My PLEA to you! Lose Weight - GET OUT YOUR OWN WAY!

SUCCESS STORY: One Year 100 POUNDS!

So, today marks a SPECIAL day. Today marks the day I took control of MY LIFE and vowed to make tomorrow better. Last year on Oct 15, 2012, I made the best decision ever. I went from living a life of unhealthy habits to forcing myself to want to be a better me. When I stood on the scale that dreadful Monday night and could not see my weight, I forgot about all the confidence I had as a plus size, size 26 diva and realized I had two choices: get right or die!

As I think back to that day, I realize I was NOT happy with myself. I became so angry and upset with myself once I realized I had lost all control. I cried and cried because I let myself down. The reality was real - I was over 350pounds... Almost 400 pounds! When we are confident, we overlook reality. I used to go out and did not care how people viewed me because I knew I was beautiful and I loved myself. But, when the reality of being almost 400 pounds at the age of 28, I no longer wanted to be that person!

But, that was then. 365 days later I am a changed woman. No more am I the emotional eater, heavy snacker, lazy bed potato (I hardly sit on the couch), or the fast food queen. I saw life differently prior to that night. But, once I stopped crying and being angry with myself, I had to make changes; I didn't know how I was going to lose the weight, but I knew I had to. Since I tried so many methods and programs in the past, I knew I had to find what worked for me.

So, from that day forward I changed everything. That night I threw everything unhealthy out my house. It was like the ex I had to get rid of - permanently. I added more vegetables, lots of fruit, little to no fried food, hardly any white bread, mostly water (60-100 oz) daily, and I planned my cheat meals. It was hard, but I had to reprogram myself. I never looked at this as a diet, and I enjoyed what I did. Cooking became fun because I was inventing new meals for myself. I did not make overly complex meals, but sought out easy quick meals that were healthy, yet delicious. After about 3 months I was on track.

One thing I started to do was make smoothies - fruit and vegetables to increase my fiber intake. That really was fun because I ate things that I wouldn't normally eat, like spinach. The funny thing is I still will not eat spinach, but I put it in my smoothies everyday. This definitely had a lot to do with my success because I started to make smoothies for other reasons - detox and even when I was sick. It became easier to just mix a couple of ingredients and it filled me up or help my digestive system.

The other exciting part of this year was the number of people I impacted. In May 2013, I started my own program, Success Weight. My healthy living program is designed to help individuals to identify their inner strength as they seek their own success. My goal is to reach as many people both locally and afar as they embark on this journey. Since I've lost weight, I've met people who have had weight loss surgery and they told me they wish they met me before they had the procedure. Now, I went for surgery twice, but was denied. I recently sent an email to the surgeon because of him not appealing the decision, he gave me an opportunity to get out my own way and lose the weight the way that was best for me. I want an opportunity to reach people and ask them to give me a chance at helping them before they go under the knife. I know people who had the surgery, and they had horrible experiences because their stomachs were physically smaller, but their mind sets were the same as before. I know someone who lost her friend due to complications after weight loss surgery. I know someone who has gained the weight back. So, in the end it is a mental game and you must be strong enough to overcome that challenge regardless if you are getting surgery or attempting to do it naturally.

So, here I am a year later and 100 pounds lighter. To think this day last year, I was unable to even read my weight on a scale – AMAZING! What's next for me? LIVE! Well, I want to lose another 45-50 pounds. I have no desire of being skinny, but I do want to be healthier.  In 2014, I plan to do a 5k and a half marathon. I'm in love with the idea that I'm able to do things I never could do before. I can run up the subway stairs. I look forward to exercising. I am just in a better position overall. I was called an inspiration, but to me I just know I'm capable of touching lives for the better. I do that already as an educator, but this is definitely a notch further and very rewarding. When people tell me they need my help and they contact me, I feel like I've found my purpose. The grand purpose of my life.

My mom asked me a few times, "did you think you would accomplish this?" My answer is no. I never imagined I would be able to say I've lost 100 pounds on my own. The truth is, in the beginning, I would say out loud that I wanted to lose 100 pounds, but I didn't think I would actually do it. To me if I could have lost 30 pounds I would have felt great. But, I lost more and I am proud of myself for that. Now, I just have to keep it up, and continue to spread the message to as many people as possible!

 

 Are you ready?

VACATION

Good morning everyone!

So, I went to Miami for my birthday. It was great minus some mishaps. When I left, my only concern was: how can I avoid gaining weight? Well, to my surprise I only gained 7 pounds...

I did a lot of drinking - I am honest, but come on - it is MIAMI! There were drink specials and happy hours, and as the birthday girl, I enjoyed myself. I did make sure I drunk a lot of WATER with LEMON. Every time I had a drink, I would stop to drink 20 ounces of water afterwards - this helped a lot, but it was still difficult.

Now, eating was not too bad. The place we stayed, Metropole Hotel and Suites, had a kitchen fully equipped. I was going to bring my blender, but then I would have had to pay for my luggage. On the corner from the hotel was Walgreens, so my cousins and I went there, and I purchased oatmeal to eat in the mornings. Early in the morning, I made sure I had my oatmeal with water before anything else. It kept me full, but  I knew I had to stay on track. Now everyone I was with did not understand why I ate so often - I still tried to eat small meals and at there I had 4-5 meals. Sometimes I went alone to have a small breakfast at about 10am (I had the oatmeal at 7/8am) because I had to keep on track. Lunch/Dinner was the hardest for me because we ate unhealthy. Most times it was fried food or pizza (Clevelander had the best pizza). But, I accepted my flaws, and understood I was on vacation.

EXERCISING??? No, the hotel did not have a gym room - that sucked. Since we were in South Beach, we were in walking distance to many places and activities, so this helped with making sure I was active. On Tuesday we went to the pool at an associated hotel, and instead of taking the bus there, we walked there. We were on 6th Street, and the hotel was on 17th Street - nice walk there and back. In the pool, I did some leg exercises and ab workouts, and trust I felt it on Wednesday. So, although I did not get to do traditional exercises, I did manage to get some in while in Miami.

My accomplishments? I had fun. Yes, you want to live healthy and be healthy 365 days out the week, but the reality is, it is not always possible. You must know your limits, and not go overly crazy with the food. I could have had less drinks, but I knew the challenges that came with it, but I accepted it. I thought I was going to gain 10 pounds, so I was happy with 7 pounds. 

My game plan? Well, starting tonight I am detoxing. For lunch, I am going to get a nice healthy smoothie, and probably have another for dinner since I am working late today. I cannot get to the gym today, but will be there tomorrow with bells on. I cannot allow a couple of days in the sun to spoil my overall progress. I have accomplished too much to say hell with it. I am 15 pounds from the first 100 off, and definitely plan to get there by October. Yes, I can get there before that, but I am not rushing it. Slow and gradual wins the race.

I look forward to my next vacation, and hope to be a little bit more successful, but I think I did great nevertheless. Also, I am honest and true to my readers because I am far from perfect. I want you ladies and gents to understand, I make mistakes too. If I lied to you and said, "I ate healthy and drunk water the entire trip," I would be a fraud. Real people have real experiences, and need real insight - bottomline. So, I hope you can learn from my mistakes, or you can also realize how human you are, and embrace your challenges, but move forward from them with no regret. 

I love you all, and check out my website - www.successweight.com.

TW aka Plus Size Health Nut

I'm BACK

Greetings everyone. I know I have not been here for a few weeks - I do apologize... Business is definitely booming, and it is keeping me busy.

This weekend I had a lot of time to reflect on this journey, and I must admit: it feels great to help others. My mom keeps saying this may be my calling, but I am still shocked at my own progress and the progress of those who are around me. Two times my clients made me cry, and it is because they make me realize how inspirational I am... I never lost weight to influence others. When I started this journey, I was clueless to what the future held for me. I was looking forward to possibly losing 30-50 pounds and getting healthy. But, here I am 10 months later and I've lost 85 pounds. Despite all the negative comments from people, I know I have truly overcome a serious hurdle.

Where does this leave me? Well, my focus is to help as many people as possible. Reach communities to help others in identifying their inner strength to overcome obesity and fight against diabetes. Life is short, and we do not have to live an unhealthy life...

So, as I see 100 pounds in my near future, I am just hoping I can reach and touch more people. Reach individuals near and far, and help them believe in themselves because if I am able to lose the weight, anyone can!

I am now on Youtube, so subscribe to my page: http://www.youtube.com/user/SuccessWeight

Thank you in advance.

Successfully Yours,
Tanisha aka Plus Size Health Nut

Milestone Reached -80 OFF!!!!

So, today I reached a milestone – I am officially 80 pounds down.  Am I excited? Yes! I am actually proud of myself because I never thought I would be able to successfully accomplish such a huge task.

 When I think back to the night of October 15, 2012, I had no plan as to how I was going to lose the weight. I knew I needed to lose weight and get on track. It never occurred to me that I would get close to 400 pounds, and even as my clothes got tighter, and it became necessary to wear my girdle every day to make my clothes look half decent, I was still in denial. Yesterday I was looking at a picture of myself back in August 2012. I thought I was hot stuff. My girdle and Squeem made my clothes look good on me – I felt good in my clothes because I had become accustomed to me being that big.

 

So, the reality was I knew I was massively overweight. Yes, I knew carrying around the weight was unhealthy. I knew my weight had some impact on most of my pain episodes. I was aware my weight might have had some impact on my miscarriage. It was clear, but I never stopped. My late night trips to McDonald’s were frequent – the drive thru was my best friend. I loved eating Chinese food, and making sure I had enough food to last an entire day because I had no intentions of leaving my house. Being overweight and unhealthy was clear in my face, but I was not ready, and that is the critical aspect for anyone in my old situation.

Seeing that I can find easy ways to live healthy and happy has allowed me the opportunity to continue this awesome journey. When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feed sluggish, but I do look forward to what I will face that day. People constantly refer to my lifestyle as a diet, but I remind them how it is far from a diet. This is the way I plan and choose to live for the rest of my life. I love how I know my body now. I can tell when I have eaten too much. I can decipher when I need a detox. I know when I have “gained” a few pounds. I am so mindful of things that I never paid any attention to before.

This morning I spoke to my Mom, and she asked me if I ever imagined my life would be what it has become, and before she could finish, I said, “No.” I am honest. Usually after a few months, I get tired and give up. My pattern was 2-3 months of success, but then I stop. I allow the few compliments to get to my head and lose all motivation. The temptation of fast food and the snacks I adore took control of my mind, and I would say it will not hurt me. My life was a train wreck, but I am happy that I did not destroy myself. I am happy I did not push myself to the point where I lost control and diabetes or high blood pressure took over. Although I know my family traits, I was stubborn and was NEVER READY. Well, I was ready October 15, 2012, when the scale read OVER THE LIMIT… That was my breaking point, and here I am 9 months later – 80 pounds down… So from 350 pounds to 270, and I am just 20 pounds from the first 100 off…

Will you join me on this journey?

I’ve lost 22.86% of my body

weight = 80 pounds off

My BMI was 56.6 (VERY SEVERELY OBESE)

I am now… 43.6 (OBESE)

I DID NOT PUT THE WEIGHT ON OVERNIGHT, AND I WILL NOT LOSE IT OVERNIGHT!!!

THIS IS NOT A RACE!!!

REAL RESULTS!!!! NO GIMMICKS! NO DIETS! NO PILLS! Just HEALTHY!!!!