You are going to put that tube where? What? Back there?

No Pictures for this blog - too graphic!

I approached my first colonic hydrotherapy session with plenty of research and armed with knowledge. I found interesting articles about the pratice and researched the perfect therapist. Okay, in North Carolina there are few people in this profession. Lets face it....who wants to look at someone butt all day and the sewage that comes out of it. But I wanted someone I felt comfortable with. So I kept calling and asking the right questions. I wanted an experienced person, with over 10 years and preferably a female. I also wanted a person of color, Asian, Hispanic, African American or Indian. I wanted to feel comfortable. I hit the lottery with Bobby, she is a nurse and has been doing colonics for over 15 years. She is also African American and well versed in nutrition.

Here is an interesting fact:

• Did you know that in one form or another cleansing of the large intestine (bowel or colon) has been practiced since 1500 BC?

Well, off I went and I was scared. Now those of you who know me, know I do not scare easily. Even with all my research I was still fearful. I called my friends the morning of to say good bye. In case I died on the table. I know funny, what a way to go! I even called Monique a new friend that morning to say I was off. I think she now knows I am certified....LOL. She was like okay, you will be okay. I drove to the location and sat for 4 mins...Just pondering what in the hell did I get myself into.

Then Bobby came to the office door and waved me in...Damn she saw me! I could not pull away. She invited me in her office and we discussed the procedure, the benefits and if there was any reason for me to be so nervous. She took me into the procedure room that looked so innocent, with a wonderful calming smell and soft music playing. I was like okay...this may not be so bad. She directed me to undress and what position to lay on the table. In order to relax, I took out my Palm to play solitaire while I waited. I undressed as instructed, got on the table and started a fierce game of Solitaire. Bobby entered into the room and started discussing what would happen next. She showed me the packaged tubes, I jumped up and said "You are going to but that tube where? What? Back There? I was half way off the table and reaching for my sweats. In my research I thought the tube would be the size of tubes used for IVs. Yes, folks....I did. I envisioned a smaller tube in my mind. Bobby in her calming voice explained that size tube would get clogged and could not be used.

Folks, I am a virgin! Okay, Okay! Well, I am there...and that tube looked big to me and I was worried! I was saving that for marriage. It was the least I could offer! Okay I know TMI!

So I took a few minutes to calm myself and to ask a few more questions. Like why that size? Is that industry standard? Do men complain about the size? Boy I had some funny questions. I eventually allowed her to begin the process. Now everyone thinks that their stuff does not stink. I am here to tell you mine does not! Especially when its contained in a tube and goes thru a machine. It was a weird experience, but worth it! The system used purified warm water to clean my colon and push out impacted and old stuff. She massaged my stomach and that seemed to help get some more out of me. After it was done, I weighed a whopping 4.5 lbs less. I was amazed at how clear my thoughts were. Initially after I had one craving for oysters. I had some and then my cravings were gone. I have not craved since then. My skin looks good, it is glowing.

I went for a second session and I love it! I am eating nothing but veggies and I did have turkey meatballs one day, but they upset my stomach so much, I have opted to eat only fish. My third session is on March 1st and the very next day I train with my new trainer.

You will have to read my next blog for up to date pictures and to get information about my new trainer. Who is FINE! That's right ladies get a fine ass trainer. It is motivation to go workout with a fine man. My trainer has abs and a cute hard butt! I know because I accidently elbowed him there and hurt my funny bone!

Off to the gym!

My Small Steps - My passionate good byes

So before I start on my vegetarian experience I had 2 cities to visit. One was Toronto, it was not a scheduled trip, I confess it was last minute. But hey! I was entitled to one last hurrah and Toronto has great restaurants. Thank goodness the cold weather kept me from roaming the streets for food. I did have a few great last meals there! What a way to divorce meat, with a one last romance in a foreign city that is known for their diverse restaurant. I had one last good bye to duck, a wonderful rib eye and baked pork chops with sweet carmelized onions and this heavenly apple ragout. I need to upload pictures from those meals!

Then I was off to St. Louis for a weekend with Shantel and her cute daughter Ilana. That is Ilana in the middle wearing pink. She is only 2 but she knows fashion and she loves pink! Drea is behind her and Chi Chi is to the right. Chi Chi is Shantel's sister, who got Shantel to move to St. Louis. While in St. Louis I had a BBQ sandwich that delicious! And I said farewell to hotdogs, yes folks, I have had a torrid romance w/hot dogs. Yes, I know they are not healthy for me. I realize what they are made of and quite frankly I did not care. I loved the flavor, the savory taste when coupled with mustard. Not just any mustard, as a foodie, I only wanted the best. I loved Dijon mustard with my hot dogs. So, Shantel took me to my favorite place where I ingested 2 foot long hot dogs. I am ashamed, but I needed to overdose on hot dogs. What I did not confess to Shantel that weekend was that I had 2 hot dogs while waiting for the plane. I know...I know...but I got rid of the craving for hot dogs, at least that weekend!

When I got back, I realized I had one more weekend trip to take. A visit my Aunt Pat, who can out cook Emril and out dress the best. Cooking and fashion are her passions, she has more shoes than she can count and a cult following in Atlanta. She cooks every day, thank goodness she is naturally skinny so the weight she put in in her later years just fills her out and makes her look normal instead of the model size she used to wear. I put in my request of dishes, and folks it was time for me to say good bye to pork. Yes folks, ribs - Love them!!! I even eat oh...lets just say. From the rooter to the tooter, I ate it all. Aunt Pat obliged my wishes and Nicole came to town to make sure I did it in moderation. I was in hog heaven! Fresh Virginia ham, bacon, ribs, pig feet and you know what else. I said farewell and happy trails to pork. Thank you Aunt Pat! Thank you Atlanta for showing me a new lifestyle and having all the provisions so I could say good bye to pork.

The good byes were done! Now I had to schedule my first colonic hydrotherapy, especially after eating all that meat! 3 weekends of a meat fest. I needed to cleanse my system and get on with the program. Read my blog about "You are going to put that tube where? What? Back there?"

The background - What got me here.....

This photo to the left is AOL's 2005 Holiday party. I would love to say this was the last "Meat" supper. But NO, it was not. Before having my ephinany, I hit a few more parties and a few more cities where "meat" reigns supreme. Read below to discover how I got to this decision:

Okay, I decided to become a vegetarian. I was once a healthy vegetarian 10 years ago. I was physically active and I did not have a problem finding great vegetarian dishes. I lived in DC, with access with many cultures that shared the vegetarian lifestyle. I used to live on Connecticut Avenue, right down the street from a small health food store. In my neighborhood, I could get dim sum, Thai food and the city offered so many diverse restaurants. It was so easy!

Why did I go back to the meat road? Hot dogs, ribs and my mothers pot roast.....But I can't blame my mother's delightful pot roast, I just love to cook and thought I could eat anything. My philosophy was if I could cook it, then I should eat it. I guess I should remind folks I had a catering business....Elegant Expressions. Nicole T, my business partner had great restraint, she only ate the fish and barely touched chicken. She was just becoming a vegetarian. While I admired her resilience, someone had to taste our dishes to ensure they were up to our standards. Also, our clients were people with the means to hire a caterer for almost every event. So our menu was extensive and delectable. : ) I took cooking classes to keep our menu updated with new ideas and dishes.

Also as a traveling woman, I learned about other cultures thru their food. If I was in Argentina, a good steak and a bottle of red wine would be consumed. Barbados - fried flying fish was my downfall, in Germany - I ate pork shanks that was so delightful. In lovely Jamaica - Curry Goat and ice cold beer. South Africa - I ate everything presented to me, I even ate catepillars. There are many more countries, and I have scrapbooks full of pictures of scenic, architectural landmarks and of my favorite dishes. I consider myself a true adventurous foodie. I thought of starting a Foodies Travel Guide, but was consumed with my travels and eating I did not have time to write.

Now 10 years later and we won't even discuss how much weight I have added on. What prompted me to go back to being a vegetarian? My good friend Nicole T (from Memphis, TN) asked me to come to her graduation. She has been touting the benefits of being a vegetarian for years. She was attending the Living Foods institute in Atlanta, Georgia. I thought it was some yoga and meditative retreat and I was prepared to do my down dog and clear my mind. However the Living institute is a center where they teach folks how to live a raw food lifestyle. First let me tell you I was very skeptical. Until I saw Nicole! Nicole is about 5'10 and used to wear a size 10-12. Now she is a size 6, if that!. I had not seen her in 1.5 years, since her move to Memphis. I know she had changed her eating habits, she gave up dairy and cooked foods. I did not comprehend what that meant until I sat thru the presentation and then ate some of the dishes. My goodness, I never knew raw vegetables could be so versatile and delicious! I had a mock salmon dish that was better than salmon. I had a raw lasagna dish that would make you wonder why isn't this on every Italian restaurants menu! The Rejuvelac champagne calmed my thirst better than any drink I ever had, with the exception of water.

That weekend, Nicole introduced me to another world. She took me around Atlanta to co-op markets, the Whole foods store and showed me the beginning stages of eating healthy.

Now I had to decide what to do and how to do it. Read my small steps blog.

A weighty issue

What happened to the picture of the lady in my profile? That picture was taken 1 year ago, at Shawn's birthday dinner and here I am below, one year later with a inner tube around my waist and one size bigger. I am so ashamed....I have gained the weight after a wonderful year of relaxation and travel. Now I am back to work and with additional weight on me.

The two lovely ladies are my former co-workers and friends Tanya and Lisa. I attended AOL's holiday party, after a year away from my old company, Lisa invited my back to DC and to the party. I thought it was a great way to catch up with my old friends all at once. I was told "You look great, " "So relaxed" and various other great compliments, but I know I have gained weight and thought to myself...Okay Now that you have conquered the work life balance.

Now it's time to conquer the fat.

Rod a good friend at AOL, with potential to be more ;), suggested I start blogging and putting up new photos of my lifestyle change. Now please remember folks this weight did not just accumulate over the past year (the inner tube did) but the weight part came over a period of 2.5 years. Part of it was because of a stressful lifestyle and my bad work habits. I was a work-a-holic! With my 2 hour commute to work and back, I stopped working out and focused on my career. There just was not enough time in the day and something had to fall off. It wasn't until a health scare and major surgery that I decided to move and to live a less chaotic life.

This past year has been filled with traveling, spending more time with family/friends and decorating the new house. Now that I am settled into a nice rhythm, I have more free time to work out. Now is the hard part....How do I motivate myself to go to the gym consistently?

Read my post to find out my baby steps.....