Barriers to Weight loss » Sweet Potato Pie

So many sisters pride themselves on their “Donks,” “Fatties” and “Big ol’ butts,” but the question becomes do those large posteriors also come with a side of dimpled thighs and flabby gut?

I get that black women’s butts are the things of lore, but you can’t focus on one body party to the exclusion of your overall health.

I hear (and know) many women who run around touting the gloriousness of their hindquarters yet are probably well into the obese category or at the very least grossly overweight.

Newsflash: we are more than our behinds. And our lives dictate that, not only do we look fly, but we’re healthy as well. We will get out hair and nails done and dress to the nines at whatever size we are, but healthy seems to bypass us.

It’s time we focus on out overall health and not just the greatness of one body part. You can be healthy and have a big butt too. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, let’s just focus on begin healthy first and let the behind fall where it may.

Old me - May 2008

I am liking the new me!

Hey all!!

Happy New Year! Hope you had a great time and are ready for this new year’s challenges! I got thrown a curveball for the beginning of ’09 – my job, which I loved, got eliminated. Never one to worry , I already have some prospects and some ideas about striking out on my own, but this situation does put a good spin on what Ms. Johnson has been saying in a couple of her posts. BTW welcome back! Still looking good! Come back Nona!!

Anyhoo about the spin – The question for 09 is – ARE YOU READY? Before you even think about beginning yet another fitness/weightloss/plan for life whatever, the answer to that question must be a resounding YES!! This new lifestyle – yes this plan is for life – takes a lot of what I thought that I never had: commitment, discipline, and little bit of obsession. Oh but the results are so worth it. And when you make up your mind to make the changes, nothing gets in the way – NOTHING! Case in point…

I have been following my Weight Watchers plan since September of 08. It is easy enough, eat so many points a day, exercise, drink your water. Been having a blast eating good food, going for long walks, hell I am even doing the Pilate’s bands. So far, (drum roll!) as of Monday, Jan. 5th, I have lost 45 pounds! I am down from a size 26-28 to a 14-16 (depending on what girdle I wear!). BUT…as of Monday Jan. 5th, I was also out of a job. Monday morning, which would have usually started at 5:30 with a nice walk, instead began at my local unemployment office. Folks, if you find yourself just being a tad too happy, spend three hours there, it would kill Barney!

After all was taken care of there, what do you think I did? Went to Dunkin Donuts ate myself into a chocolate donut hole coma? Close…. I put on my walking shoes and thermals and went for a long brisk walk! The whole walk my mantra was “No need to undo what has been done”. Last year, my setback was a plate of Christmas cookies. I undid months of work and put myself back beyond square one. The first pic of me was in May 08 – I weighed 265. I regained all of my weight plus 20lbs more. Over a cookie…

This time around, I want to finish what I start – I want to make it to goal weight, what ever size that may be. My goal weight is around 160-155. I now weigh 212 and working on getting to 207 – 50 lbs. Nothing, not a cookie, a job, a man, cold weather or a setback is going to stop me from that goal.

I couldn’t say this last year, because my head was in a contest and I was kinda half serious about it. Once I realized that my team was not going to win the grand prize, the weight loss became not as important.

This time, It is all about me!! How I look and feel and what I will do to better myself! It’s ok to make it all about you sometimes – ok, I do it all the time….but (cliche’ here) if you don’t take care of you, no one else will, and when you are dead too soon from a heart attack, stroke or diabetes, they will bury you and life will go on without you! Don’t know about you, but I got too many folks out there to torture, I’m not ready to go yet!

So make up your mind to put yourself first.

No, It aint easy, but..YOU CAN DO IT! If I can do it, anybody can!

Til next time

I’ve said this on the blog before and I will say it again: There’s a big difference between wanting to lose weight and wanting to do what it takes to lose the weight.

In 2009 are you ready to do what it takes to lose the weight?

This isn’t about starting a new diet or making a resolution to lose the weight, but about making lasting, lifestyle changes so the not only do you lose the weight but you keep it off.

Are you ready?

What are your demons?

What’s keeping the weight on?

Why did you gain the weight to begin with?

Until you can answer those three questions I doubt seriously you will be able to keep the weight off even if you manage to lose it. Black women are still much more overweight than other groups of women in this country, even when you control for education and socio-economic status.

Since there are not a lot of studies that look at Black women and their weight issues, there isn’t a lot of hard evidence as to the why we are so overweight, especially for college educated Black women.

There are all the normal answers:

Soul Food
Black men
Lousy food options in Black neighborhoods
Poverty
Hair

I don’t think any of those answers get at the heart of the matter however. I suspect (and it’s just my opinion) many Black women are using food to substitute for any number of things in they feel is missing in their lives: love, sex, money, companionship, friendship, etc. And that as Black folks (in general) we use food as a way to show and express love…so the “Baby are you hungry,” that you here when you venture to your grandma’s (or any older Black woman’s house) house is her way of saying, “I love you so let me feed you.”

But goodness, we’re “loving” ourselves into an early grave. Black women are more likely to die or suffer from just about everything from cancer to high blood pressure to diabetes, then any other group of women in the country. I keep writing about it, but I really feel this is something we have to get under control…TODAY…not tomorrow, not next month or next year but today.

So once you’ve answered the questions…what can you do to start making the necessary changes to get your health in order?

Today is a new day. So what are you waiting for?

I’m back in London and settling back into my routine again. We had a really lovely time traveling around Tunisia over the past three weeks. Tunisia is such a wonderful country with a fascinating history and an incredibly varied landscape, culture and people.

One of the biggest lessons I had reinforced for me on this trip is that having fun doesn’t have to be about eating. I had the most amazing time without binging or grazing my way through the whole experience.

Another great lesson reinforced was how valuable exercise is to weight loss. By the very nature of our journey, I was forced to walk an average of 5miles everyday. Within the first week my trousers had loosed up considerably.

Now nothing that I’m saying here is in anyway news, but it is amazing to me how hard the simplest truths can be to practice in our daily lives, far less when we are on vacation.

I am happy that unlike my Christmas vacation, I did not allow my compulsion to eat sugar take over. I was able to stick to my food plan and to get an abundance of exercise. I am glad that a vacation from my life did not mean a vacation from my commitment to good health. Consequently, I am able to report a 4.4lb weight loss over the time that I was away, as opposed to a 4.4lb weight gain.

Me, Still Smokin’!

Hey All!

Been awhile between posts I know! I missed you too! Since I finally got some down time, lets play catchup! Get your jammies on and pour yourself some vino or some hot chocolate – here’s the scoop!

Weight wise I have managed to gain quite a bit back…I weighed myself Friday morning to 234 – that is 10 pounds away from where I started, so it’s back on track for me! I have gone back to my bible – the Atkins book – and am, yep, starting over again! So this weekend was supposed to be the last, last, really last, I mean it last hurrah! I was supposed to go over a girlfriends house and eat mac and cheese, then we were going to go out paaaaartying and I was going to have margarita’s and coronas. Mr. Windstar and Aunt Flo (yes her again!) put a monkeywrench into those plans, but I guess it is just as well, I think that I have binged enough over the last two months. I really want to be sick of food and be over it, but alas he is a lover that I cannot shake! Especially if he comes in Chocolate! or Mexican! or Cheesecake! Damn, I’m getting hungry again…..

Life wise, things couldn’t be better! Got me a new fella that is car – azy about Miss Tracy! The second date he called me his Queen and has been a complete sweetheart to me! He loves to cuddle and says that I could not be more perfect. So, to hell with the diet and…….oh no wait, still have my diabetes to contend with and all of those new clothes that I bought. And Valentines Day is coming up, not to mention my birthday and I wanted to be smaller by then. And he did mention something about a nightie that he bought me – Yep its back on! Right now , in its current state, lace is not coming anywhere near this ass! Tho a long sexy gown with a silk coverup might be nice….

See that is still my problem! Big or small (ok less big) I still think that I am the shizz! Is that overconfidence? or Delusion? and when and where is the breaking point? Maybe love has clouded my judgement lately, but I still have goals for myself that I have to reach, not to mention that there are folks in this weight loss journey with me that are looking to me for support.. what to do, what to do…..

Ah well, would love to hear from anyone that is going thru, or has gone thru the same thing! Lets hear from some sista’s that are in the game, or have won the game!

Til next time! You Can Do It!

So what motivates you?

This is an important question that you need to seriously think about and answer. Really. Everyone wants to lose weight but not everyone wants to do what it takes to lose weight. And that’s the key between those who lose the weight and keep it off and those who never start or who gain the weight back.

So I ask again: What motivates you?

My motivation is vanity. Yeah I know that may be bad but it’s true. I like being able to wear little black dresses and stilettos. I like being able to fit into my skinny jeans. I like believing I look good when I walk out the door and having others think so as well. LOL.

So that’s my motivation. What’s yours?

Today is a new day. So what are you waiting for?

You May Have a Big Butt, but How's Your Health?

Setback? Get Back on Track!!

It's a New Year, Are You Ready to Do What It Takes to Lose the Weight?

What's Keeping You Fat?

Losing weight while on vacation

Me? Still Smokin'

Barriers to Weight Loss: What's Your Motivation?

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