I Just Realized That...

...whenever I start dating someone consistently I gain weight. I stepped on the scale last week and it read 202lbs. Yes people, I have gained back 10 of the 14 lbs that I lost over the summer.

I thought about way back in college when Dreads and I started dating, I gained weight.

When Chicago and I started dating back in 02, I gained weight.

When VP and I started fucking, I gained weight.

When Hollywood and I started dating I gained weight.

When CC and I started dating, I gained weight.

And now that GE and I have started dating, I have gained weight.

I started wondering why the hell this happens and it didn't take long to figure it out. Most dates include food and drinks. Plain and simple. The other night, GE and I were watching TV and he asked me about 10 times what we were going to eat. He ordered a pizza and wings and we ate most of it. The night before that, we hung out with some of his friends. Between us, we had 6 martinis. He had 4 and I had 2.

And i'm wondering why I have gone back over 200lbs. This shit is going to have to stop. We are going to have to do things that don't involved food and alcohol. I'm going to try to plan dates that involve some kind of physical activity (and sex doesn't count). But hell, what date can you do that involves physical activity?

Any ideas?

I Feel A Lot...

...better today. The last 2 days have not been good for me or my spirit. So I got up this morning and played tennis for 3 hours. When I got on the court, I was still sluggish and feeling blah. But as I played, I felt better and better. I took my mind off of finances, men, obligations, life decisions, family issues, job, and everything else and I just played. I feel so much better.

The only problem with playing tennis so much is that my face is now much darker than the rest of my body. I may have to start playing naked!LOL

For As Long As...

...I can remember, I have always had high blood pressure and have worried about my weight. I remember 11 years ago when I was in college and a nurse took my blood pressure and screamed "how can you be only 19 years old and have blood pressure this high"!!!!!!!! I think that it actually read something like 170/95 that day. I was immediately send to a physician and have been on medication every since then. The problem with medication is that your body becomes immune to it and it stops working. So for about 2 years, you can have normal blood pressure and then it shoots back up. That's what's been happening for the last few years.

As far as my weight is concerned, i've never been overweight. I've just always watched it go up and down. Since college I have been as low as 165lbs and as high at 210lbs. When looking at myself in the mirror, I have always looked the same. But back in May of 2005 when I moved back to Atlanta, I weighed 210lbs. That day I joined a gym and went faithfully every day. Four months later I was back to 170lbs and was quite content. But that didn't last long and I was back to my old self not exercising consistently and definitely not eating healthy. On June 25th of this year I got on a scale and it said I was 207lbs!!! Oh hell no!!!

I went back to my room and took my blood pressure and it was 157/93. I took a look at myself in the mirror and even took pictures (hell no! I will not post them) of by body. I almost cried to think that I was back over 200lbs and I could have a stroke any day if my blood pressure didn't come down.

Well, I decided to actually change some things about my lifestyle. I could no longer sit on the sofa every day, eat and watch TV. I would eventually get fat as hell and die of a stroke or a heart attack. I could no longer eat high fat, high sodium, high calorie foods. The first thing that I did was change what and how I ate. I took a cue from 2 of my co-workers and cut out all beef and pork. I added a lot more vegetables, fruit juice, and water. It was no where near easy, but i've done it. Now I will have a lil beef every now and then, but no more than once every 14 days. When i'm not traveling, breakfast is a bowl of Cheerios. Lunch is usually some type of fish or chicken dish and a whole heap of vegetables.

The second thing that I did was to get off my ass and start moving. I am not a gym person, so I found something else to do. Since I had been learning to play tennis, I decided to ramp up my game so that I could get more cardiovascular exercise. Luckily, i've not been traveling for the last month so I have been able to play 4 to 5 times a week for 2 hours at a time. I've told myself that when I do travel I WILL make time to go to the fitness center in the hotels if only for 30 minutes.

Well, the results are in people!! After 45 days of my new lifestyle, I can say that I am proud to make this post. Both my weight and blood pressure are down!!!

My blood pressure is down past the goal that my doctor set of 135/85!!!!!

And my weight is down 14.5lbs (7%).

Since i've achieved that blood pressure goal I now have to maintanin it. So i'll be taking my pressure monitor everywhere I go.

As far as my weight, I want to get down to 180lbs and i'll be happy.

Ya'll don't know how happy I am right now.

Next step is to get these finances in a better place.

I've Been Playing...

...tennis for about 2 years. I play mainly for the exercise, but for the last few months i've actually been trying to get better and I have. My basic moves such as serve, forehand, and backhand have gotten exponentially better.

I've been going to a park located near my apartment because it's convenient and there are 3 courts there. But today, I realized another reason why I go to that park. And here it is!!!

The boys on the basketball court!!

When this shirtless dude snatched off his shirt stripper style, I dropped my raquet!!!!

And we actually do play tennis as well!!!! (And don't ask why I wasn't in the pictures!! I was taking them!!!!)

I Need To Get...

...back to this size. When I took this picture back in 2006, I was all of 169lbs. I had a 32 inch waist and a flat stomach. Now i'm 206 lbs, with a 36 inch waist and an intermediate (it ain't a beginner) belly!!! THIS HAS TO STOP!!!




I'm going to have to start heading back to the gym 3-4 times a week again and stop eating a 3 piece from Popeyes 2-3 times a week. The madness has to stop.

My 31st birthday is in March and my present to myself is to be back where I was in this picture by then. My original birthday present to myself was actually to have liposuction, but HELL NAW!!!! I can do this!!! Yes I Can!!!!!

Lifelong Problem

About the age of 11, little boys begin this process called puberty. Their voices start to deepen (some of them), they get pubic hair, their underarms start to sweat, they start to increase in height and weight, and a few more things change and get bigger.

Well all of these things happened to me when I turned 10 years old, one of them started and didn't stop. When my underarms started to sweat, they didn't stop! I could be in an air-conditioned room at 40 degrees with air blowing directly on me and my underarms, forehead, and back would sweat. When I would eat certain food *not necessarily hot or spicy*, my forehead would sweat profusely. I could take a cool shower and I would start sweating immediately afterwards. But none of these embarassed me as much as my sweaty ass underarms.

Because of this, I learned what colors you can wear that don't show a change in color when wet. This limited what I could wear. I learned to wear a jacket at all times. Of course, this caused my body temperature to increase and caused more sweating. I buy new t-shirts every 3 months. Nothing is more unattractive than pit stained t-shirts. I learned to make excuses for sweating by saying things like "oh, i'm hot-natured" *how the hell can you be hot-natured?*. At one time a few years ago, I developed a social anxiety and avoid people because they act as though they have never seen someone sweat before.

This condition is called Hyperhidrosis and I have it and have had it since puberty. Like any other condition, you can't understand it if you don't have it. You don't understand how it feels to feel that drip of sweat under your arms or on the tops of your forehead. You don't understandthat anxiety that you know it's going to start and not stop for hours. To know that your shirts are going to be soaked in a matter of minutes. The funny thing is that you know what is happening and that causes anxiety. In turn, the anxiety causes you to sweat more.

I've tried all kind of products from plain anti-perspirants to prescription strength anti-perspirants. Nothing has ever worked consistenly. I did have one product called Certain Dri. I had to apply it before bed and it actually worked. The issue with Certain Dri is that it caused my underarms to burn like fire. It felt like I was putting a lighter to my underarms. I had to stop using it.

I talked to my dermatologist about ways to solve the problem. Her first suggestion was to try Dry Sol and I did. It didn't work. Her next suggestion was to have botox injections on my underarms. That sounded wonderful, but it was painful and $750 per session 4 times a year was a bit out of my budget!

Then I saw a commercial for something. That something was Degree Clinical Strength.

Of course I was reluctant, but I said, what the hell and decided to try it. To my amazement, it has worked. The only downside is that it cost about $10 and since you have to apply it 3 times a day, it the stick only last about 2 weeks. But you know what, that's a price that I will pay. I have noticed that my sweating has been reduced my maybe 90%. Becauase of the reduction, my anxiety has decreased also, which has led to what? A reduction in overall sweating!!!!! No one knows how happy I am.

Now all I have to do is go out and buy new t-shirts and a lifetime supply of Degree Clinical Strength!

AND LET THAT BE THE REASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Norris

Alexyss Tylor (Not Work Safe)

I hate to agree with her, but she's right!!!!!!!!

Oh Hell No!!!!!!

I got on the scale today and it said 200lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess who's going back on the diet and exercise plan that he was on back in 2005. I have decided that 180lbs is where I was most satisfied with my weight. I have 20lbs to lose and 5 months to lose it.

The Norris Diet goes as follows:

Morning-Bowl of flavored low-sugar oatmeal with some yogurt and a glass of orange or apple juice.

Snack 3 hours later of a glass of water and a granola bar (I love those things)

Lunch-A turkey, bologna, or ham sandwich with some Lays backed potato chips and some flavored water or juice.

Snack 3 hours later of a glass of water and some fruit of some sort.

Dinner-a Healthy Choice dinner of less than 500 calories and water to drink

A granola bar if I feel hungry later in the evening.

Water, Water, Water-----No Soda or Sugary Drinks of any kind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I do go out to eat, I only eat half of my food and take the rest home for another meal.

This keeps me on average less than 2000 calories per day.

I was on this diet in 05 and it worked. I could SEE the difference not only on the scale, but in my measurements. Now once I get the eating under control, I can start working in the gym again.