Navigating My Way: Goal Reaching and New York Adventures

Wow! I haven't posted in a while. Not to worry. My momentum hasn't stopped, at least as far as my activity goes. Yet again, I was unmotivated to write because I had reached a standstill. My weight loss had come to a never ending wave of uncertainty;One day I would lose a pound, the next I would gain two. I'll be the first to admit that on occasion, I may have had a few indulgences, but nothing I didn't feel couldn't be worked off with exercise. Prior to my recent trip to New York, I had even made a vow to start taking lunch to work everyday. This decision was made to not only to control my portions, but to save money. When I realized that my paycheck was 200.00 smaller from just conveniently scanning my badge at the lunchroom register, I had to do some damage control. I once watched a "The Biggest Loser" episode when financial guru Suze Orman was on there. I found it interesting that she discovered that a lot of people who are overweight have financial problems as well. Although I don't consider myself to be extremely overweight anymore or in tons of debt, I could see the correlation. When you have an attachment to food, you may have a tendency to make financial decisions that nurture that attachment. My mindless scanning (even though I was getting what I perceived to be healthy meals)would eventually lead me back to where I started. I don't want that. Losing weight is about being in control and constant self awareness. By committing to making my own breakfast and lunch, I stay in control of both my spending and eating. So, I thought my weight loss rut would be immediately solved with my new habits, but it wasn't. The scale stayed literally at the same spot for the last two weeks before my trip. Knowing this, I went on vacation without the intent of going on vacation from my healthy lifestyle. I was fortunate that the wonderful hotel we were in had a small gym, so I would get up about 3 out of the 5 days we were there at the crack of dawn and work out at least thirty minutes. I would then have a light breakfast. My mom and I would then start our daily venture out into the great burroughs of New York. We walked several miles daily, including navigating the rugged subway. It's funny that even though we were dog tired, we would find some excuse to keep going: a hair or clothing store (my mama's vices,lol), somebody doing something very odd(an everyday occurrence), a carribbean restaurant(my vice). I loved every minute of it! We didn't even have to do the traditional touristy stuff like tour the Empire State Building or Statue of Liberty. Although I hope to go back and do those things, I really enjoyed walking. Being apart of that massive community called New York for that short period of time was exhilarating!.

Me in Harlem in front of a cool mural. Representing with my BGR tee!

Me in front of the Brooklyn Museum. Great neighborhood! Reminds of the Cosby Show.

Superwings! I stumbled upon this gem of Caribbean delight! I saw it on Food Network once. Now, I will digress a bit and make note of a few interesting observations. 1. You must own some type of electronic listening device to navigate the subway if you're a native. I think this helps relieve the stress of the everyday hustle and bustle. 2. Walk at your own risk! Contrary to public belief, pedestrians do not have the right of way in New York City(even if the sign says you do, don't believe the hype, lol). My mom and I were almost street pizza several times! 3. There is a very fine line between trendy and tacky. I saw some great trends, and some hot messes. I don't think I fit into either category, but leading to number 4. In New York, you are free to do you! It doesn't matter what you have on, you are looked at as an individual, and frankly, I don't think anybody cares! 5. People are much nicer than they appear. Just because New Yorkers don't smile and greet you all the time, they are very personable. Everyone was very kind when we approached them.6.The sun rises earlier up north, like at 5am! I was pleasantly awakened by the sun each day. Luckily, we would go to bed pretty early so I got a full 8 hours sleep, even staying in the middle of Brooklyn, near a subway! With all that being said, I loved New York. I was initially a little down when I first got there. I was very intimidated by the atmosphere and thought I would give in to temptation, eating everything in my path. Yet, I had a plan, and I stuck to it. I only took out so much money a day to spend on clothes and food, and opted for places with a variety of fresh food(I did indulge in some specialty cupcakes, but only half a piece for me, please!) We literally walked about twenty miles, including the 1.5 miles of Brooklyn Bridge I ran the second day I was there.I also got to have a great time with my favorite girl in the world, my mom! WEIGHT LOSS TODAY: I am down 67 lbs since last January. I am finally in the 150s, 8 more lbs to my goal!