Love and Hip Hop's Somaya Reese..40 lb Weight loss!

Ms. Reese has lost 40 pounds and 6 dress sizes, and no, I didn't stutter!

(Before and after shots below)

How great is that?! And she did it the normal people way, not the celebrity trainer/personal chef way either.

Good healthy foods, portion control and exercise (she does Tae bo which I used to LOVE to do).

She looks friggin' amazing! You go girl, you worked for it so you deserve it, much props. :)

You can read it in her own words on her site by clicking here.

Before

After

Photos: Myspace and VH1

I'm Back And With Only 76 Days Til Cali...oh My!

I was thinking of this blog on my way to work today, as I was simultaneously thinking, "shit I only have 76 days 'til I leave for Cali"!

See, here's the skinny,(pun intended) I am taking an 8 day vacation in July to California and Vegas with my oldest son and his best friend and we are going to visit my son's God Mother and one of my best friends, J.

J lives a kind of parallel universe life to me, she is dating a great guy, she's trim and slim, she makes a nice living she has a fabulous career and lives in a beautiful place. She vacations in Hawaii, spends most weekends at a friends mansion by the pool and the like and she does things like mingle with celebrities when she "goes to the races" whatever the hell that means!

So, if we were in high school I would say that I am the plain Jane and she is more like the popular cheer leader :)

I'm not hatin',I love her, I just don't wanna be the fat girl in Cali. I know the only way to loose a few pounds before I leave is up to me, totally and completely. And just an FYI, I am not whining about J's fabulous life, she busts her ass for it. I was just making the observation on the vast differences in the lives of two friends that were both raised in New York City during the 80's, by mothers who were also best friends.

K, well as my teenage son says, "I'm Off this", I hope everyone else's weight loss journeys are going better than mine, which at this point means if you've lost even 1 pound you are ahead of me! LOL

My Weight today. Drum roll please...

After three and a half years on this blog my weight today is 214 lbs. That's right people, I weigh only 1 pound less today than I did when I started my blog.

How sad is that?

Bleh, anyway, guess whattttt? We ended up finding, well my daughter found, the Kinect at our local Game Stop. And we played it tonight, though not much because we connected it pretty late.

It is SOOOO much fun! If only you all could have seen my royal fatness jumping up and down like a lunatic and swaying back and forth. I got a score of 29, which is pretty pathetic considering my 3 year old grand daughters score was 79, but hey I did it, and that's what matters most. And I almost broke a sweat too, so boo-ya!

At first I kept letting all the kids go and I was seriously considering not joining in, I didn't want to "look stupid". Then I remembered my post on what my life was like eons ago, what I want it to be again and I just did it.

So glad and proud of myself for that, now if I can just break the "one off" curse. See it goes a lil something like this. I get super psyched and amped about getting healthy (ya lets DO THIS!) and I do all these crazy things.

Like getting everyone I know involved because they say when you are held accountable by others it makes weight loss easier. Or I buy something that has worked for someone else, like the handy dandy stack of work out DVDs I own, "Dance your ass off" anyone? And I do the walking with friends, or try and dance my ass off, and I have even been known to throw in a little yoga booty ballet. But then after one time I find excuses not to do it again. My friend M will call for a second walk on a nice day and I decide cooking dinner that second is more important. I hide the DVDs so I won't feel so guilty about once again not keeping up with my goal on top of the money I've just spent.

So is this time different? I can only say that God willing it is. Because I really do hate being so fat that I can't thoroughly enjoy living my life. I will keep you updated. Good Night my peeps.

P.S. Big ups to my girl J who is celebrating her "27th" birthday in style :) Have a GREAT time in Vegas this weekend mama, wish I was there.

XBOX 360 for Weight Loss?

Sooooooo, guess what? My daughter and I are going halvsies on the XBOX 360 Kinect budle! It's $300 and comes with a game, we are also planning to purchase Zumba and Dance Dance Revolution. I just thought it would be something fun to do with the kids. She wants it so that we can loose some weight and get toned.

After reading some reviews, it looks like you work up quite a sweat with all of the games even if they aren't targeted for working out, so maybe I can shed some of the rolly polliness. But toned? I wonder if it will work. If any of you have tried it, please, I would love to hear from you and get your input.

She is having a problem finding it in any of the stores around our area, so we may have to order it online :(

I will keep you updated. Who knows, maybe I'll be a bikini model yet, watch out Heidi Klum! lol

When I close my eyes and think of what I want my life to be...

I would be rid of the cigarettes for sure. And that cigarette money saved would be taking me to England and France and Italy.

An ex smoker, healthy and happy at my goal weight. A return to my old self where even if I was afraid I would try new things, like snowboarding, cuz hey, you only live once and as John Gotti once told his son, "at the end of the day all we have are our memories".

And even though apprehensive I would attend that black tie affair and say yes to a date with the hottie MGM rep that is in town. A return to the me that loved girls night out and having my little sisters teach me the latest dance moves, now don't hate but I learned all the moves to NSYNC's "Tearing up my heart" back in the day :)

Someone that loves to do athletic things with my kids, like basketball in the park on a nice summer day or sledding in the winter, and dare I say it, a lil touch football in the fall.

I would NOT be working at my current job, though I cannot tell a lie, working in television has been one of my better job experiences. But I digress, I'd have a career not a job, I would be writing for a living. Writing non fiction about strong women who have chased their dreams of entrepreneurism, and fiction with fabulous characters based on my crazy, smart, lovable and ghetto-fabulous friends.

I would vacation in spectacular places and date delicious men!

So, these are the things I would do, the person I would be, the person that I was.

Yes, if I could blink and have the life I want, those are some of the things that would instantly change. But alas, I cannot.

So I have two choices, exactly what I've been doing which is to wish and dream and not change my ways. Or man up! and do what i gotta do.

What My Fat Means To Me...

As I sit here at work eating my bag of mini chips ahoy that I just spend .85 on at the vending machine of death, I ponder. What does my fat mean to me? So the following list is what I have come up with so far, I'm sure I can add more if I really think about it, but i need to "get me back".

These are in no particular order:

No cute boys to kiss good night after a date :(

18 is my new and very sad size

Chest pains

Can't go up a flight of stairs or walk a full New York City block without being winded

I am depressed

I avoid doing things I like (I miss swimming the most)

I threaten my kids and friends when I find they've posted a photo of me on facebook

I've let myself go in other areas, i.e. my hair, my clothing choices

I get tired to the point of having to stop when playing with my 3 year old grand daughter

Avoid choosing places fabulous like Miami and Puerto Rico for girls weekends because that screams bathing suit

Sigh! I know you may be tired of hearing this, cuz i'm tired of saying it, but I need a change :( I need my life back, where the hell did I go?

How are you all doing?

Note From a Fan! lol

"1 comments:

Anonymous said...

You sound f*&king sexy.

Buck up and be confident, damnit. Its girls like you who make me hate being a chubby chaser. Always bitchin' and moaning, my goodness. Soon you'll be the norm."

The above comment had me ROLLIN' when I went onto my email for my Big Fat Girl blog. First, Thank You Mr. Anonymous :) Really thanks! But I want to let him know why I (and other women like me) "bitch and moan".

If you are chasing chubby women that love being chubby, then have at it. But no good can come from chasing a chubster like myself that doesn't want to be caught because they are chubby. Can you understand that?

How can I ever be happy in any relationship if I am unhappy with myself? The answer is, I can't.

So once again, thanks for the smile today, I needed that :) But I think I will keep on keepin' on with my long, long, loooooong road to my goal weight.

Why can't I get motivated?

I have snuck a peek here and there at the grandest of all health and life style change books, Fit for Life. I just have no motivation. I am in a classic catch 22 at this point. I'm depressed with my weight and really believe that my disgusting eating habits and sad lack of motivation when it comes to exercise are affecting my health. Yet since I am sluggish and depressed I can not seem to find the umph one needs to start a major life overhaul of the magnitude that I need.

YAY! We got our official start date!

Okay, so I have to admit something. I thought that with all of the sudden interest in the weight loss competition from our "news girls", I would get booted and be relegated to a life of big belly-ness and un-toned calves. Oh the HORROR!

I mean, it only made sense that any on air personalities that wanted to participate would equal more PR for the client right? But alas, someone had the most brilliant of ideas and our station now has 2 teams of 4 that will go up against teams made up of our viewers.

We have a start date of July 6th. I am excited and nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach and one of the other girls said she feels like throwing up. lol.

And side bar here people: NONE of our news girls need to lose weight, they are all young, gorgeous and fabulous! But the fact that 4 of them signed up goes to show how weight and size crazy obsessed we, as Americans, are.

Anyway, wish us all luck :) I'm sure I'll have a great time, after the anxiety induced nausea goes away. I cant WAIT!

Sometimes God just drops it in your lap, ya know?

Sooooooo, I'm at work today minding my own beez wax when I hear one of our sales people telling her manager about a "fun new idea" she has. I didn't hear what the idea was and went about my business, but when I get back from lunch I see a new memo out back. And BAM!

It's from said Sales Executive, looking to round up 3 co-workers to participate as a team along side of her in a competition against some of our viewers (Remember people, I work for a television station) it's to be sponsored by a local gym.

And me, who constantly shies away from attention, I signed up for the challenge. I am SUPER DUPER nervous people.

Anyway here's what I know so far:

Each person gets 3 hours a week of personal training sessions for a total of 8 weeks. (Value $1080 - no lie)

Our competition will be two other teams of 4 each made up of our viewers.

Winning team gets a one year gym membership.

Why am I nervous you may be asking. Hmm, well, I detest the spotlight, especially when I resemble a baby beluga whale. And I just KNOW that I know, that I know, that our pics, bios and poundage will be on full blast for all to see (and vote on).

UGH!

Anyway I will keep you posted. It's supposed to begin the 1st or 2nd week of July.

Fit for Life, Social Experiment: Update #2

There is a LOT to take in with the Fit for Life lifestyle change. The following are a couple of the smaller changes (though every change has an impact) that I want to gradually work in over the next 7 to 10 days.

Fruit or fresh fruit juice for breakfast

Yep ONLY fruit or juice for breakfast, bye bye sausage and egg beaters :(

Drink more water

I had actually started on this one before I picked the book back up and after a couple of days I felt less sluggish, well as "less sluggish" as a 215 pound 5'2 " woman CAN feel.

Be in bed by 10pm

This is gonne be HARD for me. #1 because I am a night owl, totally HATE the mornings and #2 because I lead a very busy life during baseball season. And this year will be especially taxing because my sons are in different leagues, so that means double the games, plus work, my writing and all regular domestic related things.

Ay bendito!

Anyway thats all for now, Ta Ta!

Fit for Life Social Experiment: First update

Sup everyone?

Okay, so like I said, I am reading Fit for Life from cover to cover, and while I don't have a lot of time I wanted to post a few of the things that have jumped out at me thus far.

I do NOT remember all of this from the zillion years ago when I first read the book either, anyway here it is.

A few of the testimonials at the start of the book:

"My Husband and I are in our 60s and have been on your program for 2 weeks. We feel so much better already. My husband was taking pills for arthritis - and now he takes none."
E.H.
Raymond, Maine

" Five years of doctors and medications and it takes your book on good nutritional common sense to cure my severe stomach disorders...Fit for Life has changed my eating habits for the rest of my life."
J.M.
Midvale, Utah

"My husband and I have been on the Fit for Life bandwagon for 2 months - he has lost 29 pounds and looks and feels better than he has in years. I have lost 21 pounds and also feel wonderful. Fit for Life is a way of life! "
C.A.
Sparks, Nevada

From the forward by Edward A. Taub, M.D., F.A.A.P. an assistant clinical professor (at the time of the writing of Fit for Life) at the University of California:

"The human body should last for 140 years, or twice as long as our present life span"

and

"Food fuel is most efficient in the form provided by nature. There are no fields flowing with white bread and streams are not filled with Soft drinks."

How true my friends, reading just these first few pages I am appalled (with the way I eat and feed my kids), uplifted (because yes, there is hope) and humbled. God makes no mistakes and he created us to live a great existence. He gave our bodies the ability to keep us healthy and assist us in living our best lives ever, and we have done everything in our power to go against that.

So I have highlighted these little tidbits of hope and will post again soon.

Hasta muchachas and muchachos!

Following a book for a year? My Social Experiment on weight loss!

Social Experiment. Needed:

1 Crazy Chick - That would be moi!

1 Book

1 YEAR! Oh wow, what am I getting myself into?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, I gained 10 pounds.

For the almost 10,000 visitors I've had since the inception of this blog you know I started it at 205 lbs, I just weighed myself yesterday and I now weigh 214.5 lbs :(

How is it that after almost 2 years, I actually ended up HEAVIER?!

Anyway about a week ago I started thinking about my struggle with my weight, and what I wanted to do about it.

What did I come up with?

Team Fat Girl: My Social Experiment on weight loss.

In this day and age of self help books, how to and top ten lists I have decided to follow the principals of a book on weight loss for an entire year.

Why? Because I'm FAT! That's why!

However, what with me being a wagon faller (falling off the wagon) and a procrastinator, I figured that blogging about my social experiment experiences will give me a better sense of accountability. Hmmm, we shall see.

I decided to follow the book I've chosen because of the following reasons:

1-If I knew what to do on my own I wouldn't be fat and getting fatter, so why not turn to the experts

2-The authors base their advice on #1 personal experience (They been there yo, they done that) and #2 on treating our bodies in a way that would be pleasing to God

After reading myriad books,blogs and magazine articles over the years this book still resonates with me and always gives me the AHA! moment most successful people claim to have before they: Lose 100 pounds, start a multi-million dollar business with a $20 investment in their attic or finally find the love of their lives.

I've touted this book for years, but this time around I am going to re-read it from COVER to COVER and follow the plan laid out.


The book?

Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond

Wish me luck and send a prayer up for me, mi gente. Besides the so sad weight gain, my cholesterol is dangerously high and I am like a year away from becoming diabetic.

I'm cracking the book open this evening.

Working out at Lunch Time

Yesterday the News Director at my work asked me to be her lunch time work out buddy. We have a no frills gym by us that charges like 15 bucks a month with no contract. Her reasons for wanting to work out at her lunch hour 5 days a week is to get rid of her baby weight. Her baby, by the way, is just TOO adorable, Hi Sam!

At first glance, I guess it seems like a no-brainer, right?. A few bucks a month, a partner and the gym in close proximity. However I've just recently accepted an offer from a new publishing company to become their editor. And since I have a full time job, a family, along with my blogging and article writing, my schedule is pretty packed. My lunch hour and coming in about 30 minutes early is how I can balance all of these things without cutting too much into my family time.

But I do need to lose weight, so what is a girl to do? Quite a conundrum, sigh. I guess it will just take more determination. I'll have to mull it over though, because I believe in being honest with yourself, about yourself. I am NOT a morning person, so waking up at 5:30am will not work for me. Instead of "getting used to it" I will resent it and start hitting snooze instead of lacing up my Kix.

I am a night owl, I am more alert and more creative at night. The nights, after the kids are in bed, are what I am planning to use for my new editing position. But if ever there were a time to exercise for me, it would be at night.

And yes, I have read all of the information that states morning are the way to go. And for anyone who is a morning person, I agree. It lets you get your workout in at the start of the day, which gives you not only a sense of accomplishment but is also great since, hey, it's out of the way, it's already done. But it's just not me.

I'll let you know what I come up with since I am still miserable and still over 200 pounds :( And the kicker? My cousin's wedding is in like 6 weeks, GREAT!

Fit for Life and my Sister

A few months back my sister called to tell me that she has been stuck at the 205lb mark. No matter what she ate or how much water she drank she wasn't seeing any more changes, the scale was stalled, she'd hit a plateau, and it was driving her Loca. Anywho, and yes I know its sounds hypocritical since I've fallen off the wagon so to speak, I suggested she give "Fit for Life" a try. At first she was really hesitant, said she couldn't imagine feeling satisfied if she couldn't have her arroz y pollo (rice and chicken) together, etc. So I said, well, Just try it for a week, if you don't like it then stop.

A week later I checked in and she said that although there was no change on the scale she felt a lot better and had a ton more energy. So she was up for giving it another 2 weeks or so. Long story short?! She's hooked :)

It's now been another 2 months, so almost 3 months total time since she started to eat the "Fit for Life" way and not only did she break the 205lb wall, she surpassed it indeed. And before you say "I thought the pounds melted off when you did it", they did. Every one is different and for my sister it's harder to lose weight. Big picture though is that a sensible "regular" low fat diet was doing nothing and "Fit for Life" broke that barrier for her.

As of last night she is officially at 191lbs. you GO mama! I am so happy for her, she's a beautiful girl and looks better with every passing day.

As you well know, this is NOT my first post singing the praises of Fit for Life and I have to find my own motivation again to get back on it. In the interest of full disclosure, I have added a link to buy the "Fit for Life" book through my blog on Amazon. Why? because I really believe that this program can change lives and if my readers are going to give it a try I would love for them to help this single mom out while doing it.

Thanks Guys and big ups to my lil sis in Colorado!

Laterz!

Whack Attack

Hey everyone, I have been gone since last October. And guess what and why??? Cuz I am STILL FAT! lol. That is terrible, I know.

Anyway, today I was shopping online for bikes for my kids and saw one that I liked for me. Hmmm, A fatty on a bike. I'll really have to think about this. But it was so pretty, all old fashioned looking and stuff :) The kind I would see on TV and wish my mom could afford to get me when I was a kid in the Bronx :(

Why is it all so friggin hard? Anyway this past few months, the reason I slacked off on everything? I became a grandmother. I love the baby soooooooooooo much, my cutey patutty. But it was a rough patch and we are just now getting back to being okay.

Anywho, thanks for still visiting, I was surprised, but I've gotten a few hundred hits even with the site being dormant for so long. I supposed I have more sisters in the struggle than I thought.

Email me, leave a comment, let me know how you guys are doing in this, the battle of the bulge 2008!

Laterz

I did it!

I walked twice 'round le block last night :)

I'm fat, lol, I can't believe that the woman huffing and puffing it last night is the same woman that used to do 20 minutes of the stair climber, a 50 minutes step class and 20 minutes of weights, every time I went to the gym, sometimes 6 days a week.

Sheesh, seriously, if you don't use, it you lose it. And I lost it big time.

Then I remember how outta shape I was at the start of it all those years ago and how I gradually got stronger and healthier and I feel better.

I was thinking back to a slap in the face I got a few months ago. In the summer of 2006 My sister, friends and I and our kids took a vacation to Orlando. We had a blast, we did Universal almost every day, to me those two parks are the best, and the older kids prefer them as well. All in all we have a grand ole time.

They did Disney for a day and we shopped and ate and swam till all hours. Anyway, a few months after we returned home, I go to the Bronx to visit one of my best friends and she pulls out her vacation pics.

Needless to say, I was mortified. Now listen I KNOW I'm a big gal, seriously I do, but when I saw that photo I wanted to cry. When had I gotten THAT big you know? And is that how every one else sees me? I always thought I was doing a bang up job of hiding the fat rolls and the belly. Have I mentioned before how I am cursed with the body type in which I gain 80% of my weight in my belly and always look about 6 months pregnant? Well I do, and I hate it. And apparently I wasn't doing such a great job of hiding the mass that is me either :(

The bathing suit photo was the most horrendous and I immediately ordered her to destroy it. Well, the nasty little biatch wouldn't. I can really hate her sometimes, she instead offered it up for incentive. Said I should tape it to my fridge to inspire me to thinness and stop me from snacking. Okay, now she's my friend again.

I can't even remember whether I took the picture or not, but it brought a damper to my weekend, let me just tell you that!

Just thought I'd share that with you since it was on my lind last night.

In case you were wondering, no, I don't plan on regaling you with my daily dinner menu, but if it's something that turned out really delish or something a little off the beaten path, I'll tell you about it.

I didn't think my kids would go for this one, but they did :)

We had "goodwiches" for dinner last night. Ingredients? Everything you usually eat on a sandwich minus the meat and cheese (remember "Fit for Life"). Mine was Italian bread, light mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and onion. My son had bread, mayo and lettuce and my daughter the same.

So great, light and filling.

I've added a list of weight loss fiction that I've read and liked, hope you do too.

Have a healthy day.

Laterz!

Inspired by the Apartment Walker and The Biggest Loser

Years and years ago my aunt told me about her friend’s husband who had lost upwards of 100 pounds walking in his apartment. Not house, mind you, an apartment. He was uncomfortable hitting the pavement in New York City along side the skinny minnie's and so instead he created a workout for himself.

He bought some walking kix and a Walkman (I told you it was year ago - lol). Then he proceeded to walk around his place like a mad man an hour a day. And guess what? IT WORKED.

You always hear that you should incorporate exercise into your daily routine. It's been said that even if you're too busy to do a consistent amount of time, you can break it up into 10 minutes increments and get the same benefits.

So, last night as I was watching The Biggest Loser, and they spoke about consistency being key to success I decided to test the theory. A consistent 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there should show some improvement to not only my weight but my overall health.

Side Bar: Dinner was totally Fit for Life, cabbage, salad and baked chicken seasoned with fresh garlic and oregano, and kosher salt. You should try it, it was sooooo delish :)

After work today I will be walking. Now remember that I am outta shape like a mutha. However, drum roll please, I will attempt to walk around my block at least twice.

And NO, twice around the block will in no way get me ready for a marathon. But I figure it this way, for someone as sedentary as I am, that is a huge step, no pun intended. I mean it's a lot for a women, ahem, I mean gal ;) like me that is huffing and puffing while trying to keep up with my kids at the mall.

But you know I already don't want to do it right? LOL - I'm thinking of a hundred reasons I shouldn't even attempt it, but I have to resist the urge to do that same thing every day and expect different results.

And it is supposed to rain which is my biggest excuse, and though I love the rain, I don't like wet sticky clothes clinging to my Fat-tabulous body. If it does rain, I will rip a page from the Apartment Walker and crank up some music and walk around my house.

Wish me luck mi gente,

Laterz!

Weekend Warrior

I hope everyone had a fantabulous weekend!

We had a birthday dinner for my daughter and had a blast. My mom cooked most of the food so I fell off the wagon on Saturday but got right back up on Sunday, I DID! Geesh


I wonder if any one else has used the Fit for Life program with any success? I did a few years back, okay, okay, almost a friggin decade ago, geesh! Bust my chops why dontcha!?


Anyway, I figure it like this, if 30 is the new 20 I have just a good a chance as the next gal or guy right!? :)

Some inspiration for my crew:










And yes, I know celebs have it easier since they have the money for a personal trainer, a chef, etc. But no matter how much money they have they still have to do the work themselves just like us. Celebrity or not, if they sneak a pizza at 2 am or fore go the elliptical then the pounds will stay or creep up, period!

So if they can WE CAN! :)


Laterz!

My bad!

So I've been gone for a month and needed to jump back on and extend my apologies, Sorry guys, :( Now let's get down to it, shall we?

I have been very busy this last month and have a surprise in store for all of you Soon-isht :)

Now, now, don't be nosey, you must wait.

So what's up in my world?

Well, I started eating properly combined foods a la "Fit for Life" and even my kids are on board! While we aren't following it to a tee, we are doing the proper combinations for dinner only, the results have been wonderful.

My son and I used to wake up with lead legs, you know, where you are literally dragging your legs for about 10 minutes until it lets up. Well now that is a problem no longer people. Also it was always a chore to get out of bed in the morning period, for all of us. Feeling tired and sluggish, but now when the alarm clock goes off and I'm up and ready to slip out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed. I wake them up and instead of "mom, please, 5 more minutes", they simply, get up, no muss, no fuss. :)

I want to delve into the complete program little by little because it is difficult to do in the beginning, so our next step will be only fruit for breakfast on the weekends.

Also, since I bring leftovers to work, Mon-Fri, I've been following the program for both lunch and dinner and this, I believe, is why my pants aren't as tight as usual. I don't know how much I've lost exactly since I don't own a scale but I know I've lost something, and that's enough for me:)

Like I said, I am busy as a bee, but I actually miss posting so I will do my best to make time to bore you with my mundane escapades as often as I possibly can :)

Laterz!