I have a new home!

Yeah. It’s be awhile. But, life happens. So! I’ve decided that since I’ve entered a new chapter of my life, I should start with a new blog. You serial blog starters  know what I’m talking about.  Check me out at The Path Between Laughs.

Phew!

It’s been a little over a week since I posted, how about that? I swear, the days just seem to fly by!

Anyway,  a not so new trend in the clean eating community is the veggie/fruit blend smoothie. You usually start with taking a veggie (like spinach) and blending fruit with it. Sounds disgusting, tastes wonderful. I actually made a batch today and it wasn’t too bad for my first try. I used:

3 cups of frozen berries

1 cup of vanilla light soy milk

1 cup of raw baby spinach

It wasn’t too bad, I was able to drink about half of the cup I poured. Next time, I’ll use only strawberries instead of blackberries (which were mixed into the bag), and only 1/2 cup of soy milk.  I couldn’t taste the spinach though.

I’m still on my journey of mindful eating. I’m definitely noticing when I over eat…yesterday, I made spaghetti and meatballs and boy oh boy! I ate my share and then some! My stomach was definitely NOT okay with me this morning, and like a chastened child, I stayed within healthy limits when eating today. I was diagnosed with gastritis last week, and after a few painful days, a few tears and a few choice swear words,  I finally figured out that this is yet another reason to eat healthy. Literally, my body is rejecting food that is not good for me. So far, here is a a list of things I can not eat (not because I don’t want to, but because indulging in it almost kills me):

Heavy meat (beef, chuck)

Processed sweets (cookies, cakes, soda)

Alcohol

Caffeine (although I can still have a small cup of coffee without too many side effects)

Fruit Juices

Being diagnosed with this last week through me off my one goal (isn’t that strange?? Only one goal!) which was to eat at least 3 servings of fruit each day. So! I’ll drink another serving of that smoothie I made tomorrow and hopefully get to the store for another batch of tummy friendly fruit such as grapes and fresh strawberries.

What are some ways you get your “5 a day” fruit/veggie servings in? 

Buying Clothes that Fit

I’ve decided that if I’m going to embark on this scary journey of just accepting myself and my body, I should probably buy some clothes that actually fit. Not sag, not pinch, not slide in inappropriate places.

The good news: I’m 5’11, wearing a  triple letter bra, defined waist and wide hips. I’m a true hour-glass. Give me a push up bra and I’ll kill a man.

The problem: Most designers make clothes for women who are 5’6- 5’8 (that’s considered tall), boxed shaped, and definitely NOT in a triple letter bra.

I can’t really get down on myself about not fitting the standard clothes–I didn’t fit them when I was at a healthy weight. So what’s the solution?

I come from a family of Amazonian women on my father’s side. We’re all 5’10 and above, hour-glass shaped and we’ve all had trouble finding things to wear. My grandmother used to shop online to find her pants or order out of a catalogue. I think I’m going to have to do the same thing.

Do you or anyone you know who is tall have trouble finding clothes? What is  your solution?

Back to the Basics

I’m tired of following the crowd.

I followed the crowd with my hair–and it took a very long time before I realized that the “crowd” was wrong. Been natural and worry free since 2005.

I’m currently following the crowd with weight loss and being healthy. I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing healthy about America’s way of thinking. Let me see if I can get this straight:

1) We count calories, grams of fat, grams of carbs, sugar intake, protein intake, vitamin intake, basically every thing that goes in. We measure it, analyze it, hum-ho over it, dissecting food until it is no longer another variable of survival (like breathing). It has become a billion dollar industry.

2) We decide to ignore our bodies. Apparently, we’ve become so smart, so advanced that we don’t have to listen to the most complex system on our planet. Our bodies take care of us even when we decide to do damage to it. We smoke, we drink, we eat disorderly, we push it to the max and don’t pamper it, we cut, bruise, burn ourselves. Being our body is a thankless job, and quite frankly, I’m tired of not thanking it.

3) We have this twisted, warped way of thinking. “Fashion” dictates how we look. So the few designers out there get to decide what we wear, how it should look (ever heard of “size zero”?) and who should wear it. We have folks analyzing our body types, which is more desirable and what can be done to “enhance” those figures that are NOT desirable. Once again, our bodies lose.

4) We’ve decided that instead of eating to ensure everyone has food to eat until we are satisfied. Here’s the thing with gluttony–it’s never satisfied. Did you know if Americans would reduce meat consumption by just 10%, enough grain would be saved to feed the 60,000,000 people who die of hunger each year? While I personally am not a vegetarian (I was in the past and hope to be again once I get past my disorderly eating), I have reduced my meat consumption and am conscious of when I’m eating too much meat.

5) We spend billions of dollars every year buying vitamins and supplements instead of getting what we need from Nature. Why take all those vitamins? Did you know you’re just going to piss them right back out? See, our bodies have enough sense to know when too much is too much, and in vitamins case, it just gets rid of them for us.

6) We refuse to protect our skin from the sun and (shudder) tanning. Look, I’m Black. I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to be “pasty” and “ghostly” (as some of my fairer friends put it). I came built-in with sun block, but that doesn’t mean I won’t still slather that stuff on before I hit the beach. I know enough to know that the sun can do some serious damage. And spending part of your youth tan does not equate to spending the last parts of your life with cancer in my opinion.

Anyway, I. Am. Done. Done, done, done. This is nothing short of ridiculous. I am turning my back on what we “think” we know about health, and am just going to start focusing on loving my body (and that goes beyond frantic exercising and dieting).  As much as I love researching, I have decided to quit. There is new information out there on a daily basis and I am on overload. On Monday, eating fruit is good. On Tuesday, it’s the main cause of cancer. I think my research days should be limited since I already know the basics: eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean cut meats. Stay away from processed foods, too much alcohol, and try to move a little bit every day.

Got it. Wish me luck.

An Art to Being Happy?

This morning I woke up with a smile. My moods are like Iowa weather,  they can change at any given moment, so it was surprising that I woke  up in such a good mood. As I rushed to get ready this morning (I try to sleep in until the last possible minute), I thought about a  co-worker of mine who I consider to be a mentor for work and for my personal life (although she doesn’t know the latter).  One would assume I have a bit of a girl crush on her…she’s everything I would like to be when I’m her age.  As I thought about our past conversations, I wondered why I was so impressed by her. I realized I admired her work ethic (at 30 years old she is in a well-paying position as an assistant supervisor), her generally positive attitude regarding life, and her security. By security, I mean that at  30 years old she is secure in her faith, her marriage, her job, and her finances. Another friend/co-worker of mine asked her once how it felt to turn 30. “Fantastic,” she replied. “I spent most of my 20s trying to figure out how to have fun. Now that I’m 30, I’ve figured out how to enjoy myself.” When that same friend started complaining about how she only had $50 at the end of each paycheck left to play with,my mentor just smiled and said, “I know, I know. I used to be there. But I didn’t like it and did something about it which is why I am where I am today.” 

In my case, “not being happy” is a learned process. I grew up watching the adults around me have the hunger of wanting “more”: bigger cars, bigger TVs, bigger houses. That meant better educations, which meant more money to afford it which meant more debt. And more debt meant needing better jobs, which meant needing better education, so forth and so on. It’s a vicious cycle that I still see some of my loved ones in today.

So does that mean that I am doomed to repeat that same cycle? I certainly stress every time I make a large purchase. Am I being like “them”? As far as security in self goes, how does one learn to be okay with themselves? I’ve always assumed it was a learned process- the environment the child comes up in, interactions through life, various factors that may shape or alter the way the child feels about himself. Is this true?

I’m only 24 years old, so I have (hopefully) a ton of time left to figure out who I am.  But it is always great to find role models in the same age category as I am that are well on that path, and are loving every thing life throws at them. Do you have any peers/friends/co-workers that are role models? How do they positively impact you?

May Day

Happy May 1st!! Did you know that May Day is actually a pagan holiday? I love learning about all of our current holidays, because many of them have pre-Christian roots.

Anyway, today is Bella and Frankie’s 1st b-day. Upon awaking this morning, I strolled into the living room and yelled, “Happy Birthday Cats!” Bella yawned, and Frankie rolled his eyes at me. Losers.

So,  I flopped on the couch and started making my Sunday to do list. Here we go:

1) Enjoy sunny weather

2) Pop extra dose of allergy medicine because cat hair + pollen + indoor dust = very sneezy, achy Alisha

3) Clean house

4) Pester Costa to help clean house

Today will be a chill around in sweats type of day Enjoy yours! (Frankie is…)

Good Mood Food?

Happy Saturday!

The day has went by way too fast. Anyone else feel like the weekend flies by? I didn’t even get a chance to enjoy the day really! It was beautiful yesterday and today. We took the cats outside yesterday and of course, they had  a blast chasing grass and darting in and out of the house.

Costa playing with Frankie

Bella being sassy

Love my Kitty!

Today, Costa’s sister had her senior recital at the local university. She is an opera singer and has a beautiful voice:

We came back home and I passed out for a couple of hours. All that socializing does a girl in Anyway, it’s now 9:30 at night and the first day of the weekend is over. I’m hoping I can slow tomorrow down a bit to enjoy it before I hit the busy work week.

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I stumbled across an article today regarding healthy eating and mood. According to the article,

“While it may be cheap, fast, or just easy to reach for a donut, a bag of chips, or a hamburger, eventually, your mood will pay the price.

The immediate effects of a high-fat or sugary snack can be misleading. Often, they give a quick burst of energy and may reduce tension. But these effects run in reverse rapidly, said Robert Thayer, a professor of psychology at California State University at Long Beach.

“They shift to increase tension and reduce energy,” he said.

Fast food and junk food are usually the most processed foods, where the nutrients are refined to the point where they are absorbed immediately or not at all, leaving no long-term sustenance for the body to feed off of.

“It is addictive to eat that sort of lipid-laden diet,” Gelenberg said.

Besides the poor nutrient content, fast food often contains many additives and preservatives that can affect mood negatively.

Food colorings and preservatives, like benzoate, and added flavorings like monosodium glutamate (MSG), can cause anxiety, according to Scott.

Studies have shown that the omega-6 fatty acids often found in these foods, can compete with omega-3 fatty acids and an imbalance between the two can lead to obesity and depression. Since Americans often don’t get enough omega-3s in their diets, consuming too many fast food items puts them at risk for mood problems.

“Most of us are busy … and many people put themselves last,” Pratt said. “Fast food is horrible — for the salt content alone, never mind the fat and calories — but when we’re stressed we’re looking for rapid solutions… Emotionally centering yourself will be immensely helpful.”

I thought back on these past few days. I’ve been very busy, and haven’t had time to sit down and plan meals. Also, I didn’t make grocery shopping a priority last weekend, so Costa and I ate on the fly all week. Today, we didn’t eat anything until 2:30 this afternoon, and then it was McD’s. Afterwards, I felt irritable and moody. It’s certainly no surprise food affects mood. Think about comfort foods. Eating that favorite pasta dish or snacking on chocolate can do wonders after a bad day. For me, drinking a nice hot cup of coffee can get me going in the morning or early afternoon.

I’m really enjoying learning how important food is health wise. We tend to spend all of our time trying to cut out food in order to lose weight, but I’m trying to heal my relationship with it so I can stop the diet-binge cycle one day.

What are some of your favorite “comfort foods”?

Another Day, Another Post!

Man! I’ve been eating kind of crappy for the last few days, and it has definitely taken it’s toll on me these last few days. It’s amazing how much food can affect how you feel through out the day, and how well you sleep at night. So! This morning I grabbed some left overs from Easter dinner. Costa’s parents made tabouli, hummus, grape leaves and Kousa. It was nothing short of delicious and I savored every bite. Not to mention, it was very healthy, chock full of vegetables, garlic, lean meat, and we had mango for dinner. I would love to cook more Arab dishes, but they’re a bit hard to find and my lovely boyfriend is a bit lazy on the cooking front I think I’m going to scour the internet for easy recipes to add to my cooking folder I have.

On a different note, we went to an Iowa Energy basketball game last night. I’m not big on the sport (I’m a football fan…Pack Attack, whoo!), but had a good time nonetheless. We got to heckle with some apparent die hard fans, make fun of fresh faced teens excited by their first beer and I got to oggle at some really nice looking b-ball players. Good fun all round.

We finally have a gorgeous day after 4 days of rain, so I’m hoping to take the cats outside and have some fun for awhile. And I think tonight I’m going to start looking through my many piles of beauty products and review them as I re-use them. I have a habit of buying on impulse and not using all of my product before buying something else.

Okay! I’m off to chase Frankie and Bella!

Back In action….

It’s time to stop hiding. Yeah, I went through a moment when I ran with my tail under my hide. Too much too soon was the problem. But I’m back. True to my nature. Anyway, in my ever attempt to find my way back to a healthy weight, not injure myself (easier said than done), I started eating healthier. I read on PastaQueen.com about the South Beach diet and decided to research it. It checked out, so I bought the book and the cookbook and roped my boyfriend in on it.

I was doing okay for the first phase. Days 1-5 were rough, but after that I was fine. Bored, but fine. I just went a little ape shit this past week because I was able to have carbs again. My favorite. I literally have no self-control around them. I’m not sure what to do with myself.

Anyway, I’m thinking I’m going to try some of the recipes from the SB cookbook this week. And I might have to do a 14 day Phase 1 again. Sigh.

I’m still alive…

I’m still here. Sorry folks.

I’ve been very busy these days….dealing with depression, apathy towards anything healthy, stress from the job (they’re trying to push a promotion towards me!!) and chronic illnesses creeping up to remind me how messed up my body really is.

 

Sometimes journaling is more painful than it should be. And my blogging has always been my journaling.

 

Anyway, I want to say that I will be back tomorrow with fresh words, biting wit and endless humor. I want to, really. But! I’m tired, overweight, unmotivated and uninspired. So I might come back tomorrow and it might take me a few more weeks. Either way, don’t remove those bookmarks. When I do come back, you’ll be glad you kept me around.