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Follow my quest for the elusive six pack of abs here!!

True To Form!

Just as I’m about to start on my plan tailored by Derek at Scivation, I go and get sick the weekend I was supposed to start it. Shit!

On Saturday we went to a cultural function with my mom and the foold was most likely homemade. That should’ve been my first red flag. I was starving, so I dove into the rice, chicken, salad and potato salad. I knew I should’ve stopped but I was ravenous.

Fast forward to Sunday, and I am horribly nauseous. Sunday night I developed a fever, to go with my nausea, and went to bed early. I’ve been knocked out with food poisoning since Sunday. It is now Tuesday.

I am well enough to get up but I still feel a bit wobbly. I had some abdominal pains but they aren’t as painful as yesterday. I’m just trying to detox and rehydrate.

You never know how much you miss a workout until you can’t do it anymore. Oh well! I guess my immune system could always use the challenge.

Sorry!

I was gone for so long because I didn’t have time for fitness. And as a result, my weight went up to where I started back in February. I am seriously disappointed with myself but I am picking it up. I’ve started working out again, started a good training plan and am eating right.

I’ve added quinoa, tofu and bulgur to our diet rotation and I am in love. Quinoa will now be a staple in the house, and bulgur is SUPER satisfying. I love it.

I also went to TeamScivation.com to get my free personal training profile! I am stoked!

New Strategy: New Workout Every Week

So we will be starting a new workout every week. I have a surplus of highly effective workouts, and keeping the body guessing is a sure way to beat plateaus. This week we are doing a HIIT workout with calisthenics/weight training first (4 sets of 15; only 4 exercises) then 20 minutes of intense HIIT and ending with one set of 15 reps of 3 body weight exercises.

Next week we will be doing pyramids. The diet is also tighter (no more treats or cheat meals), so hopefully I’ll have some good news for you at the end of this week.

Recipe of the Week: Quick and Easy Akoho sy Voanio

So delicious! One of our faves of all time!

(This pic is not mine, but mine looks just like it!)

I LOVE this recipe. It was quick, easy and tasty. Don’t worry about the coconut milk. Coconut milk is actually very good for the diet. Here’s the recipe courtesy of The Congo Cookbook (online).

What you need

•one chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
•juice of one lemon (optional)
•one teaspoon grated lemon rind (optional)
•salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper (to taste)
•enough oil for frying (coconut oil if possible)
•two onions, chopped
•two cloves of garlic, minced
•two or three tomatoes, chopped
•two teaspoons ground ginger (or one teaspoon fresh ginger, minced)
•one cup coconut milk (see the note about coconut milk on the Wali wa Nazi recipe page)

What you do:

•In a glass dish, marinate the chicken in the lemon juice, lemon rind, salt, and pepper for about an hour.
•Heat oil in dutch oven or any large covered pot. Sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the chicken and continue to cook and stir until the chicken is nearly done. Reduce heat. Add tomatoes and ginger and stir for a few minutes.
•Add coconut milk and simmer over low heat until chicken is fully cooked and sauce is thickened. Stir often.

To serve Malagasy style, serve over rice flavored with the remaining coconut milk and seasoned with some turmeric and/or Sazon Goya (in your ethnic food aisle or international market selling hispanic foods).

I also added some lentils for extra protein to the rice. I cooked the rice in the rice cooker and steamed some veggies simultaneously. This is going to be a hit! I also used chicken breast (boneless skinless).

Whoa! Where Did You Come From?

So I got on the scale yesterday, and like three pounds creeped up on me. Whoa! Where did those–

Okay, I know where. I slept on my healthy lifestyle, and opted for the convenient lifestyle that lures us in everytime.

I am not going to get down on myself. Those three pounds may possibly help kick start some serious weight loss (I was slowing down a bit), so I am choosing to see this as a positive.

It’s hard but try not to deviate. It takes just a few days or a week or two to erase some of your hard work.

Getting Back to Business…

So far, it’s been good to get back to our routine at the gym and kick some ass. I’m a little sore today, but doing fine overall. We did cardio today for 30 minutes (intervals) and broke a nice sweat.

Last night, I was challenged. My man suggested we get a blizzard (Dairy Queen) but I resisted. That WAS HARD! I’ve got to tell you, it was the hardest thing to do even after JUST a week or two of screw ups. Best advice, is don’t ever do anything that’s not a “controlled” decision.

For example, Saturday we are going to see movies. We’ll probably get some popcorn and ice cream, but that’s it. I think a treat isn’t too bad, but to get into excusing constant deviations from doing the right thing is dangerous, and murky, territory.

Love It! 180-lb. Model In Glamour Magazine Photo Causes Stir

Not every model needs to be skinny...

Get it, mami!

I am not taking anything away from certain models, even fitness models. There are some pictures that look really great on a certain frame, but they should not be the standard as they are now. A model her size (I am sure she’s tall, so keep that in mind) should be just as well represented as the skinnier, stick thin models. Her body, in my opinion, is lovely! Go Lizzi!

Slender, leggy supermodels such as Bar Refaeli and Gisele Bundchen are taking a backseat these days to an unlikely supermodel contender in the form of Lizzi Miller — all 180 glorious pounds of her.

Miller, at 20 already a seven-year veteran of the modeling world, rocked the magazine industry and the blogosphere when her photo appeared alongside an article on women’s body confidence in the September issue of Glamour magazine. The photo shows Miller in all her blond beauty, flashing a confident smile — but also flashing some stomach pooch that hangs over her thong bikini.

Within a day, Glamour was inundated with comments, overwhelmingly positive, about the magazine’s showcasing a beautiful model unafraid to let it all hang out. Web sites such as Facebook, MSN and Jezebel.com were consumed with dialogue over Miller’s photo, and Newsweek.com dedicated Web space to a renewed debate over women’s body image.

For more click here to read the rest of the story on MSNBC

Maybe next time, she’ll make it to the front, Glamour? See, diversity can be good. We all come in different shapes and sizes, and that gives life so much flavor.

What do you think, is she just right? Or is she too “fat”?

Back to the grind! Skinny Jeans Season Is Upon Us!

Yes! They'd look even better on my thick thighs...with some more work

I am a fiend for skinny jeans and leggings. I admit I took a detour from working out this week, and I’m starting to see losses, and not gains.

Come hell or high water, I will be at the gym tomorrow. There are far too many fashions, dinner parties, concerts, fashion shows and events this fall, for me to be looking anything but right.

Thus far, following an organic, anticancer diet has helped. I am loving working on my cooking and flexing my culinary muscle. Experimenting with different spices and vegetables has been rewarding, and I am really proud of what I’ve been putting into our bodies.

It’s such a shame that more American families are unable to do that, because of government rewards for all the wrong foods, and not the right ones. Hopefully, I can continue to educate to the best of my ability.

I will be launching AfroMom Fitness blog this week. Everyone is welcome, but I know that there is a certain perception about food in the black community, that may be contributing to our lack of wellness. Anyone is welcome to share ideas, it’s just the content may be more tailored and pointed. Hope to see you all there!

New Documentary “The World According to Monsanto” Sheds Light on GMOs

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This is one of the most powerful, must see films for anyone interested in the behind the scenes world of the food industry, and how just one world dominating corporation holds the keys and patents to much of the worlds food supply.

Click here to see the full documentary!