Merry Christmas everyone! Although I am not a cold weather lover and really prefer the heat, Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. I do love the holidays: the music, decorations and hustle and bustle. I like to decorate and bought a pink Christmas tree that is still in the box but I promise it will out for the holidays next year. Ive been so busy working to get CURVY GIRL ENTERPRISES and the expanded website up that decorating for the holidays had to take a back seat. This morning my dear friend Angela and I along with my Hannah did a power walk and we talked about having goals for the New Year. I am very goal-oriented and like breathing it has become part of my daily routine. I began to write out my goal sheet last week and as always I needed to have ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC AND ATTAINABLE GOALS. Id like to share some of my biggest goals for the year. First, I will do everything in my power to make sure my health stays as good as it is now. That means I will need to EAT HEALTHY, EXERCISE AND USE MY MENTAL SKILLS to keep my mind in great shape. Its all about an ATTITUDE. Next, I want to get the CURVY GIRL PHILOSOPHY out to women. That means at any size you can change your life. I want women to get up and start to MOVE and BREATHE and TRANSFORM their lives. It takes a commitment but I did it and so can you. I want you all to become Movers and Shakers in your own life especially. I want women to feel and look better about themselves. I do not care where you are in your life; you can change it and make it happen. I was obese, depressed and hopeless many years ago. But with the strength and determination I changed. I prayed every day for the WISDOM, MOTIVATION AND COURAGE to do it and I am still praying every day so BELIEVE you can make changes too. YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. Every day I am so grateful for my life and wake up with the blessings that were given to me. I never take my life for granted and realize I am here on a mission. As Christmas approaches, while youre opening up gifts with friends and family, take the time to really be grateful for your life – just where you are – only making it better. No matter what happens, brush it off, take a deep breath and get up and start again. Your life is important and do not take one day for granted. Have a blessed, wonderful holiday and Happy New Year! Debra

Wednesday was one of those days that I could have eaten more calories than I probably do in a week. I woke up with an appetite fit for a kinga big king that is. And the fact that it rained, got colder out it gave me even more fuel to get into MINDLESS EATING, as I call it. As a young girl that kind of eating got me in trouble and helped me to escalate my weight to over 300 pounds. The feeling was there and I wanted to eat all day. For me, and to all food addicts, that is the worst kind of eating. You eat and dont even realize the damage youre doing not only to your body but also to your mind. Many years ago I would eat till I could not breathe and hated myself afterwards. Anyway, I knew I had a business date for lunch, but I kept thinking thats 4 hours away! You know the damage a food addict can do in a short period of time – but this was 4 hours. Debra you need to get real about this and deal with it. This is what I told myself or I was not going make it till noon. But that urge to eat was there and it was strong. I could have stayed in my pajamas all day and you all know my feelings about sitting around all day in sweat clothes or pajamas. That is a recipe for a calorie buildup typhoon. But trying to divert myself was not helping and I had to admit that something emotional was going on in me. So, I made a cup of tea, took a deep breath and sat down and began to write in my journal. As I did, I began to feel better. I began to think of my life years ago when I did not have any skills to mentally help myself and would have just abused myself and not taken action. I taught myself how to be more mindful about eating and the choices I make. For the food addict, mindful eating is one of the toughest but most important things to learn. You can do all of the dieting you want but if you do not deal with MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING the weight will not stay off. Does it work every time? Of course not. But most of the time it does and that is how to win the fight. I made it through the rain as my man Barry Manilow sings about. I have learned that by harnessing the power of MY MIND I no longer have to surrender control and abuse my body. Using these skills has been my salvation for over 25 years. These skills (known as The Mazda Method) will be available as a 4-pack CD set in our online store in January 2008. Debra

When Emily told me she had seats for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra I truly had no idea of who they were or the music they played. What appealed to me were 2 things: First it was a CHRISTMAS SHOW (and this is truly my favorite time of the year other than when I can lay on the beach somewhere.) I truly love the holidays, which to me is all about the Christmas music. The other thing that appealed to me was that I love to go and see any orchestra live. With that said I was all excited to go relax and see them. What I did not expect was to see a show that totally BLEW ME AWAY. I can say that without a doubt this was the best concert I have experienced in my adult life, with the exception of course of my man BARRY MANILOW. I loved him in concert. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra was an experience, not just a show. If youve seen them you know what Im talking about. I am not sure of how to describe it but this show covered all of the ages. After the show, I said to my friend Bernadette that I can see how any kid over 10 would love this. First of all the Diva in me loved the floor seats. When I go to a concert I want to see the performers sweat. And I got my wish. It was over 3 hours of talent that tapped into all of my senses, especially the visual. The light and laser show were nothing I had ever seen before. I was mesmerized by it all. Here you have these adorable long haired musicians in pseudo-tuxedo’s who can play fantastic music, sing like power-houses, tell a powerful story and are so gorgeous to watch running all over the stage. What else could a girl want for Christmas? This show was fabulous and my thanks to the B101 for giving me the tickets. Next year I want front row seats – not only to see them sweat but I want to feel it. Debra

I never really got very involved with the Hollywood scene, nor do I read a lot of celebrity gossip because I truly think that most of Hollywood is self-absorbed and narcissistic. I have better things to do with my time than to allow an artificial world with artificial values rule my life. However, when the headlines about Jennifer Love Hewitt hit the cover of People Magazine I had to read it and give my take on this issue. I looked at the pictures and my first thoughts were, Jennifer you look great. You are a curvy girl who is adorable and looks like a woman, not like a skinny little girl like most of the women in Hollywood do”. Then I read the article. She was very candid about her life. It seems what happened to her happens to a lot of women. She grew up skinny and then as she passed puberty her body began to change and she actually began to get curvier and look like most of us do. In fact, the picture from the back looked just like ME, only I would never wear a black bikini. Id be wearing the brightest colored bikini I could find, so they really could have pulled my body apart. Hollywood would probably label me as a WHALE because I am a stunning, fit and fabulous size 12. To those babes in Hollywood I would be larger than life. And you know what? THAT IS FINE WITH ME. Jennifer and I actually have many things in common. First we both love our bodies and second we do not care what other people think. I learned that lesson many years ago. People will say things about you whether you look good or look bad – so who cares? Even at night when I take off my clothes and stand there naked I love my body. Well, most nights anyway. In fact, I even had very few issues with my body image growing up as an overweight young woman. I was more worried about my health and breathing problems than how fat I looked. What I also liked about the article is that she is not apologizing to anyone or saying she needs to lose weight. She is fine with herself just as she is. YOU GO GIRL. She actually showed Hollywood where they can go when she signed a Hanes contract to show her body in underwear. Hey I want to do that! The article also shows other women in Hollywood who had put on weight and have since have taken it off. Tyra Banks was one of the women who they dissed for gaining some weight and she still looked great. Tyra is very vocal about this issue and so am I. I have been telling women for years that we are all not gonna be a size 2. Thats unrealistic, unachievable and attainable for most of us and yet some women still do not get that. For most women once you hit 30 your body will start to change. I remember my body changing about age 33 and it still is all the time. As you get older you need fight a little harder to stay healthy and feel good about yourself, but it can be done. Working out and good nutrition is the way to go. I am over 50 and feel great and I am thankful that my body can move the way it does. I want women to know that people like Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, and Delta Burke are the real women who look like women. If you are not happy with the way you look then change it. But be realistic about it. Stop comparing yourself to others and work on what you can do to feel and look better about yourself. I would venture to guess that most of the women in Hollywood, including most models have EATING DISORDER AND ISSUES bigger than you or I could ever imagine. Hollywood is not the real world that most of us live in. Stop celebrity watching if all it does is make you feel inferior. You are the star of your life. Work on becoming a better you. One day at a time. Debra

For many years I have known that people who workout are healthier than people who are sedentary. Professionally I have always known that women who work out regularly not only have better attitudes but also have strong bodies that look great. That makes sense and certainly is not difficult to understand. I have also known for years that you do not have to be thin to be fit even though most people fitness professionals included – believed otherwise. So finally here comes scientific research to back up what I have been saying for years: FITNESS COMES IN MANY SIZES. The Journal of the American Medical Association has released a study which supports the fact that you do not have to be thin to be in good shape. (Read details below) I am a perfect example of that. I am a strong, healthy large woman who is a size 12. This is the philosophy behind the CURVY GIRL WORKOUT. I know plenty of larger, curvier and plus size women who look and feel great. I have been training, coaching, and teaching for many years and have maintained a fitness level superior to many women who are thinner or younger than me. Now there is science to prove what I already knew: Having a few extra pounds on your frame is not a good reason not to start a fitness program. The time is now for all women to look and feel better by moving your body. Most likely, you will never be a size 2 but I know that with determination and commitment to working out daily you will and can be fitter than your skinny co-workers. Debra ——————————– Fitness, Not Fatness Predicts a Longer Life People in Good Shape Tend to Outlive Folks Who Arent Study Finds TUESDAY, Dec. 4 (HealthDay News) — In the quest for a longer life, a new study suggests fit is where it’s at — even if you’re fat. Overweight and obese seniors who were physically fit outlived their contemporaries — even thin ones who weren’t physically fit, the researchers said. “Cardio-respiratory fitness is a strong determinate of mortality in older men and women,” said lead researcher Steven N. Blair, a professor at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. “Older individuals need to be concerned about their fitness level,” Blair added. “There is perhaps too much focus on body weight, and fitness is only an afterthought.” Adequate fitness can be achieved with 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day, such as brisk walking, regardless of your weight, Blair said. The findings are published in the Dec. 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. For the study, Blair’s team looked at the relationship between body fat, fitness and longevity in 2,603 men and women aged 60 and older who took part in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. During 12 years of follow-up, 450 people died. Among overweight people in the study, 23 percent were classified as unfit, as were 53 percent of obese people, Blair said. “You really can’t tell if a person is fit by looking at them,” he said. People who were fit were more than 50 percent less likely to die than unfit people, regardless of weight — meaning overweight but fit people tended to outlive leaner people who weren’t in good shape. And fit folks were less likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, Blair said. The people who died were older, had lower fitness levels, and had more cardiovascular risk factors. To get fit and stay fit, Blair recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five days a week. “You don’t even have to do the 30 minutes all at once. Three 10-minute walks a day five days a week will get you out of this unfit category and get you at least moderately fit,” he said. One heart expert agreed that the new study highlights the importance of being physically fit. “Numerous studies have provided evidence that physical fitness is associated with lower mortality risk,” said Dr. Gregg C. Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Furthermore, while having increased body-mass index indicating obesity is associated with excess risk of mortality, this relationship is significantly attenuated in individuals who exercise and demonstrate good physical fitness. “Being physically fit essentially neutralized the excess mortality risk associated with obesity whereas being unfit was independently associated with excess deaths regardless of body mass or other measures of adiposity [body fat],” Fonarow added.

Ijust looked at the calendar and realized that it was 20 years ago today that I married Raian (Rayan) Mazda. Yes, thats where the name comes from not my car, as some people may have thought. Had we remained married this would have been our 20th wedding anniversary. Scary sometimes how time goes by. He was a cousin of a dear friend and when we met I knew immediately that I was attracted to his dark good looks. What I didnt know was that I should have run the other way. But no, I went out on many dates with him and then totally lost my mind and said yes to finally marrying this guy. Now I am not against marriage. In fact, Im still hoping to find my soul mate. So if you know a nice guy let me know. But I was thinking back to what I remember most about my ex. Some things were good, some bad, and some silly. I guess you could say 3 things truly stand out. First, Raian was obsessed with airplanes and he wanted to be a pilot. His idea of a date was going to the airport and watching planes arrive and take off. Did you ever in your life hear of such a date? Here I am dressed to the hilt and looking FABULOUS and were going to the airport for our date. Instead of hanging out at the airport I told him to buy his own plane and that settled that. So I own half of this old piece- of- junk plane and he is bent on fixing it and taking flying lessons and promising eventually to take me around the world. So, he took lessons and one day he informs me it is his solo day. He will be flying alone to finally get his license. He gets up at 4am, heads to the airport and about 9am I get a call. Uh, Mrs. Mazda, your husband seems to be lost in the air. What the heck does that mean? It seems that somewhere along the journey to Virginia he took a detour, did his own thing and the radar lost him. He was down south somewhere and wasnt found for hours. Now I have gotten lost driving – but up in the air? The second thing I remember was his complete fixation on watching cartoons. And third his idea of great Christmas gifts for the whole family was chia pets. Well, needless to say it didnt last. I was trying to remember what I learned from it all. I think I learned that being attracted to someone is only part of a relationship. Next time Ill pay more attention to what we truly have in common, our values and how strong a friendship we share. So I guess Im not just 20 years older I hope Ive gotten 20 years wiser too. Debra

I am so excited because this week our e-commerce store will be open and ready to ready show the world that The CurvyGirl Workout is a way for all to feel and look better. It has been over 6 months in the making and I was getting really frustrated for a while. My team told me that it would happen and we are truly getting ready to give BIRTH to a vision I have had for a long time. But as all things that are new, it takes time. So, I have tried to remain calm but my patience truly did give out there briefly, but it will all be worth the wait. I have a lot of talented people to thank, but last week I got to work with the most amazing photographer in the city. His name is Joey Del Palazzo. I met him a couple of weeks ago and liked him right away. My hair and make-up artist Tracey Vaccone told me he was terrific and he was. My team loved him and so did the 3 models. He made me feel comfortable and after seeing his work I knew I wanted him to shoot me and the models for my MOTIVATIONAL CD and the CURVYGIRL WORKOUT DVD. Last Monday was the shoot and it was more than I expected, with Tracey doing hair and makeup and helping to dress me and the models. Emily and Hillary were there to cheer me on. What more could a girl want? All I had to do was stand there and smile and try to look fabulous as Tracey did her thing, Joey took picture after picture and I felt like a model. Oh, to be pampered and taken care of, what a life! We had fitness clothes, suits, heels and eyelashes. When it was all done I felt confident that Joey captured the look that we needed. We got the photos back and they looked great! Joey did the job! After looking at over 500 photos we got what we needed. Between Joey’s camera clicks, great eye and a touch of magic with a comb and brush we are sure that the covers will look great. My hats off to these two for a great day. Debra