The Lifelong Struggle...

I think that all women, in one way or another, are battling weight issues. Some want to gain, some want to lose, but for me, it's been a lifelong struggle to maintain. As far back as 8th grade, I remember being on a diet. I was never super fat, but I was definitely overweight and chunky. I came to United States in '97 at the age of 13, and being exposed to twinkies, snickers, chips and fatty foods didn't help. I've never seen so much food in my entire life; I lived in a refugee camp before I moved to the States.That is where my love affair and nightmare began with food.

In High School, boys would always refer to me as "thick"... but honestly, being thick is an excuse for being fat. There is a thin line between being curvy/solid and being chunky/overweight/unhealthy. We've definitely blurred that line a bit. But it's not like I was not trying to lose weight. I've done it all. From every single diet plan imaginable to owning every single workout tape. I would starve for days then just say f*ck it and go get a cheeseburger. I would think about what I'm going to eat and how many calories it has EVERY single moment of my day. I would wake up thinking about breakfast, and after breakfast I would think about lunch, etc... It was a mess and that was just the beginning.

The struggle continued for me after High School, I stared working at a radio station and got comfortable. My life was going well, my career and all, but I was paying no attention to my weight and health. This is the biggest that I got and I realized that I needed to fix it.

One day, in late 2006 I just decided to change my eating habits completely and work out 4 days a week. It dawned on me that I didn't need any special pills, diet plans, workout tapes, etc... Just eat right (no fast foods, no eating past 8pm, etc) and work out for 30 minutes. No need for a trainer, just do what you can. Cardio Cardio Cardio. After a few weeks, I dropped down to my ideal weight... 130! I never felt better! 

After watching a lot of TV Specials and doing some research about weight, I realized that I am not the only one going through this; many people are going through the same thing. I am still struggling with this and I believe that this will be a lifelong battle. Maybe not as intense as it once was but it will always be with me.  Currently, I am not at my ideal 130 lbs but I will definitely be there by my birthday on February 17th. Over the past year, I've been through a lot of ups and downs, I've moved from Detroit to Miami, and then to New York. I am my best when I'm completely settled in and have a routine. That's just how I operate. I guess we all have to just take it one day at a time. Realizing that if I'm not in control of anything else in my life, I AM in control of what goes into my body and how I treat my body. That gave a sense of power and made me want to finally treat my body well. We only get one! Treat it well! I know what it's like to hate the person that you see in the mirror and it's not fair. We are all beautiful in our own way but it takes some time to finally accept the person that you are but be the best that you can be. Good luck on your journey if you New Year's resolution is to lose weight, commitment and sticking to it is the key! Muah!