Q&A May!

Hello Strangers!!!

It's been so long since I've written that I thought I'd start with a question and answer post to respond to the inquiries I've been receiving over the past months. So here goes.....

Are you still working out?! What's up?

Yes. Lanell is working me out three days a week at Fitness Together and I do a full body work out alone once a week. The good news is...I'm finally at the lean out stage of my program which means....heavy cardio to reduce the body fat. YES!!! I didn't realize how much I depended on cardio until it was taken away. Well....she didn't really take it away, but it was so low it might as well have been in my world.

How are you dealing with the temptations? It seemed to be your biggest challenge during the first few months?

Well, the sugar monkey is definitely on my back. Lol! Although I remain on a clean and low carb diet most of the time, when I go off.....It isn't pretty. (clean = unprocessed foods)

I remember in February when I was feeling confident about the low carb diet. My cravings had disappeared and I no longer talked to donuts or other pastry. Lol! Lanell warned me..
"Don't get too comfortable. If you have sugar, you'll be Jonesin."

Whatever. I knew what I was doing. After all, I had taken my kids to the donut shop, watched them eat and had absolutely no interest.

Well needless to say....at my son's birthday party, I decided to have a bite of my husband's cake. My motives were purely professional. Lol! I just wanted to make sure it was good. If it wasn't, what would I have done you may ask? Nothin'. But that's beside the point. Lol!

OMG!! The rest of the day was a torrid love affair with any and all sugar that I could get my hands on. I even made my husband stop at the drugstore on the way home under the pretense of purchasing Atkins bars. Under the bars I hid a mega size good and plenty.

"Come to Mama!"

Jonesin was and understatement. I ate and ate and ate and ate. It was absolutely terrible. But oh so good. Lol!

So what were the ramifications of that binge? Of course I felt ill. But what surprised me was the swelling!!!! My entire body was swollen so badly that my ring which was coming off in the shower due to my weight loss had become a tourniquet, cutting off all circulation to my finger!! Then my eyes began to swell. Normally my eyes swell during allergy season or when I've been around too much dust. It was absolutely awful.

Do you think I learned my lesson? Nope. Got back on track and then did it again about a month later!!! But the next time was a complete accident. I had cut my Quaker oatmeal out of my diet but needed a little extra pick me up one morning before the gym and it spiked my blood sugar causing massive cravings. I was Jonesin again!! Geez!!

So, what's the moral? Don't know. It must be balance. Too few carbs in the body for a long period of time doesn't work for me. I had to increase my carbs from under net 50 to around net 100 per day. (net carbs = carb - fiber.) The cravings are back, but I'm in touch enough to know it's not worth it. Well...most of the time. :)

What figure competition are going to and when?

I had planned to compete in a competition in April, but didn't for three reasons.

1. My body was far from ready. Figure competitions are nothing like pageant swimsuit competitions. Mrs. Pageant Swimsuit, allows for a larger bottom panel which can be used to hold up excess booty if needed using butt glue, masking tape or by whatever means necessary. :) The figure costumes are merely pieces of material covering my 'business'. Far from functional in my opinion. It's not completely useless for the breasts as you can pad and add support. But for us pear shaped women....No mercy. :)
2. The competition in April was not a natural competition. Which means that steroids and other chemicals can be used by competitors which increases muscle size etc...
3. I've learned that I need to focus on being a bikini competitor rather than a figure competitor. Bikini is more of a swimsuit model body. lean, tone symmetrical rather than cut and vascular.

So to sum it all up...I just wasn't ready. :) I'm looking at a local natural figure competition with bikini on June 12 but again...I don't know if I'll be ready enough aka.... no jiggle. I'm constantly reminding myself that beyond just a personal goal, this entire process was to prepare for my pageant. Mrs. California America is July 10 and 11. Will I be ready 30 days in advance? I hope so, but just don't know.

We shall see. I have until the end of May to register. Two weeks. We shall see.

How's your body? What happened to update photos?

Well, my body...hmmmmmmm. I have serious muscle. The challenge? I need to get the fat off. When I say fat off...I don't mean...reduce the fat...I mean REMOVE the fat! I now understand why my pageant coaches tried to sway me from lower body weight lifting. I'm already pear shaped and now my behind is sticking out like you would not believe!! My hips have gone in tremendously but when I turn to the side.....WHOA NELLIE!!!

No lie...you could put a tablecloth on my behind and set for a romantic dinner for two. Lol!

Contrary to popular belief, it is not something that I have always had. It has gradually taken shape over the years as I've trained for pageants, but now it arrives 2-3 minutes AFTER I enter a room. Lol! It is absolutely insane!!! So to sum it up...I'm now in the 140's having dropped over 10 lbs and added Lord only knows how much muscle, but I don't know what to do with this new behind for a pageant. The only thing I do know is that I don't want to hit the judges in the face with it when I turn to leave.

To summarize...body shape...pending. I have no idea what the final outcome will be. All I know is that there's no turning back now....literally. :)

What happened to your new photos and update?

Why are you in my business? Oh right...I'm blogging.

Well...I don't know where the pictures are. I haven't seen them yet. We may need to reshoot. Either way, we'll do another assessment at the end of May. I hope to have pictures by then. If not, I'll just use my camera and make it work.

Well that's all for now folks. I'm in the editing stages of my book and traveling like a maniac in support of Domestic Violence awareness. I don't know how frequently I will post, but I do know that they will not be as long. :) I'm normally an all or nothing can kind of gal and that must change.

Stay tuned. :)

The Incredible Shrinking Bosom

Well, we've finally figured out my personal formula for fitness success. How do we know? The fat is finally coming off in inches AND pounds, I no longer crave bad foods to the point of binging and the biggest sign.... my bra is pretty much empty. sigh....


I wish that I could lay out a few steps that anyone could follow and receive the same results. But if there's one thing I've learned, it's that there has been NOTHING cookie cutter about this process. There is no one plan that works for everyone.


The tools to fat loss are easily identifiable and accessible in one form or another. However the motivation, determination and downright bull-doggedness (as Gran would say) to push through physical, mental and sometimes emotional roadblocks is an entirely different matter.


Without Lanell's guidance, patience and knowledge, there is no doubt in my mind that I would not have made the "shift". I was tempted regularly to go back to my old tricks of appetite suppressants, fat burners and marathon cardio. Lanell, who is a natural body building competitor (drug free) in her 50's and unbelievably cut, was a constant reminder that it can be done. She adapted weight training to accommodate my back and shoulder injuries until we found moves that worked. She helped me to work through my emotional blocks. And most importantly, she played with my diet until...EUREKA!!... we found the answer....the fat burning answer.

LOW CARB... Yes, I know. We've all heard it before. As a matter of fact I've been told to cut sugar and other simple carbs (white rice, flour, sugar, white potatoes etc..) by more professionals than I can remember. But ...come on... that's incredibly difficult.... or is it?

It wasn't until I attended a weekend natural body building competition workshop with Lanell, that I finally gained the motivation to give it a shot. I met other women in my age group who had tried different methods to lose the fat. One in particular swore that simple carbs hated her. She called it carb sensitivity. "Why not I thought" I've tried everything else. So... I cut my carbs down to 40 grams per day and those 40 grams were from vegetables only.

The first few days weren't as bad as I thought and once I passed day three, I no longer craved carbs of any kind. But more importantly the fat began to melt off. And to up the anti...I have a goiter on my thyroid which for the first time in 7 years has reduced in size. I have had no ill effects whatsoever. My body loves this way of eating. The absence of white rice, flour, sugar etc... has given me more energy than I've ever before. I honestly can't believe it.

There's a long scientific explanation of the mechanics of the low carb diet, but simply put...

In the absence of carbs, your body will resort to burning fat for fuel!!

The best part...the fat that is not used is flushed from the body and not stored, as opposed to carbs which if not burned are stored as fat. SHUT UP!!!

Now of course, I will gradually increase my carb intake with with fruit, and complex carbs (whole grains etc..) rather than simple carbs. And the occasional treat is a must. But for me, this is a new way of eating that seems to agree with my body. It's actually the original, cave man diet. :) Eating only whole unprocessed foods and meat. If you think about it, it's the natural way that we were meant to nourish the human body.


My only regret is that I've lost my super power. As a special treat, I took my 3 youngest children and niece for donuts before school. They were each allowed to purchase two. They were so cute with their individual little bags. We sat together at a booth and as they began to eat, I realized two things. Number one... I was not the least bit interested in the overly sweet pastry....and number two.... I didn't hear a thing. No voices enticing me to have a little bite.

I'll miss the entertaining chatter. But I'd rather have the rock solid bod. :)

We have measurements and a photoshoot scheduled for Tuesday March, 30. Stay tuned.

Month 3 Results - It's true!!!!!!

Well, it's true what they say...
1. Muscle weighs more than fat, weight may stay flat or go up
2. When gaining muscle, inches show progress not pounds
3. Being fit is a lifestyle change not a diet

At month three (the end of December) I weighed in at 155 lbs. Only 3 pounds from my starting weight of 158 pounds. Needless to say, I was frustrated beyond words. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

If you recall, I ballooned up during Thanksgiving week weighing in at a whopping 165 pounds. Now that might not seem like much considering my height, (5ft 11in) but I normally require several weeks of poor eating or a pregnancy to get into the 160's. So I'm a bit frightened. I know that the average person gains 5-7 pounds during Thanksgiving…. But I only ate badly for TWO DAYS!!!!! And I can guarantee you that I didn’t eat 28,000 extra calories which is what I would have needed to gain 8 pounds. Granted, some of the weight was water, but it is clear that my body is reacting differently to sugar and fat since I’ve taken on this challenge.

So for better or for worse, there's no turning back now.

On the upside, if we count the Holiday binge, (don't judge me) my GROSS loss is actually 10 pounds!!! At this juncture, I’ll take any positives I can find. :)

I also have seen incredible changes in my body. I’m nowhere near bodybuilder status, but can see and feel the muscle taking shape. Over the holidays, I was wrapping gifts with my sister Heather and in mid-sentence I stopped talking. Why?…I noticed cuts in my arm and shoulder. I stopped to marvel at the newly formed muscle and rubbed my hand over it. For the first time, I could see and feel the ridges in my solid shoulders and arm. Nice!!!! You should have seen her face! Priceless. Lol!

It may seem vain, but I understand why bodybuilders spend so much time in the mirror. They are literally marveling at their work. You eat clean, exercise with intense weight lifting and cardio and BAM!!!….the body is sculpted. It’s amazing. Now when I stop increasing muscle and the fat comes off…..oh boy…! That will be something to see.

I must add however, that my husband and kids are tired of being invited to the show. It goes a little something like this…

“Hey, you guys want to go to a show?”

“What show?”

I pull back my shirt, flex my arms…

“The GUN SHOW!!!!! FIRE POWER!!!!”

Lol!! I think it’s hilarious. But obviously I’ve had to get more creative. My new entries are….

“I know what we can do today. Let’s go to the GUN SHOW!!!”
“Are you bored? We can go to the GUN SHOW!!!”
“What’s for dinner? Why don’t we eat at the GUN SHOW!!!

I’ve got a million of ‘em…

I should probably take a moment to share that I have not missed any workouts and have been diligent about my cardio. I most often double the required time which may be a problem. (45 minutes to 90 minutes) Lanell is concerned that when it comes time to lean out for the figure competition (drop fat) my body won’t be able to release without 3+ hours of cardio per day. Now I finally understand why I end up needing so much cardio before a pageant. My body is immune to it. I LOVE cardio. Step Classes, elliptical machine, you name it. I can run up to 2 hours at a time with no problem then come back for more in the evening.

Lanell has reduced me to 30 minutes of interval cardio every other day. That’s a warm up in my world!!!! My interval sessions = alternating high speed and/or resistance for 1 minute, low speed and/or resistance 2 minutes. This month, I reversed the segments by performing intensely for 2 minutes alternating 1 minute low cardio.

I don’t know how I’m going to deal. All of my coping mechanisms have been restricted. No wine, no sugar, no comfort food AND now little to no cardio?!!?? Watch out!!! You won’t want to be around me for long. :) I suppose I still have my weight training and Bikram yoga which burns 600 + calories per session and leaves me with a sense of calm that only heavy cardio or meditation can bring. We shall see.

Stats below.

So to summarize, I've lost 3 pounds, 3.2 inches and 2.4% body fat. I'm losing fat and building muscle.

I wonder what I would have weighed had I not had the Thanksgiving setback? Sigh…. Oh well.

Woops, almost forgot my new years resolution to be kind to myself. :)

I ROCK!!! Lol!! And so does my Trainer!!! Bring on the competition!!!

My Training Regimen

Weight Training....sigh....

Lanell believes that I will grow to love weight training. Not likely. In our session yesterday, I was forced to break out my old Lamaze breathing to make it through. I was literally transported back to the birth of my fourth child, who is now 7!!

Picture it...fourth child. I got this. I know what I need and when I need it. No more natural child birth for me. I was determined that my last birthing experience would be comfortable and pleasant. I imagined myself crying with joy as I held this precious little baby in my arms only seconds after birth rather than frustrated, wounded and frightened out of my mind as with my first three pregnancies.

1. My first, was 48 hours of labor with no pain killers and she was a premie; and just over 3lbs ...very scary.
2. My second was also natural, but I hemorraged and had an emergency c-section. She was full term but also under 4 lbs. Again, scary.
3. The third came fast and furious with no time for an epidural and he had the umbilical cord around his neck causing his heart rate to drop. ugh...

So....This time, I was ready. I was showered, shampooed and shining. The baby was healthy. I knew my body and when I was ready to deliver.

I get to the hospital. First thing out of my mouth.... I want my epidural now.

"Maam, you're not ready for an epidural. As a matter of fact, you aren't ready to deliver."

"This is my fourth child," I pleaded "Trust me when I say this will be fast and I need to get checked in and an epidural administered QUICKLY."

So what do you think happened?

She sent me home.

Well, she tried to send me home. I have never been so furious. My husband also knew better, so we stayed on hospital grounds. Within 30 minutes the contractions were unbearably hard and close together. We convince the nurse to check me again. She had the nerve to roll her eyes.

Then, just as I was getting onto the bed, my water breaks. She checks me and sure enough I'm almost fully dilated.

"Damn Damn Damn!!!"

"I need my epidural now!!"

"Maam it's too late for an epidural."

As God is my witness, if I had not been in so much pain, I might have actually wrung that woman's neck. In any case, the next 20-30 minutes were a blurr of pain, breathing and cries for mercy. Eventually, I left my body and spent the last 10 minutes or so viewing the process from my imaginary hot tub while sipping on a Manhattan.

Yes, I left my body. I continued the breathing and was conscious of my sister's coaching and my husband rubbing the tennis ball on my lower back. I could also hear everything that was happening around me. Especially the nurses commenting in amazement that I had not had a break between contractions for over 15 minutes.

Most consecutive contractions with no relief is not a record that I would choose to break with no epidural.

In case you haven't noticed, you have not seen any :), lol! or lolcc!

Why?

Because it's NOT funny.

Okay, that made me laugh. lol!

Needless to say, I came back to my body to push. Bryan II was born. Love him of course, but darn it. That was not cool. Each time it's taken me a good 5-10 minutes to get that "awwwwwwhhhh, my baby" feeling. I look, see that the baby is healthy then I just need a moment to myself. lol!

Weight training, for me, is just like having a baby without an epidural. There's the Lamaze breathing, the praying and begging for mercy. And there isn't even the immediate reward of a precious little baby. And the worst part? Can't leave the body. I've tried. Gotta focus or I'll hurt myself.

Upside: In the long run, you'll feel good, live longer and get the body you want in ... what...6 months to a year... sigh...

Sidebar: You must be wondering if I can ever blog without telling a story. I'm beginning to think not. :)


BACK TO TRAINING!!!!


My training regimen consists of 4 days of weight training and 6 days of cardio.

WEIGHTS

I work out three days with Lanell and one day on my own. We start with a 10-15 minute cardio warm up and then alternate as follows.

• Back
• Legs
• Arms
• Shoulders
• Legs
• Chest

Each day includes core. It may be actual ab work or exercises using the stability ball, bosu or other tools/positions to engage the core. Although she denies it, my legs are also worked each time as well.

Who does rowing in a squat position and calls it back?! It's legs too! Ask my poor sore behind!!

Again, NOT funny.

CARDIO

Cardio consists of 45 minutes on the elliptical machine at level 7 as follows

• 5 minute warm up
• 30 minutes (1 minute at 7mph or greater 2 minutes at 4mph or under)
• 5 minute cool down

STRETCHING

Of course stretching is mandatory after each session in the morning and at night due to my injuries. I also attend Bikram yoga classes 2-4 days per week. Goal is 4. Not only does it burn major calories while stretching and toning the body, but it is an additional stress reliever and considered an "active" meditation. LOVE IT!!!

Okay, there you are. Welcome to my world. :)

BREAKING NEWS.... It's not what I'm eating...It's WHAT'S EATING ME!!

Happy New Year!


Long time no post...I know...I know.... I have had quite the Holiday Season. :)


I've actually experienced a bit of a block when it came to blogging. Each time I sat down to write, it just didn't feel authentic due to the challenges I was facing. As much as I wanted this to be a light, fun, not saving the world kind of forum... I had a period that made it impossible to continue without sharing a bit of unpleasant information that had directly impacted my progress.


Now that I've had an opportunity to digest my holiday happenings, I feel it's time to let it out. So brace yourself...here we go...


As you may know, I am in the process of writing a book which is an expansion of the motivational speech that I deliver. I vary which life stories I include based upon the audience, but take the listener through my humorous pageantry journey with the insecurities that I faced punctuated by the unfortunate circumstances of my childhood and young adulthood. It's quite a roller coaster ride with audiences rolling with laughter, then crying, laughing, crying...they are emotionally spent by the end of the 20-40 minutes...as am I.


Now giving snippets of rough patches in ones life is one thing. To spend hours upon hours, recreating a scene designed to transport the reader into the story is another. Now don't get me wrong, I've been working through many of these issues my entire life. However, it wasn't until I began competing in pageants that I truly got to the heart of many blockages. In order to be a successful competitor, (In my opinion) you must be the best you that you can be. In order to be the best you that you can be, you must first know who you are. In order to know who you are, you must take a good long look at what drives you, your hopes and dreams, what makes you unique and why you are worthy to represent married women of our State and hopefully, our Nation.


I once believed that the swimsuit was the toughest part of competition. I had no idea what lurked behind that fear until I addressed it head on. Then came feelings of unworthiness in evening gown and so on.... I spent years working through issues that I thought were dealt with. Little did I know, I had only brushed the surface. Long story short, over the last 5 or so years, I have learned to not only accept my circumstances and acknowledge how I grew because of them, but to forgive those who played a part.


Sidebar: Without going into too much detail.... background includes, growing up watching mother beaten, being orhpaned at 12, living in poverty in a middle class community, being the only African American in my elementary school and one of 3 in my high school which resulted in being told consistently that I would be nothing. (You'd have thought the N word was my name had you not known me.) Being sexually assaulted which resulted in a pregnancy at 16, the child was lost due to contracting mono from the perpetrator. Marrying an abuser..... The list goes on....


I no longer hold any animosity toward anyone and refused to allow my circumstances to negatively impact who I would become. The experiences actually helped to shape a witty (laugh instead of cry), driven (I'll show you), empathetic (I've been there) and capable (look at what I can do) woman. So you're probably wondering what happened over the holidays to sidetrack such a champion? :)


It's extremely difficult to get into the deep writing during scheduled periods of time and then head to a meeting or help the kids with homework. :) It doesn't quite work that way. So, I attended a writer's weekend with Best Selling Author, Editor and all-around writing goddess Jennifer Sander in Tahoe the weekend before Thanksgiving. All went well. I completed quite a bit of work and was on a mission to get the book completed by the end of the year.


Again, you're probably wondering....What happened!!!!


Okay, I get home. I'm feeling funky. As time passes I'm feeling even worse. Tired, listless, unmotivated. Then, my body began to react. I was not focused and twisted my ankle during a step class. Old abuse injuries (Jaw and shoulder) began to flair up. My back injury kicked in as well. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. Then, Thanksgiving hit and I gained 8 pounds over 2-3 days. I ate and ate and ate and then I ate some more.


By the time I saw Lanell for training, I had dropped a few pounds but was still 5 or so up.

I explained what I had been feeling and she pulled out good old Bob. (pictured below during a happer session) Needless to say, Bob took the beating of his existence that day which ended with me sobbing uncontrollably on Lanell's shoulder.

Now don't expect that your trainer will provide this service. Counselor is normally not a part of the job. :) Although there is a bit of psychology involved in why people hold onto weight. Fortunately for me, Lanell was intuitive enough to know I needed to let it out and provided a safe environment for me to do so.

After a good cry and then laugh, Lanell cracked a few funnies to lighten the mood, I had released enough to move forward. The next few weeks, I worked hard to drop the remaining pounds before Christmas but knew I needed to figure out what had caused the episode.


Then it hit me. I had forgiven everyone who had ever so much as looked at me funny, but I hadn't forgiving the most important person.... Me.


I blamed myself, for not standing up for my mother when she was abused, for not being a better sister to my younger siblings, for not fighting harder when I was assaulted, for not getting better grades in school, for marrying an abuser, for allowing myself to be beaten and mistreated and misused and so on. I never gave myself a break. Nothing was ever good enough. If I had been stronger, smarter....better.....perhaps my circumstances would have been different.


So where on earth did all of this come from? I have no idea, but hopefully, it was the final piece in a very dysfunctional puzzle. The good news is, that once I realized what was "eating me" I had much better control over what I was eating. Now granted, I know that it's completely irrational to hold onto this self induced guilt, but it will take time to fully release it as it took time to forgive everyone else. The good news is, I've begun the process and feel lighter and happier than ever before. There is a sense of peace in my heart that I have never experienced. :) Let's hope it stays that way for a while... I could use a well deserved break!!!!


I hope that this has been helpful to some of you. It was not an easy thing to share in this forum, but I trust that if I was compelled to write it, someone needed to read it.


Again, Happy Happy Happy Happy New Year to All!!

My Nutrition Plan aka "The end the World as I know it"

Okay, based on my previous blogs, you know that I am severely challenged when it comes to sticking to my nutrition plan. Now I specifically am not using the word diet as my trainer would say...

"This is a way of life rather than a short term fix. "

Honestly, if this were for life I would seriously consider ending it. Lol! Apparently, once I drop the excess fat that my body has become so efficient in holding on to, my life will be alot easier as the maintenance phase is not nearly as grueling. Meanwhile, however, I need to live through the first phase. :) So this is it...

I am currently eating 1300 calories 4 days per week and 1600 calories 3 days per week. Simple enough. This is the complicated part....

My 1,300 calorie intake breakdown
Protein: 114g
Carbohydrates: 146g
Fiber: 25g
Fat: 29

My 1,600 calorie intake breakdown
Protein: 140g
Carbohydrates: 180g
Fiber: 30g
Fat: 36g

It's like a fricken word problem. Thank goodness for www.fitday.com. If you are logging your nutrition it is a great free program that calculates everything for you. www.fitday.com My trainer must have some additional access which allows her to view my data. You should see my first month. lol! Yes, I put down cinnamon rolls, donuts, ice cream, butterfingers, 100 Grand candy bars.... She had to know what she was dealing with. lol! I think her biggest issue has been my not logging consistently.

I'm working on it Lanell, I'm working on it. I think I have two solid weeks now. :)

Back to nutrition.....

Even though I was given specific guidelines for each level of caloric intake, (protein, fiber, carbs, fat) I just focused on the calories for the most part. You know the old saying...Calories in...Calories out. That's what we've all been taught. You burn more calories than you take in and you'll lose weight. So why can't I take a multivitamin and eat my calories in Butterfingers? I'm still burning MUCH more than I'm taking in.

Unfortunately once you're down to those last stubborn pounds, at my age, there is no wiggle room whatsoever. So I played around. Ate pretty good last month for the most part. Would drop 3 or 4 pounds then have a day or two where I stayed within my calorie budget but ate junk. I worked out as usual. (again, same caloric intake) I gained the stupid weight right back within ONE DAY!!!

If the human body were a product, it would be recalled and the consumer would not only get an upgraded model, but a class action settlement for emotional distress!

So what is happening? Why?......WHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY????????!!!!!!

Granted, some of the weight gain is from salt and not drinking enough water. But come on!!! This is absolutely nuts. How on earth can I handle all the stresses of my normal day, feed my family and not have a little somethin' somethin' sweet when I want it? This is just so very very wrong. In addition, everywhere you turn someone is trying to throw a $1.00 Double Cheeseburger at you. For example, today I got the kids up and out, checked email and voicemail, returned a few calls, did my cardio, ate a healthy breakfast then started my day of meetings, errands etc...

As I must eat every 3 hours to keep my metabolism up and stop me from binging due to hunger, I decided to find something healthy to eat 3o minutes in advance of my next feeding. :)

Sidenote: If you think about it, babies are fed a small amount every 2-3 hours. It makes sense that the human body functions well with that feeding schedule. It's natural. I remember giving my kids larger and larger meals and slowly stretching out the times between feedings so that they wouldn't eat so often. 3 large meals plus a late night bottle with extra cereal at night to help them sleep longer. Bad bad bad. I realize now, that it's more for convenience than their health. Oh well. How do you know what you don't know right?

Back to the story....

I was traveling from one meeting to another and could find nothing quick and healthy to eat. Then I saw Jack-in-the-Box. Believe it or not they have a chicken fajita pita that fits the bill. Whole grain pita, grilled chicken, vegetables and tastes good. Great!! Ordered my Fajita.

" Would you like the Fajita meal Ma'am?"

"No, thank you. Just the Fajita." I had my water with me. Carry a case in my car.

"You'll get fries and a large drink for just over a dollar more Ma'am. It's really a great value."

Through gritted teeth, I replied,

"No, thank you. Just the Fajita. Please"

Okay, she's just doing her job. If she were on my staff, I would reward her for attempting the upsell. However, as a junk food starved patron, who had just been called Ma'am...twice, I was ready to come through that speaker and choke the living heck out of her!!

In any case, I pestered Lanell (my trainer) with questions about WHY it mattered if I ate junk or not. But Why? Why? Why? Why? I finally understand why my kids keep asking the same question over and over. They understand the answer, don't like it and think that it will change with further discussion. It doesn't. :(

We know that too much salt is a given. It will bloat you within an inch of your life. Too much fat. Sure... you'll get fat. What many of us don't know is the effect of sugar other than the increase of calories and carbohydrates. Well let me tell you. I'm still in shock.....

As it turns out, sugar/simple carbohydrates spike blood sugar levels causing excess amounts of insulin to be released. Okay great, more energy right? Ah..no. Apparently the excess "energy" is stored as fat!!!! So basically, our bodies can only handle so much insulin and when there is too much, it goes strait to fat to be stored for later use. It doesn't matter if you worked out all day long. Nice....

I DEMAND A RECALL!!!

So when I hit the right amount of protein, carbs, fiber, calories and fat, get at least 8 hours of sleep, eat every 3 hours and drink 64-96 ounces of water, I'm great. Lol!!! All I can say is Planning, Planning, Planning. In order to be successful, I've got to not only plan my work day and errands, but my meals, exercise, sleep etc...

Lord help me.

The Hot Tamale

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. I for one did and am now back in the saddle of my normal routine. So let's just get to it. The elephant in my room of life. Nutrition.

Nutrition has always been my biggest struggle. Hate it. Hate everything about it. Calorie counting, logging food, cooking holiday meals for friends and family and then sitting in front of a plate of bland chicken, rice, broccoli and a sugar free popsicle while they enjoy homemade macaroni and cheese, fried Turkey, candied sweet potatoes, collard greens with ham hocks and more variations of sweets than you can imagine.... just sinful. Lol!

In addition, eating healthy or "clean" (fitness trainer talk for "nothing good shall cross your lips") is much more difficult and expensive (if not planned out) than just eating in a normal manner. For example...after training, I must immediately consume a certain amount of protein and simple carbohydrates to replenish tired muscles resulting in muscle gain and fat loss. So one morning I had my protein powder with me, but forgot the oatmeal or fruit that I would normally bring.

No big deal. There is a Starbucks right next door, I can run in, grab something healthy and be done with it. I get to the counter avoiding the pastries with everything I've got. I grab the container of fruit, which is of course on the bottom shelf (conspiracy), then I hear it. The kindest, softest most comforting grandmotherly voice you can imagine.

"Hey Honey! How you been?"

I pretend not to hear as I impatiently wait behind a man ordering a series of coffee concoctions that I can't even pronounce.

"You look thin Chile. What you been eatin? What's that? Fruit? Sweet girl, that fruit ain't gonna fill you up. $3.95!? Sweet Mother Mary and all that's holy! That little bita fruit ain't worth 95 cent let alone $3.95! Come let Granny take care of you."

Okay, by now you know what's up. So who's talking? Yes, a donut. But not just any donut. A big, fat, doughy, glazed old fashioned. I just can't catch a break. Sigh....

"Baby, I'm only $1.85 and will fill you up longer than some ole fruit."

I'm proud to say, unlike with the sweet talking cinnamon roll, this time I declined the donut, purchased my fruit and raced out of the store. I was home free! I sat in my car and triumphantly downed my protein powder with water and ate the fruit. I won. I finally won! As I pulled away from the Fitness Together studio I was absolutely giddy. Lol! I got this!

Then I saw it.

On the floor of my car, just to the left of my emergency brake was ONE LONE HOT TAMALE!!! Come on!!! Now you wouldn't think that a crusty, nasty hot tamale dropped by Lord only knows who, laying on the floor being trampled for Lord only knows how long, would not be appealing. Well...I was cycling darn it and the thing nearly glowed in angelic light accompanied by the sounds of the heavens.

Now keep in mind that I'm driving at this time. I continue down the road waiting for the a stop light contemplating. Yes contemplating my next move!!!

"How dirty could it be? If nothing is stuck to it, the kids couldn't have put it in their mouths before they dropped it. So...Okay if nothing is stuck to it, I'll eat it. But if I eat it, it will just make me want more candy!! Maybe I could still eat it if it's hairy. That might actually make me never want to eat candy again if it's that disgusting. "Lol!

Yes, I laughed out loud at the time. Ludicrous. Not eating the hairy Hot Tamale, but being turned off of candy because of it. Lol!

The time had come.

"Crap...yellow light. Okay....Okay.... I can make it through. Darn! It's red."

I roll to a stop and without thinking, grab the hot tamale, roll down the window and throw it out.
"Goodbye little piece of joy. I will always love you."

Yes, I was two for two that morning. But it was only 9:30. sigh..
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I had actually planned to discuss my diet plan, with only a mention of this incident. But the story got away from me. Lol! I swear, it's true though, less the talking donut of course. LOLCC! Next time...I'll be serious and get into the nitty gritty of my diet plan. :) I guess you'd call this a classic case of avoidance.

Questions and Answers 11/11/09

First of all, thank you all for being so supporting of this blog. I never imagined that I would receive as much interest as I have in the first week! Nor had I imagined that it would spark so much discussion as to need a Question and Answer post. But here I am...and here it is. :)

Posting made easy. Since you have all contacted me via facebook, most due to the awkwardness of signing up for an account, I have opened up the comments to everyone. You no longer need an account to leave a post.

Q. How often do you plan to update? Seems very frequent so far.

A. This first week has been a bit unusual because I've been setting the stage for the blog and filling you in on the last month. (Which I'm still working on.) I'm not certain how much I will blog, but I doubt that it will be more than once a week. Unless, of course, there is something new and exciting to post like the creation of non fat, no calorie, sugar free Cinnamon Rolls that taste like the real thing. In other words...once per week.

Q. Why pageants and fitness competitions? You seem better than that. Plus, women should accept their bodies for what they are versus what the media says they should be. You know the average size is 12 in America. What are you a 6? 8 on a bad day?

A. First of all....Get off my blog!! (Expect to see this phrase regularly.) Pageantry has truly been given a bad name and it's unfounded. Pageants, in my case, have been transformational. I like to call them my mind, body and spirit bootcamp. Had I not competed, I don't know that I would have looked at myself apart from the "credentials" that I had accumulated. I was no more than a resume. Someone who was trying desperately to look good on paper so that she could prove her value to the world, but most importantly to herself. It was pageantry that made me look at Tracie the complete woman. I was forced to reevaluate every aspect of who I was, learn what was important, what I stood for, what made me happy and differentiate MY beliefs and desires from those that were forced upon me.

Now regarding the average woman being a size 12!! That just infuriates me. Everyone is so concerned about the media and the fashion industry setting unrealistic expectations as it relates to being too thin, however there is no concern about being too large. Not that a size 12 is too large, it depends on the individual's body, goals and commitment level. But let's face it, Americans are becoming larger and larger each year. We have seen the first reduction in the average lifespan of the American due to Obesity. Next the average size will be 14, then 16 and so on. The worst part is that we as women, will continue to use it as an excuse to stay as we are rather than become who we want to be. Women should not be afraid to go for their dreams no matter what they are. If you want to become a ballroom dancer, obtain a degree, start a business or...become Mrs. America you should go for it regardless of what others say. As Madeleine Albright said at the California Women's Conference last month ,

"There is a special place in hell for women who don't support each other."

I literally choked on my water. She is such a hoot.

Me personally, I never settled for society telling me that I would not excel because I was black, underprivileged, abused or a woman. I most certainly will not be told that I'm wrong for wanting to have the best body that I can have based on my own standards. I personally LOVE the look of bikini and figure competitors. It's not for everyone, but it's for me...if of course I can get my body to do it and still maintain an enjoyable existence. (Yes, there is a limit.) What size will I be, what will I weigh? I have no idea, nor do I care. I'll just know it when I see it. Lean, mean and cut. :)

Regarding the fitness competition...It is a milestone for me on the way to Mrs. America. Something to force me to get into shape and to learn to articulate to judges who I am without words. I'm leaving no stone unturned this year. However, I will allow Lanell to answer that question. She would have a better feel for the fitness competition arena and why she competes. I suspect it's similar to my reasons. (See Comments for Lanell's response.)

Q. Would you like some recipes for your journey?

A. Yes, Yes and Yes!!! If I eat one more grilled chicken breast or pack of ground turkey, my husband will need to pluck me. ugh... I'll post the recipes that I test and love under a recipe label. Now remember, my people are from Alabama, we prefer to have some flavor with our food. Lol! No frue frue stuff either. Hearty, healthy and flavorful meals need only apply.

Q. Can I go to Any Fitness Together (FT) for the free training offer?

A. FTs are franchises, therefore the offer is not valid in any studios other than the four listed below. If you are are not in the area, I suggest that you contact your local Fitness Together studio and ask if they will honor the special. It can't hurt. The offer is one free week (up to three sessions). In addition there is a 20% discount on 24 session packages should you fall in love with FT as I have. :)

• Sacramento/Carmichael: 2648 Watt Ave #103 Sacramento, CA 95821 (916) 483-2930
• Fresno: 1568 E. Champlain Drive Suite 103, Fresno, California 93720 (559) 433-0663
• West Fresno: 2002 W. Bullard Ave, Fresno, CA 93711 (559) 436-1755
• Clovis: 1990 N. Fowler Ave Suite #116 Clovis, CA 93619(559) 299-1880

Q. Who is the hottie on your follower section?

A. Is that why everyone is following anonymously? For fear of being stalked?:) This has been my most frequently asked question. Lol! The hottie is Terry Steele. He is the manager at Fitness Together Arden. Sorry ladies, he's spoken for. But there is a bright side: If you call in for the special, Terry is the person you'll be dealing with. So you get a few good work outs and some eye candy. Can't beat that! lol!

Funny story, Terry and his wife have the same name. Isn't that just too cute for words? My husband and my brother also share a name, but I suppose that's not quite the same thing. Lol!

When I met my husband, he introduced himself as Bryan and I said, "Oh that's not going to work. What else you got?" He has been "Staff" ever since.

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Okay, that is enough for now. I'll be back. :)

Why did I lose only 1lb in 30 days? Well...um... er...ah

First of all...Why are you all up in my business? Oh right...I'm putting it out there. :( Well, it's complicated. I'd love to blame it on hormones, stress and just plain being busy, but the truth is, it's mostly my nutrition. aka... Butterfingers, Glazed Donuts, Good and Plenty, the occasional Twix and my arch enemy....Cinnamon rolls with raisins.

I remind Lanell often that I should be commended for actually entering these items on my food log. Lol! Isn't that worth something?! At least she's not wracking her brain wondering what's wrong.

In any case, based on the amount of sweat equity that I had put in over the 30 days, I still believe that I should have lost more. Had this been 10, heck even 5 years ago, Lanell would never have been the wiser. But with the "age factor" I eat a cracker and the front pant pockets on my slacks begin to pucker. I finally understand why women cut the front pockets out and sew the slit closed. Brilliant. But then I probably wouldn't be able to zip them. This is so very very sad.

But back to nutrition....

As any trainer worth their salt will tell you, diet is 80% or more of changing your body composition. Which is fancy "trainer talk" for losing fat and building muscle. Lol! Needless to say, I was pretty down on myself because I know that I could have done better. Although I realize it's about the journey and the fact that I did lose fat and weight is a good thing, I honestly expected a better number.

Did I say that I expected a better number, because I really really did. Lol!

I left the gym that day feeling frustrated with myself and irritated that my body wouldn't just take care of itself like in the old days. So what would do you think I did?

I rushed to the grocery store with renewed passion. I thought, "This is nothing compared to what I've overcome in my life. Paaaleeeeeze.... somebody better google me." Lol!

I walked up and down the isles, proudly stocking my cart with skim milk, natural peanut butter, non fat yogurt, fruit, vegetables, chicken and fish... "I got this." Then I headed to the bread aisle for whole wheat bread and what do you think I find there? Cinnamon Rolls. It's a conspiracy I tell you! I ignored them as I read the nutritional information on the bread packages. "I got this."

"Pssssst.... Trace." I heard a deep sensuous voice barely audible. But so deep that it's vibration seemed to connect with my inner ear sending hot shivers down my neck and then spine.

What the...? I know those Cinnamon rolls are NOT talking to me.

"Trace. What's up girl? You know you want me. Do you really think that fish is going make you feel like I do? You're just fooling yourself Baby. Come to Daddy."

Lol!! I wish I could say that I walked away, but I've always been a sucker for a smooth talker. Lolcc! I know I need help. To make it worse, I didn't just buy a 3 pack. No. I bought an 8 pack and had eaten 3 before I started my car!!!! What is wrong with me!?!

Just to recap the madness.... I busted my behind for 30 days to lose one pound. I'm frustrated as all heck. I refuse to let this happen again. I go to the store with every intention of stocking my home with healthy foods. Then I stuff my face with not 1, but 4 cinnamon rolls, costing me 240 calories EACH and I don't even want to think about the fat.

Yes, 4. God help me. I ate the 4th on the way home and gave the remaining 4 to my kids. And it was true. The cinnamon rolls made me feel much much much better than the fish. :)

Sidebar: My husband Bryan is looking at me like I have completely lost my mind. I have literally been laughing like a hyena for the last 20 minutes. My stomach is even cramping from my uncontrollable laughter. "No Banana needed, but thanks." Is it strange to laugh at your own funnies? Oh well, if I'm the only one who finds this amusing, it's still worth it. Lol! "Stop, my side!" Lol!


Now for the complicated part...

So what's my deal? Why would I so blatantly sabotage myself in this way. Lanell approached me a little hesitantly today and asked what she thought was a very personal question.

For those of you who do not know, I come from three generations of abused women and went on to enter into an abusive relationship myself. Thus my healthy relationship advocacy. I prefer not to use the term Domestic Violence if I can avoid it, as I believe that the focus needs to be on creating the positive rather than stopping the negative. The result is the same, but the energy and acceptance is different. Due to the fact that there is so little money devoted to the cause, most funding is used for rescue. And rightfully so. However very little attention is directly toward the true issue and that is knowing what a healthy relationship is, how to find it, how to maintain it and more importantly knowing when to walk away when it's not healthy.

But back to the story.

Lanell asked what I turned to when in the abusive relationship. I honestly couldn't remember but I knew that it wasn't food. I thought for a while and it hit me. Wine!! My sisters and I would drink water glasses full of "box o wine" and "jug o wine" almost every evening. Lol! Some of it was so bad that we mixed it with juice to hide the taste. Ugh...

But how can that be relevant. I might have a class of wine every 3 months or so these days. Then it hit me! Liquor is sugar! In the absence of wine, I go for sugar when I'm stressed.
And when there is no sugar, I eat crackers by the sleeve!! Hmmmmmmm......Okay so now what.....?

Photos from Behind Should be Outlawed

Now that I've finally figured out the picture posting thing...we're ready to roll. I'll start off again with my disclaimer. Lol!! No hair and little make up. However I did have a professional photographer. There are several luxuries that I will live without and good lighting is NOT one of them.

Some of my worst memories are of elementary school pictures. Remember those? One child after another. "Click Click Click" No mirror, no adjustments and yes, no lighting change. Normally, no big deal, but when you are the only African American in your class, chances are it's not going to work out for you. Lol! They were so dark I had no features whatsoever. Oh, the injustice.

That was a long way to say, a photographer is a must in my world and Rachel Elzaldi is amazing. I had to make her promise not to photoshop anything. You should have seen her face. :) In exchange I agreed to put on a little make up. I think she's afraid I'll scare off business.

The Shoot

What was really traumatic was when Lanell provided my wardrobe in a sandwich bag. Yes.... a ZIPLOC SANDWICH BAG!!!! Was this little bag, that normally held my children's grapes, capable of holding enough material to cover all my "business?" I think not.

After laughing uncontrollably for a few moments I sucked it up and put the suit on. Now I haven't worn a swimsuit for 20 years except in pageants. And let me tell you, those Mrs. swimsuits are like onesies compared to fitness competition suits. There is no padding, support, or material for that matter. That poor little swimsuit, and I use the term loosely, was stretched within an inch of it's life. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the material pulling....sssshhhhhhhhh

That is enough disclosure for one day! Goodnight...

Month 1 Results... Not so Fabulous.

Okay, I've procrastinated enough. It's time to post the unthinkable. (Insert Horror Music Here) The dreaded BEFORE pictures. Not that anyone will read this before scrolling down to the photos, but I'll still build the story for you because it's just too "special" not to. :)

I came in to see Lanell for the first time on September 28 2009. I had done my research and knew that she was a perfect match and fitness partner for many reasons.

1. She is a female not a requirement, but I've learned that communication is easier with women. For example, I told a male trainer once that I might not be up to par because I was experiencing heavy cramping. He told me to eat a banana. Potassium was my answer? Really? Gotta love him, but not during that time of the month. The little fella was lucky to escape with his life.
2. She is a female fitness competitor. This means that she understands my vision and knows how to get me there. But most importantly, she doesn't judge me for wanting more out of my body and objectively sees the work that needs to be done. Let's face it, women are interesting creatures. I remember going to a Curves. Loved the concept. 30 minute circuit training, all women...you can't beat that. The problem...they stared, rolled their eyes and often asked what I was doing there as I didn't need to lose any weight. Now I'd like to think that they weren't being unkind, but it was clear that I was not welcome.
3. She is a female fitness competitor over the age of 50. Need I say more? Heck, some nights I don't know if I'm sleeping or swimming. If you don't understand what that means...get off my blog!
4. She is a female fitness competitor, over the age of 50 with back injuries. I found out last year that I had a bulging disc at L4-L5 and a herniation at L5-S1. This is the very low back and is nothing nice. Lanell has the exact same injuries and has worked her way back to health and beyond.

To sum it all up, I have had wonderful trainers over the years who have been amazing. But for this challenge, I want to work with someone who has been where I'm going.

So back to the story, she works me out, determines my strengths and weaknesses. Writes ALOT of notes and sends me on my way.

Have your legs ever been so sore that you suddenly realize how low the potty is? Why is the potty so darned low!!! I’m just sayin….

Imagine my shock when I returned to Lanell 2 days later to discover that the last session was only an assessment!! You can probably figure out how the remainder of the month went. My pleas for breaks, water and even an epidural went unanswered. Okay, I’m exaggerating about the breaks and water, but I DID ask for the epidural. When Lamaze breathing comes to mind…Something is just not right.

Sidebar: Good news is, she knows her stuff and has been working with my injured back without sacrificing the training. She's building the muscles around the injuries to support area more effectively. She also added stretches and additional home exercises for that purpose.

My Routine: Workouts with Lanell 3 days a week, 2 days a week weight training on my own with cardio every day. Log my food online, eat this much protein, this much fat, this many carbs, that many calories... Right.... Sure Lanell... Lol!

I thought I knew better. After all, I can drop 20 pounds in 2 months. I got this. We have 7 months before the April fitness competition. Plus, it was Domestic Violence Awareness month and in addition to writing my book, working client projects and the kids, I was busy speaking my behind off. Well, I wish I was speaking my behind off, as you will soon see. Lol!!

Sidebar: When you read Lol!! I am really laughing..out loud. Sometimes to the point of coughing and choking. I really crack myself up. Perhaps I should come up with another acronym LOLCC!!

Anyway....I was decent. I stayed within my calorie count, cardio 4 days a week, weights 1 day on my own plus 3 with Lanell. If I had been in my twenties or early thirties, I would have been dangerously underweight by the end of the month. Well... Not so much. LOLCC!! Below are my stats. I'll figure out how to put a chart in here for next month, but for now....

My Stats 9/28 - 11/2
Height 5ft 11in
Weight: 158 - 157 = 1 lb loss. (Yes can you believe it?)
Weight 30 day goal = 150
Bodyfat: 24.7 - 24 = .7 loss
Bodyfat 30 day goal = 23.5

I won't get into my measurements at this juncture other than to say:
Hips dropped 1.3in
Chest dropped .25in
Real Waist (at navel) increased .7in (smallest part wasn't measured until now. results in Dec)
Thigh increased .35
Arm increased .2
Forearm increased .1

So let me sum that up for you....
My behind and breasts decreased. My thighs and arms increased. My husband will not be pleased. Lol!!

All in all, I'm building muscle, but not dropping the fat as fast as we would like to see. Below are the before shots.

You are not going to believe this....They won't post. Yeah!!!! Stay of execution. I'll figure this out and try again shortly under separate post.

My Fitness Challenge

Let me start by saying that this is not going to be pretty. Lol! I will tell it like it is. There will be no candy coating of language, no edited photos, no hair and make-up, no grandiose ideas of saving the world with these entries. Just me at 43 years of age, trying to get into the best shape of my life. Why? Because it's now or never. I'm not getting any younger and I surely am not getting any more motivated. If anything, I'm beginning to lose faith in my ability to put the fork down! Hopefully this blog will not only keep you entertained, but help with whatever fitness goals you may have.

Some of you may know that I compete in Mrs. Pageantry. I have had the goal of becoming the first African American to win the Mrs. America crown since 2004. I have competed 4 times at Mrs. California America, a qualifier for the national pageant. I’ve placed 1st runner up the last two years in a row and darn it....I'm going back again in July of 2010. Will it be my year? 5th time is the charm? Who knows? I joke with the Mrs. California America Director that I am the Susan Lucci of Pageantry. Let's hope it doesn't take that many attempts.

Side Bar: To avoid confusion for some, I should explain that I won the title of Mrs. California United States 07/08 and placed 15th at Mrs. United States. Mrs. United States is a completely different pageant system but what a ride it was. I believe it prepared me tremendously for the challenge of Mrs. America.

Back to the task at hand....

I work out regularly, eat much better than the average American, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to get the firm body that I've always dreamed of. I've been slim and fit by American standards my entire life. However slim and fit does not always equal firm as you will see in my photos. (Shiver)

After four kids, a crazy busy career and other bits of life, I have gradually packed on quite a few pounds of fat that seems to happily reside on my midsection, hips and thighs. Now don't get me wrong, each year, I drop 20 or so pounds to compete at Mrs. California America. But guess what? Each year my body is completely different. One year, I'm looking pretty lean, the next my thighs are shaking like a cold, wet Chihuahua. Not pretty. There are few elements at work here:

• I always wait until the last 2-3 months before the pageant to get serious.

• My hormones...you don't know my life...this just ain't right

• Nutrition. I eat no fried foods, very little red meat, no soda etc... however, I like my donuts and ice cream...correction...I LOVE my donuts and ice cream and the occasional Butterfinger, frosted flakes at night... you get the picture.

• Training/sculpting knowledge

Now again, I work out regularly 2-3 days per week and the last two months I it is cardio 6 days per week and weight training at least 3. Then the last few weeks before the pageant, I go nuts if I'm not where I want to be. I end up dehydrating, body wrapping...sacrificing chickens to the weight loss gods, whatever it takes. Thus the inconsistencies in the end result. Oh and after the pageant, FREE FOR ALL!

So what would any overachieving wife, mother of four, entrepreneur and philanthropist do? I challenge myself to a figure competition in April. That’s right. April 2010! As I tell my friends and family, “You must not know who I am. You better Google me.” Lol!! I know, it sounds crazy, but its right up my alley. However, I’m not a complete fool. I was smart enough to enlist the folks over at Fitness Together Arden Arcade in Sacramento, Ca to support me in my madness. (See special offer on upper right.) I love Fitness Together because they have great trainers of course, but they also have private sections within their studios. That's right. No one is laughing at my flat feet and lack of coordination. Well, except for my trainer of course. :)

I’ve been working with my trainer Lanell Martinez for 30 days now and have the first set of stats and photos to post. But Darn… I’ve got to get the kids ready for bed. Then get in a workout and log my food or Lanell will give me the “Look of Disappointment” tomorrow. Lord knows I don’t want to see that again this week. It’s only Wednesday. Geez! Stay tuned……