August BWLW Challenge

On this lovely afternoon, I decided to blog.  Also, it's cause I blew out both my thighs during Monday's step class.  Nothing like cruising in style in my Wal-Mart motor cart.  I had a little girl at work approach me and question why I was riding around in the chair.  I simply looked at her and said, "I'm disabled" and carried on with my business.  The pain in my thighs couldn't even be numbed by pain-killers or ice cream.  At the end of the day, I convinced myself to skip the gym and go home.  I'm hoping to make a full recovery before kick boxing tomorrow morning.
But anywho...
The real reason for this blog is to explain the new challenge for August.  The BWLW Challenge for August is the No Junk Food, No Fast Food, No Processed Sugars, and No White Flour.
...where to start...
I'm not going to call B.S. on this immediately.
BUT!!
I'm not a fan of challenges that ask for too much.  Throughout the entire blog it repeats the urge to consult a physician before starting.  If you have to constantly repeat and re-word asking consent, then it's probably not the best challenge in the world.  This challenge is focused more on cooking then anything.  With school approaching quickly, cooking is almost not an option.  It's either going to be something easy to fix "like a salad" or something I didn't fix at all, "like Panera Bread." 
With that said, I'm not going to abandon the challenge, but I'm quite sure I will fail it on the first day.  It's just too much of a drastic change from not eating meat to only eating meat and fruits.  It I was to plan my meals in a day, it would look like this:
Breakfast: Fruit
Lunch: Fruit
Dinner: T-Bone Steak
That meal plan sounds like a heart attack in three days.
The most contradicting part of the challenge for me is the no processed sugar.  Almost 75% of the foods I eat/drink have processed sugars in it.  The only way that I am going to work without sugar in my system is if my job gives me full permission to zap anyone irritating with the electric fly swatter.  We all know that will never happen so...

SUGA!!!!

The other reason is because I eat Special K Cereal and it also contains processed sugar.  The challenge collides with my Special K diet and believe me, I'm going to stick to the plan that is working.
So all in all, I'm going to participate as much as I can with the challenge, but if I'm not eating enough or starving myself, I will stop.
On a positive note, the challenge comes with an awesome squat calendar workout.  I guess it's time to clean out the junk in the trunk.
Not all of it...just some...
If you would like to know more information about the challenge or the squat calendar then it is available at: http://www.blackweightlosssuccess.com/august-challenge-2013-cut-the-junk/#.UfnKLNvn-01

P.S.-This is the third blog in my new book and I have not lost it.  I am now able to read my own hand writing.  Yay me!!

Product Review: Green Giant Multigrain Barbecue Sweet Potato Chips

 

Just when you thought the Green Giant was sticking to its cans, they break out the bag...

Oh no, it's time for another product review!! 

This one is going to be a little different because I'm not going to compare it with something unhealthy.  We all know that a regular potato chip is greasy, salty, and pretty tragic to eat if your on a diet.  The number one thing that I want to say about this product is that I do NOT like sweet potatoes.  They are just too sweet, too mushy, and too potatoey.  So, trying to get me to convert to the mass production of sweet potato products has been an epic fail.  I have tried everything from the mashed sweet potatoes to the Burger King sweet potato fries but found every single one of those nasty as hell.

Just after writing that sentence, I have just offed my third bag of these chips.  They are addicting and if your not paying attention your going to eat the whole bag.

A reason for why these are unusually good is the amount of seasoning used.  They have completely covered up the nasty natural taste of the sweet potatoes with a southern style barbecue rib rub. (lol!)  The aftertaste does have a hint of sweet potato but it's not strong enough to have me running sick to the bathroom.

Here are some of the technical facts:

Serving Size- (About 16 chips)

• Serving Per Container- 5 (So times everything listed below by five if your planning to eat the whole bag)
• 120 Calories
• Total Fat- 6g
• Sodium- 190mg
• Total Carbohydrates- 17g
• Protein- 1g
• Sugars- 2g
• 14g of whole grain
• 0g trans fat
• Made with Real Sweet Potatoes (OMG!!)
• 40% Less fat than regular potato chips.
• Did I mention that they are delicious?

These chips can be a snack to satisfy any hunger and their zesty barbecue flavoring makes them irresistible!  This is a God sent alternative to a regular potato chip.  Green Giant also offers the sweet potato chips in other flavors and has a line of veggie chips.  In the state of Virginia (lol), they retail around $1.98.  I stress the words, "in the state of Virginia" because if you live in the bankrupt city of Detroit, the price range could start at $15.

 

My name is Sherri and I approve Green Giant's deceitful way of getting me to eat sweet potatoes...

...

...

My name is Sherri and I approve Green Giant's Multigrain Barbecue Sweet Potato Chips.

Recap: Excuses

Yes, I'm admitting failure...
My post lately have been so sporadic that some anonymous people are complaining.
You know who you are...
BUT...
I have excuses...
Two excuses that you will not see is that I had to work or go to sleep.  I'm quite sure that half, if not all, of y'all know this already.  I barely sleep due to the large amount of caffeine I shove down my esophagus just to stay happy and non-violent at work.  Let's just say that I have more excuses to slap on top of those two solid excuses.
Like for instance, I'm writing this blog while at Bingo, chowing down on refried French fries that this lovely lady has prepared for me.  She simply looked at me, dropped them fresh fries back in the grease, and cooked them aaaaallllll over again...
And now I feel fat...
That describes another excuse that I will never mention in the blog.  If I gain weight...I BLOG IT!! There is no excuse for me gaining weight.  I want people to know that I am normal and I make mistakes.  I'm not one hundred percent dedicated to my lifestyle so there are some days that I want a heart stopping burger from Hardee's.  I just know what the consequences are and what I am required to do in order to get back on track.  If I was to make up an excuse for gaining weight, I'm going to say that I gained muscle that week so y'all will know right off the bat that I am lying and in reality went to Golden Corral.
But back to my excuses...
Excuse #1: HOBBIES/LIFE
We all have a life...
My life has not caught up to how I managed to blog about everything.  Also, during my spare time, I have taken up fishing instead of blogging.  I find it very relaxing to sit on the pier and waste away the day fishing.  My new plan is to take my brand new Blogger book ( which I will talk about later) with me to the pier so I can also watch that fly over the railing deep into Davy Jones Locker.
(R.I.P lovely green six foot beach umbrella that protected me from the sun for two days.)

My goal for when I'm out on the pier is to out-fish every man out there.  When their spirit is hurt, I stab them in the heart by catching a beast fish and then letting it go screaming, "BE FREE, FREE WILLY!!"  You will know the day that I try to kill a man's pride when I walk out on the pier with a five inch stiletto in a mini-skirt...
I also have found out that guys sometimes get desperate...
Every blue moon, a guy will approach me in an attempt to flirt some fish out of me.
F.Y.I- It don't work...
I let them stand there until I pull out my Paula Deen machete to cut some bait.  At that point they don't know whether or not to stay or call 911 for premeditated manslaughter so they give me this line: "Oh... I see your busy raking in all the fish.  Let me, let you, go back to the thing....yeah....."
If they stand near me long enough, they won't get fish but I might make them a unagi or ebi roll with a side of ginger and send them on their way...
Excuse #2: BLOGGER BOOK

Half the time I write a blog, I literally write it down before I type it up.  I have a bad tendency of pressing the publish button before reading the blog post.  So instead, I read it in the book over and over again until it's right.  One day last year, I know I complained about not being able to find the book.  The post were coming up randomly afterwards because I HATE not writing it down first.  I feel like I'm going to slip something offensive in my messages (but that's what Facebook is for...)  A month after losing this book, it pops up!  It only looked like it took a dip in the toilet and after six unsuccessful tries of flushing it, was found under the sofa.



The only thing left to do is burn all the disease and death off of it.

 

Never mind...  It's dark and there's too many bugs out here.  If I lit this thing on fire, I would have to run for my life from every moth in Virginia.

 

My new blogger book is a little bit smaller, which means this will probably be the only entries in it before I lose it.  It has been so long since writing anything that I had to relearn how to write and spell.

 

The real reason I picked this book is that it describes the spirit being something like blah, blah, blah... but, at the very bottom, it says self-control.  I do believe the whole blog is surrounded by self-control to successfully lose weight.  The self-control to avoid temptation, exercise, and eat healthy and still manage to stay happy.

Excuse #3: GYM

Who knew that going to the gym would be considered an excuse for not blogging in the fitness blog?

Well, it is!!

I am going to the gym more often because I have different eating patterns thanks to the BWLW Monthly Challenge.  Five days of the gym translates into five missed attempts of posting.  Once I get home from the gym, there are only four things I want to do:

1. Sit the fuck down...
2. Eat something...
3. Sit the fuck back down...
4. Go to sleep

That is a permanent schedule of my after gym activities. No matter what you say or do, this will never change...ever...

So, there are my top three reasons for not blogging religiously.  Does this mean that I'm going to try harder to maintain a scheduled blog?

No...

July BWLW Challenge

It's time for a CHALLENGE!!

I found this great challenge while I was surfing my Facebook.  It is extremely challenging because of it's timing.

But... for the month of July, BWLW (Black Woman Losing Weight) has decided to dedicate the month of July to veganism.  Yup, I thought they had lost their minds too.  I mean, July is barbeque season and I am not in any mood to be barbequing celery.

This is probably why they called it a challenge... And like all challenges I come across, I have to try it first before I call it impossible.

The first day was kinda rocky...
I basically ate every food in the produce section of Wal-Mart and I was still hungry so I ate a tuna sub from Subway.

Part of this challenge includes setting your limitations...
I decided that during this month I will still consume eggs, milk, and seafood because if I didn't, I would die... I would die from starvation... Which I have almost experienced twice this week...
The challenge wants you to practice veganism for at least two weeks out of the month.  It is your choice how long you wish to continue afterwards.

Also part of the challenge includes dedicating five days a week to exercise....NO EXCUSES!!  This will be the easiest part of the challenge because four days of the week are already scheduled gym classes.
The site also includes a workout plan and calendar to assist your exercise at http://cdn.blackweightlosssuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/June-2013-Calendarrevised.pdf

If you would like more information on this challenge or would like to participate it can be found at http://www.blackweightlosssuccess.com/no-meat-no-exercise-excuses-challenge-bwlw-july-challenge/#.UdL2ptvn-00

(P.S.--You do not have to be black or a lady to participate in this challenge, so do not make that the excuse for not trying...)

Tuesday Weigh-In?

 Yup, it's my blog and I do what I very well please...
So as you may know, last year every week I did a weekly weigh-in on Mondays.  But this week and last week I completely forgot to so here it is now.  My current weight is....


Yeah I feel fat today... But it's a seven pound water weight loss since last week which was the week of the dreaded "P".

The Apocalypse is starting...



This man, whose last step class was wwaaayyy before I got my gym membership five years ago, decides to join us...  Believe me, the whole time that I was in this class, I was waiting for the sun to fall out of the sky or it to start raining blood.  I give him props because he made it halfway through the class before exiting stage right.




Ironic Moment of the Day: Remember how my last blog was titled "Never Give Up"?  Well, my boyfriend decided to official give up on our relationship for the second time today... Let's just say that I'm too busy celebrating that I have lost seven pounds in a week to worry about what's going on with this relationship.  Throughout the day, I weighed in again after the whole fiasco and two pounds of stress fell off my body.  I now weigh 239...  I now have the time go to the gym and chase after unrealistic men like Trey Songz...~~BURN~~
(And to all my Facebook guys; I am not on the rebound! If you ain't talk to me for the last three years, do yourself a favor and keep it that way! I will embarrass you...)

Never Give Up!!

No people I have not given up on the blogs. It’s not everyday that something exciting happens in my life. But, if you want to know what I did today here it goes…

I woke up at ten in the morning and then went to work at eleven. After getting off from work at eight, I proceeded to eat two turkey tacos and went to bed…

Yep, that’s it… Wal-Mart fucked up my whole day and y’all had to sit here and read about it. I bet I wasted a good minute of your life that you will never get back to tell you that my life sucked today. 

But on the bright side, I found this cool graphic while I was searching Google for something I can’t remember now.



(This is actually not the picture I was going to put up but I’m at the library and I don’t feel like Googling it again.  It will be on another blog later in life.  My eyes hurt but it’s still cool!!)



 I find this image very powerful. It lets you remember that with all the haters and negative thoughts circulating your mind, YOU must push YOURSELF to accomplish what YOU want to do in YOUR life. It’s not easy but when you reach your goal it’s fucking awesome!!

It's a New Day!

I do believe it is now time for me to stop falling off the bandwagon. It's starting to get depressing now.

This is now beginning Day 1 for the third time. It is also probably the worst day to start anything. I woke up surprisingly with cramps, yea. :o/ Normally this is the day of nothing; I wake up and pretty much lay on everything twice before I take a shower or an aspirin.  For breakfast, I ate tortilla chips, and destroyed ice cream for lunch...  You can tell that I was just not up for anything today. But somehow before swallowing my fifth aspirin and after taking my afternoon nap, I regained some energy. I wanted to run somewhere...ANYWHERE!! So, I get my things together and prepare myself to bust out of the front door and wander randomly down the neighbor.  Soon as I open up the door, I realized two things:

1. It's raining
2. It's raining a lot
Normally if it's sprinkling or raining a little I can ignore it, but no, this was a "my mailbox is floating down the street" type of rain.  I knew that if I didn't want to run to the car to get my running shoes, there was no way I was going to run period. I already planned to go the gym but I wanted to include a quick run before I went. 
Oh well...

So at the gym, I take a Tabada class (I think that is how it is spelled).  The whole gist of it is 30 seconds of hell and 10 seconds of heaven.  It is one of those classes that are only as intense as you make it.  I could easily goof off the entire time and burn a whopping five calories but it defeats the purpose of driving to the gym! By the time that class was over, I felt a little bit like this...



Wait! I forgot to add something!!

Now THAT'S how I really felt after class was over!! A dinosaur could have been coming to attack me and I still would have been laid out on the concrete.

 

After the class was over I figured it was time to go home and die.  I went home, cooked up some turkey tacos and proceeded to let fatigue set in.  Well, that was until I ended up in the Petsworth parking lot.

My sister, who is starting the Couch to 5k program was out running and I decided to run along with her because that's what sisters do. 



(Do Not Ask why Luther Vandross is playing in the background)

 

We might as well come together and help each other out.  She might be getting tired of me speeding off every time she tries to chase me.  I mean not everyone can lose 80 pounds and live to brag about it. :oD 

Yes Yolanda, I am bragging...