Don't Wait for the Weight

I have so many exciting things happening in my life right now! I will be sending out a few special announcements really soon, one of them being a press release about a new anthology that's coming out which I have contributed to called, The Souls of My Young Sisters. I will send you more detailed information soon, but in the meantime I wanted to give you a sneak preview of an excerpt of the essay that I wrote that will be published in the book which will be released next month. Enjoy!

Don't Wait for the Weight

This morning I almost got discouraged when my weight had increased by 5 pounds from yesterday's reading, but then I had to catch myself and remember how the scale can be a true set up. Several factors contribute to the reasons why our weight on the scale may fluctuate from day to day and sometimes throughout the day. From my research I have found that our true weight is the weight that we see first thing in the morning when we wake up after we have used the bathroom. We also must keep in mind that different scales are calibrated differently thus giving us a different reading. Don't pay so much attention to the number. Pay attention to the gain and loss and try to stick with one scale. No matter what actual weight any scale may say, if you lose 5 pounds, you lose 5 pounds, just as 5 pounds of feathers weighs the same as 5 pounds of bricks.

I came to the conclusion that my weight had increased so rapidly due to two factors. One was that I had not used the bathroom yet as I always do when I wake up in the morning. The other factor was that, the day before, I had consumed far less water and far more sodium than I usually do, thus I was suffering from water retention.
This is another reason why we should not rely solely on the scale as a measure of our progress, because often times the change that we see is a water weight loss or gain, not fat. I like to measure my progress by keeping track of my inches, gauging how my clothes feel, and measuring my body fat percentage. This helps me because I carry weight much differently than most.
When asked to guess my weight, many guess an average of 140. When I reveal to people that I am hovering around 180 they usually don't believe me. When I was hovering around 140 I began to look too skinny and I had lost all of my womanly curves, thus I have come to the conclusion that 150 is the ideal weight for me. I believe that I tend to weigh more because of the fact that muscle weighs more than fat. I have a lot of muscle, primarily in my legs.

I have made the conscious decision to enjoy and love my body as it is in the present. I will continue to work out, eat right, and strive to increase my quality of health and level of fitness, but I will not wait until I reach a certain goal to do everything that I want to do. I hear people saying that they want to wait until they shed the pounds to take pictures, put on a swim suit or perform in a show....I used to be the same way. While using things such as this for motivation to become healthier is great, I no longer believe in putting my life on hold. Take it from me, I speak from experience.

When I was 150, I felt fat. When I was 140, I felt too skinny, missing my womanly curves and feeling like I was shaped like a little boy.Now I look back at pictures and see how beautiful I was at every moment of my life, even when I was 214....the key is believing it. When you believe that you are beautiful you exude a confidence that is magnetic. 

With all of that said, I will not wait to do a professional photo shoot, I will not wait to wear a two piece swim suit, and I will not wait to do everything I aspire to do. I will not wait for the weight!

Put It In your Workout

When I was in high school I had an amazing acting teacher that would always say, “Put it in your work!” What she meant was that we needed to take the energy that we spent being angry, upset, sad, or emotional and put it into our work on the stage. I have since moved from the stage to the page as far as my artistic career goes, but that saying has always stuck with me.

I definitely “Put it in my work” when it comes to writing, but lately I’ve decided to do the same thing when it comes to exercise.

I was watching Creflo Dollar one day and he said, “We can’t stop birds from flying around our head, but we can stop them from building a nest in our hair.” He used this saying to illustrate how we don’t have to entertain all of the thoughts that cross our mind. He then went on to tell a story about how he had the strangest thought. He said he was in a store one day standing behind an old lady when he thought, “What if I just pushed her?” I laughed so hard when I heard him say that, but the truth is that in addition to all of the other emotions that we have daily, no matter how nice we are, we often just want to punch or slap someone.

So where can we place these thoughts and feelings in order to avoid carrying them out?

“Put it in your work OUT!”

That is one of the main reasons that I took up kickboxing. It is the best stress reliever. When I am in front of a 100 pound punching bag with my gloves on I picture all of the people and things that frustrate me and I take it out on that bag. It’s a much safer and healthier alternative to putting the smack down on someone. The same is the case with any type of exercise. Take all of that built up resentment, worry, frustration and irritation and “Put it in your work out!”
The benefits are endless. You will lose weight, feel great….and avoid catching a case. So the next time someone or something gets under your skin... “Put it in your work out!”

Walk Away The Weight

“How is it that Monica does all of that kick boxing, and she’s still FAT?” Ouch. Yes, someone actually said that about me just last week. Instead of crawling into a dark corner and crying my eyes out, I took that statement as motivation to recommit to living a healthy lifestyle.

I’ve never stopped working out, but other circumstances in my life have caused increased stress and anxiety which lead to behaviors such as emotional eating. Stress also causes some to hold onto and ultimately gain weight. Another factor that contributes to my lack of weight loss is that when we continue to do the same type of exercise our body reaches a plateau and needs to be shocked by doing something different.

I took all of these things into consideration and used them as a catalyst to launch my Walk Away the Weight program. So often we get fixated on physical weight loss. Maintaining a healthy weight is important to ward off illnesses such as high blood pressure, hypertension and diabetes, but very rarely are the prevention of those diseases our motivation. The bottom line is that we usually want to lose weight to look good.

What we fail to realize is that a huge part of gaining and losing weight is psychological. Hence, my Walk Away the Weight program is twofold. The obvious side of it is that I am walking for physical health and to meet my weight loss goals. The not so apparent side is that I use walking as a way to clear my mind and heart thus lifting the mental and emotional weight that I often carry around with me daily.
When I walk, I take deep restorative breaths. Think about your day. How often to you stop to take a deep breath, honestly? Sadly you probably cannot think of one time and you find yourself taking that first deep breath of the day as you read this.

Based on my research I’ve also learned that exercise and sunlight are two ways to holistically treat depression so it serves that purpose for me as well….because believe it or not, Little Miss Sunshine, as some of you may view me, was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder just one year ago.

I am revealing this because too often we fall prey to the fear of the stigma that surrounds mental health in the African American community. By speaking out, perhaps I can help someone else by letting them know that they are not alone, and that recovery is possible. I also want to encourage those who feel that something just isn’t quite right, to seek help...even if that means taking a free diagnostic test online to see if you are suffering from the symptoms of depression.

I walk for an hour each day at a local track or park. While I am walking I think, pray and meditate which often leads to fresh ideas and a new outlook on my life.
Walking Away the Weight has given me a release and a peace beyond all understanding. I encourage you to develop a program that works for you. Just be sure to consider how you can incorporate all aspects of a healthy lifestyle which include physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and nutrition.