• First, find a trainer who has completed a personal training certification program from a NCAA-accredited organization: the American College of Sports Medicine, National Strength and Conditioning Association, American Council on Exercise, and National Academy of Sports Medicine are all respected within the industry. But don’t stop at personal training certification; ask if they have any supplemental education in their field. If possible, find a trainer with a degree in an exercise science or physical education program. It’s more than OK to ask to see their résumé. Read the rest of this entry »

Singer D’Angelo kicked off his new European tour last night in Stockholm, Sweden. Over the last decade, D’Angelo had put on a bit of weight and struggled with alcohol issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Part of me wants to say, if you’re trying to lose weight…”You shouldn’t be eating cookies in the first place!”   Still, I know sometimes nieces, friends, and coworkers convince you to buy a box or two.  Just last week, six Girl Scouts used their cuteness to hustle into buying 6 boxes of cookies!  (They got me.)   

I plan on just giving them away…but I may hold on to the Thin Mints;-)

Below, I included a breakdown of calories, sugar and fat in the most popular Girl Scout Cookies.  Keep in mind that every 4 grams of sugar is equal to one spoon of sugar.  Checkout the chart below: Read the rest of this entry »

Being motivated to workout doesn’t always come to me naturally. I workout in the evening; and deep inside I much rather chill in my drawers on the couch and watch Bravo reality show reruns.

But then…I think of how much I like fitting into my clothes and how much of a beeyotch I am when I don’t workout. Read the rest of this entry »

I always assumed that minced cod or Alaskan pollock was used to make McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. The Filet-O-Fish is predominately made from “one of the ocean’s ugliest creatures,” the hoki. Read the rest of this entry »

I gotta be completely honest.  I don’t like the taste of vegetables, especially raw leafy greens.  However, I eat them everyday. 

Why?

To maintain my weight loss, I don’t eat much wheat, grain or sugar.  As an alternative,  I eat raw leafy greens to keep my energy and nutrient levels up.  If my energy levels are low…I can’t exercise…and then I am a complete beeyotch. Read the rest of this entry »

“What can I do about my stomach?”  This is the question I receive MOST often.  A million crunches, Pilates and even Spanx alone are not the cure.   To burn belly fat, you have to take part in serious cardiovascular/aerobic exercise that makes you sweat like a 300-pound man.

Now a new study in the American Journal of Physiology by Duke University researchers confirms that “if you want to lose belly fat, aerobic exercise is the better choice in burning excessive amounts of belly fat aka visceral fat; the fat that’s deep within the abdomen and fills the spaces between internal organs.” Read the rest of this entry »

 Food Network chef Paula Deen announced on the TODAY Show this morning that she has type 2 diabetes.  She also announced her partnership with drug company Novo Nordisk, who manufactures the anti-diabetes drug Victoza which is referenced in every single article written about Deen’s diabetes. Read the rest of this entry »

Octavia Spencer who won for her role in The Help… Read the rest of this entry »

Lately, I’ve seen commercials for bread and sugary breakfast cereals emphasizing that their products are gluten-free.  The aim is to make you at least think that the product will aid in weight loss or that it is more natural.

However, that’s not the case.   Gluten alone doesn’t make you fat, carbs, starches and sugar make you fat.  The majority of foods that have jumped on the gluten-free advertising kick are still loaded with carbs, sugar, processed and in some cases plenty of fat.  Read the rest of this entry »

Many of my friends that practice yoga have amazing bodies.  Still, I never gave yoga much fitness street-cred and just considered my friends “lucky.”  People with a “good metabolism” that were just genetically thin. 

I decided to give Bikram yoga a try with my best friend since the 10th grade, Alma.  Alma has been a member at the Bikram Yoga Capitol Hill studio for a few months. Read the rest of this entry »

You all sent messages asking if I drink?  I hesitated responding because I sorta felt speaking on alcohol contradicts my efforts to promote health and wellness.   Still, I rather keep with the tempo of being open and honest.

So here we go…

When people ask if I drink, deep inside I want to say…

Allow me to reintroduce myself… Read the rest of this entry »

Please don’t  select an exercise/running shoe because it looks “pretty” and has feminine colors. Quality running shoes are sold in three ways (1) Neutral (2) Stability or (3)Motion Control. Check out the chart above to determine which shoe you need based on your gender and weight.

I don’t recommend any particular shoe.  Different strokes for different folks.  My only advice is  exercise/running shoes should feel good immediately — if you feel you need to break them in, they are not for you. Read the rest of this entry »

1. You’re too lazy to enter your information.

Most machines are calibrated for a 150-pound person—but personalizing your stats will help you get a more accurate calorie read. Aim to burn around 100 calories per 10 minutes, says Jennifer Cassetty, an exercise physiologist.

2. Your resistance is zero.

You might feel like a million bucks spinning at a mile a minute, but without resistance, you’re not going to see results.  Make sure that you’re using enough resistance to push and pull through the stride. Then, continue at a moderate pace until you feel like you’ve done all you can do.  You shouldn’t feel like you have even 5 minutes left in you when you step off. Read the rest of this entry »

The New York City Health Department has plastered the city’s subways with billboards showing a diabetic man with a love for sugary drinks who lost his legs to amputation. 

The billboard is part of New York’s hard-hitting anti-obesity campaign.  New Yorkers are known for being pretty straightforward, so here you go. Read the rest of this entry »

For the most part, I follow a low-carb lifestyle. However, trial and error has taught me that just because a food is “low-carb” doesn’t mean it won’t cause a weight loss stall or in some cases weight gain.

Below, I have listed a few low-carb foods that created speed bumps during my 150-pound weight loss journey. Read the rest of this entry »

Actress Tia Mowry recently shared a bit on how she lost weight  after giving birth to her first child, son Cree, last year.  Tia said she was “devastated” when she learned that she would have to deliver him via a cesarean section and had to return to taping epsidoes of BET’s The Game only six weeks later.  Checkout the video below: Read the rest of this entry »

When ordering at chain restaurants NEVER EVER assume that anything is healthy…even if you are “just grabbing a salad.”  Why?  For the most part, chain restaurant food is mass produced.  This means that the chicken with the phony char-grilled marks on your salad has likely been injected with salt, sugar and additional fat to keep it flavorful as it traveled from a production plant.  Read the rest of this entry »

“Why would you choose failure when success is an option?”

You all often share that my weight loss success inspires you.  I am deeply humbled and appreciative.  However, know that your stories inspire me too;-) 

Like me, my Facebook friend Renae pictured above had hit 200-pounds on the scale even before high school.  Renae, now age 25,  said, “The last time I weighed under 200-pounds was in the 6th grade.”  Being overweight contributed to her developing diabetes in her late teens and a diagnosis of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).  

One of the symptoms of PCOS is that it can affect a woman’s ability to have children.  Although there is no cure for PCOS, child-bearing problems can be prevented and treated via lifestyle modifications such as eating healthy, exercising and limiting the consumption of processed food. Read the rest of this entry »

Rapper Fat Joe

How He Did It: http://www.carolinejhingory.com/2011/08/video-fat-joe-speaks-on-100lb-weight-loss/

Singer Jordin Sparks…girl! Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. Oz recommends eating the same thing for breakfast everyday if you are trying to lose weight or maintain weight. “People make bad diet decisions when they’re hungry and tired and their choice-making capabilities are compromised.” Read the rest of this entry »

 

Read the rest of this entry »

There are a bunch of research studies that suggest that food addiction produces chemicals in the brain similar to drug addiction. I am not a doctor, so I’m not here to dispute these claims.

I am however a food addict.

I say that in the present tense because I believe that addictions are never “cured.” We just learn to create speed bumps and/or roadblocks for our bad habits.  One of my speed bumps is that I never bring “kryptonite foods” into my home. No bread and no sweets. Read the rest of this entry »

During my weight loss journey, I hardly ever weighed myself.

Why?

 Because I hated when I exercised like a mad dog, ate super-duper healthy all week…and then the scale showed a three pound weight gain. I didn’t want to hear “but you’re building muscle” or “you’re a woman and sometimes you just retain extra water.” Read the rest of this entry »