Transparency Moment... (Facebook Post)

I thought I'd share this because I just think it helps. Once you read it, you'll know what I mean.

​Wow... the pic on the right was taken in June 2016 and the one on the left was taken September 2018. Nothing was wrong, I was just 30 something and happily eating, lol. I wasn’t watching calories and I wasn’t leading an active lifestyle except for the occasional roller skating once every other week. But I was just cool. Now some of my family members did mention I was looking a little fluffy but I was like “whatever, that’s what happens when you’re happy.” But one day I went to try on some clothes at a store and I was not happy with what I saw. I told the hubbs these mirrors in these dressing rooms these days are a hot mess, lol. But then I noticed I was buying bigger clothes and every dressing room mirror was starting to look a hot mess. I said to myself, ”Naw Angie, ya just gaining weight hun.” I can’t lie, I was a little sad. Hubbs was such a sweetheart, he offered to buy me some new clothes that accommodated my shape more but deep down inside, I knew that wasn’t gonna work.

I had to change, but I wasn’t quite ready to commit. I guess the weight was such a shock because I had always been a petite girl growing up so I didn’t have a clue as to how to go about leading a healthier lifestyle. So I just remained stagnate... fast forward to 2017, I saw a pic of the singer Fantasia and whew! I was like, oh I’m so going to do this. I bought a fitness journal and that day I started doing 2 min of jumping jacks a day! No gym membership or nothing. I just Googled some exercises, watched YouTube and got to going! I was determined. For the first month, I also cut out sugar and bread. That’s all I focused on. I gradually changed my diet more, I learned more about my body type and shape, and I started committing myself to working out 3-4x a week. I had a few moments where I slowed down or didn’t always eat the right things but I never stopped.

​The next year, I was ready for a little more and decided to participate in a 6-week fitness challenge. It was brutal, but it was beautiful. I was challenged in a way physically I had never been before (unless you count birthing two kids) but I learned how strong and committed I was. Now, the pic of me in the green, is the result of more purposeful living. I have a daily schedule of everything: when I wake up, when I go to work, when I work on my writing, when, how and what I eat, spending time with loved ones, when I workout and go roller skating and most importantly, when I reflect and have “me” time. It’s a lifestyle now and believe it or not, discipline can be extremely sexy. Don’t ever hesitate to link up with me and say “Yo, Angie, I need an accountability partner” because change can be difficult but it’s worth it and it’s always nice when you have someone encouraging you along the way.