By Soror Tracee Howard
Omicron Kappa Zeta Chapter – College Park, GA
Before the age
of 30, I dealt with knee and back issues and unfortunately high blood pressure.
My doctors always gave me the same speech, "Try to work on losing some
weight." All I heard was the
gibberish from the Charlie Brown cartoons. "Womp womp womp!" I love down home cooked meals and don't even
get me started on my love for Zaxby’s.
Did these doctors really expect me to give that up?
Things changed
in 2014. My doctor looked at my chart and
gave me this look of sheer terror. I had soared to 262 pounds! Something had to give. At that moment, I vowed to make a change. It's
easy to lose weight quickly, but to keep it off, you must commit to a healthier
lifestyle.
I started out
slowly. I didn't cut out "bad food" but I cut back. I incorporated
more fruits and veggies into my diet. I didn't give up Zaxby's, but I made better
decisions about what I ordered. If I did get that craving for tasty Zax sauce
and chicken fingers, I didn't deprive myself. I had to learn how to balance the
bad with the good.
I established
a workout routine in baby steps. I started walking. Walking turned into using different
machines at LA Fitness. I got the
courage to start taking classes like Zumba and Hip Hop! I actually enjoyed them! I dropped weight like crazy. Sometimes I gained
weight back, but that's just a part of the cycle.
I'm proud to
say I'm down 87 pounds! I eat what I want in moderation. I work out regularly. I'm
no longer on blood pressure medication. I went from a size 16/18 to a size 10.
I'm a happier, healthier, FINER me and I feel great!
