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Introduction Text Young, professional black woman here. I'm 28 and currently in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, FL. Moved from Brooklyn, New York. Stress, of the last five years of my life have compounded on my body. And I'm so tired of it! You know what I'm talking about. So I have 68 pounds to lose. 68! Daunting. But, I feel I can do it. I want to feel confident as I age, date, grow my career and live life. I mean, I'm dying to put on a wet suit and look amazing for my first surf lesson, you know? (laughing) I joined SparkPeople in 2006! Took me four years to get it together and start using the site as a tool. Crazy... Moral of the story? Don't be like me. Use it as soon as you join, and get to your goals that much quicker. I'm doing all of this pretty much on my own. No kids, no husband or boyfriend, no sister or brother, no walking or workout buddies, no close friends, family or best friend. It's always unfortunately just been me in life. So mad love to everyone out there in SP land who takes the time to reach out and motivate and push me forward. It means more than you know. Bless. -----------MY MANTRA---------- "I'm a beautiful black woman. I stay strong, I stay slim." -----------POUNDS---------- ***MY JOURNEY 213 to 145*** From May 2009 to *pushed back* Sept 2011 ===JULY 2011 GOALS=== Time to get really agressive again. Week 1 [Goal: 176 lbs] - Week 2 [Goal: 174 lbs] - Week 3 [Goal: 172 lbs] - Week 4 [Goal: 170 lbs] - Week 5 [Goal: 168 lbs???] - ===MEASUREMENTS=== ((START: 6/09/2009)) Weight: 213 Shoulders: 47 Chest: 38.25 Waist: 32.5 Below Navel Waist: 43 Glutes: 48.25 Hips: 46.5 Saddlebag Hips: 48 Thigh: 30.5 Arm: 14.5 *Calf: 15.75 (too small :P) Body Fat: 34.2% ((LATEST: 5/10/11)) Weight: 176 (down!) Shoulders: 41.75 (down) Chest: 37 (down) Waist: 29.5 (down) Below Navel Waist: 35.75 (way down!) Glutes: 44 (down. TG!) Hips: 44.5 (down!) Saddlebag Hips: 43.75 (way down. TG!) Thigh: 27.5 (down) Arm: 13.25 (down) *Calf: 16 (up! yay. :P) Body Fat: 29.3% (down!) **DOWN 31.25 inches** ---------- ***My "Lessons Learned" Along The Way*** *You have to sleep... or everything gets worse. (I must get my 7 hours!) *You really can eat WHATEVER you want... just in moderation. *It's okay to not establish an exact "routine"... just do SOMETHING. *You don't have to "keel over" exercising... just get your heart rate to its correct cardio range (me, 130-154). *Even when you're bloated, water is your friend... drink it and your body will use it like fuel, (64 oz every day, at least). *We backslide... it happens. No guilt necessary. Just start over, the very next moment. *Share the journey... doing it on our own is near impossible. *Enjoy every new epiphany... and LEARN from it for LIFE. *This is a numbers game, so track, track, track... or else how will we ever "get" the numbers for success. Especially that one special "goal weight" number. *'Slow and steady' is just as powerful as 'fast and furious'... as the final destination remains in reach either way. I will be successful. WE ALL WILL! It just takes time and dedication. Moderate your food. Do your exercise. Simple! ---------- Bob Marley has a song called, "Why Should I"... Chorus: "Why should I bend down my head and cry?" Then he sings in response, "When my Father is the King!?" That song means so much to me... because of the message. Never feel sorry for yourself. Never get down in your woes. You are created in God's image, and He will be there for you in this journey too. ---------- What do I want to be when I grow up? Happy! I'm here on SP striving to get there... (:P) ---------- :::MY JOURNEY (if you're interested)::: Start Date 5-15-09, Start Weight, 206 lbs, Highest Weight, 213 lbs. My goal is to be 145 lbs by **pushed back** to Sep 2011. That's a loss of 68 pounds. The first 34 pounds is the horrible extra weight I've gained in the past three years...(ugh). The second 34 pounds is to a healthy goal weight. So my milestones are 4 stages of 17 pound losses. Then once I reach that goal, I'll be working to attain a body comp of 18% body fat, and look like the fierce young woman I feel I am. (:P) My personal journey started May 15th-ish 2009. I weighed 206 lbs. I was a whale...(lol). I started with a personal trainer. I hated it, hated it, hated it! My PT expected me to show up on time every time and he was brutal and showed me little mercy. I owe him. It was my start. Unfortunately, due to this new physical training, my weight increased to 213! I was at the gym sweating and huffing and puffing, and working so hard, and then gaining weight?!? What?!? I was horrified, but when my PT and I sat down to do measurements and the like, new muscle mass and fat loss calculations, it all made sense. I also confided in him that I wasn't eating right and he said something very simple to me that really made sense and kept me going. He said, "Don't worry about that yet. Just keep concentrating on exercise, and doing it regularly for your life. And one day, your food will also start falling into place. Then you'll really see the results." So I kept concentrating on exercise. Six months later, I had established my workout routine to 3-4x a week. I had never done that before. It became a tool I would use, not only for weight loss, but also to help regulate my mood. I realized I was more emotionally stable and happier at the end of the day when I exercised regularly. Learning that has been golden for me. Once that happened, finally the food thing clicked. MY PT was so, so right. I changed my eating habits one thing at a time. Starting first with fasting from my vice, fast food. I fasted for five whole months. It was outstanding. Finally, my diet changed completely for the better in February 2010. I was focused on eating right and within my calorie range. That's when I finally saw changes. When after almost a year, I was focused on both exercise and my diet. I was losing the weight and KEEPING IT OFF. I'm a slow work in progress, but 'slow and steady' is A-OK too. It still gets me (and you) to a final, positive destination. :P

*PHASE 1* -Lose the 33 extra lbs (FINALLY Done! :P 5/3/11) -Reduced calorie diet (Done. Spring '11) -Decrease emotional eating (Decreased! Fall '10) -Light exercise 2-3x a wk (Done. Fall '10 and ongoing.) **PHASE 2** -Lose 35 pounds to goal -Power exercise 4x a wk -Hot Yoga! -Increase athleticism (Done, Fall 2010) -Run Training (Fall '10 and ongoing.) -Finally fit into my two sexy pants and my hot, satin, polka-dot summer dress! ***PHASE 3*** -Maintain healthy eating plan -18-20% Body Fat -Really become an athlete -First 5K (Done! 9/7/10) -First 10K (Done! 1/7/11) -First Half Marathon! (Done! 2/20/11) -Wear bikini! -Wear shorts! :P

*Cardio* - 2-3x a week - Elliptical machine - Run Training! *Strength Training* - 1-2x a week *Spark Food Journal* -1200 to 1500 Cals -track online -track on iphone *Benefiber* -3 servings a day *Diet* -Low carb lifestyle -Reduced fast food -Reduced sugars -Clean cooking *Water!* -64-80 oz daily *Weigh Myself Daily*

Twenty-something Ft. Lauderdale Miami, FL First Half Marathon Completed! (2/20/11) Time: 3:04:27 First 10K Completed!!! (1/9/11) Time: 1:30:11 First 5K Completed!!! (9/4/10) Time: 42:25! ===TIME TRACK=== Jun '11 SW: 176 May '11 SW: 181 Apr '11 SW: 189 Feb '11 SW: 193 Jan '11 SW: 199 UP. Nov '10 SW: 194 UP. ...Aug '10 SW: 188 Jul '10 SW: 193 ...Apr '10 SW: 199 Feb '10 SW: 208 ...Jul '09 SW: 213 **DOWN 31.25 inches**

Why should I bend down my head and cry, when my Father is the King. - Bob Marley With man, this is possible. With GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. -Unknown

Add a Link Why should I bend down my head and cry, when my Father is the King? - Bob Marley With man, this is possible. With GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. - Unknown
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