Thursday, February 20, 2014

My Journey to Being Fit & Fabulous

Hi Beautiful People,

Let me start by saying this is probably one of the most difficult Blogs I've had to write thus far, probably because I'm forced to be very transparent about this topic. Some of my "fab followers" know that I've struggled to loose weight because I've written about it enough times in my Blog for you to know that "it hasn't happened yet", SMH. But recently, within the past few months I've been exposed to some really positive women who I truly believe are in my life for a reason.

Lets start off with my girl Taunya of Taunya Taylor Fitness. She is a Health and Fitness Coach and I've known her for approximately 8 years. For as long as I've known her she's always been fit and fabulous...even before & after having two children. Taunya has ALWAYS been supportive of me and is constantly giving me advice and ideas on how to eat healthier and examples on how to exercise properly. She never judges me and she's constantly motivating me to change my lifestyle.

Next up is Monisha at Moya Body Care in the City of Torrance and she believes in Alternative and Holistic Health. I met her through a coupon I purchased from Living Social Deals. From our initial meeting she was so positive and supportive that I couldn't help but to realize that she only wants what's best for me. She shows genuine interest in my health and wants me to Live My Best Life. Monisha has introduced me to the benefits of Colon Hydrotherapy and has educated me on a variety of supplements by Dr. Shulze's that I can purchase that will help my body function at its best.

Last but certainly not least...is Nikole Seals. She is a trained Holistic Nutritional Counselor that Taunya referred me to and she is working with me in adjusting my "atrocious eating habits" (that's our big word for the day, lol). I've received nothing but positive and supportive information from her and as a result I am WAY more conscious of what I eat and how the decisions I make will effect me in the long run. Who knew that eating fast food all the time, working the night shift and NOT drinking water could do so much damage to the body. It wasn't until my body started talking to me (in more ways than one) that I consciously had to start making better decisions on what I was putting into my body daily. I'm so grateful to have Nikole's abundance of knowledge and support to guide me so that I can get back on the right track. 

You know how they say people have to hit rock bottom before they are motivated to make a change in their life. Well I think this applies to all people in all aspects of our lives. 

My rock bottom moment - One evening I went shopping for an outfit and I took several pieces of clothing into the dressing room with me and I could barely fit into any of them. I wondered to myself - How did this happen? When did this happen? Why did this happen? I was so disappointed in myself and staring into that mirror made me realize that MY very bad eating habits is what got me to where I am now. Although I knew I needed to loose weight I also knew it wasn't going to happen over night. In the meantime, I've figured out how to "camouflage" what I'm working with. As a result, I'm self-conscious about what I wear, what articles of clothing I choose for my figure and what compliments my body type. 

Well...I'M OVER IT NOW! I don't like how I look and I want to be able to go shopping and not have any problem getting into the clothes I try on. Now don't get me wrong I don't want to be a size 2 (no offense to the people who are), But I LOVE my curves, I just need to make them smaller and toned. I want muscle NOT fat! The Struggle is Real...
So now I'm on a mission. I'm not looking at a scale or doing any measurements. I'm just going to change my eating habits, start exercising again and PRAY, LOL. Because I'm going to need all the help I can get.

Now I do have a few hurdles to overcome - I have to get my digestive system back on track and I have absolutely no energy in the morning. But Nikole has a health and wellness plan laid out for me so I have to demonstrate some "will power" and "restraint" and "push myself" in order to accomplish my goals. There will be times when my work schedule will sometimes dictate my day, however I'm not going to let this stop me! My GOAL is to stop making excuses and FIND A WAY! I also have to re-educate myself on what the definition of HEALTHY is and PREPARE all my food in advance.

Now I'm not perfect and I am admitting now that there are going to be some times when I slip up and indulge. But hopefully as time goes by I will learn to be more consistent with healthy and less prone to slip ups.
The purpose of this Blog is for you guys to go on this journey with me to witness my transformation and hopefully inspire others to go out and accomplish their goals. 
In addition, I NEED you guys to hold me ACCOUNTABLE!

My Motivation right now - I have two trips coming up - Aruba in May and The Essence Festival in July. It is MANDATORY that I be comfortable in my skin by then!!

My short term goal is to loose at least 20 pounds by May 20th right before my Aruba Trip! 
I have exactly 3 months to meet this goal, NO EXCUSES!

Now here comes the hard part!! I have to show you a BEFORE picture of me. I went back and forth with myself several times on whether or not I wanted to post this picture. Ultimately I knew it would help motivate me stick to my goal.

Well here goes...This is a picture of me in a fitted dress (in all my glory, Lol). I do not wear fitted dresses for this exact reason!!

In May I will post a 2nd picture with me in this same dress and we will watch the weight disappear! 

This Blog Entry was Nikole's GREAT idea and she believes that if I put myself out there she knows that I won't want to let my readers down. I have a reputation to uphold...I AM SingleNFabulous but now I want to be FitNFabulous too!  

P.S. Maybe somewhere along this journey I will meet my Fit & Fine Husband, LOL. Hey.....this is my dream...don't judge me!

Let the FitNFabulous Journey begin...
Stay Tuned Beautiful People!
Smooches

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Ladies Night Out - Part II

Hi Beautiful People,

Going out with the girls was a great way to start off 2014. We were 12 deep this time and met up at the "#1hostess" house - Nicole. There were several women attending this event tonight who were "Ladies Night Out" virgins so we had to give then a heads up on what to expect. Everyone was really cool and ready to go out and have a good time.

Nicole provided light snacks for us - chips, guacamole and salsa and of course Alcohol. As usual, my ass was not prepared and hadn't ate any food prior to arriving at 6:30pm. I attempted to stop to pick up some fast food but I was running late (as usual) and every drive through line was packed because it was dinner time, so needless to say, my ass was starving. Thank goodness Nicole has a child because she always has the best variety of snacks I can choose from. Unfortunately, I missed out on the day she cooked (sad face) so snacks were my best friend. Of course, I made the BAD decision to have an alcoholic beverage ANYWAY (I knew I shouldn't have) as it ended up sitting at the bottom of my empty stomach most of the night. No bueno!

We called our favorite form of transportation - Uber - to give us a ride in 2 SUV trucks to drop us off at the Metro station in Culver City and we took 3 trains to Pasadena for dinner and music.
Sidebar - when we were riding in the SUV I realized I didn't grab my phone or a jacket from the car! My heart sank! Right at this moment in time I realized how much I depended on my phone!!!?? I was so sick. Every time I wanted to take a picture, google something or check-in on Facebook...I couldn't. I had to re-adjust real quick or I was not going to have a good time. I told all the ladies to take lots of pictures because I'm going to use them for the Blog. Of course they were so supportive and all agreed and I began to relax.

The train ride was fun except for that unexpected FALL...What had happened was...one of the ladies was trying to move from her seat to allow smaller children to sit down and as she got up the train started moving. The children were safely in their seat but she didn't quite make it to the next seat. But it was the smoothest fall to the floor I have ever seen, LOL. She kind of just leaned into it and made it look graceful. Another woman ended up helping her up and she got to her seat safe and sound. She did It for the Babies!!! LOL.

We had a "Meeting in the Ladies Room" at Union Station because we didn't need anymore "near misses" like last time (smile) But in case we did have one I was ready with my blue printed cape that opened up real wide in case I needed to provide some form of coverage for privacy (wink).

On to the next train and we arrived in Pasadena just in time to request a table for 12 at Mi Piace Italian Kitchen & Bakery. We relaxed in their bar and lounge area and mingled with a casual crowd of people already there enjoying a cocktail. Some of the ladies met a couple of cute white boys who were complete gentlemen and let the ladies sit with them - one happened to be a lawyer. Hello! It just goes to show you...we gotta get out more and step outside of our comfort zone! Unfortunately, no one made a connection.

After one round of drinks we were seated and commenced to order. I had lasagna and a house salad...it was interesting. The dining room was full of chatter as all of us shared our occupations, what's going on in our lives and the inevitable question for some us...why are we having difficulty meeting a man. Our girl Abike, offered a few of us some good advice. Remain open to dating, what you might think is "your type" may not be your type (I never thought of this one), pay attention to the signs a man could be trying to get your attention and give a guy a chance. Although you might think that he is not "the one" his presence in your life could be preparing you for "the one" who is coming in the future. Lastly, SELF REFLECT and try to decipher why men aren't approaching you (this one was specifically directed to me). So it looks like I have some soul searching to do. Male friends have told me, in the past, that I can be "intimidating" but I have no idea where that comes from...I'm constantly smiling, laughing and goofing around...You would think that this type of behavior would make me approachable. I can be reserved at times but thats only when I'm not familiar with the people or in a new surrounding but I warm up after awhile. Looks like I'm going to have to be aware of what I could be doing to give off this vibe. A little Self Improvement never hurts.

Dinner concluded and we moved on to Bar Celona Modern Spanish Tapas Bar for more drinks and dancing. We took over a small area that would fit all 12 of us and proceeded to show them how we get down, because "We Like To Partaaaaay!" Of course you always have one or two fools that want to come join the party. They either "old" (somebodies daddy) or "special" (drunk off they ass). And unfortunately we had to deal with both. The old guy wasn't too bad but the brotha who came over trying to dance in the middle of the floor made himself look a fool (because he really couldn't dance) and then had the nerve to get mad at us! The shit you have to deal with on Ladies Night Out. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling good. I don't know if it was the food or the alcohol I had earlier but I wasn't able to dip it low like the rest of the girls so I had to sit back and relax. Overall, I think we all had a good time. Ladies Night Out is ALWAYS Fun!

Thank goodness for Uber because we had to go through a DUI Check Point on the way home and we was all good and tipsy and the Officers knew it! Lol Thankfully we all got home in one piece.

Thank you Karen for the Pictures!!! 
This Blog would be boring without evidence of OUR shenanigans!!
Nicole had some good pictures too posted on her Flipagram!!


The Rest of My Weekend:
Superbowl Sunday I went out with my girl Timika to Mr. Pockets Sports Bar in Manhattan Beach. Nice spot but boring people. By half time we were on to our next destination at Bugatta off Melrose in Los Angeles. That was a pretty cool spot with my type of crowd but that was a bust too...I didn't spot any potential candidates!


Sadly I didn't make any connections during these Outings...hence,
The Adventures of SingleNFabulous Must Go On...Smooches!