Happy Feet!

I've got happy feet, happy feet! So today I went and got a really nice pedicure. My feet were like "we love you boo!". Thankfully, the Lord blessed me with pretty feet. No pig knuckles or moose hooves here! I woke up this morning with aching calves and thought today would be a good day to pamper my legs and feet. So off to work I went with the decision to take an extended lunch to so I could get my gams taken care of.

So why were my calves aching? I'm not sure, but it could be because I've been killing it in Salsa class lately! (I did work some potassium rich foods into my meal plan today to help) Tomorrow, I'm finally going out dancing at Gloria's Restaurant to shake what my Mama gave me. I'm so excited because I'm bringing back this little number...

Yes honey!

This was 3 years ago. I'm so excited to try it on tomorrow night, especially since I've lost almost 15lbs and several inches since I embarked on this new lifestyle of Salsa dancing and eating right. Yes ma'am! I'm about to have all the men on pause tomorrow.

So I've got cute feet, killer moves, and a group of new friends to dance the night away. I can't wait to make the jaws drop while I drop some moves having a good time. ;)

Cereal IS of the Devil!!!

Yes, yes, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet baby jenkins YES!!! It was everything I wanted it to be and more. This morning I set out with one goal and only one goal: plan your meals today properly so you can enjoy cereal for dessert tonight. And boy did I! I kept to my meal plan and after dinner I had a very small, but very worth it, bowl of cereal. Which cereal, you ask? Oh you know...that cereal I've been craving ever since I've known of it's existence.

Pure crack disguised as chocolate

 Oh it was heaven! HEAVEN!!!! My taste buds gave General Mills a round of applause!

Hell yes!!!

 This cereal made my entire night. Like for real, it's been an hour since dinner and I'm still grinning. (That could also be from the sugar rush, but dammit it was worth it!) Remember how I said earlier, I used to pour chocolate sauce on top of my Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal when I was kid much to my mother's dismay? Yep. So I've been wanting GM to come up with this awesomeness for at least 20 years. And they finally did it. I swear finally getting this magical goodness was like walking upon a unicorn pissing Skittles. Just magical!!!!

Alas, my curiosity is sated. And, I still managed to be a good girl and stay within my nutrition plan for the day. Though, I don't plan to do this again anytime soon. No need to tempt myself into back sliding. I'm down about 12lbs now and I'm feeling the difference. Last night at Salsa, one of the guys I routinely dance with asked me what I've been doing. Mmm hmmm, Ms. Makita got it going on! He said I'm looking even more delicious than normal and said my pants seemed as if they were about to fall off. He even offered me his belt, lol. Yes ma'am! I am doing the damn thing! Eating right, exercising, making the boys want a taste of my milkshake. I got this! I can do this! Diabetes won't have me in it's clutches! 

It's So COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So today, I'm working from home because it's so damn cold outside! The roads iced over late last night/early this morning. As a result, the schools are closed and I'm working from home. Because you know, taking my kids into work with me is unacceptable. Yet, it's perfectly acceptable for me to work from home without a phone. Yep. Did I mention 99% of my job via the phone. Yep. Someone didn't think that one through. Anyway, I'm home today with all three of my boys.

They're currently watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and I'm sitting here answering emails, ending each one with "Due to inclement weather, my city has shut down and I am working from home. As such, I have no phone therefore, please email me. If your matter is urgent and you need to speak with me, please put your urgent matter on the back burner until I can fully attend to it tomorrow when I am back in the office." No, not really. But wouldn't it be awesome if you could tell people the stuff they think is important really isn't. Oh you're sad because you can't upgrade from 8GB of RAM to 32GB? Poor you.

So they're chilling with a movie, I'm chilling with some email, and dammit I want some hot chocolate. With a shot of peppermint and some marshmallows lightly toasted on top. And I also want a hot bodied sex god to be sitting behind me all snugged up like this:

Maybe I need to get me a boo?

Yep, just like that. In the glowing sunset smiling all happy cause we in love. It's just too damn cold out here. People have this idea that since I'm so tough, that I'm not delicate. NOPE. I is sensitive! Especially when it comes to cold weather. It only makes me want to eat and have sex. What? Stop tripping, you know cold weather makes you want to get cuffed up too! What else are you going to do in cold ass weather, except make babies?! Why you think there are always so many late Spring and Summer babies? Count back 9 months and you know the answer.

So anyway because I'm working from home today, the struggle is real. I want to raid my kitchen, but I'm not hungry. I only want to because I can. I feel like a little kid in Toys R Us who has been told not to touch anything. Like really Mom? REALLY?! I can't touch NOTHING! Then why you bring me with you! Yep, that's how I'm feeling.

I'm actually being really good though. I had a super delicious salad for lunch using apples, almonds, and left over smoked salmon from dinner last night. It was SO DAMN GOOD!!!! Even the boys were like "Wow...that looks awesome". Yes, it was. No, I did not share. Ha.

Surely, I can't be the only person who struggles with wanting to raid a fridge when they are home just because they can.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

True story, I love Harry Connick Jr. From his big, sexy man hands to his deliciously Southern accent. I can't help it! That is one man I want to just let my hope float all over his body. Ha! What does that have to do with this post? Not a damn thing. Except to say that the title I chose makes me think of the song and I love his version. And to truth be told, he wouldn't even have to beg me to stay. I'd be like "so why you still fully clothed?" Ha!

Anyway, it's cold outside. Well, cold for Austin. It's about 30 degrees and dropping. They claim it's going to snow. Man look, the last time we had "snow" it was ice. And it wasn't even worth closing down the entire city, but yet they did it anyway. Again, what does this have to do with anything? Not a damn thing. Well, sort of. I hate the cold, I love HCJ. But not as much as I love RDJ! Yes lawd! That man could get it.

I can't even stay focused! See what happens when the temperature drops? This is how cuffing season got started. What is cuffing season you ask? Google it. But don't click on the video links! You might end of with all kinds of nasty malware. Really, cuffing season is basically "let's hook up and keep each other warm but not be in a relationship". Got it?

Anyway, as I've been trying to say for the last few paragraphs before my mind went left, I hate the cold. Therefore I don't like to exercise in the cold. Why? Because it's cold! I want to be warm and hugged up with somebody sweating. Not on an elliptical sweating to the oldies. So what's a girl to do? Luckily, I had foresight into the cold and decided to get my sweat  on this morning with Billy Banks. Oh yes, he's back! For those of you who don't know. I LOVE Taebo! It's always been my get right with my muffin top go to video for a quick and dirty workout. Billy was so happy to see me, he was like "hey boo where you been?" But for somebody who missed me, he worked me over like I was his worst enemy! I had to stop several times to get through the workout, but dammit I made it! Yes ma'am I did. I was like take that, take that, now what son?!

So yeah, it's cold outside. I hate the cold. I love Harry Connick Jr, but not as much as Robert Downey Jr. Hmmm...anybody know where I can get me one of them?

Cereal is of The Devil

Ugh. I let the boys talk me into Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal yesterday when we were at the grocery store. They are so supportive and don't complain about the changes I made to our meals that I figured why not. After all, the ice cream didn't bother me. Cause you know, I've got my apple slices and peanut butter with just a dash of cinnamon on top. Tomato, tomahta. Right? Nope. I fixed them cereal this morning and OMG my  breakfast looks disgusting in comparison. I made myself a delicious omelet with tomatoes, peppers, cheese, and turkey. It looked good in my head and in truth, it is delicious. But, not compared to this cereal. I want to lay on top of the table and just pour cereal and milk down my throat. It smells so good. Come on! CHOCOLATE CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH?! I dreamed of that combination when I was kid. Hell, my mom used to get mad at me because I'd pour chocolate sauce over my cereal when I was the boys age and sit happily in front of the TV with a big ass bowl of it. I want to appease myself with just a tinny little bowl of cereal, but I know I'm lying to myself. One little bowl will turn into just a little more. Come on, Makita, just one more bowl. You're good. You're sweating it out. You're doing the damn thing. Come on girl, don't deprive yourself...Fuck all that. I already know how this is going to end. I'm going to have one bowl and the next thing I know I'm going to be in a damn diabetic coma. Okay, maybe not exactly like that. But I have a serious problem when it comes to chocolate. My problem is there is chocolate in the house and the problem won't be solved until it has all be devoured. Why the hell did I buy this damn cereal?! Oh, that's right. I want to let my kids have random memories growing up like I did of sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons eating a big ass bowl of crack cereal.

Today is going to be a LONG day.

Hello, hello...Anybody Home?

It's been a hot minute since I've blogged anything. Like for real, damn near 2 years. For awhile, I was using my site as a place to blog, but damn hackers got into it and I've since forgotten the password. Ah well, at least I still have blogger! So I decided today to pick my blog back up after realizing that some of my post on FB should be blog posts. Like my whole getting my sexy figure back. Okay, stop. I'm already lying. My figure is hella damn sexy. Nice hips and a thick booty? HELLO! Seriously, I'm trying to get back on track in a healthy manner.

I was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes and a severe vitamin D deficiency. The pre-diabetes I wasn't surprised to hear because goodness knows my love triangle with Otis Spunkmeyer and Ben & Jerry (wait, I think this would be a love quadruple?) has been full in effect for the last year. I know, you're thinking: Makita, what happened? You were so on point the last time we spoke. Well, where do I begin...oh, I know I'll just make it short. I stopped giving a damn. Last year, I started off right. I was making healthy choices, hired a personal trainer, got rid of a lot of stress in my life. I was doing the damn thing. But then Spring came and my body started rebelling on me. I kept coming down with pleurisy (it's a very nasty inflammation of the lungs and chest) that was putting me out for weeks at a time. So I tried to combat it by letting my personal trainer sign me up for a month of fitness boot camp. All was going well with that, even hired a new personal trainer. But a week or so into August, my right arm started going numb on me. Yep. Freaked me the fuck out! After several doctor visits, I finally found out I needed to have surgery on my spine at the C5/C6 level known as Anterior Cervical Dischotomy Fusion surgery aka ACDF. So that happened in September. As you can imagine, my old demons with depression came to the forefront. I spent a lot of time depressed and scared I was going to die.

Think about it, someone tells you they need to cut into your neck and remove a cracked disc and replace it with a cadaver bone and tell me you wouldn't be scared. I dare you. It's some scary shit. Even though all of my friends rallied around me, I was still scared shitless and each time I woke up in the middle of the night because of pain or not being able to feel my arms, I cried until exhaustion took me. Anyway, the surgery was a success. I'm currently 4 months post-op (well, tomorrow I'll be officially 4 months post-op). My surgeon and physical therapist believe I am healing up quite nicely. So anyway, to make myself feel alive, I decided I wanted to learn Latin dances this year.

I don't know any dances out there that will make you feel more alive than Latin dances. I am currently learning Salsa and Bachata. It's been about a month for each and I couldn't love it more. (More posts about Salsa and Bachata another day) I'm so thankful to be active again. After a year of not being able to exercise the way I wanted to, I simply gave up. I went back to my not give a damn eating ways and added to my not being able to exercise after the surgery I really stopped caring. So fast forward to today and that explains the pre-diabetes (along with diabetes running in my family).

Now the vitamin D deficiency did throw me for a loop. Like damn, how am I a 2. Yes, a TWO!!!! The number that comes after one, but before three. Normal levels are above 30, anything between 20-29 are considered low. I'm so damn low, I'm vampiric. Though once I sat and thought about it, it made sense. Since I wasn't outside exercising anymore I wasn't getting enough sunlight. I work a 8 to 5 shift inside, Salsa and Bachata dance inside, read inside, eat inside, talk inside...you get the picture.

So what am I doing about it? Well, I was already in workout mode when I was diagnosed. I've been doing dance for about a month and if you think that's not a workout, think again. Salsa can burn at minimum (if done right and continuously) 450 calories/hour. Bachata another 450. On average, I'm taking 6 dance classes a week with 1 private lesson. That's 7 hours a week. That's just Salsa and Bachata and it doesn't include the Social Swing classes I like to take sometimes. So that's great that I'm getting more exercise INSIDE, but that's not helping the whole "you need sunlight Makita"issue. So I've added in 3 mile walks on non dance days and 2 mile walks on dance days OUTSIDE. IN THE SUNLIGHT. In addition, my doctor has me on medications to help with both issues. But overall, I think I'm making good progress. I also do 3 days of strength training to help with the recovery of my shoulder/arm/neck.

Most importantly, I'm helping the exercise by eating healthier. I'm currently doing a low carb/high protein diet that is diabetic based. I'm living like I have diabetes now so that I don't have to live with diabetes later. Is this a temporary thing? Nope. Why give myself health issues I have the power to control? I don't want diabetes. Yes, I admit I want a fat ass and smaller boobs. Two demons I have been battling since the dawn of my sexiness. Alas, I can survive those. After all, I gotta work what my Mama gave me. But diabetes? No. That is NOT the "D"I be talking about. Ha!

Anyway, that's me in a nutshell starting off 2014. I'd love it if you joined me on my journey.