Had to go to a training to day....

Even though I was surrounded by pastries and crap, I was able to stay true to my diet. The key is always bringing along lots of healthy snacks and plenty of water!

Jan. 20th- Weds

oatmeal with apples and skim milk

1 cup coffee
3 cups herbal tea
8 cups water (throughout the day)

1 grapefruit

went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant- had 1 cup beans (not refried), with salsa, 3 corn tortillas and a Diet Dr. Pepper

1 large apple

1 small package of dried cranberries

1 medium mocha- non-fat, no whip cream

1 can of Cambell's Sirloin Burger soup
1 slice whole wheat bread

A tip for those of you trying this- you can make equivalent substitutions- just keep it low fat- no mayonnaise, no cheese, no high fat meats. Add these snacks- 2 fruits and 2 cups raw veggies every day. I can eat a pretty boring diet- I'll make a big pot of something and eat it for days. You can change it to whatever low fat soups, or high fiber, low fat cereals, or other meals under 5 grams of fat. That said- here we go again-

Jan 19th- Tuesday-

3 cups coffee, milk and sweetner
1/2 cup oatmeal w/apples and skim milk

10 cups water throughout the day

1 grapefruit

1/2 deli sandwich (on whole wheat, turkey and veggies, mustard)

1 large apple

2 pieces of beef jerky

1 cup of split pea soup with 2 pieces whole wheat toast (spray butter)

Time to get serious and lose some weight!

OK, folks, so I have an opportunity to fight a chick in Florida in April. Only problem is, I'm at 130 and need to be at 115 for the fight. I did a 15 pound weight loss last year for a fight and got sick as hell. No cutting water weight this time around. I'm going back to my traditional bodybuilding style of diet- very low fat and low calorie. If you need to drop a few, this will work. But I'll warn you, it's pretty strict! You might need to add some snacks, or, for guys, add to your meals (double portions). Oh, and ask your doctor if you have any special health concerns like diabetes or hypoglycemia. So, here goes......

Sunday- Jan. 17th

2 cups of coffee (with a little milk and 1 tsp sugar in each)
1 huge apple

4 cups water

2 cups raw veggies (bell peppers, radashes)

1 burrito (1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites scrambled in fat free spray butter, topped with salsa on a low fat flour tortilla)

4 cups water

1 cup low fat veggie beef soup, 1 green salad w/fat free dressing, 1 slice bread

2 mandarins

4 cups water

Saturday- Jan. 18th

2 cups coffee with milk and sugar

1/2 cup of oatmeal (with apples sauteed in spay butter and cinnamon) , sweetner and skim milk

1 grapefruit

4 cups water

1 egg burrito (see above)

4 cups water

1 cup split pea soup (made with potatoes, onion, carrots and lean ham)

4 cups water

1 cup hot cocoa (with skim milk)

To Diet or not to Diet, that is the Question

Last time you heard from me, I was getting ready for another fight. I had gained some weight and was working on losing around 10 pounds. I was going to fight again in Onterio, California for a pretty good purse. Because of that, I turned down a couple of other fights. It was coming down to the wire, and I was dieting really hard. I was getting close to my target weight.I got a text message from the promoter three days before the fight letting me know that the whole show had to be canceled due to lack of funds.

I was very frustrated. I already had the time off, so John and I took a little trip to the coast to relax. I started adding a few more calories to my diet and BAM, back up 5 pounds. I swear, it takes no time at all to gain weight but all too long to loss it. I relaxed my training a bit and hit the beach a few times for a run. Then I hear that I might have a fight in Costa Rica in a couple of weeks.

I started cutting again which is hard to do when you're camping, but I managed. I never heard back from that promoter, so I started eating a little more and gaining a little bit. Then I had another offer for a fight in Paso Robles next weekend. Man, I had my work cut out for me. I was back to training hard and dieting again. They were looking for an opponent for me and asked the girl I was supposed to fight in Onterio. She was my last chance for a fight on this card.

She said she'd get back to us after 8pm that night. It was morning yet, so I had a whole day of deprivation. I ate very little and got a beach run in. I was pacing the floor waiting for 8 pm to come around. I didn't hear from my coach until 8:30. Her answer was "NO". I'm thinking it was because, she, like me, had probably started gaining some weight after it was announced we wouldn't fight. It was a let down, but at least I was able to get some dinner in me.

One good thing that happened, I found a cool place to train when I go to Eureka called Humbolt Jiu-Jitsu Gym. Great mma training, great people, very reasonable rates. I even got to train with a couple of females who were pretty darn good. I had a killer workout and learned a few brutal moves to try on my next opponent. If you go there (509 H St.), be sure to tell Nick that Avery sent you.

So, no fights coming up for the time being. I'm trying to stay close to my fighting weight, so I'll only have 5 pounds to lose if something comes up. I've been doing pretty good, but Thanksgiving is coming up, and I'm worried. We have two dinners to go to in one day- my parents and then his. Oh well. I'll just have to be sure to get in a good workout that day.

My next project, though, will be on December 19th. I will be having a fun run at Dog Island Park at 9:00 am. It will be rain or shine, and it will be free to all who want to take part. The event will be called "Just Move It Tehama Country" and is part of a national campaign from Indian Health Services, who's goal is to promote physical activity for Native Americans. There are a lot of health issues that face Native Americans which increased activity can help combat. This goes for everyone, who couldn't benefit from some physical activity? This run will be open to everyone. I encourage you to come be a part of this, you have nothing to lose, except maybe some holiday weight.

A Weighty Issue

I was fortunate enough to attend a work related training in Washington D.C. last month. It was awesome. I got a lot of information on how to promote wellness for Native Americans. There was one downfall, however. Every morning, they provided us with a delightful breakfast buffet. It had cheesy scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sausages AND bacon. I was running several miles every morning, so I came to the table with my appetite. I figured 'what the heck- I may as well enjoy myself' since I follow a pretty good diet most of the time. I would heap my plate full and sometimes even go back for seconds. No harm, I thought, I'm running it off. One day I even beat my personal best and did an 8 mile run.

I was feeling great- until I got home and hit the scale. I was up 9 pounds! I was floored! How could this happen? I really thought about the amount of calories I was taking in- and that little trip through the buffet probably more than doubled the amount of calories I usually have in a day. That, and only running- not getting in any weight lifting or sparring or wrestling- meant that I was taking in WAY more than I was burning off. I have a fight coming up on November 14th in Ontario, California, and I need to be at 125 pounds. This was NOT good. No longer do I have the luxury of cutting weight by sauna or dehydration (since the kidney failure). I have to cut this weight the old fashioned way- diet and exercise.

It's been really hard getting the weight off this time. I've cut back on the food, increased the exercise- but still- it's slow going. Right now, I'm only 2 pounds down. It's pretty frustrating. I just finished a brutal workout on Sunday- which is usually my light day. I flipped the tire, dragged the chunk of iron, used the sledgehammer, climbed the rope and ran the hill. I'm sore and tired and cranky. My poor husband gets the brunt of it. He overcooked my veggies the other night, and I was not pleased. When you have only veggies for dinner, they have to be delicious. I apologized, of course, but I'm sure I won't have mushy cauliflower next time!

Derek, my wrestler training partner, has been totally successful cutting weight. He got down to 133 this weekend. It sucks to weigh the same as him. He's usually over 150. Now that's he's all cut up and I'm puffy- he gets to call me all the nasty names until I make weight. His favorite right now is 'jelly roll'- the jerk! It is motivating me, though. I'm much more serious about avoiding the sweets, now.

On the plus side (literally), I feel a lot stronger. My punches are more solid, my endurance is good, and I feel really brutal. I have all kinds of nastiness in store for my next opponent. I just hope I can make weight!

Me Versus The 5 time World Kickboxing Champ!

I know a lot of you are wondering what happened with the big fight- the one last month against my hero, Kathy Long. Some of you were able to catch in online, and some of you got my updates on Facebook and Myspace. So here's what went down:

I showed up to weigh ins fat and sassy like I promised- drank as much fluid as I wanted and ate 2 meals beforehand. I still came in at only 127, and she only came in at 126. This was perfect, because we both agreed to come in 5 pounds heavier at 130. It was great to see her, she was a total lady. We did the post weigh-in pre fight pose off- but it was all smiles.

The day of the fight, I waited in the locker room like I always do, but I wasn't a bundle of nerves this time. I knew going in that I was fighting the 5 time world kickboxing champion, and, honestly, I had nothing to lose. I just knew that I would go in doing my best, and I was sure she would be awesome.

The bell rang, we smiled at each other and touched gloves, and it was ON! She came at me with what I think was a straight right that shook me to the core! I literally went weak in the knees! I looked over at my coach and my husband with a look of shock. I expected her to hit hard, but really- it was like she had fists of stone. At that point, I was thinking, this might be my first knock-out- only I'd be on the receiving end. I shook it off best I could and came at her with some punches of my own. I used my leg kick on her as much as I could to keep her at bay. I believe it went like that most of the first round.

In my corner, my coach was telling me I was doing great as he was jamming huge q-tips up my nose to swab the blood. My husband was forcing water down my throat- I tend to just want air between rounds- but he knew I needed to stay hydrated.

Round 2 was a little better, I was getting used to her punching power and attempted some take downs. I was able to take her down, but it was usually right on top of me. From there, I'd either heel kick her in her calves or clinch her to me until the ref would stand us up. When we were up against the fence, we would knee the crud out of each other- mostly to the legs.

Round 3 was same as the last round, but at the very end of it- I was on the bottom and was able to climb the fence to do a wicked escape right out her backside. She tried to catch me in an ankle lock, and then the round was over.

We hugged like best friends, and I told her she was awesome- and that she was STILL my hero. She smiled and told me I was really strong. (I flip tractor tires.) The ref grabbed our hands, and we waited for the judges to call the decision. It was a unanimous win for...... Kathy Long. I clapped. I was honestly happy for her. I limped back to the locker room- my legs were tore up from kicking and getting kneed. I was getting great reactions from the crowd- lots of "Great job! Great fight!" I was on cloud nine. I felt really good about my performance.

Then the pain started.... back in the locker my coach looked at a nasty knot behind my ear and took out his terrible cold iron (it's like a torture device for pressing out swelling). He pulled it out of the ice and mashed it against my knot. It was the worst pain I'd had all night. I wanted to scream, but I didn't want the other fighters to think I was a wuss. The knot went down mercifully quickly.

After that, I cleaned up best I could, so I could go out and enjoy the rest of the fights. Again, people were giving me lots of pats on the back and congrats. Then I ran into Kathy. We hugged each other one last time and got a post fight picture (which she had taken, and I have included for your viewing pleasure). You can tell by the looks on our faces that it was a great experience for both of us. All I have to say now is, thank you, Kathy, for the opportunity to fight a true champion. Best of luck in your mma future!

Thank You, God, for the Second Chance!

Last time you heard from me, I was in pretty bad shape. I suffered from kidney failure as a result of being sick and getting dehydrated in my last fight. My doctor (Dr. McDaniel- who NEVER sugar coats anything) warned me that my fighting days were most likely numbered. I could have cried when he told me that, and he knew I was seriously bummed. Everyone did. I was moping around for days. My doc told me, though, that the final decision would be in the hands of my kidney doctor, Dr. Krahling. It seemed like it took forever to get in to see him. I waited whiled he looked at my latest blood tests. I expected the worst. I was thinking- maybe I can start doing Tai Chi or something. He looked at them and said I was fine. I did not believe what I'd heard. I asked if that meant I could work out again. He said, "Of course." I waited a second to let that sink in then asked if that meant I could fight again. He said, "Of course. You can do anything you want, just don't get dehydrated again!" I could have kissed him, but my husband was next to me (I'm just kidding, honey!).

I was so relieved and happy and excited! I felt like I just got a pardon from the Governor! First thing I did was call my coach, Mike Chu, and tell him that I was back! He was worried he lost a fighter. I asked him to get ahold of Kathy Long, my hero- whom I was scheduled to fight in August, and ask her if she'd let me be an alternate in case her opponent didn't make it to fight her. She wouldn't hear of it. She wanted me to be her opponent, and the other girl could be the alternate! I could have kissed her, but my husband was there (kidding, baby!).

I started training like crazy- I had almost a month off to recoup- a month of zero training a tons of junk food. I had to ask Kathy to agree to come in heavier- 130 instead of 125- she readily agreed. I couldn't chance losing weight- didn't want to skip any water whatsoever!
I questioned if I had enough time to prepare for her- less than a month to fight the former 5 time world kickboxing champion. I decided I could be ready- if I really put my mind to it.

Here I am, now, just a few days before the fight. I feel like a little kid before Christmas! This fight is my gift. I feel blessed to have this second chance. I've gotten a lot of flack from people, though. Most say I'm crazy for getting back into the ring after such an illness. I say I'd be crazy not to fight this fight- it's a dream fight- it's against the best of the best. This is a real test of my skill and my heart. I feel like if I don't fight her now, I may never get another chance.

It's kind of cool to go in fat and sassy. I've plumped up to 130 very easily, and I feel stronger than ever. Sure, I don't look as good, but I'd rather feel strong than look good. It's a beautiful thing to be able to eat 3 real meals a day the week of the fight, and to be able to drink as much water and fluid as I want up until weigh ins! My shorts won't be baggy on me for this fight!

So the fight will be in Ontario, CA on August 15th in case any of you make it down to Southern California. If not, win, lose or draw, you will hear about the results in next month's column. Wish me luck!