writing it here to make sure it gets done.  So far I haven't been able to do them for the following reasons:  snow, illness and injury.  Yep, I aggravated a groin muscle (irritating) last week, I was sick the week before that, and it snowed and shut down South Carolina the week before that.  If something happens this week, I'll take that as a sign to leave Zumba alone. 

That is all...well not quite.  I did try an Arabic Bellydance Fat Burn Cardio workout yesterday (all four parts on YouTube).  I haven't tried those since I first started working out in October/November.  They were torturous then.  I have a bit more endurance but they are still hard to do.  Worked up a crazy sweat.  Got up this morning and was a bit confused as to why my calves were so darn sore.  Then I remembered.  That workout is no joke so I may do that twice weekly as my cardio in case Zumba doesn't work out.

Hula Hooping Works!

Obviously the title gave it away.  I've just spent exactly one month hula hooping at least 15-30 minutes a day.  I just couldn't wait to take my measurements today. And guess what? There is a noticeable difference!

Here are my stats from January 20th:

Height: 5'3
Weight: 154.0 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 31 in. (down from 32)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42 in (down from 42.5)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: no idea (will post later)
Arms: no idea (will post later)

Here are my stats now:

Height: 5'3
Weight: Fluctuates between 154 and 156...I'll claim 154.
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 30.5 in (down from 31 in.
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 33.5 inches (down from 34)
Hips: 41 in. (down from 42)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24.5
Arms: 11.5

So the results are a half inch loss off my waist and pooch.  This has given me a noticeable and definitive hourglass looking figure that I'm feeling right now.  Since I decided to start powerlifting, I have been advised by my husband to wear compression shirts.  These are tight, form-fitting shirts that do just as their name implies.  He advises buying a size smaller than you can wear.  So I bought a cute pink one from TJMaxx and wore it on Monday to the gym.  I have a great silhouette now (thanks hula hooping!) that was kind of hard for me to appreciate with the life being squeezed out of me.

Well I did notice the stares.  Maybe I had been getting them before and just hadn't noticed but folks just weren't hiding it this go around.  They usually stare at my husband and hey, I don't blame them there, the man looks like he was chiseled from stone.  But me?  It was mostly the women which made me even more uncomfortable.  Anyway I was getting my tricep kickback on at the gym, minding my own business, when a trainer I had seen off and on from time to time approached me. She flexed and said, "Wow you look great and toned. I can tell you lost over the months. Keep it up!" She proceeded to tell me it falls off the top before you see it on the legs and hips.  She high fived my husband who couldn't resist adding, "She can't help but to get straight working out with me." They laugh and she went on her way.  I hadn't even realized folks were paying attention.

I won't lie.  I was feeling:

  

A lot of the looks/stares just made me feel very uncomfortable.  I'm going to wear the compression shirts with a looser shirt over them to ward off the lookie loos.  It is most distracting. 

I have taken continual pictures throughout especially of my ab area to mark my progress.  I now have a new phone.  Guess where all those old pictures are?  So progress pictures will have to wait until I stop being lazy and save the images off the old phone.   My new phone is one I love dearly already.  A Moto X!  I got to customize it so it is raspberry (pretty much pink) with a black face and silver highlights with my name written on the back.  It greets me in Swahili when I turn it on and my wonderful husband bought me a clear cover to showcase it.  Well the cover isn't 100% clear, more like a clear frost but it gets the job done without covering up my customizations.  With a flick of the wrist I can activate the camera, it has a super fast processor and 16 gigs of space (with an additional 50 gigs in the google cloud).  I'm officially in love and highly recommend this phone.  My husband got the Samsung 4 which does have a much prettier and clearer display and better camera (13 gigs to my 10 gigs) but I still prefer mine.  Many, many more pictures to come.

It's Worth It

No truer words have ever been written.  Sometimes you just have to remind yourself.

Day 25 of the pull up/push up challenge.  I'm doing 15 pushups, this time with the proper form.  Proper form sucks.  I've had to break them back down again.  I do 5, rest 20 seconds, do 5, etc.  What my hubby does that drives me nuts is he waits until I have done my full arm routine with bicep curls, hammer curls, tricep kickbacks, etc., then he tells me to bust out some pushups and pullups.  My form may be perfect now but my arms are screaming.  Pullups...I can do 2 full ones still but they are not easy.  I'm still working on pullups his way.  I can hold myself up 8 seconds and slowly lower myself...he makes me do them overhand instead of underhand which is HARD.

Everything he makes me do is hard.  But ultimately it is worth it.  I want to be stronger and to preserve myself for the future.  For this I have to stay with it and do it right.  I want to buy weightlifting gloves but he says no.  My wrist keep moving out of the right position on the benchpress...he says he would rather I get accustomed to doing them right without assistance because ultimately the glove isn't going to help in consistently doing it right without it.  Now he thinks I'm going to do the benchpress competitively but he has another thought coming.  Squats are my bag. 

I went shopping for some gear this weekend...Kmart had this crazy sale on workout shirts.  I picked up a medium but the hubs stopped me.  "Get a small," he says.  I look at him like he is nuts because I haven't been a small in eons.  I got it anyway because hey, I can always return it, right?  It fit perfectly.  I love my silhouette now.  When I started out I was so lumpy and misshapen it was disheartening to look in the mirror, let alone wear clothing that fit close.  This was a serious confidence booster for me. 

I saw a young lady I hadn't seen in awhile (since December) at the local natural food store.  I had told her about my fitness aspirations at that time (with only 6 pounds lost).  She was stunned when she saw me (13 pounds down).  I showed her my comparison picture from August until mid January and she pointed out something I hadn't noticed:  I was even thinner than the picture I took mid-January!  When I went home I immediately took some pictures to compare and yes, indeed, I look smaller now even though the scale hasn't moved for the past week or so.  I will have to give it to hula hooping.  There is an evident visual difference in my upper and lower abs between January 20th and February 8th. Also something else I noticed is that my upper arms are much tighter.  I guess that came from holding my arms up while hula-hooping.  I can't wait to take my measurements on the 21st.  Even if there isn't a change, visually things just seem much tighter.

My husband did measure my calves for comparison with his.  It's a shame...our calves are the SAME SIZE!  15 inches.  I'm 5'3" with 15 inch calf muscles.  I've always had big legs (my husband calls them cheerleader legs) but for crying out loud.  I measured them around the beginning of the year and they were 14.5".  They grew a half an inch in a month!  Darn squats and calf raises.  In my quest for muscle, I am well in the running for She-Hulk legs.  I knew that was going to be a consequence of focusing on squatting...my legs have always been more muscular and larger in proportion to my body.  So much so that a classmate back in high school swore up and down that despite my petite figure then I was going to be overweight when I was older because my legs were so big.  What a mean thing to say to someone (now that I think about it).  Anyway I am going to keep an eye on that.

On the bright side, I no longer have cankles so I guess you have to take the good with the good (but huge).

Decisions, Decisions...

I had a rather difficult decision to make.  One of my resolutions was to run a 5k.  I am also interested in powerlifting (squats).  I didn't mention that before?  Well, I am.  Although my dearest powerlifting hubby can do both distance and powerlifting he advises sprinting to compliment powerlifting.  I decided to go with powerlifting and forgo my 5k aspirations.  I did download C25k on my kindle and got through day one (2 miles woohoo, happy dance!).  I still wasn't tired (but I was done).  It will have to wait.  He wants me to train a good six months minimum before even thinking about a competition.

I want to set a record in South Carolina...none exist in squats in any weight class.  My weight class would be the 148 lb division same as my husband's.  He holds SC records (bench press), American records and world powerlifting records.  He is really strong.  Personally I'm on the fence about deadlifts and the benchpress is out.  Back in 2011, I could benchpress 65 and I was pretty darn proud of that.  I don't really have an interest in benchpressing though.  I guess I will have to try a deadlift to ultimately make a decision about it.

The most I had gotten to when I had decided to start squatting back in 2011 was 105 pounds.  My biggest challenge wasn't squatting...it was balancing the weight on my shoulders so that would more than likely be the case now.  Right now I do weighted squats 3 sets of 15 with a 30 pound barbell and lunges (I don't count I go partial length of the weight-room--about 20 feet) for 4 passes) with 20 pounds.  To be honest this is easy but I just haven't told the hubs that yet...he already said everything I do from now on regarding powerlifting solely (squats, deadlift, bench) will have to be with the 45 pound bar and up.

I can't wait for the day I bust through the testosterone ceiling of the weight room and make the big muscled men cry.

Okay it is 8 days later (Day 19) and I'm not really challenging myself to do more than 10 push ups.  The hubs wants me to work on adding more.  I'll start that tomorrow.

Another reason I slowed down is that I got this bad cramp in my right shoulder...apparently I was doing my pushups with incorrect form.  It was a slight movement off but enough to aggravate my shoulder.  I was advised to rest it and haven't done pushups since Saturday but I think it is fine now.  Back on the horn tomorrow.  In another week I hope to be up to 15 pushups.

On January 29th it snowed here in South Carolina.  Yeah...2 whole inches of misery from the sky.  Not a snow fan here.  That's why I live in the South.  So whenever there is a chance of snow here EVERYTHING shuts down.  There was a lot of preparation here so by the time the snow came everyone was safe and sound.  We averted the craziness that was Atlanta, thanks to their politician's poor planning and preparation (but that's a whole other blog post).  Anywho, what can you do when school is out, you're trapped inside due to iced over roads (the entire Midlands has only 9 snow plows that were focused more on the interstates) with hyper kids?  You hula hoop of course!  I finally learned how to hula hoop and have done it every day since!

I have a 2 pound hoop I bought from Kohl's.  After the first day, my obliques and abs hurt something fierce.  They were red and throbbing.  Now I don't feel the pain at all.  I can hoop in both directions but I'm not good enough to keep it up with the kiddos yet.  Either way I hope I see results off my middle because of it.  My next hoop up is going to be the 3 pounder. 

Fitness Progress (Woo-Hoo!)

My last update regarding my weight was January 6th.  These were my stats:

Height: 5'3
Weight: 159.9 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 28.3
Waist (at belly button): 32 in. (down from 34.5)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42.5 in.
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24 in.
Arms: 11.5 in.

Now it's January 20th.  It's been about 3 weeks or so since I've been on the intermittent fasting "diet."  I hesitate to call it a diet...it has become something I would like to be a lifestyle change for me.  I eat within an 8 hour period during the day and fast for 16 hours.  It's been called many names but I settled on intermittent fasting.

I've lost 6 pounds since starting.  I've also become a pescetarian so I do not know the effect that change had but I still eat quite a bit of calories...I don't believe I'm operating at a deficit.  Anywho, here are my stats now:


Height: 5'3
Weight: 154.0 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 27.3
Waist (at belly button): 31 in. (down from 32)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42 in (down from 42.5)
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: no idea (will post later)
Arms: no idea (will post later)

I can see a difference in myself.  I feel lighter.  I lost two pounds in just the past week.  I don't want to lose too much.  In my younger years gaining weight was extremely difficult for me.  I don't want to be too skinny and I would like my weight loss to stop preferably around 150.  I'll take 145 but only if I am very toned.  My love handles are shrinking!  I can actually see the difference and feel it.  My size twelve pants are loose but aren't falling off of me (yet).  I'd be satisfied in a size 10...8 is pushing it and heaven help me if I get any smaller than that.  One should have meat on his/her bones.  My pooch won't budge...It looks toner due to the shrinking obliques though.  I shall see how this develops.

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I need to get disciplined enough to do 100 squats a day for 30 days.  I want to tighten up the glutes...they also work the abs as well.  Well a quick google search bought up this 30 Day Squat Challenge.  Tomorrow is day 1 for me.  Wish me luck!

http://www.thehealthycollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/30-day-squat-challenge.jpg

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On the Give It 100 challenge...This is day 4 and I can do 3 man push-ups.  I haven't been able to practice the pull-up as I've gone twice without the hubby to the gym.  I can't move that big bar on the squat machine, and I don't really want to ask any of the guys in there.  Don't want them getting any ideas.  I want phenomenal shoulders so I have to get those push-ups in gear.  My goal is at least 10 by the end of the month.  If I can do more, that's great!  baby steps.  I am going to practice every day until 3 becomes easier.  Then I'll had more.  Three is killing me right now (lol).  

 Hubby has these Perfect Push-Up exercise aids laying around.  He had me try them...THESE ARE TOUGH!  

Here is what I've discovered.  After attempting to do two on these, doing them on the floor is much easier.   

I'll probably use these to help with my planks though...baby steps.

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 This is a craft blog and I haven't written anything about crafting lately, have I?  Well I've still been at it, mostly drawing, but I'm getting some crochet work done.  I finished a pink baby blanket.  I am working on a white shrug for the summer out of crochet thread that is taking awhile only because I work on it every now and then.  It is in modules so I am connecting them as I go along.  I honestly can't wait for it to be done and hopefully my arms will be just right for it.  Pictures are forthcoming (I promise!).  


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Best quote I've heard all week:  Treat your body like a temple, not a trash can.  Amen to that! 

New Year, Time to Rev it Up!

So, for January 2014, here are my stats:

Height: 5'3
Weight: 159.9 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: no idea
Muscle Percentage: no idea
BMI: 28.3
Waist (at belly button): 32 in. (down from 34.5)
Waist (bellow belly button, aka, my pooch): 34 inches (down from 35.7)
Hips: 42.5 in.
Chest: 35 in.
Thighs: 24 in.
Arms: 11.5 in.

Obviously this is not my ideal but it is better than weighing 167 pounds at my heaviest.  I have to step it up.  I suffered from some chest wall inflammation just a few weeks ago and have recently finished my course of anti-inflammatory meds and will be going back to the doctor soon.  In the meantime I have been ordered to take it easy with the weight training and cardio.  I feel so much better now but will obey until I get the official okay.

My goal weight I have readjusted once again for 150 lbs...I'd take 152 or 153 though.  My goal waist would be what it was prior to having children 28 inches but I know that isn't realistic.  I'd take 30 at the waist and 32 at the pooch.  Hips can stay where they are.  I like hips.  Chest can stay where it is although I know it will shrink (sigh). 

Since my exercise has been restricted I have done other things in the meantime. My goal was to have my legs back.  I kind of let myself go in that I gained weight, developed cankles, and was unhappy with my tree trunk legs in sandals.  To add to the misery I developed Baker's cysts on the back of both of my knees.  I missed my svelt and lithe dancer legs of my youth.  Well now I have them back!  Well almost.  I still have the Baker's cysts which kind of spoil my overall look but from what I have read since mine aren't painful (any more) they would probably just go away on their own over time.


Well, how did I do it?  I used the Awesome Legs Workout on the T-Tapp website!  1 week, every day.  It works!  I didn't even notice until I looked last night.  I had ankles! And that beautiful line up my calf.  I tried on some heels and swooned.  Just gorgeous.  Now how vain am I?  I love beautiful legs, what can I say.  I don't know if I lost any inches but let's just say my thighs don't converse any more.  I lost my favorite pair of jeans to their heated conversations.


That is all for now.  I guess in all the hoopla of fitness and contemplating, my crafting has been abandoned somewhat.  Well not to worry, I am still very much crafting.  I am currently working on a motif bolero and some ACEO cats.  I draw a bit too.  I have gallery work and my more commercial work (to fund my gallery work.  Here are some of my kitties I sell on Ebay from time to time.

Emma

Fox

In Her Sights

Lost In Thought

Sweet Girl

Wide Eyed Wonder

Lounging Around

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.

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!

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. 

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.