HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

The holidays are here - how exciting is this time of year. It's time to celebrate and enjoy what 2013 has blessed you with and that's good health, family, friends and LOVE!!! 

With that, we have to stay on track with our goals and you don't have to deprive yourself. Here are some tips for you to remember during the holiday season 

With love

ebby.K 

SHE NEEDS MOTIVATION TOO!

Disclosure: This is my "keep it real ebby.K" moment so please bare with me as I get my feelings out on this blog - thank you!

The Motivation
It's so easy to motivate everyone around you but when it comes to self motivation, that can become a major struggle; at least for me it can be.

By the grace of God, I started this wonderful movement - Classy Fit Gals - with the hopes, passion and vision of inspiring women to become FIT spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Publicly sharing my weight loss journey is not an easy task because there are times in the background when I'm crying, praying, asking for grace and strength to keep doing what I know I need to do for ME. 

But guess what - I have some news for you - 

the motivator needs motivating too!

 
There are times that I am struggling; can I keep it 100 with y'all? Your gal struggles at times and to be honest with you, if it wasn't for God, the support of my loved ones and the women from around the world who follow and support  Classy Fit Gals who inspire me daily, I do not know where I would be.

Left: January 2013 | Right: October 2013

Down 36 pounds since February of this year, I find myself at a crossroads.  The scale shifts from 188 to 192 and I'm getting frustrated - the scale is at a stand still!  The weather is getting cooler and I'm finding myself trying to get motivated all over again to get back out here and do what I need to do. 

I know and realize that THIS - this weight loss journey -  I am not doing for anyone else but ebby.K. If this journey was dependent on anything else but me, I would have quit a long time ago.  It brings me joy and tears every time someone says "ebby, you motivate me" or "you inspire me" - that gives me chills.

The Reality of It All
I'm not out here trying to be popular, increase my followers, or make friends. The only thing I want to do is to inspire someone else to be great while I'm trying to make myself great. It's all about being better - aka: self improvement! It's a daily chore that starts from the inside, out.

I want someone to know if I, ebby.K can do it - SO CAN YOU!

I've realized that all of my sacrifices and the pain I've experienced this year (I've shared it here) was all designed to help someone else be great. It was all designed to have another woman tap into her greater self of who she is in order to become a better woman.

Every tear I cried, every sleepless night that I had over the past year, every prayer, every broken moment - it was all worth it. It was all worth it to know that a woman out there has been touched by my brokenness and sharing my brokenness was the pivotal point that started another woman's healing.

If what I do and who I am makes you want to be a better person, then my job is done - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 

The Scale

I figured it's not all about the numbers, because the numbers will surely discourage you. I mean I wake up every morning and step on that scale. Some are like, "ebby, don't do that" but for me it's a reality check of what I did the day before. If I had a not so great day, it will show up on the scale. If I had a great day, it will show up on the scale.

My concern is not going on that scale and in the background I'm gaining rather than loosing so, going on that scale every morning is my mechanism of awareness to see where I am.  I guess you can say that stems from years of not going on the scale only to find myself at 225 pounds. Facing the music at that point in my life was tough. For years, I avoided the scale because I was scared of that number. Now, by going on the scale every morning, it is my way of showing myself that I'm not scared of the number, I am aware of the number!

 

So, thank you for listening to me as I detox my feelings and share a weak moment with you.  

I have come to the conclusion that at this point of my journey, I have to reprogram my mind of where I was when I first started at 225 pounds. In my mind, I'm starting all over again and my weight is now at the beginning stages and I have to do everything I did in February of this year right now in November in order to push forward and hit those goals.

I am determined that in 2014, I will be in the best shape of my life. 

Signing off...

Your Classy Fit Gal...

Meet Classy Fit Gal - Shaniqua

SW: 415  |  CW: 256  |  GW:  155 + TONED!

I am so happy to share my story with you!!! I am only a girl in Durham, NC with big weight-loss dreams so this is very humbling to share my story with you. So let's get started shall we??

My Breaking Point

In November 2011 I went to the doctor for my usual yearly check up. Mind you I HATED the doctor. I mean the woman herself is great but I hated the lecture that she gave me every time. My family history health-wise was TERRIBLE. We had everything a typical African-American family in the South had: Obesity, Heart Disease, and Diabetes. Everything we ate was dipped (in sauce), smothered (in gravy), or covered (with something!!). That year my mom said that I HAD to get my A1C checked. So I did. My doctor told me within a matter of minutes that I was diabetic. It was like my world was spinning out of control.

You know how they show those moments on TV where the person stops listening and the camera rolls around to get the effect of the world spinning off axis?? Well I had that moment in real life.

I mean I am only 27 and am already diabetic. 

Thank God I didn't have to be medicated but STILL! Where do I go from here?? I had spent most of my 20s sitting at home angry, not living and here I was letting myself die. Slowly and painfully. I had never dated or done anything that I was proud of. So I had to change. By the end of the visit I had a referral letter for weight-loss surgery.

Mind you I didn't jump into the surgery right away. I still was skeptical and afraid. I had never had surgery in my life. I sat on this info for 2 weeks and did nothing with it. One day I was talking with my mom and we both talked about why we wanted to do the surgery and why not. For every why not we both gave a why we should. We ended up looking at each other going "Well... I guess there is nothing left to do but to do it!". So it began. My mom got in right away. I had to wait a year. Talk about depressing!! I was a senior in college and what weight I did loose I gained part of it back from all the stress. I went into my surgery 25 lbs lighter.

My surgeon said was that I would only loose about 130-145 lbs. I thought to myself "That is UNACCEPTABLE". I was not going to go through all of this just to still be obese. I want to be healthy and if I stay obese I will not obtain that because I will still feel FAT. So when I reached his goal and passed it in the first year I felt soooo accomplished. Like I can do anything.

Obstacles

Finding my niche. There were times where I would loose then I wouldn't. I didn't understand my body and what it wanted so I had to do a lot of research and ask questions. I tried various fitness classes. I changed up my eating often trying to get the weight to come off. It all came down to making sure I was eating healthy things.

Another thing that I have struggled with is my mind. I have had to FORCE myself to stay positive at times. That is why I like having these comparison pictures around. I even make them and don't post them all. I just need to see the hard work that I have put in. It makes me say...
 

"HEY! Look at how good you look!! 

You can keep going. You did it last month. 

Do it another month." 

I also post a lot of motivation posts because if it helps me then I know it will help you too.

My biggest obstacle was learning to let go of toxic people. I have always been needy (in my own eyes). I like to have friends and a lot of them. I don't like to lose friends. I take that very hard. But I realized that I had to let go of some of them because I wasn't getting past this point physically. The negative energy they were putting on me was affecting me. That was definitely a NO NO!

Life Changes. I don't want to be negative for this whole post but I do want to be honest. I have sacrificed some things. Not as much as others because I don't party and go out a lot as is. I do have to say no to some outings so that I can hit the gym or stay at home and prepare meals for the week. That is my life now. It is centered around me getting healthy and it's worth it. Why? Because my life is more ENRICHED. I want to travel and see new places (even if my pocket won't let me.lol). I will go to free museums with friends and have cookouts at their houses. I have an AMAZING support system. Even from people that I didn't think noticed me in the past. I do feel more comfortable walking in the mall and looking people in the eye. I can shop in stores and actually get clothes that I LIKE and not just what fits. I CAN DO THRIFTING!!! That is huge and the most exciting. I promise my wardrobe has doubled. I try new recipes. I flirt. I have fun when it's time. Not only that but on October 5th I did my very FIRST marathon!!! I know right?!?!?!?! A lot of people were all saying "Why didn't you tell me I could have come with you." So trust and believe I will have a whole group next year!

Keeping myself motivated.
Honestly (I say that a lot.lol) I follow a lot of FITNESS people on Instagram and Twitter. Not WEIGHT-LOSS pages. I mean they are great. Please don't misunderstand me. But there is something about seeing someone at the point you want to get to to remind you what you are reaching for. There is this one guy that I follow there. Really sweet, BUFF, and all around gorgeous guy. I have decided that I want my future hubby to look like him so I have to look good standing next to him.lol I know. Vain BUT IT WORKS!!!

My followers. I find that when I am trying to encourage them to keep going I am encouraging myself. Every now and then someone will come to me and say "I lost 25 lbs!! You motivate me so much!!" That helps too. I love to help people. I will be honest but I won't be rude. I can only do so much myself. But trust and believe when I give you advice it is because I have tried it and proven for myself that it does or doesn't work. 3. When I get tired of eating unhealthy, I get with the program. Now I know this may be a sore subject. But honestly eating unhealthy gets tiring now. Literally I will start to get sick, sluggish or angry (if I reach anger I know it is gone too far). I was like that before I started loosing weight. I hated McDonalds. I would eat more salads than fast food. I stopped drinking sodas a year before I even thought about surgery. But now I am to the point that if I want something unhealthy I can have it and get back to my program no problem. Usually I can not give in and the need for the unhealthy item goes away.

Advice for other women
My dream 10. When I am talking to others about what they need to do to get healthy, I listen to what they are currently doing and compare it to what I have done. Usually I have done their mishap and I can tell them a way to get off of it :). 1. Do what works for YOU. Some women can loose without weight-loss surgery. Weight-loss surgery isn't the only way to do. BUT DO SOMETHING and I don't mean take a pill and keep eating the same way.. You have to do it the old fashion way. Eat healthy and exercise. A lot of people also think this means eating less.... WROOONNGGGG!! Eat more times during the day but smaller meals. Don't believe me?? Google "Metabolism and food intake" Read a little bit about how less meals sends your body into starvation mode and when you do eat your body hangs on to ALL calories, sugars, and other stuff to sustain itself causing you to GAIN. Yep. GAIN. Which leads me to my next point.

Eat 4-6 meals a day. If the meals are smaller you can do it. I promise you. Even without the surgery. I did it before the surgery to get in the habit. A trainer at my gym put it like this "Your body's metabolism is like a little man in your stomach factory. Your food comes down and he has to shovel the food to the appropriate places so that it can be used up for what it is needed for. So he is shoveling. Well... Then he gets tired and lays down to take a nap.So when the little man wake up he does his thing again. If you are still sending down too much food at one time and he is sleeping then it won't get processed and it gets stored as fat on the body." Didn't think about it like that did you?? Yeah. Neither did I ;)

Getcha mind right. Now you see the southern come out in me.lol No really. Read it out loud to yourself. All together now "GETCHA MIND RIGHT". 'Cause you HAVE to do it. If not you will fail. Whatever you tell your body is what it will believe, behave like and respond to. So if you say you are a beast in the gym then your body will act like it. If you say you can't, then your body will act like that too.

Keep your clothes fresh, appropriate, and tailored to YOUR body. I love to shop. I also understand that not all trends are for everyone. I also understand that everything doesn't have to be expensive. You should see my closet. I have clothes from Lane Bryant and Belk but I also have clothes from Wal-Mart and Roses. It is all about the QUALITY of the garment. If you have clothes that look good on YOU and make you feel good you will want to keep looking good continuing the cycle. I know that everyone says "Oh... You shouldn't buy clothes when loosing weight". I didn't say get a whole new closet of clothes. I'm just saying keep some pieces that fit good on hand for the times that you need that extra push to get through that day. I mean who wants to wear baggy clothes all the time?? Definitely NOT ME!lol

Surround yourself with people that are going to uplift you. I mean this is something you can do for your own sanity. I'm glad I went through this with my mom because when I am down she helps me and when she is down I help her. So get you a dream team baby!!

For crying out loud lift some weight!!! You will NOT look like a man so go ahead and get that idea out of your mind. Thanks :)

Listen to your body. If you need some time because your red-headed friend is coming to town take it. But don't eat 1000 M&Ms while she is here. If you need a day away from the gym take it. Just as long as you get back to your routine the next day.

STAY CONSISTENT!! This is key.

Don't be too proud. If you are stuck. Ask for advice. If you know someone who is successful in their weight-loss ask what they did to be so successful. 10. Enjoy the journey. When someone tells you something like "You look great!" Take it in. Accept it and appreciate it. You will need it in those times that you don't feel like continuing. Do exercises that make you enjoy working out. Whether it's playing with your kids or taking a Zumba class. Enjoy it!

I hope that I was able to help you all!!

Connect with Shaniqua:
Instagram (@journeyof1000scales) | 
Twitter (@blckblonde32512)

Don't forget to drink your 8 glasses of water ;)

Happy Exercising!!