Mo'nique Talks about Being "Skinny"

Mo'nique has lost 42 pounds recently (down to 220 pounds-which I would not consider skinny but it is definitely a huge accomplishment). This is what she has had to say about her new "skinny" life:

"...I have so much more energy. I can move around better, and that’s what it’s all about. I want to lose more, so I’ll just keep eating better and exercising, and the weight will come off,” she says. “It took time to put in on, and it will take time to take if off. It’s still okay to be big, but let’s be big and healthy. I had to lose some weight to get healthier because I want to be around for a while. I have twin sons who are 3 and a son who is 19, and I want the opportunity to meet their children.”

It is great to see that she is doing it the right way (so many celebrities take the easy way out) and has realistic expectations. And good motivation. It seems like Mo'nique definitely gets it, and I hope that she passes this message along as much as she did her old message.

Like all of us, she has hit a plateau, but she is not discouraged and will keep working towards her goal.

Congrats, Mo'nique!

I am also glad to see that this is being highlighted in popular black magazines. (I guess Jet is considered a popular magazine. Do people still read that?)

You are what you eat and drink

Back in June I wrote a post entitled "Good and Good for You Too" where I talked about how one high calorie desert can totally wipe out the calories that you burned during your workout.

Well, the same thing goes for your choice in beverages. Did you know that 12 oz of Coke has 155 calories and 40 grams of sugar? And one serving (8 oz) of Tropicana "100% Juice" orange juice has 110 calories and 22 grams of sugar. It is recommended that most people not exceed 40 grams of sugar in one whole day!

Your sports drink might not be as bad but still contains unnecessary calories and sugar. One 8 oz serving of Fruit Punch Gatorade has 50 calories and 14 grams of sugar.

This shows that you should not only watch the caloric and sugar intake in your favorite foods, you should also monitor the beverages that you drink. Just ask LenDale White, running back for the Tennessee Titans. White, 24, has often been criticized for being overweight and not in good football shape, however, he arrived at training camp this summer 30 pounds lighter.

How did that happen? Did he hire a personal chef? NO. Did he go on the South Beach Diet? NO. So what did he do?

"I really got to be honest," White said. "It wasn't a lot of major diet changes. (It was) watching what I drink. I was a big Patron consumer. ... That's what it was. I was drinking a lot, drank a lot of alcohol. I cut that out of my diet all the way. I don't drink at all. I cut the drinking, I stopped drinking for six months. It started falling off," White told Fox Sports.

All he did was stop drinking. In case you are wondering, one serving (1.5 fluid ounces) of Parton (that's tequila for those that are not familiar with it) contains 104 calories, according to The Daily Plate. And that's if you drink it straight. Your mixer will have calories and sugar too.

What was his motivation? The Titan's play off loss to The Baltimore Ravens back in January. According to the article, Titan's coaches and management have definitely taken notice.

How many calories are in your favorite drinks? What would happen if you just cut out high calorie beverages?

And what will motivate you to finally make a change?

It's time for a revolution!

Check out the calories in your favorite drinks and tell us what you find.

Less Weight and Less Popular?

It seems as though funny man and actor, Seth Rogen, star of Knocked Up and other comedies, feels as though he is "selling out" and letting down his fans as a result of losing weight for his role in the upcoming film, The Green Hornet.



Have any of you lost weight and have faced criticism from friends, family, coworkers or strangers? If so, how do you deal with it?

Do you ever feel pangs of jealousy when you see that others are losing weight and you are still struggling to do so? How do you deal with that?

Let us know!

How Does She Do It?

I have been looking at different sources on line to see if I can find out how Mo'nique is losing weight. Most of the information that I am finding is coming from unreliable rumor websites and blogs. I have not found an official statement from Mo'nique or her people yet.

I really hope that she is doing it through a healthy balance of diet and exercise. Many of the sites that I have found so far are suggesting that she may be looking into gastric bypass surgery. I really hope this is not the case.

My personal feelings on gastric bypass is that it is very dangerous (well, any surgery is dangerous) and that it is just a quick fix. In order to stay healthy for the duration of one's life, you really have to change your whole life style and way of thinking. No matter what anyone says, there is no quick fix.

Plus, I want for our community and our young people to have an example (a high profile example) that shows that a healthy diet and an active lifestyle are the right way to go about losing weight and being healthy.

But at the very least, if she is going to have gastric bypass surgery, I hope that she doesn't try to pull the wool over our eyes and tell us that she lost weight doing Pilates like Star Jones tried to do!

I am going to keep looking into it.....