Cleansing Me

  “I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .”

                                                                               Michael Jackson

I’m Ready!! I know for certain that I’m finally ready to embark on this 30 Day Cleansing  Journey. My herbal laxative tea is brewing as I write this post. Since last year it’s been a start/stop situation  and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I couldn’t complete the cleanse like I did once before. Then I realized that the emotional issues I’ve been dealing with were the reasons why I couldn’t stay focused, not just on the cleanse but in every  aspect of my life. My mind was cluttered with too much baggage and I had a hard time preparing my lessons for my students/classes, practicing and preparing for my performances. I’ve been seeing a therapist to help me deal with my emotional issues and so far so good. I’ve decided not to participate in any performances this summer so that I could finally work on “ME”; the mental ME, Emotional ME & the Physical ME!!

At the heart of ALL of my current problems is how F*d Up my Mental ME is! I know I shouldn’t be cursing, but the reality is that the Mental ME is pretty F*d Up and if I want to truly and fully enjoy my life then I need to deal witht the issues that have been plaguing me since my childhood. When I started this blog in 2007 I said the hardest part of this cleansing process would be the mental aspect and I was right. Ideally one would think I’d focus on fixing the Mental ME first then work on the Physical ME, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take for  the Mental ME to get with the program so I’m doing everything simultaneously. Hopefully that will expedite the process of me FINALLY being FREE! Free from the shadow beliefs and the negativity that put me in the position to hide my true self under layers and layers of  fat. This cleanse is so much more than losing weight for me. Yes, I will be monitoring the changes in my body and how the Master Cleanser will help me cure my current ailments; dermatitis, obesity, hypertension, edema, discoid lupus, glaucoma, but having to work on my emotional issues and the traumatic experiences I’ve suppressed for years without the ability to turn to food as a source of comfort is where my struggle lies.

Now I’m drinking my herbal tea… so raise whatever glass you have in your hand for a toast, if you don’t have anything go get some water !

Here’s to starting with that Man/Woman in the mirror!!

And asking Him/Her to Make That Change!

If You Wanna Make YOUR World a Better Place… Take a Look at YOURSELF and MAKE THAT CHANGE!! Cheers!! :) 

Master Cleanse Me 2009, My thoughts, Relationships Cleansing, Emotional, Master Cleanser, MasterCleanseMe, Mental, Physical, Therapy, Twitter, Wellness

“Never Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today”

I can definitely say I’m a “tomorrow” kinda gal! Always taking for granted the fact that I’m not promised tomorrow. However, yesterday was a reminder that life is simply too short. In just a few days we lost 3 people that touched the hearts of many across the globe. Ed, Farrah and Michael may be gone, but their memory will live on through the TV shows, music, movies, and interviews left behind.

I’ve had so much junk in my life that has kept me living my life to the FULLEST. I’m young and should be living like a young lady… free to explore the world and just enjoy my entire life not just some parts. I’ve been video taping a lot, the good, the bad and the ugly! Once I find the widget that allows me to put videos up on my blog. I’ll be uploading them here. I won’t be uploading full videos on YouTube for the simple fact that I can’t protect my videos from being used on other sites without my permission. Apparently once you post a video on YouTube it’s public domain. In the mean time I’ve vowed to post an entry every day for the next 30 days.  I recently had a birthday and I told myself  NO MORE EMPTY PROMISES!! I would not do the cleanse during this new birthyear until I knew for sure that I was ready to complete it for the length of time I set out to do it for!  The time is NOW! On Tuesday, I started seeing a therapist, whose going to help me cleanse my mind and the toxic issues that I’ve been carrying for years. Our first session went well and I’m just looking forward to the day when I can literally put the past behind me and move forward and actually allow myself to enjoy living! I’ve gotten so many responses from people who have said that I’ve inspired them and I want to continue doing that. I don’t want to be a disappointment, so no more disappearing acts on my part, I promise! Round 1 of 3 begins today, June 26th and will end on July 5t.h. I’ll post stats and pics on a page I’ll create  today! look out for another post later on this evening. now I’m off to bed… gotta get up in a few hours to go to the gym for my morning swim! Good night! Follow me on Twitter .

MC Daily Log, Master Cleanse Me 2009, My thoughts

It’s been a long time since I’ve blogged and too much to get into now, but I’m getting myself together and I’m back on track. I’ve attempted to do the cleanse several times since  March of last year with not much success. I’m currently on Day #7 and feeling pretty good. I’m documenting my entire experience in a self-made documentary and will start uploading the videos on June 1st… the anniversary of the day I started this blog 2 years ago. 

If you’ve ever done the cleanse CORRECTLY, you know how amazing you feel! I have read so many articles and have seen so many videos of people saying, “How Dangerous is it to do something like the Master Cleanser.”  Well I’m doing this to prove them wrong, and to hopefully show how the cleanse can cure some of the common ailments most people, especially Americans, face today. I think I’m the perfect candidate to do so since I’ve been raised on the Standard  American Diet (S.A.D.) and YES the results of being on it is pretty SAD.  This cleansing journey is going to help me reverse the damage that has been caused by years of eating processed food, taking different medications and so on. 

On April 16th I had two appointments to assess my current physical condition. My first appointment was a physical w/ the Nurse Practitioner from the Columbia Medical Practice in Columbia, MD. The nurse’s assistant tried to weigh me and couldn’t get a reading because the scale went only up to 350 lbs. I had to tel her how much I weighed, which I guessed at 357 from the last time I weighed myself at home. When I got home that evening I weighed myself and I was actually 365 lbs.  They took my Blood Pressure and it was pretty high at 210/112 and my pulse was 71. She immediately put me on a  BP meds. (which I knew I wasn’t going to  take). She also ordered some blood work to check my cholesterol and my glucose levels. The results from the glucose test will let us know if I had diabetes. I was suppose to have a follow up with her on April 30th to get a BP check, but I rescheduled that appt. mainly because I currently don’t have health insurance and I’m not paying $110 just to get my BP check, so my follow up is on May 28th, Day 30 of my cleanse.

My next appointment was later that evening with the Naturopathic Doctor  who owns the Dande-Lion Herb Shop in Glen Burnie, MD. She did a COMPASS test on me. I saw her in 2006 and had an iridology test done. She also uses Applied Kinesiology (AK) to diagnose me, to find out more on this method read this, Diagnosis of Disease . She tested my BP using  (AK) and determined that I was severely dehydrated which is one of the causes of my high BP. I told her that I would be doing the Master Cleanser and using (AK) said that 24 days of the cleanse would good for me right now, but I decided extending it for 6 more days couldn’t hurt. She said that the cleanse would pretty much cure me of all my current ailments, especially the edema and the high BP. I’m going to schedule a follow up appt. with her on  my birthday May 29th, my first day off the cleanse.

I thought it would be great to see just how toxic my body is before I start the cleanse. After doing some research, I discovered that hair tissue  mineral analysis (HTMA) would give me accurate results. HTMA wouldn’t work for everyone, but I’m a good candidate for this type of testing because my hair is natural and I don’t have any chemicals, relaxers, coloring in it. So on April 28th I cut a lock of my hair for testing. Also I discovered that the Wellness Center at my workplace, Howard Community College,  offered BP screening. So I went to see the nurse there after I got my blood work done at the lab. Tanya, the RN was very helpful. She took my BP which was higher than when iI saw nurse Practitioner Nettina 12 days prior.  BP was 210/133, pulse was 101 and my weight was 272 lbs. I explained to her that I was going to start the Master Cleanser then transition to being a Vegetarian/Vegan. I told her that I was documenting everything and she even offered to help me since she offers advice as a dietitian as well. She advised my not to really do any exercise while until I get my BP down, because I could possibly have a heart attack since I’m not taking the BP meds. I’m scheduled to see her today and very anxious to see if my BP dropped a bit after 6 days on the Master Cleanser. I already expect to see a drop in my weight because #1 I was on my menstrual cycle and was bloated and the edema in my legs have significantly decreased since then. As for the exercising? I started the cleanse on April 29th and didn’t exercise for the first 4 days. I swam 21 laps (over 1/2 mile) in 59 mins. on Sunday and yesterday 38 laps (over 1 mile) in 1 hr. 58 mins. and no heart attack so far.  So that’s what’s been going on with me . You can follow my on Twitter. Click on MasterCleanseMe to get mini messages of how my cleanse is going and get updates of my blog posts. I’ll be back to recap my 1st week on the cleanse after i go swimming tonight since I didn’t go swimming this morning. Until then have a great day!!

Master Cleanse Me 2009, My thoughts

It’s been awhile…. almost 3 months!! Something things have changed and some have stayed the same. I’ve been working on building web pages and I hope to have the new look up for this site. It’s really cool and fun. I was trying to get it up first, but I’ll just do that when I’m done.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. It’s been a while since I’ve really been to church, but I went this evening to receive my ashes and blessings. This coupled with Oprah’s show today about the Secret and the Law of Attraction really opened this belief in me that things will be different. I truly feel that I will be a happy person and I really see that I will be successful in everything I choose to succeed in my life. I’ve made strong decisions on what my life will be like and I know that all of my goals will be achieved.

My thoughts, Uncategorized

Well it’s Friday and I feel great!! “Ma Nature” has said farewell for the month and today I was able to go swimming for the first time this week. I didn’t make my swimming goal for the week, (which was to swim 3 hours a week) but I got in one real good hour today. I did 22 laps in 58 mins. which is a little over a half mile and I stretched the last two mins. It’s been several weeks since I last swam, but I felt that I swam much faster today than I did in the past. I weighed myself yesterday because one of the challenges I’m on in Weight Loss Wars  has a Thursday weigh-in and I have to take a pic of my feet on the scale and post it in on my journal. So Tuesday when I was trying to make my updated You Tube video (<–click) I weighed myself to get a pic to post up and to my surprise I weighed 318.6 lbs. Of course I was overjoyed, then I realized that my cycle was coming to an end for the month and that definitely affected my weight. Yesterday I weighed 317 lbs. and I know for sure that I’ll be under 300 lbs. by the 1st of December for my Christmas Concert. So all in all things are going well. I have to go update my WLW’s profile now and I think I’ll enter the some recipes tonight too with pictures. Stay tuned for my Sunday Weekly Update!!

Fat Burning Diet, Fitness, Food, My thoughts, Weight Loss Wars, You Tube Weekly Updates

Well, I’m back on track as of today and glad to say that today was a very good day. I’ve been  slacking on my commitment to exercise and stay on a restricted caloric diet. However, I am proud of the fact that I’m doing very well at being a vegetarian and that 90% of the foods that I ate in the past 6 weeks have been raw fruits, veggies and whole foods. 10% was pretty much junk food!! Even when I’ve gotten in my little moods, I at least turned to healthy choices to comfort me. We all know that weight loss and trying to make a lifestyle change is not easy, but it is very doable. 

This weekend I was chatting with a friend from YouTube, Daphne, and you would think that we’ve been friends forever the way we’ve been corresponding with each other. Her You Tube videos are very entertaining and inspiring. We’ve been sharing ideas back and forth all weekend and she’s decided to try “The Fat Buring Diet” to achieve her goal as well. It’s because of Daphne that I joined this really cool site called Weight Loss Wars. Basically they use community and competition as a means for everyone to obtain their goals, stay motivated and accountable. I think joining this site was the extra kick my behind needed for me to get out of my slacking mentality. I’m pumped, and motivated and I really see me getting to my final destination. Check out my profile right here  (click–>) UneBelleNoir. You can check my stats and track my progress.  I’ve already entered two public challenges and I’m trying to get in the private challenge Daphne’s in. She also had a website to track her weight loss  journey. It’s really cool, check it out (click–>) Aninchbyaninch.

Day 1 of 50 complete!! I WILL NOT enter the new year weighing 300+ lbs.!!! This year, 2007, is the last year that I will see a 3 as the first number in my weight and if I work extremely hard, December will be the only month of this year that I can claim being 200+ lbs. I’m back at 323 lbs. I’ve seen that number reappear one too many times and now it’s time to say good-bye & farewell to it forever!!

I’m using Jay Robb’s “The Fat Burning Diet” as my weight loss guide and vowing to follow it exactly. Today was a low carb day and I consumed 1,683.9 calories. I’m a bit over because I miscalculated but it’s ok. I did 60 mins of cardio today, Turbo Jam Cardio Party (40 mins.) and Running/Walking in 2 min. intervals (20 mins.) I’m excited because I really feel that I’m going to achieve my goals. Here’s to a new day, a new beginning, a new me and a new you. One day at a time, that’s all we can do right?

Fat Burning Diet, Fitness, Food, My thoughts, Weight Loss Wars

Well, my first month of being a vegetarian is going well. I really don’t miss the fact that I haven’t had meat in the past 29 days. It does take a lot of work though… you know  being healthy and all. Notice I stopped the daily food journal thing. I have a notebook that I’m keeping that info on and periodically I’ll probably put a day on here, but I want this to be a blog not a food diary. I want to talk about my changes and information that I find helpful to you guys.

Back to what I was saying… trying to live a healthy lifestyle takes a lot of work!!!  We are so use to things being quick and easy and we believe everything that’s put before us. The majority of the food items that are labeled “healthy” are not. I know for a fact because I have spent too many hours in the grocery store reading labels trying to find foods that I can have.  Here are some tips that I want to share with you so far about making this healthy lifestyle transition.

1. Read, read, read the labels for the ingredients!! I can not stress this enough. You would be surprised to see how many foods you thought were good for you that had high fructose corn syrup as the 2nd ingredient usually after enriched flour. When you buy food, the first 5 ingredients should NOT be sugar, high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour (of any kind), saturated fat or hydrogenated oils.
2. If you don’t know the ingredients or the calories of a food item, don’t eat it.
3. Start cooking for yourself and family!! I have been preparing my meals because that’s the only way I can keep track of what I’m really putting in my body.
4. Don’t drink empty calories! That 130 calorie juice or soda could be used for something more filling.
5. Watch your portions and measure everything out just so you don’t go overboard.
6. Make sure that you have 12 hours of fasting between dinner and breakfast the next day. Just to make sure that everything you ate the prior day is digested properly.
7. Consume less processed foods and more whole foods. Makes a huge difference!!

I haven’t been consistent with the exercise like I should be so that’s what I have to work on the most. So, I’ve made a commitment to myself to exercise at least 40 mins a day. If I happen to do more that great but I have to do 40 mins straight of something, walking, workout DVD, dancing, swimming etc. daily. Also I’ve decided to just weigh myself on Mondays only and use the Calories Needed for that weight for the entire week. For instance this morning I weighed 320.8 lbs so I need to consume 3502 calories to maintain this weight or consume between 2560-2802 calories to lose weight by next Monday.  I realized that I don’t need to come up with new calculations every day especially if I’m consuming 1600 calories daily anyway. I don’t have a personal chef, dietitian, nutritionist, or personal trainer so I have to do all the calculations and food preparations myself and hold myself accountable for how I take care of my body. The one thing I do notice that it will get easier as time passes by.  Counting the calories and shopping for the right foods at the grocery store is way easier and faster than it was the first few weeks. I also love how creative I’ve been in the kitchen. All the meals and snack I’ve prepared are really tasty and healthy full of lots of protein and fiber. I’ve taken  pictures too which I’ll share with you on a Recipe page plan to create as well as my long awaited You Tube update video. Until next time, happy living.

Fitness, Food, My thoughts

Hey guys!! I know I’ve been MIA, but a lot has been going on these past two weeks. As you can see … No more Master Cleanser for the rest of this year 2007.  I will do it for no more than 10 days every other season. So the last 10 days of Winter 2008 is when I’ll do the cleanse again.  Now it’s time to focus on losing weight on a restricted 1200-1600 calorie diet and an intense workout regimen that will help me get to my final weight range. 

I’ll be using the Fat Burning Diet by Jay Robb as a guide, tailoring it to a way of eating that I know I can stick with. 75%  of what I’ll eat will be raw veggies, fruits, nuts and grains and 25% will be something cooked or processed like boiled eggs, veggie burgers cheese and non-fat plain yogurt. I will  eat 3 meals a day allowing 4-6 hours in between each meal for proper digestion and 12 hours of fasting between dinner and breakfast the next day.  I’ll be rotating between Low-Carb and High-Carb Meals. I’ll also be using variations of the plan for days that need it, like today for instance I did the “Two Meals A Day” because I didn’t get a chance to eat something til after noon. I’m not using his suggested daily menu, I’m just choosing  from the list of food that I’m allowed to have to make meals that are more convenient for me at the moment and I’m avoiding the foods he says to avoid. My main goal is to eat more raw, less processed foods and stay with in the 1200-1600 calorie range. I will be doing a better job of blogging about this daily. I took my  before pictures today and well as my measurements and I’ll takes those every two weeks. So here are my stats for the day:

Weight: 327 lbs.   

Calories Needed (<– click to get calculator) to maintain my body weight with little to no exercise today.  Maintenance: 2,605 cal.  Fat Loss Range: 2,616 -2,616 cal.

” This calculator uses the Mifflin formula, which currently appears to be one of the most accurate predictive equations for both normal weight and obese individuals. The calculator predicts REE (Resting Energy Expenditure). Exercise levels are then factored in. Fat loss levels are calculated by subtracting 20% of daily calories. There is always a “rock bottom” value factored in - which is 8 calories per pound of body weight.” 

Calories Consumed: “Two Meals A Day” (no breakfast, high-carb lunch & dinner)

Lunch (high-carb): 130 calories 

1.6 oz. Kashi Go Lean Cereal Dry (130 cal.)

Dinner (high-carb): 1,092.1 calories

Trail Mix Spinach Salad, (984.5)

• 2 cups Organic Baby Spinach (10)
• 6 pieces Mrs. Mays Natural: Cran-Blueberry Crunch (172)
• 1/4 cup Berkley & Jensen raw shelled walnuts (200)
• 1/4 cup Berkley & Jensen raw whole almonds (170)
• 1/4 cup Berkley & Jensen raisins (130)
• 2 oz. Cracker Barrel Vermont White Cheddar Cheese (220)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Berkley & Jensen Balsamic w/olive oil dressing (82.5)

14 oz. Lemonade (2 Tbsp. each of fresh lemon juice and maple syrup) (107.6)

Total calories consumed for the day 1,222.1. Even though I didn’t workout at all today I should see a drop in weight when I get on the scale tomorrow morning, because mathematically speaking : 2,605 - 1,222.1 = 1,382.9 of calories cut out for the day.

Fat Burning Diet, Fitness, Food, My thoughts

Update for Sept. 13th

On Thursday I did my NWk/o late morning and it took me  approximately 27 mins. to walk the entire complex. I did the stair portion of the workout in 10 mins. I was even more anal about tracing the complex this day that I was on Wednesday

Fitness, MC Daily Log, My thoughts, You Tube Weekly Updates

Update for Aug. 31st-Sept. 9th

Hello, hello, hello …… So I have three more weeks to go!! Which I started yesterday Sept. 10th. I got off of it for a stupid, wack social occasion that was not worth even going, let alone getting off the cleanse for. Here’s my You Tube Update on that. I was suppose to be off for 24 hrs. which ended up being 10 days. But you live and you learn.

Why do we do that? Ok!! I really don’t even want to waste time thinking about the stupid decision I made. It’s in the past and I’m here NOW  handling my business!! Those past 10 days were a real eye opener!!! For 3 weeks I felt clean, clear and fresh. My skin was glowing and feeling smoother (naturally) as the days went by. When you see my vblog, you’ll see the difference in my skin and in 10 days actually 3 days that changed.

I got off the cleanse right, I did the OJ and still taking the herbal tea. I ate fruits, veggies, turkey salad, chicken salad, and even had pasta (whole wheat), w/organic tomato sauce. During the first 7 days I was fine with the exception of the constant sneezing, coughing, and nose blowing because of all the mucus getting back into my system.  Yes, I had dairy and the very next day all of that started happening.

The other huge thing was that last Friday I had some Mc D’s. What is it with Mc Donald’s? Is it Ronald that draws us in when we drive by? Or maybe it’s the red and yellow color pattern that has us in a trance! Oh no, I know what it is!! It’s those damn golden arches sending wave signals to our brains to turn left and go through the drive-thru and Super Size!!!

I think it’s a combination of all three. When I went to buy it, it wasn’t like I said, “Hmmm, I feel like having Mc Donald’s today. Let me go make a trip out there and buy some.” I basically went to go drop something off to my brother, who happens to work near a Mickie D’s establishment. I was driving out of the shopping center to head home and just turned right into the drive-thru lane to pick up a Double Cheese Burger Combo w/mayo (Yes, Mayo!). Oooh then I called myself being good because I got a regular fries and drink instead of the super-sized version. Why do we do that?

Anyway, that weekend I had a cluster of pimples forming on my face and they freakin’ hurt. The majority on my nose and right between my eyebrows on my forehead. I’ve never had an acne problem. I’ve had  one or two pimples but never like what I described above. I felt like I was ready to make a freakin’ ProActive  commercial, but of course it didn’t stop me from getting Chinese take out on Sunday, as my Last Supper Meal since I knew I would finally make myself get back on track and do the cleanse for the last 3 weeks of September!! So I order my favorite, 1 order of Crabmeat Wontons and the “Lunch Special” Sesame Chicken (comes w/fried rice and an eggroll). The good thing is that my stomach shrank so much that I have yet to finish any meal like I use to. I enjoyed as much of my last supper as I could and that night I took the herbal lax. tea to start off the last leg of my Master Cleanser Experience.

So I wake up Monday morning, with a massive headache. My head hurt so bad that it hurt to open my eyes. Good ol’ Ma Nature is here visiting too so that made my condition worse with the bloating, water retention and the other discomforts associated with that time of the month. In addition to starting the cleanse yesterday, I also began my new workout routine, which consists of my ”Neighborhood Workout” (walk around complex and stairs), Swimming 5-8  hours M-F, and doing my Turbo Jam DVDs Mon-Sat. Sunday will “rest day”. The other 6 days will be a combination of 2 or all 3 of the activities I’ve listed or some other form of exercise for at least 30 mins., depending on the day. You would think I was on the Biggest Loser or something (love the show BTW & pissed that I missed the season opener).

I know it’s a lot, but I’m trying to prove a point as well as challenge myself. I’ve blogged here and there about my experience and the changes I’ve noticed in my physical, mental, and emotional state. I have exercised in the previous months but like 3 times a week. A lot of people assume that they will be fatigued and weak because they are going through this fast. I’m going to prove to you that this notion is false.

Update Mon. Sept. 10th

As crappy as I was feeling Monday morning, I just stayed in bed and a few hours later I got up and ready to do my morning “Neighborhood Workout” (NWk/o). I recorded it and I’m trying to splice the clips together to upload it on You Tube.  I also recorded my starting weight so you’ll see that in the video as well as my starting measurements. The weight will be recorded daily and my measurements weekly. I also took a picture of my swollen calves and feet, as well as my nose and face sans make-up to show the hideous state it was in with all of those pimples. I slept most of the day to rid myself of the cramps (since I can’t take meds.). I drank the HL tea and my headaches became tolerable after my first elimination.

NWk./o took me 30 mins. in total to complete. 20 mins. for the walk around the complex and 10 mins. to do the 4 flights of stairs 3 times.  I stopped for a few mins. in between the walk and each round of steps to stretch.

Last week when I came up with this NWk./o plan and tried it out I did the whole thing in one swoop and was shocked and proud of myself because I wouldn’t have been able to do that a couple of months ago. Well, for three days after my calves were really sore and every time I moved them I got a mild charlie horse. So that’s why I stretched in between everything on the first day of the routine.**No Swimming today b/c Ma Nature is visiting, also No Turbo Jam today b/c the cramps were to unbearable.** Weight: 326.6 lbs

Update for Tues. Sept. 11th 

This morning it was raining a lot so, I did my NWk./o when I got in from work around 7:30 pm. Much better than yesterday because my cramps were tolerable. I did the walk in 20 mins. and the stairs (3 times in a row) in 10 mins. I stretched for 4 mins. before the stairs part and for 10 mins. after the entire workout. ** Still no Swimming today do to Ma Nature** 

I still have a headache but it’s not as bad as Monday’s. It seems to go away when I have my eliminations, but comes back through out the day. The blemishes are clearing up and they stop hurting. Sinus cavity feels a bit clearer that yesterday. I still have to blow my nose a lot. My breath is kicking, no matter what I do so I try not to talk too close to people today. The swelling in my calves and feet has gone down significantly. Weight: 323.0 lbs

Fitness, Food, MC Daily Log, My thoughts, Pictures, Women's Health, You Tube Weekly Updates