Back to School Hustle

Hello, Peace and Love to all!

I am so sorry I haven’t been updating often. As you can imagine I have been running around amidst the back to school crowd in superstores, securing loose ends with my job and doing my best to get off to a good start in school.

I am happy to say that I have lost 30 lbs since the beginning of this journey and though it was my goal to lose 30, it is absolutely surreal to step on the scale and see the proof. My housemates are absolutely supportive and several of them have offered to escort me to the gym, snack on healthy meals with me, and tell me to “shut up” when I get a case of the “I can’t do it’s.” I am so grateful to be living with such a wonderful group of women. With a few of the girls I have put together a reward system. When I lose ten more pounds my photography enthusiast friend is going to treat me to a photo shoot and a friend of mine is going to take me to a hot yoga session. Together we are placing little markers in the road to insure that I keep pushing and plugging along. Quitting is NOT an option.

I have also been so fortunate to be asked to return to the Office of Sustainability as a Student Assistant this fall. Last semester I was given significant responsibility and I am excited to pick it all up again with new enthusiasm.

I will post more photographs as soon as time permits, but for know I ask that you take my word for it. I vow to continue to chant and work hard and include my readers (whether few or many) in the journey.

Peace and Love

My Life is Like a Mud-Clogged Hose

I’m tired.

No, I’m exhausted.

I love working out, I love eating healthy, I enjoy feeling rested in the morning and seeing the results in the mirror and on the scale but things are getting rough. After spending a wonderful weekend in Chicago with my dads and over 8,000 youth performers I was feeling my Buddha nature radiating all over the place. Of course, the moment I was on my way home, I was greeted with the reality that suffering is human. My plane didn’t arrive on time Sunday night which left me slipping into my bed shortly after 2AM, not at all my plan. When I arrived to work on Monday I was greeted by my horrible schedule. My employer (or the automated machine that makes our schedules) had gifted me seven classes and no breaks during the day. Needless to say, I chanted under my breath all day to keep from being unpleasant to the campers. The rest of the week (outside of an unexpected loss of 1lb during the weekend and a great night with a close friend) continued to rain down on my parade from the previous weekend. The pay check I received was lower than I expected which through off many of my plans and I was just suffering an all around case of the “FML’s” (Read: F My Life).

Rewind to Monday, I was having a tough day and I needed help. I called a close SGI friend of mine and she passed me to her mother who explained to me the reason for my issues that week. She told me it was my Karma coming out. She explained it to me like this: one’s life condition is like a hose. Anytime a person participates in something meaningful with such good cause, it’s like water rushing to the spout of a mud-clogged hose, though it is water that you have put out, the mud is going to be the first thing to spew everywhere but soon, the clear, refreshing water- the good energy and happiness- will surface. I continue to chant and try to turn up the “water” behind the mud that is clogging my ability to see the positive.

I am pleased to say that I have lost a total of 19lbs and will update you all as soon as the 20th pound melts away. I am continuing to push through the dark age though it gets difficult.

Before I sign off I have to share my advice to all of you: avoid negativity. We (women especially) make a habit of creating work friends by gossiping, complaining, and talking about others- it’s toxic. This week I decided to eat my lunches in solitude and I imagine that if I had not, lunch time would have become yet another competition to see who had the more unfortunate circumstance. I’m sick of playing that game, and you should be too.

Peace&Love

Exciting Update!

A total of 16lb have been left somewhere on the stairs of Lifetime Fitness!! And, ladies and gents, only in about 1.5 months! For those of you who don’t know, the body usually sheds 2 lbs maximum in a week. Lots of chanting and lots of hard work has helped me average closer to 4 lbs a week!

Peace&Ingenuity

Phone A Friend

Well, as always I’ve been running around trying to keep my metabolism and enthusiasm up and my weight and negativity down. After roughly month and a half of solid work I am really feeling and seeing the effects of a good eats and exercise. I bought myself the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno and I can’t wait to get into my new kitchen on campus and create some healthy masterpieces. Though things are rather smooth sailing at the moment, I did hit my major bump in the road.

The first bump came in the form of the “What Ifs.” I was making my way to the car after having had a pretty good workout when I began to think a little too hard about my fitness goal. I began to wonder if my body was ever meant to be fit and healthy. I laughed at myself, of course it was meant to be healthy I thought. But then the What Ifs struck again. What if healthy for me did not mean painting on a bikini for my twenty first birthday (yes, I almost two years to prepare). At that moment I knew things were getting bad, not only was I rapidly losing my drive, I was beginning to doubt my ability to keep striving for my goal. I picked up my phone and text messaged a close friend of mine who lost 30lbs and was looking great. When I finally called her she was all prepared to be my AP (Accountability Partner). She understood exactly how I felt. I imagine for someone whose goal is to return to a particular fitness goal and size, it’s rather simple imagining yourself the size you want to be because you can look back at a picture. It’s another story, however, if this goal fitness level or weight seems to be arbitrary. She reminded me that all bodies follow the same general principles regarding calories and fitness.

After our pep talk I felt so much better! Back on track with a new found enthusiasm, I continued to work my mind and body. I’ve made adjustments so that I can sleep past five in the morning. I encourage all of you to find an AP. They keep you in check and keep you motivated.

I also found that when things get rough, going to Sparkpoeple and looking at their Motivational Sparkpages really keeps me going. To see men and woman who have lost as much at 150lbs naturally and who are enjoying their Delicious lives really inspires me to keep moving.

After a wishy-washy two weeks, and a very successful month with 14.2 lbs shed and multiple inches off my body, I am strongly considering continuing this movement in my career. I have always loved to help others and found the body one of the most sacred and fabulous parts of nature. If there is any possible way that I can share my excitement for holistic health and help others do the same, I aspire to do so, and for as long as possible.

Peace&Ingenuity

Keep On Keepin’ On…

Hello all!

I know it seems that it’s been ages since I’ve been on my blog and that’s because I has been! I’ve taken on a job as Performing Arts Specialist at a camp, going to the gym from 6am-7:30am trucking it off to work and then hitting the gym again at 7pm for an evening class- all while reading lots of Buddhist literature and trying to keep a healthy social life. Needless to say, by the time I get home I want nothing more than to get in my bed (of course not before packing my lunch for the next day).

So far I haven’t lost any more whole lbs but I have lost about 6inches (maybe more) all around. My clothes fit differently, I have more energy (thank god!) and I am significantly happier than before I became a gym rat. I’ve also found that in the gym is a perfect place to meet nice Clevelanders- I blame it on the endorphins.

Earlier in my journey I was having some trouble because my friends weren’t exactly fond of my new dietary and sleep-related restrictions. At first, it was upsetting, but after a while I realized that it was only because I was doing something that often made them feel uncomfortable and reevaluate decisions that they were making- and when you’re not ready for that, it can be a little jarring. Since then, I have made some fantastic workout-friendly comrades with whom I share all of my little accomplishments along the way. We get excited when we find new healthy snacks, run a little longer, or work a little harder. The lovely thing is, unlike many of my other friends, they understand that yes, 12 hours a week in the gym is a lot, but if you want something, you have to work for it. I also am at the point where it is no longer about losing weight. I want to be able to dance again without wondering if I’ll be able to keep up. I want to run races for a cause, go rock climbing, hike all day, go canoeing! In addition, as a woman of color I feel that it is so important to give the dowery of Good Health to my kids one day. Coming from a family who is fond of education, it is sad to see that we still fulfill the stereotype of the physically inactive African American. We are fortunate to have genes that grant us long lives even with little effort, imagine how long we could live if we really tried!

I encourage all of you to take a moment and recall that last thing you said you would do to improve your life and the lives of the people around you. Why didn’t you do it?

. . .

The correct answer is “there is no good reason.” You are only incapable of what you deem yourself unable to do. The moment you make the binding decision to succeed, the Universe has no choice but to move things aside to make room for you. If you have trouble doing it for you, consider this: In my quest to improve my health and my lifestyle, I have introduced two people to a faith/practice that they feel moves them, inspired people to get moving, developed a stronger relationship with the members of my family, become a “morning person” (when you wake up at 5 and don’t see people until 8 you have time to be grumpy ha!), lost 15lb of fat and gained 5lbs of muscle, been more organized with my time and gained confidence in myself! Imagine how each person the new you could change for the better, and each of those people will share their success with someone else. If you are the kind of person who wishes to change the world for the better, I advice you start with the world you know the best, your own.

Peace&Love
Be sure to check out my Progress Photos!

Giddy Up!!!

Well folks, I fell of the horse.
Not too terribly, I continued to eat within my calorie range for the most part but I did start going to bed whenever I felt the urge and missing the gym. To be fair, it was a holiday weekend and I did enjoy getting to see my friends. Like I said people, this is about discovering The Delicious Life, not locking myself in the gym with a gallon of water and Slimfast.

In later news, I LOST TEN LBS! That’s right people, ten, solid (as opposed to detox water weight) LBS came off of this body. I have sipped, jogged, lifted, eaten, chanted, smiled, laughed, cried, and shimmied of ten LBS. I would say that’s as good incentive as any to get back on the horse and take this trot to a gallup! It’s funny, last night, before I stepped on the scale today I had a dream about a horse. I fell off and before I could start crying the horse nudged me to get back on, I did and after a while I got the hang of it and it took me to places I’d never been. I guess that’s what happens when you chant for clarity. It’s good to know the Universe is on my team.

Thank you for your support!

Peace&Ingenuity

Routine, But Never The Same…

So Im getting in the swing of working out twice a day and measuring out all of my food before preparing/eating it. I am beginning to love going to bed early and waking up early to hit the gym, it gives me a sense of purpose that I really needed. Unfortunately, I wont have pictures up of todays meals but I assure you you didn’t miss too much.

Today I  took three class. I mixed up my days and the class I intended to go to wasn’t until tomorrow so I went to a class called Core instead. Ha, that was an experience to remember. “Core, what core!?” my abs (or lack there of) screamed at me with each crunch. Right after, I took Total Conditioning which, once again, lived up to its name. This evening I took The Mixx, a combination of aerobics, weight training, drills, and kickboxing. Believe it or not, it was the easiest class I took today.

I am excited to announce that I got the job (and position) I applied for though the schedule is going to force me to grow up a little. Working from 8AM-6:30PM trying to fit in two visits to the gym, healthy eating, AND skip out on “eating on the go” is going to call for some serious Superwomanhood. It looks like I’ll become one of those gym rats who get meal prep for the entire week done on sunday. To be honest, I’m a little excited about it. Though I say I’m not ready to be 20, I think this blog says otherwise. I guess it wouldn’t really matter one way or another, time will continue to roll on regardless of my readiness.

I think I’m going to get a head start on the going to bed process and maybe gift myself a yoga class in the morning- we’ll see. As always, I’m grateful for your support and I hope I can inspire you to Discover The Delicious Life in your own way.

Peace&Ingenuity

Like Mother Like Daughter!

Well, for those of you who know my mother you know that she can THROW DOWN in the kitchen. I must say, I have picked up a pretty good knack for cooking myself. I made some delicious meals today and I enjoyed cooking them almost as much as I enjoyed eating them!

I took mom to Zumba today and she loved it! It kicked our butts, the teacher was quite a lady, but we had some really nice mother-daughter time. That’s the wonderful thing about The Delicious Life, if anything, it brings you closer to the people you love.

I want to thank all of you for your support and your encouragement and I am so proud of those of who who decided it was your time to discover The Delicious life too!

Peace&Ingenuity

One of Those Days!

It was a wonderful day in The Delicious Life! Today, was my first day at the gym and though I missed the class I planned to go to, I ran into a friend who took me to this Total Conditioning class. Needless to say, it kicked my butt but it was absolutely fantastic! I felt so accomplished, hungry, and incredibly sleepy. Later this evening I went to a Zumba class and danced away a few extra calories. It’s been wonderful, so far I have shed more weight than you could imagine and though I may gain back some of the weight I lost during my fast I’m chanting for a different result.

Anyway, it’s late and I’m headed to bed. Tomorrow I will put up pictures of todays meals!

Peace&Ingenuity

The “Delicious” Life, No Words More True!

“Nom, nom, nom!” That’s the sound of me eating what seemed to be the most delicious food I’d ever had in my life. Granted, six days without food will make things taste more wonderful, but I do give quite a bit of credit to the dietitians at Spark People! On a separate page I took photos of my meals and gave basic directions for how to recreate them if you find yourself inclined to do so. I was lucky and my stomach was rather calm (aside from some minor discomfort).

Short entry today, tomorrow I start at the gym and I have a feeling I’m going to need all the rest I can get to prepare for that reality check.

Peace&Ingenuity