Homecoming Workout Plan Day 1

What's Keeping You Fat?

What are your demons?

What's keeping the weight on?

Why did you gain the weight to begin with?

Until you can answer those three questions I doubt seriously you will be able to keep the weight off even if you manage to lose it. Black women are still much more overweight than other groups of women in this country, even when you control for education and socio-economic status.

Since there are not a lot of studies that look at Black women and their weight issues, there isn't a lot of hard evidence as to the why we are so overweight, especially for college educated Black women.

There are all the normal answers:

1. Soul Food
2. Black men
3. Lousy food options in Black neighborhoods
4. Poverty
5. Hair

I don't think any of those answers get at the heart of the matter however. I suspect (and it's just my opinion) many Black women are using food to substitute for any number of things in they feel is missing in their lives: love, sex, money, companionship, friendship, etc. And that as Black folks (in general) we use food as a way to show and express love...so the "Baby are you hungry," that you here when you venture to your grandma's (or any older Black woman's house) house is her way of saying, "I love you so let me feed you."

But goodness, we're "loving" ourselves into an early grave. Black women are more likely to die or suffer from just about everything from cancer to high blood pressure to diabetes, then any other group of women in the country. I keep writing about it, but I really feel this is something we have to get under control...TODAY...not tomorrow, not next month or next year but today.

So once you've answered the questions...what can you do to start making the necessary changes to get your health in order?

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

S.O.S: Save Our Sisters Fitness Challenge

What are you doing to save your sister, friend, co-worker, or any other black woman struggling with health issues? When was the last time you encouraged a friend to join you in the gym?
What are you doing to save yourself?

We are in a state of emergency and something has to be done A.S.A.P. You can no longer sit back and watch your Sister or yourself increase their risk for disease because of lack of exercise and healthy eating . We have to take responsibility for each other and fight obesity together!

Nubian Fitness Goddess and Sweet Potato Pie have joined forces to bring you the S.O.S. Fitness Challenge. Our sites have combined to bring the you best motivation, tips, and support for the S.O.S.

To join the S.O.S. Challenge you must agree to encourage at least of one your friends or family members to join you in the gym or wherever you workout. If you don't have access to the gym get together and do a workout DVD together or go for a walk. The goal is to build a support network around you so invite as many women as you can. This will support you in your efforts to stay healthy and it will also benefit the people you are encouraging.

Ladies that are new to exercise this challenge is perfect for you as well. If it's your first time going to the gym you can still take a friend with you, get FIT together!

The S.O.S challenge will last 3 months. For the next 3 months we will be providing tips, encouragement, posting success stories and struggles that women have encountered. We hope that this fitness challenge will strengthen your own commitment to your heath as well strengthen your friends/family's members commitment.

Sweet Potato Pie and Nubian Fitness Goddess are excited about this challenge. Check back regularly for updates about S.O.S! We will constantly be adding tips and more details about the Challenge.


Tell us if you're joining S.O.S. What are your thoughts about the Challenge? Do you believe you can convince your friends and family to commit to exercise with you?

Spread the Word, tell your friends and family about S.O.S.

Don't forget to check out Nubian Fitness Goddess

You Can be Thick and Healthy

There's been a lot of talk around the blogsphere as late on Black women and their thickness and how aspiring to be thick causes women to be unhealthy, overweight and obese.

Well, in my opinion, there is a very big difference between being thick and fat. If you're confused the following is easy to remember: Beyonce = Thick. Monique = Fat. Simple.

You can be thick and healthy. Contrary to popular belief ass and thigh fat won't kill you, but belly fat will. As women we should keep our waist under 31.5 inches for optimal health and to fight against common illnesses among Black women such as diabetes, heart disease and hyper tension.

Let's be clear, Black women are naturally curvy, "thick" women. There is nothing wrong with that. You don't have to lose your curves just because you're trying to be healthy. But health should be your number one priority above all else. I assure you, if you're a naturally big butt/big hip woman that's not going to disappear because you hit the treadmill or the Starimaster several times a week. As I like to say this isn't about being a size 6 . It is about being a healthier, happier you. So keep that in mind...and hit the gym.

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

Related Posts
Big Butts = Good Health?
Motivation to Get Fit
Thick vs. Fat: A Black Man's Take

69 Percent of Women Trying to Lose Weight Don’t Work Out

According to the CDC via BlackDoctor.org:

When you’re on a mission to lose weight, slashing calories can help in the short term. But new research shows adding physical activity to the mix is what peels away the most stubborn pounds (think belly fat) and keeps them off for good. Those who don’t exercise regularly (69 percent of women trying to lose weight don’t work out, according to the CDC) risk a rebound.

Dieting without exercise can’t zap the fat.
Exercise is just as important as diet if you want to lose belly fat. This isthe kind of fat that’s associated with metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Researchers found that obese women who dieted for five month without exercise had no changes in abdominal-fat cell size, while those who combined exercise with diet saw their fat cells shrink by about 17 percent. So a dieter who exercises often have smaller fat cells and a lower risk of heart disease.

Exercisers stay slimmer.
Active people have an easier time maintaining their results over time. In fact, exercise without a diet plan is more effective for managing weight. For optimum results you should incorporate both a diet and an exercise plan into your lifestyle.

This is just sad, ladies. I think if we've beat any topic over the head enough on this blog it is the importance of exercise. The belief that diet is great but if you aren't moving then you aren't really doing anything. To get the body you want and to be healthy you're going to have to sweat. The article also points out that exercise alone is a more effective method of weight loss than simply dieting. You get that? So yes, continue with the healthy eating but Move That Body!


Related Posts
Don't Forget the Weights
90 Minutes a Day Will Keep the Fat Away
Do What You Love

Our Hair is Killing Us

We are letting our hair kill us:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – About a third of black women cite complications of hair care as the reason they do not exercise or exercise less than they would like, according to Amy J. McMichael, M.D., the lead investigator of a study from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

McMichael, associate professor of dermatology, specializes in hair and scalp diseases, ethnic and pigmented skin diseases, and general dermatology and skin care. “I see a lot of African American women in our clinic and had noticed how many of them are overweight. This puts these women at risk for hypertension, diabetes and other serious problems.”

In fact studies show that 77 percent of black women are overweight or obese, McMichael said. “I thought it would be interesting to look at what role their hair plays in their amount of exercise. Many African American women with coarser hair use either heat straighteners or chemical products to straighten their hair. Depending on how coarse or fragile their hair is, they can’t just wash their hair after exercise without having to go through the whole process again, and that can take hours. Over-washing fragile hair can make it break off easily.”

McMichael and the team of investigators from the Department of Dermatology, the Division of Public Health Sciences, and the medical school interviewed 103 black women about how much and what types of exercise they do, and the time, expense and complications of caring for their hair. Sixty-four of the respondents had relaxed their hair by various means.

All of the respondents believed it was important for them to exercise. And 50 percent stated that they considered changing their hair to make it easier to exercise.

To read the rest of the article click on "Dermatologic Barriers to Exercise in Black Women" in the left sidebar under "Articles."

I'm not unsympathetic to the hair issue. But I will readily admit I don't understand it. When I had hair I still exercised and exercised hard. I never allowed my hair to stop me from working out, but then again I rarely went to the beauty salon either, unless it was to get a relaxer. So, I rarely had a hairstyle I had to "protect." I've talked hair on this blog before, but as the study notes there are no easy solutions. If you have straightened or relaxed hair, you're gonna sweat it out. There's no way around that if you're working as hard as you should work.

To those who navigate their workouts and their hair, how do you do it?

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!!

Weight Loss Update: 155.5ibs

A new Hot Girl is on the scene....






So it doesn't look like I'm going to make my goal of 140lbs by December 31 (although I may make 150) but I have lost 10lbs since my height of 165lbs and you know what....I 'll take that and be HAPPY about it. LOL. It may not be where I want to be...but it's where I'm at and hell, I'm LUVIN' IT!

Speaking of Compulsive Eating....

Hey All!

It's been like a rollercoaster these past few days! Yes, I fell off of the wagon, but I am back on and holding on to the reigns!

"Oh goodness, Tracy, how ever did that happen?" I can truthfully say that it was not my fault....It was my Uncle's fault....He died. The wake was last Friday and the funeral was on Saturday. All weekend long I was up to my ass in fried chicken, sweet potato pie (I ate a whole one by myself), greens, dressssinng, and every kind of cake you can imagine.

Ladies, it was not pretty. Now I know how drug addicts feel when they relapse - I totally lost control. And I kept telling myself "Okay, just have one more piece of this pie, then stop. You can cheat a little, it won't hurt". Next thing you know, Sunday morning I'm at the all you can eat breakfast buffet with two plates full of french toast sticks and a bowl of maple syrup. The maple syrup was my beverage...

What stopped me dead in my tracks was two things - I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded from all of the sugar and carbs that I was eating, and I totally forgot about a certain purple sequined dress that I had to squeeze in THAT NEXT SATURDAY!!

Soooo, I put that weekend behind me, and started fresh last Monday - four pounds heavier!! have managed to shed two of those pounds so far, and my goal before the next weigh in is 10 lbs. I want to be in the 2-teens by the end of the month. I can do it....but for right now, I gotta get in that dress!

It's a cute little number...I was going to post pics this time, but the dress wasn't fitting as smoothly as I would have liked. But no problem!! I came up with a solution tonite as I was retrying the dress on.

Now, ladies, Moi is a firm believer in foundations - ya know, girdles! Put one on, drop a size and smooth out the love handles, plus they help your posture. You won't be able to exhale, and you are probably crushing some major organs, but who really needs a liver and a pancreas anyway? You are looking good, that's all that matters!

The dress is a little snug around my problem area - the middle! I swear, I look like an apple on two sticks. I am doing 50 crunches a night and it is helping some, but I gotta look good by Saturday, so I needed a quick fix. Now, the girdles that I have are pretty much for support, so if you have a belly and no waist line, they kind of meld into one round like shape. For this dress, I needed some hips and a waistline, so I went to the tried and true method for fakin' the funk.....

That's right, I reached for the Saran Wrap! Laff if you want to, that stuff is better than Spanx! And cheaper too! Five or six go rounds around my middle and WALA! - instant waistline! And as an added bonus, once you are wrapped like a mummy, you don't want to eat as much because you are scared of the whole thing rolling into a big tourniquet and cutting you in half!

HAHAHA! Don't ya love being a girl? I'm not even going to mention the purple suede matching shoes that deform my feet as I walk! By Sunday morning, I'm going to have hoofs (hooves?) but Saturday nite, I'm gonna look great!

Well, I think the lesson we all can learn from this is :

a. When you are dieting, try not to have relatives die. If they can't help it, don't go to any funerals til after you have reached your goal.

b. When you fall, get right back up, forgive yourself, and carry on. No one is perfect, and the road to success is paved with little slip ups.

c. French Toast sticks RULE!!

d. Saran Wrap is a girl's best friend.

Til next time, keep up the good fight ladies! YOU CAN DO IT!

90 Minutes a Day Keeps the Fat Away

90 minutes.

That's the magic number to losing weight AND keeping it off.

Some years ago I was watching Dateline and they were following three people who had lost a significant amount of weight (30 pounds or more) and kept it off. What they had in common and what a medical study the show quoted showed: if you want to lose weight and keep it off, 90 minutes a day of working out is what it is going to take.

Period.

That's very different then the 30 minutes a day that was recommended for decades and more in line with the new government guidelines that say 30 - 45 minutes of aerobic activity at least 5 days a week PLUS an additional 30 to 60 minutes of additional physical activity a day (walking, taking stairs, housework, yard work, etc) for weight loss.

So how do you get 90 minutes of exercise a day into a busy work and home schedule?

Well ask yourself this: Do I watch 90 minutes worth of TV a day?

If the answer is yes - then you have 90 minutes to work out.

I recognize that it is not that simple but my point is that 90 minutes represents an hour long drama and a sitcom or three sitcoms or a Lifetime movie, so it is possible.

Practical Tips for Getting 90 Minutes Worth of Exercise a Day

1. Take the stairs. Stairs burn lots of calories. Instead of taking the elevator, hop on the stairs. Yes, even if you're on the sixth floor. The higher the better.

2. Park far away. You'll be amazed at how much walking you do when you don't park near the building you're trying to enter.

3. Take a page from Tracy's book and work out on your lunch hour (or half hour). A brisk walk or weight work out will contribute to the 90 minutes you need to make each day.

4. Get up early and walk, run or go to the gym. If you just don't have the time during the day to work out, get up early and make it happen. Yes I recognize that could mean 4 or 5 in the morning for some of you, but hey if you treat exercise like you do work then it shouldn't be a problem.

5. Go for a walk after dinner. It's simple yet effective.

Shout Out to Evia and a New Blogger Joins Sweet Potato Pie

First I'd like to give a grand ol' Thank You to Evia over at BFInterracialmarriage.blogspot.com. First she linked to me from her site when I was just starting out and then she just recently gave me a shout out in one of her posts! Thanx! I know a lot of you found my blog from her blog so I am ever so grateful for her and all of your support!

Secondly I'd like to say YEAAAA! We have a new blogger who will be on board soon. I hope you all find her as fun and entertaining as I do. Below you'll find excerpts from the e-mail she sent me and you can see why I'm so excited about adding her to Sweet Potato Pie:

My name is Tracy Scott and I have just signed up for a weight loss contest with a team of 4 others - I am the captain!

I would like to keep a blog journal of my and my team members progress, along with daily thoughts, ups and downs of the weight loss game, pics, and of course lots of laffs!

The contest starts this Friday, I weigh in then. We are then weighed once a month until the contest ends on Jan 4th. Two teams will win - the team that loses the most weight and the team that loses the highest percentage of weight. The two teams will split a pot of so far almost $16,000.00 $8000.00 divided by 5equals a cool $1700.00 for me and my team members if we win at one of the categories! So, screw the health benefits, get thin for the cash!! ;)

I think that we have a great chance of winning, seeing as we are all big butts! I myself tip the scales at 245 and I am not the biggest one! Realistically, I could probably take off at the minimum 50 lbs, but I am really ready to do what it takes - in a healthy wayof course - the win this thing.. My team members are also gung ho, and we are planning outings, and pledge drives for charity (who can do the most push ups,dance a thons, and walk a thons) to help us take the extra pounds off..

So let's welcome Tracy. Her first post should be up this Sunday. Let's do all we can to cheer her on and support her in her weight loss efforts and of cours to WIN THAT CONTEST! LOL.

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

Books on African-American Weight Loss, Health and Fitness

Hello,

I went looking for books that dealt with weight loss, health and fitness specifically for African-American women. I didn't find much and the best of what I found is in the sidebar. Now mind you I HAVE NOT READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS so I am NOT making any recommendations.

However if any of you have read some or all of these books or think they will in the future and wouldn't mind writing a review for the blog send it to me at sweetpotatopie07@gmail.com.

A few of the more interesting titles are:







Happy Reading!

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

Barriers to Weight Loss: What's Your Motivation?

So what motivates you?

This is an important question that you need to seriously think about and answer. Really. Everyone wants to lose weight but not everyone wants to do what it takes to lose weight. And that's the key between those who lose the weight and keep it off and those who never start or who gain the weight back.

So I ask again: What motivates you?

My motivation is vanity. Yeah I know that may be bad but it's true. I like being able to wear little black dresses and stilettos. I like being able to fit into my skinny jeans. I like believing I look good when I walk out the door and having others think so as well. LOL.

So that's my motivation. What's yours?

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

New Articles

Hi Everyone!

I've been posting articles in the sidebar that deal with Black women and weight. There are some real gems there. Of particular interest are:

1. (2000) Should Sisters Pump Iron? - weight-training for African American women

2. (2005) Black women confuse beauty with health

3. (2006) Yes, you can lose those pounds and inches

So if you have some time, take a minute or two and read through some of the articles. I'll be posting soon on some of the issues and recommendations raised in the various articles. Happy Reading!