Update. Medical School, Weight loss and Hair

I wanted to drop an update about life and other things going on.

I'm finished with my Masters Program, YAY! 

I'm re-applying to medical this cycle, Boo...

I planned on taking the MCAT this September, but due to time constraints I have to push it back to January 2013. Since I paid for a Kaplan course, I'll be starting that up again pretty soon to prepare. That's gives me a butt-load of time to prepare and room to fall behind a-little.

I got a job as a Tech in a local Operating Room and lost 15 pounds so far since starting that position, YAY! Thank goodness,  this past year was full of taking medical school courses that required being in class for 2-6 hours and studying for at least 6 hours additionally, everyday. That's ALOT of sitting. Before that I spent about 4 months prepping for the MCAT in 2011. So in total I gained 25-35 lbs in the past 18 months. :( From this experience I learned that I cannot push exercise off because of studying, I need to stay active and watch what I eat especially when I get accepted in to med school next year (crosses fingers) 2 years of non-stop studying. I want to plan my food and exercise. Hopefully I can lose this last 20 lbs of extra weight and get to my starting weight at least and lose more from there.   I have Jillian Michael's Body Revolution that I want to restart very soon. I love that with Jillian's routines I build muscle pretty fast.

Apparently there's a rumor out there that 4b/c naturals cannot grow long hair unless it's heat trained. I have a good mix of 4a/b/c (mostly b/c). I know it's NOT true because I can think of 2-3 naturals with 4bc hair that have long hair.

I figured out more things about my hair that help me ALOT in retaining length and moisture. 

1) My hair is VERY porous aka high porosity. (my hair soaks up and loses water very fast)

2) Quite a few products that I tried and tossed aside have other uses my hair likes.

To address my porosity issue, I've been using the Roux porosity control conditioner after every wash/condition it helps.  I wash/rinse and condition my hair  in twisted sections rubber-banded at the end. It helps alot with my hair staying untangled during wash sessions.

I can use hair milks. I've tried Carol's daughter hair milk and pudding, Shea Moisture's Curl smoothie, Karen's body beautiful hair milk and nectar and none of these worked so I assumed hair milk wasn't for me at all. For moisture, I found that for me it seems to be better to let my hair get damp or dry completely then apply a moisturizer. I realized one day when my hair was extra dry, I could just apply certain hair milks and it added moisture back to my hair. There are only two hair milks that really work for my hair Oyin's hair dew and Pura Body Naturals Murumuru hair milk.

I was really surprised to figure out that yes even though I have thick, tightly curled, non-silky, dry hair my hair reallly likes the lighter hair moisturizers. Oyin's Hair dew and PBN's Murumuru milk are light moisturizers that really soak into my hair and make it feel more pliable. The heavier milks don't work for me at all like PBN's Sapote Hair Milk or KBB hair nectar, what does work for me is sealing with shea/evoo/coconut the absolute best sealer is Oyin's sugar pomades! I set them aside thinking they were just finishing pomades. 

Oh was I wrong, those sugar pomades are the best for holding moisture in after a moisture and seal session. My hair felt so moisturized and soft for the first time, ever. I found my staple products hiding out in my closet. I've honestly been telling everyone I possibly can for the past week about it..lol.

With all this info I've found about my hair it really helps me with the new products I try. For example, in this months curlbox I got two full sized moisture products the Carol's Daughter Hair Milk Pudding and Cantu coconut curling cream. CD did nothing for my wet/damp hair , I still have to try it on dry hair. Cantu CCC worked better for me on wet/damp hair. If these products don't work better then my staples then I'll be swapping them.

Staples:

DIY water/glycerin mix

DIY hair butter (with shea, tacuma, coconut oil, argan, beeswax, evoo and castor) *

* I may leave the castor oil out since the oyin products have alot of castor

Oyin hair Juices ( I use sparingly 3 bottles last me over one year)

Sta-Sof-Fro Spray

PuraBody Naturals Murumuru Hair Milk/ Oyin Hair Dew

Oyin Sugar Pomades (sealant)

Update Post!

No exercise since the Tuesday the week before last, when I injured something in my right groin area. Then I was getting headaches (which i think were from dehydration--drinking coffee and hardly any water)
There were a few days in between where I should have done something, but I just was not motivated. Towards the end of this week I came down when some sort of stomach bug..
I really need to take better care of myself and make sure I drink enough water. When I backtracked and thought about what I've been eating drinking for the past two weeks I know there are days where I only had one cup of water all day..from 8am to midnight or later.

Tomorrow I will be getting back into the swing of things.

Two weeks ago when I did 3-4 days straight of hour-long cardio, I noticed that at the 45 minute mark I would get a bit weak and lightheaded.

Normally I don't eat before I work out first thing in the morning so that I can use the stored energy in my body. I might have to now..In the past week I've read three opposing reports one article suggested eating a small snack (150-200 calories) before AM workouts is better then not eating.
Another article suggested eating any non-carb snack, so that you will still use up stored energy (glycogen --i believe) while doing cardio.
Then another one supported the no eating at all theory again..

But I need some more hour long workout DVDs because the WATP 2 mile walk is about 30 minutes and doing it back to back is making me sick of it FAST!

I've heard that her 3 mile walks are really good.


I definitely think that I need to eat preworkout, maybe some egg whites, I can't think of any other snack that has NO carbs in it..

On the eating side of things,
Early last week I had alot of sweets I was thinking it was getting near that time of the month I really hope so because I was craving really bad..I can't do another week of sweets eating like that.

In the medical school side of things..
I've been thinking that after my current Master's program I will enroll in ANOTHER one but this one will be a Master's in Medical Sciences..basically a program where half of my classes are with first year medical students (MS1) the other half of the classes vary.
Also I've really been considering applying to Caribbean Schools the next time I apply. In the past two weeks I found out that alot of people from my graduating class who ended up not getting into med school ended up applying to Caribbean school and are about to graduate and that alot of graduates from one school in particular feel that they were very happy with their school. So I will be adding this school to my arsenal.

MCAT study time: zero
Workout hours: zero
Eating score: 2-3

Hair Revelations, a fitness update and I made a new blog!

Since my permie days I've always had moisture issues with my hair. Since I've been natural I always dread an unwelcome hand copping a feel of the fro and them pulling back their hand because my dry, dry hair cut a finger. But ever since I twisted my hair this Tuesday, I haven't had dryness issues! I'm hoping to repeat this process to see if this is the key to my hair staying moist.

What I did: I read over at The Moptop Maven that dryness issues can sometimes come from product buildup and that the solution is to clarify.

1) So, I used a clarifying conditioner--Joico phine chelating conditioner ( that I scored at TJ Maxx for $1!) and deep conditioned afterwards because if you don't your hair will be a dry, hot mess..

2) I deep conditioned overnight with a clear cap with Giovanni 50:50 plus a dash of the smooth as silk conditioner

3) I twisted my hair the next day and sprayed with a weak tea/honey mixture when it got  dry and sealed the water in with coconut oil first then shea butter.

4) Everyday or every-other day I sprayed my twists with the honey water/tea mixture.

Now my hair doesn't seem to dry out so quickly..it may be claryfing plus the honey mix holding water in my hair but I am loving my hair not being a crunchy mess!

As far as my fitness update goes is that I worked out for an hour for the past two days- yesterday I learned some of a new belly dance choreography by my favorite instructor, I did the 2mile walk (35 mins) (Walk Away the Pounds) back to back and today I did the 1 mile walk (20 mins) plus the Chris Freytag walking workout (48 mins)..and I can say that it definitely feels different  when I work out for a whole hour (the massive amount of sweat the comes off my body)... but at the end of the day, I am really glad I worked out 3 days straight.  Hopefully I can keep this up.

I just created a food blog @ Yoruba Girl Cooks where I will be featuring healthy recipes and some no-so healthy recipes..LOL

Goals--Weekly Evaluation

Cardio Time: 0
MCAT Time: 0
Healthy Eating: 4 (1-10 scale)
Budgeting: 8 (1-10 scale)
Other workouts: 0

I would have taken my MCAT today. Thank God I cancelled it...
I haven't studied any MCAT stuff since two weeks ago, I feel like such a bum. In regards to studying I attempted to study with a study group last week but I quickly realized that I would not be doing anything productive because one person in the group talks aloud while studying and I find that I cannot concentrate. That plus parking at this library is hellacious so I will not be studying there. I had a backup study person but they are not reliable for a study wing person.

Soo I'm kinda at a loss..but I do think that I will start studying at the local public libraries..usually the study areas are nice and quiet..
But, I study better if I know that someone else is studying near me, it is very weird, but I dunno that's what works for me..

Part of the no-study problem is that I was too ambitious in thinking that I will actually go to a noon cardio session because by the time noon rolls around I'm already busy doing something.
I would actually stick to early AM workouts and start my day better when I workout, eat then work (study) It allows me to have a set routine..I think I'm going to start tomorrow and perhaps add daily yoga and belly dance drills to my morning routine.
Also, I have a bunch of fiction books that I've been reading in the morning between 6a-10a this usually takes 3-4 hours and is sucking up my workout time, so I'm going to try and break myself of this new habit..

I must, must, MUST manage my time better..

I know I rated my budgeting at 8, but that was before this afternoon's shopping excursion.. I dropped ~$300 on goods from TJ Maxx..boo hisss!!
Some things were not needed (ie the Cuisinart Oval Enameled Cast Iron pot for $60--on amazon its $99) But alot of things were not purchased randomly I got Christmas gifts for the baby cousins, a Birthday gift for a friend and some much needed home items, etc...

Goals to work on for next week.
1) Stop re-reading books in the morning
2) Workout in the morning for at least 1 hour (not including yoga (10-15 minutes) and BD Drills
(10 mins)
3) Study after my workouts

Hiatus Over and a Spiffy renamed blog

Back with a new name!

 I wanted to change the name because I felt that having my name in the title was a bit self-centered. I don't know it just didn't feel right.   Yes, this is a personal blog but I don't want it to be narcissistic.

I chose this name because if I could only do two things to feel  pulled together, it would be black mascara and red lips. I would like to incorporate more of my interests into this blog instead of making 50 different blogs. I'm more likely to keep up with one. Weekly weigh-ins and link love/weekly reads will still be ongoing.

I didn't take my MCAT. During my two week vacation where I visited Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Williams, AZ ) I wasn't able to study enough to stay on track. 

So with this new semester, I would like to stop doing things that do not work and focus on the things that have helped me in the past. An example is that for the past 3-4 months I've been been attempting to do intense studying at local coffeehouses where it is often noisy instead of the quiet solitude I get at a library. I love the atmosphere of  our local coffee shops, but I cannot do any serious work (like ahem-MCAT study) there. 

And I didn't realize that until I read a comment on this blog post at lifehacker.com "If you can do your work well in a coffee shop, let's be honest, you're not working that hard." 

Another example is with my weight-loss goals, I've been at a standstill. What worked before was 6-7 hours of activity per week so -- I need to exercise for at least an hour everyday and track my calories--period. I've already put ongoing cardio classes into my Gcal for every day of the week because I need variety and I only have so many workout DVDs.

I'm going to try and do a personal (better yet a blog post) weekly evaluation on my goals this whole semester like this one I read about on Lifehacker.

1) continue to study for my MCAT so that I can take the January or March one next year

Get through and understand 2 lessons a week, in addition to my weekly school work. 

Ban coffeeshops from my study spots

Go to the library before class or work. 

2) Get my booty to the gym (or wherever) I can sweat it out at least 6 days a week.

Sounds like a good start :)

swimming+excercise & MCAT ramblings--quickie post

One of the other perks from my TJ Max shopping spree was that I was able to buy two workout DVDs for $5 a piece, they were Walk Away the Pounds 2miles and a 3 mile DVD but i think each DVD has 2 workouts on it. I did the first 2mile workout on yesterday after i went swimming on Monday and boy--I was so sore 6 hours later and I remember the same thing happened to me last time. That's okay,  I just have to keep that in mind and maybe workout on day one then swim day 2 then day off day three..its no biggie if it doesn't kill me it will only make me stronger..

I've chosen a day for my MCAT June 17..I have to drive all the way to Pennsylvania..I'm pissed but I have a friend at Pitt so I will be visiting her for sure.. With the end of the semester around the corner this is going to be interesting..

Just keep swimming....

I'm so happy that I swam 3 times this week in the pool at my local gym. It felt so good to get back into the pool, after I did my first lane I realized that I really can't swim for long periods of time. I'm going to have to work on my stamina but I already feel my arms and legs getting more toned.. My only issue is keeping my textured hair from getting damaged and the time it takes before and after pool time to get back into the swing of my daily grind.  I'll shoot for swimming at least 2 times a week in addition to my other cardio pursuits.. I haven't done any other cardio this week.  I forgot I did do WATP 2miles on Monday. So I got 4 days of cardio in this week! I surprised myself.

I did finally weigh in and I came in at 12.8 lbs down! I was really worried I had gained I believe now I'm back to my recent lowest..I had a bad, bad eating day yesterday but I've had a pretty good one so far today. Problem is that the people I go to swim with like to eat out after swimming and that usually leads to chitpotle, penn station, indian food buffet, etc.. Penn Station-- I shouldn't be eating in the first place. Chitpole (veggie burrito bowl with a wee bit of rice heavy beans and fajita veggies) isn't bad every once in a while, but it has soo much sodium! Indian food buffet don't even get me started--expensive and I end up eating ALOT of rice and fried pakoras..

I'm going to hit up a new TJ Maxx store opening in my area, Rossford, Ohio, tomorrow. Wish me luck! I've been getting alittle outta control with the spending, I need to reign it in and stop buying random crap but there are things that I'm on the constant lookout for such as thick 500 thread count sheets, casual skirts for the summer because i look horrid in shorts..

Weekly Weigh In 03.05.10

-12.6 overall (+.2lbs from Wednesday/Thursday)

I weighed myself yesterday, to see if the creep was trying to come back. It wasn't :)  I bought a tape measure so that I can also keep track of the inches lost, as well. I think i'll do that next week.

In other news, I think stepped down on my foot wrong while exercising or something because when I was trying to do my side steps for WATP, it started throbbing. I tried to rub it and continue but that wasn't an option. I think I'm going to lay off the lateral movement and pushing off on that foot hurts

This week, to give that foot a rest I should try & do more strength training and just walking on the mill, we have one that i can dust off I just dislike walking on it. Its warming up (50s) around here for a few days, I can hit the park!

I tried on those LB dresses and they are lovely and fit perfectly when I'm standing, but as soon as I sit..it looks awful--let me explain. I am a true apple shape (Top heavy/large stomach/skinny legs) and it looks a mess when I sit down and the dress has a split that opens when i sit. It really looks like I'm ready to flash the goodies any second. So sigh, dress is not for me..yet. I may want to get it altered if I decide to get it..

Quickie Post--today's workout

I didn't get to exercise yesterday because my knee started acting up.  But this morning,  I did do my 2 Mile WATP walk and a 15 minute Priscilla Patrick Yoga session and I feel amazing.

I took my Multivitamin,  had a cup of green tea, took fish oil supplements and a vitamin C supplement plus my breakfast (3 small tilapia fillets topped with chopped tomato/avocado/cilantro)

I take vitamin c after a workout because it's supposed to help decrease the inflammation that naturally occurs during exercise and  help with muscle repair. I should probably check on that info,  because I haven't checked for any new developments on that in about 5 years.

Weekend Fail..

I feel awful because Friday, Saturday and Sunday I didn't workout at all, or eat very well either. Sunday was really bad I had: cornbread (150) , ice cream (150), cookies (450) then topped it with cheese and crackers (400) and a small piece of carrot cake (150) . I had all this plus 2 cups of my soup (400)  for the whole day (1700 calories is my guestimate). It wasn't very bad calorie-wise but it was very bad because I consumed too much sugar and fats for the day and my I hardly had any protein for the day.  The only saving grace I had is that I finally made my black bean veggie soup so I have a healthy, prepared meal that I can pack to work for at least a week.

I've been doing much better today
Breakfast
1/2 tomato and pesto sandwich on Whole Wheat bread
1 cup of my black bean veggie soup
2oz of baked tilapia

Snack
1 cup of hazelnut coffee with 1/4 c skim milk + 1 packet sugar in the raw + 2 splenda packets
1 sour cream cookie

Lunch
I have 2 cups of my soup + 2oz of tilapia shredded into it. that I will eat when I get hungry while studying..

I WILL be working out later this evening..

Getting back into fitness

I am soo out of shape, and I can tell because I did the Walk away the pounds 2mile workout this morning and I felt my muscles going, noooo! Before I use to do this DVD on my "easy" days and did the 30 day shred on my "moderate/hard" days. I dare not try the 30 day shred until I get stronger..

I decided to add exercise to the mix because I think that those 7lbs that fell off so easy, were they most recent fat gain and for some reason they fall off easier (with just a diet change). I hopped on the scale today and I'm at 9.4 lbs down from my starting weight! I need to remember to not be discouraged when the numbers fluctuate (due to water weight)  because I can get into the mood of, I might as well eat what I want because this isn't working!

I'm now closer to the weight that I've been around for the past 2 years.  I think its time to ease into exercise to help melt the fat away along with staying on top of my eating habits. Also, its been since October when I stopped exercising regularly so alot of my muscle mass is gone. I can feel it and that's what I enjoy the most about exercise even when I didn't lose a pound of weight, I feel strong and its liberating to be able to push your body to do things you thought you were not strong enough for.

ETA: I think I'm plateu-ing right now because my body got used to me eating less food. So hopefully adding exercise to the mix and weight training helps to boost my metabolism. I forgot to mention this earlier.