A New Blogger, My Absence, and What to Expect From Sweet Potato Pie in the Coming Months

Hi,

First I'd like to welcome a new blogger, Miranda a.k.a. Gabby. She wrote the piece that I'm sure every over thirty woman can relate to about ones metabolism slowing down and it becoming increasingly difficult to keep the weight off as we agae. She's blogged over on my Brown Sugar blog and hopefully will become a regular here on Sweet Potato Pie.

Welcome Miranda!

Speaking of Brown Sugar, if you've been wondering where I've been, well, that's where. Ever since Obama won the Iowa Caucuses I've been blogging my life away. Who knew this political season was going to be so darn interesting? And as someone who was a hardcore political junkie who had lost that love and feeling for politics after 2000 and 2004 and only came out of hiding for the 2006 midterm elections, only to go back because the Dems still turned out to be such pansies, having a Black man and a woman running for president (with the Black man actually having a real shot) was a little too much for me to pass up blogging about.

Hell, even the Republican race has been a barrel of fun (read: hijinks and controversy) that lends itself to some good blog posts. Add school and some new writing gigs to the equation and something had to give, and that something was Sweet Potato Pie. However, I am back and no I don't plan on going on such an extended hiatus again anytime in the near future.

So what can you look forward to now that I'm back? Well I have a lot of new ideas for SPP that I plan on rolling out over the coming months. here's a preview:

1. More focus on other aspects of Black women's health. This is a health and fitness blog and black women aren't doing well in taking care of either of those areas of their lives, so look for more posts on mental, sexual and maybe even spiritual health.

2. Diet Fridays - Diet Fridays will be a bi-weekly series that focuses on the many diets out there and the pros and cons they offer. Some people need the structure a formal diet brings and I plan on offering the information needed so that they can find the diet that's right for them.

3. A podcast or radio show. I've been wanting to do a health and fitness radio show for SPP since I discovered Blog Talk Radio last summer. The one thing that 's been holding me up is that I don't have a land line or VOIP phone service. But I do have the ability to do a podcast which is basically a pre-recorded radio show. So look for that soon.

4. A bi/weekly or monthly series that focuses on a particular disease/illness that affects Black women. An example would be March would be Diabetes month and for the month of March I would do weekly pieces on Diabetes, what it is, how one gets it, how it affects Black women and what can be done about it.

That's just a few of my ideas for Sweet Potato Pie that I will be implementing in the coming months. I'm very passionate about the issue of Black women and their health. We have to be better stewards of out bodies and our health and Sweet Potato Pie seeks to be a place where Black women can get the information they need to make that happen. So if you've enjoyed SPP so far, stay tuned, there is so much more coming in the future.

Today is a new day. So what are you waiting for?

Left Without Saying Goodbye

He was my best friend, my rock, my reason for smiling everyday. From the time I turned sweet 16, always there…in just the right places. I delighted in the way he made me feel. There was a spring in my every step…I could practically dance the night away. It didn’t matter if I filled up on Waffle House bacon and eggs or five chicken soft tacos from Taco Bell at 3a.m. with my gal pals…he’d work it off (wink wink).

Throughout my twenties, I reveled in my ability to tame him. I admit my will to do the right thing was never very strong…but so what? I had him, he had my back even when I would royally mess up. The partying, drinking, sleeping till noon, or even rolling into work after 2 hours sleep, I could do it because of his strength. I never knew how much I relied on him………..until he left. He went out with me on the night before my 30th birthday, but when I fell asleep that night, I didn’t know that would be the last time I saw him.

No good-bye, no note, no warning whatsoever. He left. He left me for someone younger. Well, not just younger, I admit, probably someone more intuned with his needs, someone not as arrogant and self-absorbed as I. Basically, someone that gave a damn.

There are times I think I have finally accepted his leaving. I go shopping and I’m reminded all over again. Every pair of jeans, a cute form fitting dress…..the snugness is too much, suffocating…I usually leave in tears only to wallow in the shoe department of Macy’s. Is there any wonder why I own 100 pairs of fabulous strappy sandals, fly boots and every indigenous reptile skinned pumps?

Its been almost 10 years this July, and he’s not coming back. I realize this. I’ve moved on, attempted to regain some semblance of balance in his absence. But its not easy, each day is a journey. I walk and walk…some days I think I see him and begin to run…just trying in my desperation to maybe, somehow catch just a glimpse of him. I speed up thinking if I can just catch him and grab him and explain and apologize….but alas, its not him. He’s gone, not coming back

My sweetie, my love, my boo…………………

My DAMN METABOLISM LEFT ME AND HE DIDN’T EVEN SAY GOOD-BYE!!

Look Mama--I Made It!!!!!

Guess who is featured in the Feb/Mar issue of Heart and Soul Magazine? That's Right. Yours Truly and her fabulous blog Sweet Potato Pie. Go get an issue today so you can see how your girl is doing BIG THANGS!!!!

SAD and Overeating

Since I got back from vacation I've been depressed and have felt completely incapable of dealing with my weight loss goals ... as a matter of fact before I went on vacation I was depressed.

Winter doesn't work for me. I love Autumn and Spring, but I HATE winter. It isn't just the cold that I hate, but the lack of light that I absolutely detest. In truth even though I love Autumn, from the moment the first chill in the air signals its arrival, I start to feel a creeping melancholy.

The British isles are cold, grey and damp and in the winter the days are super short. Sometimes you don't see the sun for weeks and if you do it is fleeting - a you'll miss it if you blink experience. For a long time I have suspected that the lack of sunlight affects my mood. Now I am sure of it.

According to the Seasonal Affective Disorder Association:

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is a type of winter depression that affects an estimated half a million people every Winter between September and April, in particular during December, January and February.

It is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the hypothalamus due to the shortening of daylight hours and the lack of sunlight in winter.

For many people SAD is a seriously disabling illness, preventing them from functioning normally without continuous medical treatment. For others, it is a mild but debilitating condition causing discomfort but not severe suffering. We call this sub-syndromal SAD or 'winter blues.'

Symptoms

Sleep problems:	Usually desire to oversleep and difficulty staying awake but, in some cases, disturbed sleep and early morning wakening
Lethargy:	Feeling of fatigue and inability to carry out normal routine
Overeating:	Craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, usually resulting in weight gain
Depression:	Feelings of misery, guilt and loss of self-esteem, sometimes hopelessness and despair, sometimes apathy and loss of feelings
Social problems:	Irritability and desire to avoid social contact
Anxiety:	Tension and inability to tolerate stress
Loss of libido	Decreased interest in sex and physical contact
Mood changes	In some sufferers, extremes of mood and short periods of hypomania (overactivity) in spring and autumn.

I definitely have a number of these symptoms. I have been depressed, lethargic, suffering from insomnia, anxious, unsociable and definitely overeating sweets.

Treatment

Light therapy has been shown to be effective in up to 85 per cent of diagnosed cases. That is, exposure, for up to four hours per day (average 1-2 hours) to very bright light, at least ten times the intensity of ordinary domestic lighting.
Antidepressant Drugs like Prozac are effective in alleviating the depressive symptoms and combing well with light therapy.
Psychotherapy, counselling or any complementary therapy which helps the sufferer to relax, accept their illness and cope with its limitations are extremely useful.
Vigorous exercise, especially outdoor activities.

My partner bought me a light therapy box for my birthday a few weeks ago and I have been using it religiously. It has completely alleviated my symptoms and I have been able to turn my attention once again to addressing my food/weight issues. As mentioned in my last post, I have returned to Greysheeter Anonymous program and so far it has been as wonderful as it was the first time around. I feel well on my way to successfully addressing my obesity. In GSA we weigh in once a month so I will now be providing monthly updates of my progress.