Congrats to Mr and Mrs WING

SO everyone it has been a little while now that I have written anything so here it is....

I was struggling for about 2 weeks as I was on my monthly cycle and gained 8lbs. This is always devastating as with this always comes water retention and weight gain. I was reluctant to post anything as I know that many of you are looking for big results at the moment. I thought to myself, the people that are reading this are people that always support me and encourage me and will me to do the best for myself.

Weight loss is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life and with my life and work being as active and hectic and emotionally draining as it sometimes is.... I still struggle. SO no matter what I hold myself accountable to you the readers, but most importantly myself.

SO I took this weight gain personally as if I was the reason only reason why I gained this weight! So with that I began to eat garbage, cause as I said I am an emotional eater. But then I realized that by eating this way would only hurt the cause and slow down the process of what I really want....Good Health.

I was a Hostess and Co-Organizer for my friends Colleen and David Wing's wedding this weekend! It was so beautiful and they are an amazing couple and with the divine power from God they are going to do powerful things in each other's lives.

Meet Mr & Mrs. David Wing



My Wedding Favorites

Mrs.Colleen WING

Me and My Mommy!!!




Myself, Garcia and Maya---- 3 out of the 7 crew members..


3 Generations of Sweetness--- My mother,myself and my daughter Akesha! BAM


BRUK WAAY TIME... Jamaican Style

So are you wondering what and how I ate???? Well this wedding was buffet style, so I was able to pick choose and refuse certain items that I knew would send me over the top with the feeling of bloating and guilt. I saw what was good for me and I choose that. This is hard to do in a buffet line as by the time you get there you are ravishingly hungry and everything looks appetizing and wonderful, but I choose wisely. And then came along the BIG ASS desert table.

Here is where my taste buds gave way on me and I produced saliva like a dog who sees a new chewy bone. I looked and looked and I said " I can try something, just not everything" So I cut myself a small piece of choc tiger cake, and in actual fact this was already cut small so I cut it smaller.... And I added tons of fruit and called it a day! This is the first time that I had not gone back to the desert table for 2nds, much less 3rds.

I felt good about the choice that I found that I do have the will power to do this, so I pat myself on the back!!! " Good Job Self"...

SO it is after 10 am in the morning and guess what??? I am off to see Aaron at 11am. So stay tuned folks this journey is off and running...

Thank you to everyone who committed on reading my post and giving me comments of encouragements! Love you all!

SOOOO Happy togetherrrrrr....

Good Morning Folks,
So People have been asking me to show them the face of my pain instructor Aaron well here he is...Oh please don't let the boyish grin fool ya'll.



Credits
:Inflicting pain in the ass @ 5 am :Yelling at me to continue :Texting me the middle of the damn day to see what I'm eating :Thinking of painful workouts on the drive to the gym
This is the reason I curse so much in the morning, but the reason that I am on the way to my goal FINALLY....Boy his head is going to swell...lol

So I had the pleasure of training with my girl Vanessa from Chi-Town this morning. Vanessa is an avid workout chick, but was distraught about what she had to endure this morning with Aaron and myself...
Take a look.

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Walking on my hands to hit the damn medicine ball with my elbow! What the HECK!!!






At the end of the workout I looked like this.....


what the heck was all this that he had me doing? He was just showing off! But to tell you the truth, it felt good! Just not telling him that. I have found that my focus is different.

Before I only went to the gym as though it was my sentence as I paid for it, now I actually enjoy waking up at 4:15am to get to the gym and have a workout. Even though I have small goals to achieve I actually enjoy what I am doing. That is the different.


I have decided to make a small goal for myself and that is to run a mini mini marathon, so I went to the Running Room and asked questions. the gentleman was so happy because:

1) He thought he was going to get paid for signing another person up

2) He thought that he was going to coerce me to buy some shoes. But I was not having any of that.

I asked about a mini marathon.. He said "Oh a 10K" and I gasped for air a bit and laughed and said "NO" then he said oh okay "5K" and I asked him if there is one smaller than that, like a 2.5 k and he looked at me as though I was damn crazy and I was sooo dead serious. But he told me that alot of the marathon are walk and run marathons. So this is the goal, to be able to do this 5K run/walk without passing out and vomiting and peeing myself and passing out! August 21 or 22 is the attempted goal.... Oh dear Lord what have I gotten myself into....

Pray for me!

It was good Vanessa, so now as you go home to sleep, I go to work to a Mother's Day party at work with cupcakes, chips, chocolate and yes me with my veggies and hummus...BLAH!

I soooooooo hurt!

I think my Trainer Hates Me Part 2

Hey Everyone,
So I am 2lbs down! Whoo Hoo! So yes it may be 2lbs of water, it may be 2lbs of excess weight, but it is 2lbs in the right direction on the scale.

I have been really trying to watch my calorie intake and step up my water intake and this has been able to cause the feeling of fullness for me that will help last throughout my days.

On Thursday of last week, it was like my body was trying to play with me and I went into 100 calorie snack craving overload. I think I had about 500 calories in about 10 minutes, and of course drank a big glass of water...lol

My body is not used to this new way of control and temptation got the better of me and I took care of it, but I was able to use that as my "cheat day" and continue good for the rest of the week.....

So this leads me to my headliner....I think my trainer hates me part 2

WHAT THE HECK AARON! He had me doing all kinds of crazy mess that I believe is not in the trainer handbook and that he thought up on the way to the gym. Who knows what a TRIFECTA is?????

Apparently, this is a HORSE TRACK term and he decided to incorporate this into our workout. Is this son of a @#$% calling me a damn horse? LOL

Trifecta- A bet in which the person betting forecast the first three finishers in a race in the correct order. ( IMAC dictionary defintion)

Who am I racing wit? there is no one else wit me experiencing this torture at 5 am in the morning....

I told Aaron that black folks know nothing about horse racing we know Dominoes and craps.LOL.

My exercise was to lay on this bench that was on an incline while leaning forward and do three arm exercises in a row. 1) Forward dumbells (15) like I was to visualize hitting him in his chest with them, 2) then I had to bring them to my side and look like I was a damn bird flying(15) 3) and then upwards row type motion (15). This was all one set, and he had me do three.... Oh dear Lord help me now!

So I am 2 lbs down and in loads of pain....good times!
Many of you want to see the person that is causing havoc in my life, I promise to get his picture up here soon.

I have a dilemma for this weekend....
1) Akesha is in an International Swim Meet this weekend from Thursday night to Sunday night. I am working in the hospitality section ( where the coaches and timers come to get their food, The Edmonton Keyano Swim Club ALWAYS has good food and even better....chocolatey treats...mmmm)

2) I am having my home blessed on Saturday night with family and friends and need to provide food and treats..

3) I am putting on a bridal shower for my good friend Colleen Ricketts Pinnock on Sunday ( In between the swim meet sessions) and there will be alot of good food and treats...

HELP

I think my Trainer Hates Me....

So it is 6:40 am, I just finished a workout with Aaron and I have come to the conclusion that he hates me. Now that I have decided that "It's my time to shine" Aaron thought it was his time to up the stakes on my workout....

At 5 am:
1) Raise hands above head while lifting your knees high and come down into a walking lunge....
2) Dumbell chest press while laying on the workout ball with my belly up to the ceiling...
3) Then Chest pull up with the TRX bands( I hate these bands) then....
It keeps getting worse. Then a funny thing Aaron asked me to come again this week and do it by myself....HA HA HAAA! The thing is I know that I won't push myself the way that he does but I will do the workout but shhhh just don't tell him that...

So Aaron is now excited that I've become motivated to get this last 50lbs over and done, so he wrote on my blog and here's what he had to say:

"Hello, my name is Aaron. I am Tracy's trainer!! She loves me! I have been working with Tracy for 2 years and she has done some amazing things. BUT....here is where we have some challenges. I am letting everyone know about this, because we all need to support Tracy. Sometimes that means "tough love". Tracy needs to be eating better. What I mean is cleaner. If Tracy can clean up her nutrition, I am certain she will drop more weight and she will do it quick. Now, Tracy I know you know how to eat properly!! So just ******* do it!! How bad do you want it??? I am calling all friends and family of Tracy Minnifee to hold her accountable".

So yes now that Aaron has put my business out there....LOL! Yes eating is the problem. I love food, food that tastes good, I love my Jamaican food with all the oil and fat. But he has a point, again don't tell him that as his head will swell...

Some of my weaknesses are chips and chocolate. So I always try and go for the 100 calories snacks. This would be fine if I didn't eat the entire box and use 500 cal in one sitting. Along with the Weight Watchers chocolate cakes....mmmmm! So they are 1 pt, so if I have one 5 of them that is only 5 pts. You see where my distorted thinking was playing a roll in crippling this process???

The truth about 100 cal snacks is that they are not anymore healthier for you than eating them from the regular size bags. I found this quote on a website asking the truth about 100 cal snacks....

"Selling these products in 100 calorie portions doesn’t make them any more nutritious. The fact is these snacks and others like them still contain the same “empty calories” as they always have. The manufacturers are simply saying that we, as consumers, can’t control our eating habits so they’ll do it for us. In addition, although these products are labeled as having 0 grams of trans fat they still list hydrogenated oil, which is laden with trans fat, on the ingredient list. Companies are exploiting the fact that the FDA allows food manufacturers to list 0 grams of fat if the amounts of trans fat is less than 0.5 grams per serving. And studies show that smaller packaging means less staying power, eventually leading to more frequent eating.

But what Aaron has been trying to tell me for years is that weightloss is 80% food intake, 20% workout...with that being said if I would eat more healthy and maintain a proper diet I wouldn't have to see Aaron as much....Sounds like a plan(LOL)

Me and Aaron have a love hate relationship as you see: He loves the pain he's inflicting and I hate letting him know that he is right....

And Again, I worked out with Aaron this morning and I hurt.....AGAIN!

Day 1

Well Folks, can you believe it but Minnifee is starting to blog....Who knew! Well this is the thing I have been trying for years to motivate myself to lose weight and I have friends and family who successfully blog and show results so I am hoping that this will help light a fire under my spreading behind...

So this is the thing, I will be 34 in a few days and my daughter is 11. I gained 70lbs with her and have continued to call it by baby weight for years, problem is my pre teen is no longer a baby and the weight is all mine.

I have a trainer that I have had for 2 years and we battle daily to get me motivated to do more and try new things, but yet I struggle. Well you would too if you trained at 5 am in the morning with someone telling you to do lunges and push ups and god awful things that are good for you...LOL Wouldn't you? LOL!

Things are changing in my world, I am moving with my daughter to for the first time in 10 years, I have left an emotionally draining long distance relationship and have been in a new emotionally draining job for almost a year.

I work in a second stage women's shelter as a social worker and I have to hear the stories of abused women daily and try to help them over come trauma, crisis and their children's issues all while snacking on carrots sticks....Doesn't work. My job is the most rewarding job ever, but for an emotional eater this is a challenge.

I counsel women every day how to take care of themselves but yet seem to neglect to do the same for myself.

For most of you know that the love of my life, my daughter Akesha is a fierce competitive swimmer and she swims at the best of times 5 days a week, but for months this has been rare as swim meets are frequent. She is excelling in this sport along with school and this leaves little time for me to WANT to do anything but sleep...645 am swim training on a Saturday morning is tough, not only for the swimmer, but for the TAXI...(MOM). Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change my life and my devotion to my daughter, what I need to change is my love and devotion to myself.

Please join me in this journey to a better life in all areas. I love to hear feedback and comments so please feel welcome. TO all my family and friends who love me no matter what, you are the backbone of my success as a person, you know who you are Especially that one person who I call every morning that lives in Calgary on the way to work (on my handsfree thank you) that listens to my pain and anguish and never complains or let me down. I love you very much. And to my MOMMY and MY DADDY LOVE YOU for everything you do and always done and will continue to do in my life...

SO here we go, Day 1.. 50 lbs to go...
I worked out this morning at 5am with Aaron and I hurt.....