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Meet Zulay Santana: Alumni Roundup Healthy Living Columnist

admin — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:46:02 +0000

In the Fall of 2009 I decided that I wanted to lose at least 12 lbs.; weighed 162 lbs. By Winter of2009/2010 I managed to gain an additional 8 lbs. One of my best friends told me that as long as my jeans still fit that I’d be fine… Well, my jeans (even the “safety/fat pants”) didn’t fit well anymore… something really had to be done. And there was another issue, sometime last year I got the ambitious idea to run the ING marathon in 3 years. Yes, indeed, something really had to be done!

There’s some significant history to this weight gain/loss process of mine. I have a 4-year-old daughter and managed to lose the baby weight by a low-carb diet. At various times in the past 6 years I’ve gained and lost significant amounts of weight. However, I have not been physically fit. When I was younger, I was an athlete so I technically had the foundation but it had been years since I maintained focus on being healthy and strong.

I remember the day I weighed myself and internally screaming “I WEIGH ONE-HUNDRED AND SIXTY-EIGHT POUNDS?!?” I also took a good long look at myself in the mirror wearing nothing but my “pom-poms” (as my daughter calls it) and skivvies. I knew that what I was looking at could be “fixed” but it had been so long since I looked how I *wanted* to look… I didn’t know what the end result might be. I just prayed and said I’d make it happen. It was more than just losing 18 lbs (at the very least)… I wanted to see definition in my arms again, strengthen my abs to what they once were, diminish those “love handles” (Why in the world are they called that anyway?? There’s nothing lovely about them!), and tone my thighs to be giggle-free (this was especially important since I NEVER wear shorts because I’ve never liked my legs since they’re not naturally firm).

I am blessed with the best friends a woman could ever hope for and received a plethora of advice and support. I initially started with some extreme kind of diet which proved to be, well, impossible; I consequently hand-picked the best advice for me and came up with a plan that was both feasible and pleasing. It was a complete lifestyle overhaul which included eliminating unhealthy foods from my everyday life, incorporating exercise and maintaining long-term focus. This was beyond just losing some pounds- it was time to shed weight, build a better body and a better mind.

I’m also a huge foodie and knew that I didn’t want to deprive myself of stimulating my taste buds. Part of my process has been to find/develop new recipes and tweek old ones to suit my new lifestyle. I learned to shop differently at the supermarket and challenge my culinary imagination to include more whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables in to my diet. I haven’t missed anything that I used to eat. Actually, my body has adjusted and now craves healthy foods. The human body is a beautiful thing.

My initial exercise of choice was running. I knew it challenge my entire body and mind. I would lose weight and strengthen. But I also had to find alternatives for the days that I couldn’t make it out and I don’t own a treadmill so I’ve also relied on tried and true exercises. My rule is “If I’m not drenched in sweat, I’m not pushing hard enough.” Every week I try to exceed whatever I achieved the prior week and I’ve been successful!

The Goddess Body Diet wasn’t my initial approach but it turns out that the guidelines were quite similar to my own…
- Abstinence from Alcohol: This was not a major issue. I usually only drink socially and recognized the adverse effects of alcohol on any weight-loss endeavor. Empty calories galore!!

- Abstinence from Sex: Well… this was even less of an issue. A relationship and potential intimacy weren’t my focus. I was far more concerned with what I needed to do to better my body than satisfying *ahem* momentary urges.

- At least 6 hours of sleep every night: I have always been a 7-8 hour kind of girl but I must say that exercise had helped me to sleep a lot better and my body needs it!

- No packaged food unless it is signified as Organic: This was HUGE for me! Early on I started paying attention to the nutrition facts on everything and realized that so many of my usual foods where nutritionally horrific! I focused on incorporating as many natural and organic foods as possible in to my every day life.

- Consume a gallon of water every day: I’m close to a gallon… I’m working on that one still. For various reasons, it’s been quite challenging for me to drink a gallon of water but water is absolutely critical especially when you’re working out! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

- No farmed fish or meat: This is still in the works for me but I have essentially cut out red meat.

- Dairy products must be cage free, non- homogenized: This is also in the works… but I have switched to 2% organic milk. I must say that it’s far better than the regular 2%, which I really can’t tolerate. 

- 3 days of cardio workout. Can include core workouts for strength training (i.e. Yoga, Pilates, Swimming): I work out 3-4 days per week. My preference is running and I’ve worked up to 1.75 mi.; I can run 1.25 mi. straight. Otherwise, my home work-out currently consists of 200 (20 reps) sit-ups, 160 (20 reps) squats, 30 side leg lifts, 30 push-ups, and 30 ab/leg lifts. When I first started, I ran 0.25 mi (max), and my sets were of 15 reps; I couldn’t do more than 10 push-ups or 15 leg lifts.

It’s been 4 months and through it I have lost 21 lbs., managed to work my way up to running 1.75 mi. (I barely got through 0.25 mi. when I first started), begun to see significant definition in my legs, arms and abs and most of all, I just feel good! I decided to lose 2 more lbs. to give myself “wiggle room” but my journey absolutely continues in building and maintaining a healthy body. I have loads of encouragement around me but my biggest cheerleader is me- there is something remarkably rewarding about feeling myself surpass the extent of my last work-out. And, ING awaits me in 2 years!!

Follow Zulay through her day on TWITTER and on her BLOG

You can also find her on AlumniRoundup.com now, providing great, healthy recipes under our Lifestyle Category
Check in with the rest of the participants on the GodBodyDiet Lifestyle:
Jill Person aka JI double L
Julie McShay, ASouthernSocialite
Leilah Reese

A #GodBody Diet Success Story – Krishna Brown

admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:19:43 +0000

God Body Diet: Weigh-In #15lbs To Go
I’m 6 ft tall, medium frame. As an adult, the fattest I’ve been is 240lbs (see picture below). The smallest I’ve been is… Well today I weigh in at: 165 #WOOT
Though I hate the scale, it is the flat-faced reflection of the devil, I will be weighing myself every 2 weeks and posting results. These last 15 lbs will be a doozy!

STATS: Lost 45 lbs in 6 months. Lowest weight was 163 in October 2009. Gained 5 lbs and maintained at 168 for another 9 months. As of today, July 16 2010, I am 165. Goal is 150 by my birthday, October 18 2010 or 2011. The goal is to win and not to give up.
This is the longest I’ve ever kept this weight off. I’ve gone from a size 20 to a 10 to a 14 to an 8, never keeping the loss off for long. What is different this time? I’ve been set up, man. Set up to win. I am constantly monitoring my mind, my environment to support my goals and do away with anything and anyone that doesn’t positively contribute to that goal. Surrounding myself with good thoughts, good food, good people makes all the difference. It’s why I tweet, tumbl and FB about the God Body Diet. The GBD follows these rules:
Abstinence from Alcohol ▶ I don’t really drink. So easy one for me. But do wonder how this becomes a lifestyle for those who do.

Abstinence from Sex ▶ I don’t… well let’s just say it’s been a slow Summer. But eventually I’d like to start-up again. I think this rule and the first rule is to help with discipline and learning to say “no” to your desires.

At least 6 hours of sleep every night ▶ So very important. Your body has to rest so you can lose that weight. Rest is essential for weight loss. Less stress. More focus. Plus if you are sleeping, you are not eating.

No packaged food unless it is signified as Organic ▶ I got off of Lean Cuisines. I am, however, on a grocery budget and will buy the $3 conventional spinach vs the $5 organic spinach. Tastes the same to me.

Consume a gallon of water every day ▶ A challenge. I’m up to 2 liters.

No farmed fish or meat ▶ If I got a double coupon for Oscar Mayer boneless chicken strips I’m getting it.

Dairy products must be cage free, non- homogenized ▶ I love eggs. I wish they could all be free. But will be paying $1 for eggs as opposed to $4 for the cage free ones. #FoodEconomics I do stay away from milk and yogurt. Too much sugar.

3 days of cardio workout. Can include core workouts for strength training (i.e. Yoga, Pilates, Swimming) ▶ I like this especially as there are so many options to include exercise into your daily life. I’m trying to learn how to hula-hoop again.
Though I dont follow the God Body Diet’s rule-by-rule, I am an advocate and enthusiastic fan of it. Here’s why: It is a gentle and solid start for building a healthy lifestyle. Some of the GodBody rules (ie no sex) are not realistic for a lifelong way of life. If you can, however, follow those rules for two weeks, a month, then you are learning discipline, you are learning how to read a nutrition label, you are becoming hydrated and becoming conscious of your body—what you put into and what you do with it. I like that kind of thinking! I cheer the “creator” of the God Body diet, RoundUpRussy, an “everywhere, into everything” kind of guy, for sharing it with his friends. To hear this young guy speak on his health concerns, weight gain and then come up with a way of life that address those issues (issues that plague many people in America) is a positive effect. Many people will follow. And they have.
Check in with the rest of the participants on the GodBodyDiet Lifestyle:
Jill Person aka JI double L
Julie McShay, ASouthernSocialite
Leilah Reese
Does this diet address the negative and pervasive effects of sugar, or the difference of good carbs (whole wheat) vs bad carbs (wonder bread) or the psychology of entitlement and overeating? No it doesn’t. For those like me trying to battle the last 15lbs, most of it being visceral, belly fat, I’ll have to follow a more comprehensive approach (more on that later). For those just starting out, looking for a reboot, trying to maintain, the God Body Diet is a great starting point to a gradual and steady change into healthy eating and living.
- Krishna “Billy” Brown
Read More About the God Body Diet HERE
And HERE

The 30 Day Healthy Lifestyle Challenge

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:58:49 +0000

As many of you know, I have been supporting a healthy lifestyle change that I have appropriately labeled “The #GodBody Diet”. Here are the rules to the diet:
- Abstinence from Alcohol
- Abstinence from Sex
- At least 6 hours of sleep every night
- No packaged food unless it is signified as Organic
- Consume a gallon of water every day
- No farmed fish or meat
- Dairy products must be cage free, non- homogenized
- 3 days of cardio workout. Can include core workouts for strength training (i.e. Yoga, Pilates, Swimming)

In the last year and a half, I’ve lost 30 pounds on this diet/lifestyle change. I cycle it in 30 day intervals which have proven to be very manageable to me. I choose my intervals by checking my calendar and making sure that before certain trips like Roundup Rendezvous and any other beach related function or Homecoming Season, I show up looking and feeling my BEST!.

So, as of recently, A couple of beautiful ladies & friends have decided to take the plunge and give the #GodBody Diet a chance. So with a tweek of the title, I present you the Beautiful Ladies of the #GoddessBody Diet:

Jill Person
On August 3, 1985 in beautiful Los Angles, CA Jill I. Person was born. Her mother & father raised her 2 be an independent young lady and was taught to always go for what she wanted in life. At the age of three years old she was placed on her 1st tennis court & that wouldn’t be the last! She is the eldest of two siblings & a mother of a three year old boy. The very talented tennis player was offered a full scholarship to Tuskegee University and used her skills to earn 3 championship rings along with a degree in Social Work. Jill took her degree & applied it towards the Department of Family & Children Services in Atlanta, GA. Due to her lack of interest in the field she decided to move back to her hometown. She is currently in LA chilling : )

Jill has converted her blog to document the next 30 days of her diet including photos of meals & her progress in slimming & trimming. You can also follow her on Twitter through her day by clicking this photo:

Juli Mcshay
A native Floridian residing in the southeastern United States, The Southern Socialite is a lover of just about all things Southern. Currently studying law, she has promised herself that this is definitely her final collegiate degree. She enjoys traveling, so much so that she has lived in every time zone in the continental US, except MT. Education is the key to her heart. She received her high school diploma from America’s flagship African American boarding school Piney Woods Country Life School in Mississippi; a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Historic Talladega College; a Master’s degree in Public Administration from The Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern; and is completing her Jurist Doctorate degree someplace down in Dixie!
Juli has added a #GoddessBody Diet page to her blog to document the life of a socialite and managing healthy eating, juggling law school & a wonderful social life. You can also follow her on Twitter through her day by clicking this photo:

Please feel free to send me your story as well, I’d love to add you to this post and add to the encouragement of anyone who is thinking about getting healthy or detoxing in 30 day intervals. If you are on Twitter, keep an eye out for HashTags #GodBody and #GoddessBody Diet.

HiDef + High Speed Camera = Fun Art Masterpiece

admin — Sun, 02 May 2010 12:45:32 +0000

NBC Studios Features "Black History Month Menu"??

admin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:22:44 +0000

Am I the only one that finds this a bit discriminatory, even from the point of view of the ethnic cook who’s been “Fighting” to get an opportunity to cook these items??

Black History month for me means a lot more than Fried Chicken and Cornbread. If “soulfood” was missing from the yearly menu, she should have fought to make it every thursday throughout the year, not in February!

"Soul Food" or Slave Food?

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 01:21:14 +0000

During the years of enslaved Africans on America’s soil, The Enslavers wanted to turn the biggest profit available on their farmed goods. So everything from clothes made out of potato sacks to rice bags being used as pillows for the enslaved, they had to micromanage the allowance of all resources. Food and nutrition was one of those managed resources. Slaves would often get monthly allowances of food which depending on geographic location could include a measure amount of pork or its equivalent in fish, salt, a bushel of corn meal and a minimal amount of vegetables that usually grew in proximity of or within weeded areas. If one of the enslaved or their family collectively consumed their food before the month was over, they were on their own to survive. In turn they learned to keep garden patches where they grew their own corn, seasonings, greens and watermelons and berries seasonally.

From the collection of the allotted foods along with the seasonings and vegetables in the garden patches, came dishes such as:
-Skillet Cornbread
-Corn Pudding
-Grits
-Chitlins & Maw
-Mustard Greens & Ham Hocks
-Barbecued Pig Feet
-Candied Yams
-Red Beans & Rice
-Dirty Rice

These foods have been proven to be high in fat and high in energy; the exact recipe you would want to deliver if you wanted your worker to have energy for the entire day of being in the field.

The daily, grueling, tedious work of the enslaved was probably most comparative to being in the gym with a Trainer like Chris Fitness from 7am – 5pm outside in the 100 degree weather with a hooded sweatsuit on.

Compare that to my daily life and my activities do no shed a beam of light on the mental strain, anguish, stress, and physical dexterity that they must have endured.

I say all of this because I’m wondering if we have held onto “Soul Food” as an emotional attachment to the past.. It’s common sense that the continued consumption of the aforementioned foods without equal physical labor [exercise] output, it will lead to fat tissue creation, elevated blood pressure levels and potentially gout, circulatory issues, Cardiac Issues and potential diabetes.

Do you still eat “Soul Food”?
If so, are you attached to the taste of the food or the tradition that usually occurs around the meal i.e. a Sunday family meal, a family gathering with elders who work endlessly in the kitchen with no recipes..If you do consume “Soul Food”, do you choose your ingredients wisely? i.e. Organic foods, fresh and clean cooking oils?

In all honesty, there are several foods classified as “Soul Food” that can have beneficial percentages of good vitamins & minerals including the consumption of greens and other enriched vegetables like sweet potatoes as well as fruits. My only concern is that we may not be using the healthier versions of the ingredients as a part of the tradition. I’m going to remove my emotion from the meal and concentrate on the delicious home made recipes made with contents with my life in mind.
For some healthy choices and all around healthy recipes, frequently check back with us on our AlumniRoundup Food Archive
www.Twitter.com/RoundupRussy

This is Just as Bad as "SuperSize Me"

admin — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:41:39 +0000

So McDonalds added this to their website in order to reassure the public that they were using sanitary conditions, fresh meat and care in preparing the food they provide.. If you ask me, this is just as nasty as “SuperSize Me”. This just makes me stick to my McDonalds boycott even harder. Listen carefully to the video and you will recognize that the guy refers to the meat as “material” and he never stated what Grade meat it was.. He said USDA meat.. never a grade.. which means it could be the bottom of the barrel. No mater how sanitary your facility is and how many procedures you have to check quality assurance of your product, if it’s dirt, its just going to be sanitized dirt.