Diet


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I am always flattered and get a huge grin on my face when people ask me about my fitness routine.  It usually happens when I’m at the beach or in some sort of attire that reveals my arms or abs, and goes something like this:

“What did you do to get those abs, girl?”

OR

“You’ve got some GREAT arms!  Do you work out?”

OR

“I wanna know what diet YOU’RE on!”

Why am I so flattered, or why the huge grin?  Well, DUH.  I work HARD.  It is so great when someone else notices!

So, the answer – to put it simply – is, first, I love food – all kinds.  And I eat it (in moderation, generally).  But most importantly, I LOVE physical activity.  And if you’ve ever been physically active on a continual basis, and doing something you really ENJOYED, you know what I’m talking about.  I feel sluggish and jiggly-puffy (as MC likes to call it) if I don’t get out and DO something physical.  That may include anything from walking or riding my beach cruiser on the beach to an hour on the elliptical stair climber at the gym, followed by abs, arms and legs strength training.  But my absolute FAVORITE workout is found at SPX Fitness.  And I am now a CERTIFIED SPX Fitness Instructor!  WOO HOO! Yep!  I did it.  I went through the training, and am now an instructor of this incredible fitness method!

What does that mean?  Well, watch out people.  If you make it to LA and attend one of my classes, you WILL feel it (during and long afterward).  If you continue in the regimen, you will NOTICE the difference very quickly.  You’ll have abs, definition in your arms, legs and calves, and a sculpted, leaner body as a whole.  It’s simply fabulous!

You can see a video of this incredible workout here (look for the Rockit Body segment):

Rockin My Body!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryaZCrS-W-Q

Fun workout.  Awesome results.

That’s it for this week, people!  Have a FIT and FANTASTIC weekend!  I am off to teach an SPX Fitness practice class!  WOOP WOOP!!

Love you people!  Mmmmmmphhhuuuuuhhhhh!!!

xoxo,

Ms. Cheevious

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Blog content copyright 2009, LISA JEY DAVIS a.k.a. Ms. Cheevious

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Need I say more? If you’ve read my blog for some time, you’ll know what this is all about. I once wrote about the differences between steak and – ehem – shrimp.  But that part is only important if you remember it.  If not, this is just hilarious anyway…

Many of you have seen the Panda Express commercials – the ones where the two Pandas repeatedly try to steal Panda Express food? Well, there is a new one of them hunting for shrimp in the deep blue sea.  One of that commercial’s incarnations can be found on youtube.com by searching “Panda Express Shrimp Commercial”. 

I tried to find the one with BOTH pandas, but alas, it’s nowhere to be found as of yet on the internet. 

Since MC Nugget (my man, for you newbies) and I are KNOWN for hunting for the best, yummiest SHRIMP, I figured this one was a shoe in.

"Heeere Shrimpy, Shrimpy, Shrimpy...."

Too funny. 

I’m working my way up to Redding, CA this weekend to visit with Maven, her hubby and son.  They just recently moved there and require my expert design services…  but of course, dahhhhling. 

M.C. may join if the two or three gigs he is after do not pan out… I’ll keep you posted. 

Soon, however, as promised, I’ll provide shots from the Oscar Gifting Suites and fesitivities.  Just waiting on them from the event people!

Have a marvelous weekend my lovely boys and girls.  And don’t let those yummy shrimp get away!

Love you people!  Mmmmmmphhhhuuuhhhhh!

xoxo,

Ms. Cheevious

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Blog content copyright 2009, LISA JEY DAVIS a.k.a. Ms. Cheevious

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So I went with a gal pal to one of those shi-shi places in Hollywood last week. It’s called Osteria Mozza, on Melrose. The place was listed on Zagat as one of THE places to spot celebrities and see or be seen in Hollywood during Oscar week.  It had some great food and wine list reviews as well.  My girlfriend was visiting from Florida, so we thought it a good opportunity to get into one of those “tough-to-get-into” places, enjoy the wine, have a fabulous meal… and do some serious people watching.  

This is the inside of Osteria Mozza.  Cool eh?

Here’s what we ordered:

Grilled Octopus with potatoes, celery & lemon  $18

Bufala Mozzarellawith prosciutto di Parma  $16

Insalata mista $8

Sauteed baby broccoli with chilies & vinegar $10

Orecchiette with sausage & Swiss chard  $18

Sunchokes with caperi & salsa verde $10

And some wine from the Borello district – priced at $75.00/bottle. 

Here’s what we liked:

The bread.

The cool people watching.

That’s it.

So – this restaurant on Hollywood’s (or ZAGAT’s) HOT list, gets a bad review in my book.  The menu was over priced, the food overly greasy and/or buttery, and/or salty (which does NOT help we somewhat “diet conscious” types at all), and the wine a poor suggestion for a first wine of the evening. 

And the worst part?  The service was extremely underwhelming, if not down right dismal.  They repeatedly took important pieces of silverware, and required that I ask multiple servers for replacements, and the only thing we DID like — the bread — required multiple inquiries as well before we were served any.  I’m sorry, but if you are going to be one of the top restaurants in a major metropolitan area, you’ve got to get that “service” thing DOWN. If you have excellent, exceptional service, you can almost get away with mediocre food.  Almost. This place served up mediocre to poor in both food and service.

And the REALLY worst part?  This place was known by M.C. Nugget’s big-time ICM former agent, and said agent had been wanting to go there.  How could I EVER take anyone to this place after that experience?  What a disappointment!

So… as far as my post here is titled, I’d have to go with a resounding, “NOT.”

How’s that for harsh!?  Sorry folks.  It’s not like I didn’t TRY to enjoy the place or the menu.  I relish what I do (and that covers a LOT of bases), and I feel it’s my job to make sure my peeps have a FABULOUS experience when they visit Tinsel Town.  So, when you come – dine at Osteria Mozza at your own risk.  Then ask me where to go for exquisite wining, dining, ambiance and people watching.

Stay tuned for my dish on the Oscar gifting suites, pre-Oscar festivities, and my all-too-Ms. Cheevious Oscar Viewing party which had its own share of technical difficulties! 

Have a fantastic day my lovelies!

Oh!  And since I didn’t post last week, I’ll try to shoot another one off in a few days.

Love you people! Mmmmmphhhuuhhhhh!

xoxo,

Ms. Cheevious

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Blog content copyright 2009, LISA JEY DAVIS a.k.a. Ms. Cheevious

“This i-phone!” my girlfriend Danielle shrugged, exasperated. 

“What’s the deal?” our friend Debra and I asked over breakfast.

“Last night I was texting back and forth with different people, and for some reason, when you hit ‘reply’ on a text message, sometimes it brings up the last person on your phone list, rather than the person you actually meant to reply to. So last night I was texting back and forth with Craig [sometime boyfriend] – and of course I did have a few glasses of champagne throughout the evening – and he was sending me texts like ‘where are you?’ or ‘what are you doing?’, so at one point I thoughtI was texting him and I said, “I’m on the corner by The Lounge. I’ll be the girl with the hot tits.”"

Debra and I chuckled at that statement alone!  Then we heard the real punch line.  “So this morning, I was going through my old texts, and what I thought was a text to Craig, went to the taxi driver from earlier in the evening!” 

We roared with laughter.  The thought of that guy racing to her corner (since we are talking about small-town Aspen here), looking for someone who was hot-to-trot for him was just priceless. 

If you are new to this blog, welcome!  Come on in.  It’s fun here.  Would you care for a drink?  ha ha

Seriously, we’ve all had our share of experiences I’m sure (unless of course you do not indulge or over-indulge in the occasional alcoholic beverage), where we’ve said or done something embarrassing as a result of having too much fun.

cocktails.jpg

And be warned:  These sorted scenarios don’t only play out on the evening in question, but can carry over to the morning after, while we recover from the night before.

I’m sure this is why my friend Danielle thought for certain that the i-phone was her problem.  She continued, “So, this morning I had a text from Ellie, who was asking where I went last night, and I thoughtI was texting her back, when I said, “I met up with Craig and we had wild monkey sex until three in the morning.”  Hey – what can I say? Some of my best friends are base individuals – given to animal instincts and behaviors at times!

As we absorbed her comments, she delivered this little doozy: “Well, I just looked, and that text went to Craig.”  she said, mortified.

“Oh no!” we said, laughingly.  Then I offered, “That’s so weird!  There must be some faulty programming on those things. You should check for updates or something online.  I bet it’s a known problem!” 

In reality, it’s more likely the alcohol in her system to blame, rather than a renegade text mechanism in her i-phone.  I’m sure Danielle, now that her system is clear, knows this to be true.

So, though I have dealt with the consequences of drinking and dialing, the whole texting thing is a new one to me.  I mean, I’ve sent some indecipherable texts after a few cocktails.  I’ve even texted the wrong person, but generally the messages were harmless, and left my unintended targets scratching their heads, and later writing it off to my – well, blondness.

It begs the question, however, how does one, if inebriated, make the  level-headed “call” to step away from the cell phone?  I am asking this question as a student – someone who does not have the answers, I swear.  If I did, my friend, I promise I’d rattle off some list of do’s and don’ts!

I suppose the very same mechanism that kicks in, making some insist, by god, that they can drive, even though they’ve only had three? four? five? drinks, may be to blame here. 

What is it about this legal drug and its affect on us?  And why do some people have more command over their faculties than others?  I have some friends that get just plain stupid when they drink. I don’t even want to be around them.  Then there are others that seem perfectly normal.  Or could it be that I’ve had as much to drink as they have on those occasions?

I can offer this sage advice, from years of doing the RIGHT thing:  If you don’t want to do anything stupid, determine that ahead of time, and be responsible.  If you find yourself guzzling the wine, perhaps you are actually thirsty.  Try a glass of water.  It’s actually refreshing.  And, as a wise man once said “Know thyself.”  Don’t be an idiot and think you can pound down the drinks without even developing a slight stagger or stutter.  Everyone does to a certain extent.  If you are going out to drink, learn from other people’s mistakes if you can and take precautions.  As a single mother, I learned long ago that you do NOT go out and drive if going out for a night of drinking. There are precious people I am responsible for, and it is just wrong. Don’t even BRING your car if you stand a chance of drinking over the course of an evening.  A hundred dollars in cab fare is far better price to pay than dealing with the myriad of other possible outcomes, which I won’t even go into here (the very least of these being a DUI).

So – enough about drinking, dialing and texting.  I know you are all sitting, waiting with bated breath to hear about my results for the week.  In case you’ve not been here, I’ve been on this challenge to get back to a healthy eating lifestyle.  I’ve been known for being an incredibly disciplined eater for most of my post-divorce, adult life.  That is, until a few years ago.  It got to the point this past January, where I put some of my favorite clothes on and they looked awful.  There were bulges where it use to be solid and lean, and I just didn’t feel as good as I’m accustomed to.  So, I got rigid.  Then I got lax (last week I actually gained half a pound).  Anyhow, I am back on track, and still determined.  You don’t get rid of bad habits overnight.  This I know. I’ve decided that until I reach my goal, I will not belabor the message in these posts.  I will simply state my goal, current weight and weight lost/gained. 

Sound good? Works for me!  Except, of course, for this week.  PSYCHE!  I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico to spend time with my mother who recently had a stroke.  I’ve been packing, condo hunting, moving, running a business and much much more ever since this whole thing started.  I’ve been traveling so much (just this month) that my whole system (physical and logistical) is off, and I decided not to go there.  I will weigh in on this (no pun intended) next week!  Know this:  Changing habits that you aren’t fond of (in yourself) takes determination, stamina and time.  You have to be IN it for real.  I am.  Bring it on, baby!  I’ve lost 8 of 11 lbs, and I am going to WIN. hee hee[digg=http://digg.com/food_drink/The_Indelible_Foibles_of_Drinking_Driving_or_texting]

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Up.

Down.

Up.

Down.

I’m nauseous already.  Sorry. 

But I’m being real here!  And at the same time, I’m waxing metaphoric.

The Realness? My battle to lose 11 pounds has now spanned over two months, and though I’ve managed to dodge the bullet, if you will, when it comes to gaining weight on weigh-in days, I’ve not managed to reach my goal yet.  All in good time ladies and gentlemen.  All in good time.

The Metaphor?   It’s all in the week I’m having!  Or month.  Or season?  It’s been so crazy – in a fantastic way.  My business (going from running full board to gangbusters in just about three months) is ever growing – something I’ve intended for quite some time.  My writing career has gone from non-existent to something to speak of – which didn’t happen really until I finally took the advice of the astrologist at the Ebony Magazine / Essence Awards After Party held at Merlin’s in the Universal City Walk back in 2002, who said “You are a writer. You should write. Now.”  – okay, so it’s not a totally reliable source, but hey, it got me writing. (I just got an email from a hot mommy’s website asking me to do a column – won’t say much more until it’s official, but that’s AWESOME).  It’s almost more than I could have imagined. Well, almost.

Heather Headley at 2002 Essence Awards

So, why does the picture above suddenly appear in my blog?  Well, that is Heather Headley.  You should look her up.  She is actually a FANTASTIC vocalist. She is somewhat of a Diva (at least it seemed that way to me), but she is the reason I was even AT the Ebony Magazine party that year.  I was dating her manager, but that is a whole OTHER story. HA!

In case you are new here – welcome!  I’ve been on this lonnnnnng, drawn out quest to shed a few pounds and get back to a healthy eating lifestyle, and I’ve taken my peeps along with me on the roller coaster ride.  I’ve had some challenges, but all in all, it’s been pretty simple I think. Once you put your mind to something, I am convinced you can achieve anything.  Yep.  Anything. 

So, on to the reasons for some of my YO YO – isms:

I’m buying a condo in Los Angeles.

Or am I? No, yes I am.  Well, I am trying to.  DO YOU SEE what I mean?  Yes. No. Yes. Buy Right Now. Don’t Buy Right Now. Hurry. Wait.  It’s dizzying! I had two condos in mind that I liked, after my last trip out to LA. The one I was leaning toward sold. Sounds simple enough, right?  Buy the other one, right?  No, it’s not so simple.  The let-down on the first condo – it was soooo cool – coupled with some things my worry-wart Realtor said about the shaky market and when I should strategically make my offer on a property, made me rethink everything. 

So.  Here’s the lowdown on my dizziness:   I’m in Aspen.  I’m going to Moab in a few days.  Then I go to Grand Junction, Colorado with my boyfriend to celebrate his birthday – woo hoo – Grand Junction (don’t ask – it was my idea, and I’m sticking to it). Then I’m flying to Albuquerque to spend time with my mom.  I need to be with her.  I’ll be there a few days, then I fly back out to LA to hunt some condos down.  Then I go back to Albuquerque to spend more time with mom.  Then I’ll be back in Moab.  Then we (my boyfriend and I) go to Aspen to pack up that condo.  Then we are moving all of my belongings to GOD ONLY KNOWS WHERE.

Stop. Start. Stop. 

Travel. Stay.

Shave. Grow. 

Sneeze.  Don’t. 

I just threw that last one in to shake things up a bit, and see if you were reading.  Don’t you hate when you need to sneeze, and suddenly it’s just GONE?

Well, anyway – here are my health quest results for this week.  I have to say that considering the following:

Easter (fantastic brunch at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen)
PMS (can you say “monthly bloat?”)
My friend Tanya came to visit for a couple of nights to PAR-TAY in Aspen
My twelve year old son came to Aspen to snowboard and take a vacay, which meant eating out and movies and popcorn.

Considering all that, I did not do so bad!

Start Date:  Thursday January 31, 2007
Height: 5′ 5″
Goal: 125 lbs
Beginning weight:  136 lbs
Weight after week 1:  132.5 lbs
(02.07.08)
Weight after week 2: 130 lbs (02.14.08)
Weight after week 3: 130 lbs (02.21.08)
Weight after week 4: unknown – no scale! yippee! (02.28.08)
Weight after week 5:  128 lbs (03.06.08)
Weight after week 6:  127.5 lbs (03.13.08)
Weight after week 7:   127.5 lbs (03.20.08)
Weight after week 8:   128 lbs (03.27.08)
Net Loss / Gain this week
 + .5 lbs 
IT’S A GAIN – OKAY I USE TO HATE THE MOAB SCALE.  NOW I KINDA LIKE IT.
TOTAL Net Loss:   8.0 lbs 

Time to buckle down and get back on track.  No more Mister Nice Guy.  For those of you who read this and think ‘Wow, it just seems so hard,’ don’t.  It’s not that hard.  I just underwent a brief stage of the “Cutsies,” as a wise Weight-Watchers counselor once told me.  We get a few pounds off, and we start to think, ‘Hey! I’m lookin’ pretty good.  Now I can eat whatever I want!’  But the really successful people – of course I AM one of those – stick with it, and don’t get discouraged, realizing it’s all part of the journey.  You’re Up.  You’re Down.  Physically, Mentally, Spiritually.  Don’t give up, or you won’t experience the bliss of success.   

So! I’m excited about the coming months and years ahead for me (and my lovely man), even though I’ve now added even more travel to my future, and it will be hectic and crazy at times.  Can you believe my man actually agreed to go on this wild ride with me? He doesn’t even like Los Angeles! He must really love me.  By the way – let’s wish him a Happy Birthday.  Happy Birthday to him! He’s an April Fool’s baby.  What does that tell ya? That he is a fool for love? Well, that works for me. He IS a love! Mmmmphhhhuuuuhhh!

Now Let’s Talk About You I actually don’t mind it so much when life gets hectic and crazed. How about you?  How do you handle things when your world gets tossled up a bit?  We’d all love to hear how you glide through life with chaos in your wings.  How you do so with charm, grace and sophistication.  Oh, and be sure to let us know if you are 40+ years or older, and haven’t a wrinkle to show for it.  (ha ha)

Also, do you think I am being too easy on myself? Should I have LOST weight this week?  It was “all so easy” in the beginning.  Do you think I should just buckle down, go postal on my body and LOSE THE LAST STINKIN’ THREE POUNDS ALREADY?  Please feel free to leave me a nice, friendly reply.  (ha ha)

[digg=http://digg.com/health/Yo_Yo_Me_The_Up_Down_Sideways_Adventures_of_Me]

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