Friday, June 29, 2007

My New Best Friend!


As I searched for fellow blogger to tag, I read a post by NaddiiHeadz, "My Own Personal Celebrity Fit Club" and she spoke at length about her quest to get back to her pre-baby weight. I was inspired by her particularly since I put on quite a bit of weight over the last year. Now since I started my blog, I really hadn't delved to deeply into anything personal about myself because my life is pretty boring so it is quite easy to keep my focus on my locks. However, now I'm reaching out to the blogging community to cheer me on from cyberspace to help get me back on track. But before I give my statistics, let me start with own weight loss story......


I was never a fat child but was always a self proclaimed, bootylicious, thick chick. Now before jeans sizes shrunk, and Americans became more obese than ever beforeI was always a true size 8-10 and lovin it. As a youngster, I was able to never exercise and eat anything I wanted until I became a mother. Now, my youthful metabolism plummeted at 19 when I had my first child as well as my waistline....I'm sure that sounds familiar to many mothers out there. Anyway, 2.5 years after the birth of my first child, I started to learn about weight management and exercise. I learned so much that I lost 40lbs. I was flying high and returned to my old lazy self and old, junk-food diet. So less than a year after I lost the first 40 lbs, I gained 20lbs right back. But I was okay with that was until 2.5 years later, I gave birth to my 2nd child and gained 42lbs on top of that. Now when I give birth, I do not bounce back at all. I may have lost 15lbs at most and the rest stayed put. I hadn't exercised in so long that I was totally unmotivated to restart besides, how was I going to be able to fit all of this fitness/nutrition stuff into my hectic life? So needless to say, with a fulltime job, two kids, and a failing marriage, I gained another 20lbs over the course of a few years. I hovered at 190lbs for 3-4 years.....Until.............


The tragedy of 9/11 ocurred and I lost my job. Because I was gainfully employed for the last few years since I graduated college the first time (1999) I hadn't realized that the job market was dismal. I was faced with no employment and no dough...Yeah, the ex-husband had a job but he kept his loot for himself, yeah I know what your thinking but I told you the marriage was failing didn't I? So the only job I was able to find was at LA Weight Loss. I took the commission based job and let's just say among so many other positive, life changing events that I lost about 50lbs and like 23inches all around. I went from a size 16 t0 a size 6 in 4-5 months.


Initially I was super skinny and I was definitely not bootylicious. Based on how the program is designed, I was given a chance to reintroduce all foods back into my life. I also knew what is was like to regain weight back that I had recently loss and I was determined to not go there again. I also was starting Nursing school at this time and I usually am a stress eater so, I taught my self how to jog moderate distances and started to strength train. So over the first three months after I lost the weight, when I re-introduced all foods back into my life I did move up nicely into a well toned, bootylicious fox......I was all of that and a bag of hot popcorn, a dime.....but my head is not big though.....this was also during this time that I lopped of my healthy shoulder, length, bleached blonde, perm. I adopted a fade, and was loving life. My new natural look kept me very motivated to stay thin because who wants to be fat with no hair? Not me......I was straight for three years which brings us to the winter of 2006.


So now, the ex and I are threw and I was out of school but I had completely given up jogging amd strength training. I went through the expected ups and downs associated with the divorce process. While my self esteem hadn't taken too much of a hit, I noticed my jeans not fitting qute right and my love handles slightly returning, but I was okay with that. After all, I wear scrubs to wrok, it's cold out, etc. I know my body and I guesstimated about a 10lb weight gain. Note, since I lost the weight I never had a scale at home. That is because when I worked as a weight loss counselor I realized the insignificance of what the number on the scale reads. Some of you reading this may rejoice at that and some of you hard edged athletes may say, what the hell is she talking about. But my rationale is that there were some very thin women who weighed more than me and some very fat women who weighed less. And when I was at my thinnest, I weighed alot more than one would think I would weigh so as I went through my own journey, I used the number to quantify my goal, once that was reached I gave it up for the look and feel of my body in my clothes and how comfortable I felt in my skin (i.e, Is a fine brotha that I may find myself dancing with going to feel rolls when he touches me while we are boogying on the dancefloor, are my thongs creasing where my love handles are, can you see my thong from the side or can you only see gut and butt, are my thighs rubbing together? Among some other unpleasant realities, but I digress.) Come on ladies, you know what I'm talking about. That is with exception to the monthly spot checks on my mothers scale.


So, since I've been locked I've been trying to remotivate myself to get rid of my guesstimated 15-20lbs that I've regained. Now I have maintained some lifelong benefits of my time at LA as well as my Nursing background that attribute to my longterm success. These things are:

1) I only drink water, and coffee but no cream and sugar, I'll take mine with skim and splenda, thank you

2) I never fry food

3)I'm an avid friend of bread that is 45 cals/slice

4) I eat the RDA of veggies/protein

5) My complex carb intake is minimal

6) I bring a healthy lunch to work everyday and never buy fast food

I know your wondering how the hell did I gain 15-20lbs over the last year then, huh? tell the truth.....that is because I do have some hangups....

And they are....

1) I stray from the right dietary habits more than ever and that is at least 2-3 times per week

2) I get away with it because I use my job and the fact that no man is currently seeing me naked as an excuse to stray and be lazy

3) I haven't been able to figure out how to get my head out my ass long enought to exercise regularly.

4)Did I mention I'm an avid fan of martinis? Well, how else am I to get rid of my daily stress of an ex that needs to step up his game in the fatherhood department and my save a life job?

I'm definitely not a raging alcoholic and I do not drink daily but enough to count them as carbs that attributed to my weight gain.


With all of that being said.....I hope you are still with me. I'm still loving life and I feel so free, beautiful, thick, bootylicious, and sisterlocked and it is a total plus that babydoll shirts and dresses are in vogue so I'm totally able to hide my kangaroo pouch, (my ex used to call it gravy, I think that is a riot) I was at my BFF's house and her husband asked me if I was pregnant last night. UUUGGGGHHH!!! OMG!! I shrieked as I was about to cut him in half but instead I released the knife and gasped for air and my world suddenly looked bleak. Noone has asked me that in over 4 years. WAKE UP CALL!!! Bigtime, That was all the motivation I needed........I woke up, went jogging today, and did not stray at all. I went to the grocery store and stocked up on wholesome nutrition. During the course of my day I did meet my new best friend......
So we all know that true friends tell the truth and not just what you want to hear so what my new BFF told me was that I need to lose 15lbs (See I told you I know my body) So if you're reading this, please check back and offer your words of wisdom and encouragement, I decided that Saturdays will be my weigh in and I will track my progress weekly....thanks for listening...Peace

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, interesting story. I am with you on this weight loss quest.

I will check in with your updates and progress.

I am using the weight watchers method. I am still trying to lose 10-15lbs. I am about a size 10 and I weigh about 172lbs (I am 5'10, so I guess I feel that number doesn't sound so bad *shriek*)

But, I am with you. It sounds like you have a well thought out plan and you can definitely use the previous info from LA weight loss. U can do it!

Camille said...

I, too, need to lose about 20 pounds. Being a Health/P.E. Teacher, I know what I have to do-- but after having 2 children back-to-back sometimes I don't listen to my own knowledge/ advice. I've just gotten comfortable. Reading your blog entry today is just the extra motivation I needed. Thanks

DJT said...

Moosiko,

You welcome, just returning the favor that Naadii provided for me. Keep me posted

Anonymous said...

LOL..You are too hilarious...We all need to vent our frustrations and personally being a therapist..It is so freeing to journal..I do it all the time!!!! I am glad that you had the courage to share your story with your new found family...I work out 2-3 times a week at Curves...I have lost 15lbs and 24 inches...I just love it...I have picked up some of the don'ts you talked about over the last few years: not frying foods, to drink tons of water and making a conscious effort to make changes in your life..Congrats on changing your thinking and you life...Please keep us updated on your progress.

Ms Stella said...

Good luck on your quest for fitness. I am working on losing 30lbs. I am great at the exercise part it's the eating part that gets me.