Meet Classy Fit Gal - Isha

SW: 258   |  CW: 206  | GW: 199

The picture on the left was taken in 2005.

One day I was randomly walking through Best Buy with my mom and a lady asked me if I was a model. I said no, but she convinced me to do one photo shoot. Being the young, optimistic girl I was, I went for it, and later decided to use the pictures as my senior pictures as I prepared to graduate from high school.

Fast forward a few years, I graduated from college in 2008 and moved to Columbia, SC to attain my PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina.

Determined as ever, I laid out my 5 year plan wherein I would start school and fall in love, then get my Master’s Degree and get engaged, then start my dissertation and get married, then go on internship and have a baby.

"Life would be perfect. 

My love would be perfect. 

My family would be perfect."

Then I lost both of my remaining grandparents in a short period of time and I felt my foundation begin to crumble.  

The man I thought was the love of my life 

turned out to be the exact opposite. 

So I painfully decided to end it, and on January 4th 2012, I cut all my hair off and attempted to start over.  I thought I reached my lowest low and was determined to use my own resolve to build myself back up - but God wasn’t through with me yet.

A previously unknown development from the relationship I had just ended led to me having to make another life-changing decision just three months later when I got an abortion on March 8th 2012. This day was truly my darkest moment. My school work began to deteriorate and I began going through life consumed with guilt, hate, self-pity, and regret. I attempted to carry on with life as usual, continuing to spend time with my friends and family, to congratulate others as they reached personal goals I previously set for myself, and to present myself as a happy, healthy woman.

Instead, I constantly ate my feelings, stopped being active, cried many nights, and was wandering hopelessly from one day to the next with no goals or real relief in sight. Looking back now, I thought I was putting up the perfect facade, but my sadness was showing all over my face and my body.

The two pictures on the top row were taken sometime in 2012. I put on my old clothes from 2005 and was shocked at what had become of the young girl who believed in miracles, magic, God, and- most of all- the power of love. Here, you see a woman who hadn’t been hopeful, fulfilled, or passionate about anything for nearly a year.

Then one day in the spring of 2013, I reopened my Bible. 

I realized that I hadn’t prayed, really prayed, in a long time. I said a prayer that my grandmother taught me, and I gave my life over to Jesus. I let go of the pain in my heart, and replaced it with the love of my God. I let go of guilt from decisions I’d made in my past, and replaced it with hope for my future. I let go of hatred toward those who I felt had wronged me, and replaced it with love for myself.

I began to pray, to exercise, to eat right, to fast, to rely on my friends and family, to go after my passions in school, and to get the most out of every day. I’ve had setbacks, made mistakes when I’ve relied on myself and not consulted with God, and I still have moments of weakness. But I’ve grown and I’ve learned so much about myself in the process.

Then one morning, on Thursday, September 19th 2013, I woke up and did my usual hour of fasted cardio on the stair master. I said my prayers, reflected on how far I’ve come, and finished my 60 minutes with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart. I returned to my room and put on the same outfit, yet again, and was surprised as the pants slipped effortlessly over my hips. The vest that I couldn’t pull down over my stomach last year was loose.

At my heaviest, I was 258 pounds. I am now 206. My goal was to get to my high school weight of 199, but now that I'm so close and going so strong, I am confident that I will surpass it in no time! I honestly have no idea what my goal should be, because I don't remember weighing any less. I'm just thankful for how far I've come.

I am able to look at myself in the mirror and thank God for saving my life. My future IS big, it IS bright, and it’s going to be more wonderful than I could have ever planned or imagined. I’m more passionate about my research and my clinical work than I’ve ever been. I have focus and direction. I’m working harder than ever and it feels like heaven.

The woman you see in the pictures on the bottom row is hopeful about her future. She has attained her Master's Degree and is one step away from getting her PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology. She’s happy. And she’s so thankful to God. She is excited to share her testimony with others in hopes of inspiring them to get healthy and fit, to begin loving themselves completely, and to connect with God!

She is me.
I am thankful that a few people have been motivated to change because of my story. I LOVE learning about myself and falling in love with myself more and more every day. I’m discovering that I’m STRONG. I’m filled with optimism. And I’m still a hopeless romantic who loves musicals. I’m so thankful that God preserved the child in me and that my heart is still pure. Everything that I thought was taken from me has been returned ten times over. I’m looking forward to a new journey, a new beginning, new goals, more progress, unimagined success, and a new opportunity to give Glory to God through my testimony. As I stood before myself in the mirror, I saw Jeremiah 29:11 staring back at me: a reminder that I wrote to myself last year and never erased from the glass. 

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Connect with Isha via instagram at www.instagram.com/ishcreamsundae.

Finding Happiness in YOUR Recipe

It's quite evident that their is an epidemic going on - I call it the "I'M TAKING MY LIFE BACK" weight loss epidemic. Women across the globe are taking their lives back and loosing weight - isn't it quite obvious!

In that, you probably look at yourself and start to wonder - "What on Earth am I doing?" OR "Why on Earth can't I look like her?"  Then you start digging asking her "Girl, what did you do?" or "Girl how did you loose the weight?!?"

You then look at yourself and you start to compare yourself to her - and that is when it all begins....you start to question your progress and begin to wonder if you should even continue to move forward because at this point you are not happy or satisfied with where you are in this present moment. You are ready to just can this whole "weight loss" thing and throw in the towel.

BUT let me be the first to encourage you to...

 FIND YOUR RECIPE and STICK WITH IT!

I will never forget a quote I read on Instagram that said "Someone's beginning may be your middle." Wow - talking about POWERFUL. What may be one woman's beginning may be your first goal of obtaining - you never know!!!!  Just think, I started at 225 pounds - that may be in fact be a goal for a women who started at 300 pounds - to get to the 220s.  For me, my first goal was to get under 200. Now I'm in the 190s, pushing 180s and that in fact may be another woman's starting point in her journey.

Ladies, you NEVER KNOW!

You have no idea the struggles she had to go through just to get to where she is. We have to stop looking at the glass half empty focusing on what we don't have and start looking at the glass half full and finding victory in where we are RIGHT NOW!


Another girlfriend of mine and fellow Classy Fit Gal Kendra wrote in her post on the blog "Just take your journey one day at a time and remember not to compare your hips to hips. We are all beautifully and individually made to be YOU and no one else."

 

I know - I've been there and at times I find myself asking myself those same questions to this day. Talking to myself in the shower, or even questioning if I'm on the right track or even doing the right thing by starting this movement - Classy Fit Gals.

Let me be the first to tell you that when you are on the verge of your breakthrough, on the verge of dropping those pounds you've been struggling to loose because you are on a plateau, anything will come in your way to abort your victory.

 You can't allow anything to stop your victory - NOT EVEN YOUR SELF!

One thing I had to realize and what I would like for you to realize is this...

"We are all made differently and created differently - God has His own "recipe" for your success."

What works for someone may not work for you. How she lost her weight may not be the same way aka "recipe" I like to call it that will be the truth of your story.

You see, we find ourselves asking women these questions because we aren't confident that we can find our own recipe. I know because not only have I asked those questions BUT they've been asked to me as well and one thing I realize is this - what may work for someone else may NOT work for you.

We all have different things we struggle with - what one woman may struggle with may not be your struggle so that ingredient in her "Recipe for Success" won't be the same ingredient that you will need.

You may have to add a little of this and subtract more of that to see your success BUT all in all - you have to create your own recipe.

I encourage you this week to sit still and find your formula, find your ingredients, find out what those components are and create your recipe. You owe it to yourself.

We are in the final stretch of 2013 and all we can do at this point is WIN!

Remember, what works for one person may not work for you. This not only applies to weight loss but in various aspects of your life.

Let's get focused and accomplish our goals - we are responsible for our own success - WE GOT THIS!

Meet Classy Fit Gal ~ Tanya

SW: 319  |  CW: 254  |  GW: 180

I can start this story from a lot of places so I will just let it flow. 

I have been overweight majority of all my life as far as I can remember. I was the shapeliest girl in grade school. I say shapeliest because my curves at that age were developed before I grew into them. In high school my weight wasn't my concern. As I got into my adult years when I would visit my family in Jamaica the first question they would ask me was "how I got so big" like they didn't know that food was the problem. 

I tried everything you can think of to lose weight, slim fast, weight watchers, LA Weight Loss, Jenny Craig!!! You name it I was on that on that bandwagon. I can honestly say I was comfortable enough in my body to waste my money on all those things. 

I have had a couple breaking points but I took none of them seriously! One stands out in particular though. I was at an amusement park and wanted to sit next to the people I came with on a rollercoater. I couldn't because the row of seats didn't have the "big" seat. You would think that would have been a wake up call but it wasn't. 

Fast forward to present. I didn't really have a wake up call to lose weight. I was turning 30 and just wanted to "look different ". I wanted to cross off some of the "I have nevers" off my list!! Like I have never worn a two-piece. I could have but I chose not too. I also didn't want to get diabetes and high blood pressure. Those are things I can prevent so that's what I am doing. I have vain reasons why I want to lose weight also. I LOVE MY CURVES! Plain and simple! My current measurements are 36-32-51. My goal is 36-26-51! I have hips, butt, and breasts, all these things that people pay for I was given! Now why would I want to hide all that with fat in my body? Cause let's face it, I was plan ole fat! Not anymore though!! I am on a continuous journey to get to my goal size and weight. 

As I lose weight I really believe I can help others do the same. The two most important things I can tell you is to 1. Never give up and 2. Lose weight for no one but yourself. There is no right nor wrong way to do this. It's not a diet, its a lifestyle change. If you need to incorporate supplements do it! Do what works for you. I do Herbalife because sometimes I don't feel like eating and I also wear a corset to help define the hourglass waist i have. 

Want motivation? Interested in corset training and Herbalife? You can follow me on instagram at seductively_fabulous, shoot me an email at info@seductivelyfabulous.com OR check out my web site at http://www.seductivelyfabulous.com and I will help you as best as I can.  

My aim is to help others who feel they are on this road alone and have no help! We can do this together!!! 

Seductively Fabulous

"Keeping you fit and fab"

August 1st - GOT GOALS?

Funny how time flies when you are having FUN HONEY!!!

 

It is August 1st and it is time to set some goals. 

Can you believe that more than half of the year is already gone? With that said - what have you to show for it?  One of those slap you in the face and make you look in the mirror type of questions - eh?

Personally, 2013 has been a fun, eventful and a challenging year for me ~ all in the same breath. I figured the more I am challenged the stronger I am becoming and the greater my purpose so...I decided to stop complaining about it, listen and pay attention to what God is showing me and grow from it.

Now that I am doing some self reflection, I had to really dig in to see what goals  I would like to accomplish for the month of August. My goals wouldn't be complete if I did not add some fitness goals - one of which is to simply RUN! 

Running has always been a challenge for me. With the extra weight I had before it was TERRIBLE on my knees.  I couldn't get around a quarter of the way on any trail I took without complaining. My knees used to hurt so bad I would literally be in tears - now they are just soar from the strength training I am doing ~ praise God for healing!

Now that my knees are good, it's my foot that is bothering me BUT that is hurting because I wore the wrong running shoes during my first initial run with my husband (see this post for details on how that went). 

So NOW I am tired of the excuses. I figured this much, it will be uncomfy until I get used to it.  I challenged myself the last time I was in Charlotte to run around this lake in my old neighborhood. I remember when I could not get a quarter of the way without stopping. What were the results? Check out both of these videos on my Instagram. (Video 1, Video 2)

One of my many mantras is this, "Nothing worth having-no goal worth accomplishing happens in your COMFORT ZONE.  All change occurs the moment you step outside of the box. It is THAT moment that you decide to be uncomfortable that your life changes for the better."

I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone this month.

Set a goal and stick to it!

 

This morning, I decided to put on some running sneakers I had thrown in the back of my trunk and get out there and run. I did it and here are my results. The goal is to run at least 3 times per week and beat my time each time. Follow my journey and progress on my instagram pages (iamebbyK) and (classyfitgals)

Set your goals, determine what your action items are and go for it! I will be checking in on September
1st to find out your results!

SHUT UP AND DO IT!

I made it!

I don't know about you but one of the hardest things for me to do is to motivate MYSELF at times!

I mean to be honest, some days are better than others ~ but when you are away it is SO HARD to get back in the swing of things EVEN WHEN you work out while you're on vacation ~ {details on my workout while in NY coming soon}!

Even though I worked out while I was away, it is something about being home and jumping back into your own regimen that makes it a tough adjustment. To be honest, it is really all mental!

Last week was my first week being back home after enjoying a fulfilled week in NY. It was to the point that I literally had to tell myself to just SHUT UP AND DO IT!

It was like I was my own personal trainer and I couldn't stand myself. Driving to the gym, using gas..blah blah blah...I thought to myself "ebby if you don't pick up your speed you're going to get it!"  It is like you reach this point in your journey where you can do one of two things:

1. Push harder to get past your plateau and step your game up OR 
2. Get lazy and be content with where you are

The choice is really yours and no one else's.  When you fail, it's on YOU - when you win, it's on YOU!

My weight loss journey is not a fad, something to do because it's "hot" right now or me busting my butt for a special occasion to get into a fabulous dress...rather, this is A LIFESTYLE CHANGE ~ a serious decision I made to become a healthier me.

For the first time in a long time I decided and made up my mind that it was time to get this done, I owe it to myself and I am worth the change - AND SO ARE YOU!  

"Has the journey been tough?" HECK YEAH...but it is so worth it! 

A friend if mine told me a while ago, she said "ebby when you are ready, you will make it happen." Those words stuck with me and here I am!

I got fed up one day, started crying about my weight and the pain in my knees and decided I wasn't going to be my own sob story. 

What's the use of complaining about something if you're not going to change it ~ SHUT UP ALREADY and just DO IT! 

NO MORE DARN EXCUSES!

So I say to you, when you are ready to tackle that thing you've been saying you were going to do and been procrastinating with ~ you will just SHUT UP AND DO IT ~ make it happen for yourself - and you WILL get it done.


You will find a new energy in you, a new desire and a burst of adrenaline to make things happen not for anyone else but FOR YOURSELF! 

Everything in you...mind, body and soul has to be all in ~ not one toe in and the other out..no we want the entire foot, leg, ankle, hips, body, weave, wigs, lashes...ALL OF YOU! 

It is only when you put your all into it and your best foot forward that you will in turn reap the benefits of what you've sown! 

Remember, this is YOUR life and YOU are worth it! 

Now SHUT UP AND DO IT!  As my virtual mentor Oprah Winfrey would say "Live your best life."

WE GOT THIS - You're a winner!

Made it around Central Park - details on that experience coming in 
the next blog later on this week - STAY TUNED!

What I wore?
#SWAG shirt and Leggings: TJ Maxx {where I get most of my workout clothes}
Sneakers: Nike Airmax