Weight Loss: Size 16 to Size 8

I’ve always loved working out. When I was 13, I asked my mom to buy me my first aerobic VHS. I also loved to eat and I still do; however, now I practice healthier eating. If you follow me on YouTube then you’ll remember in my last video I mentioned my next video would discuss how I went from a size 16 pushing 18, to a size 8. So here, we go…      10 TIPS I’VE LEARNED ON MY WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEY

1. Inspire action by having faith in my own capacity. Faith must work; it must produce; it must be visible.
2. If you’ve never been proactive about your weight loss, start researching. Despite all my exercise, I still didn’t lose much. So, my mentor encouraged me to joined Weight Watchers (WW). I did and I loss 40 lbs. I promote WW because it laid the foundation for me. Contrary to popular belief, WW doesn’t require microwavable food. WW taught me about my food choices by using a point system. For example, I could either eat a Snickers bar for 8 points, or eat a 4 oz chicken breast, a cup of spinach, 1/2 sweet potatoe, a cookie, and drink a diet coke for the same points. The choice was easy.
3. Plan to lose weight. I planned my meals in advance and I always brown bagged it.
4. Keep track.I logged what I ate. So, if I didn’t make a good choice during lunch, or if someone brought cake, I could make up for it during dinner by eating more 0 point foods, which are usually fruits and veggies.
5. Taebo is my all-time favorite. I enjoy DVDs because I get better results than the gym. I learned that nutrition was essential for weight loss, but exercising & weight training was crucial for shaping my body. I don’t want to be a smaller & looser version of my larger self.
6. During my journey, I would envision myself in the body I’ve always wanted. In my mind, I need to see what I want and believe I can achieve it.
7. Stay motivated by having a standard.I like to research fitness competitors’ diets and training schedules to help me stay motivated.
8. Take Progress Pics. Oftentimes, I didn’t know how far I’d progressed until I could actually compare my before photos. This was especially helpful when I plateaued.
9. Smile while exercising. This helps to prevent sagging facial skin, especially those marionette lines and jaw lines.

Most importantly, double up on your sports bras! If you don’t, you’ll go from balloons to pancakes. Luckily, I gained a little; so now, I wear three!          My current stats (September 2011):

• Height: 5’10 1/4
• Weight: 175 lbs
• Size: 8 US
• I haven’t measured myself recently, but I will soon.

My goal is to obtain and maintain a mean, lean stallion-like 168 lbs.