Disclaimer: I love my people but as a culture we’re notorious for poor eating habits and being overweight. It’s time to put the fatback meat down and grill some asparagus.
“All these discoveries these scientists doing I’m surprised they haven’t figured out how to make bananas taste like crab legs.” - Meg Thee Stallion
Most college kids gained the freshman 15 lbs but I didn’t see any weight gain until sophomore year which resulted in 30 pounds by the end of college. Once I graduated I was tired of feeling overweight so I did the JJ Smith 10 day smoothie cleanse and started a weight loss program that was offered by my doctor's office. I was prescribed phentermine which suppressed my appetite and at one point during the program I had reached my high school weigh again which was in the 150 range but I gained some weight back, and for 2 years I stayed in the 160-165 weight range.
April 2019, I met my ex. and I was 170 lbs and baby, relationship weight is real. By my 24th birthday (Aug. 2019) I was weighing 185 lbs again. I worked so hard to get slim thick and now I’m just thick again. Thanks to me working two jobs I lost 10 lbs right before COVID (Feb 2020 and weighing 175 lbs) and during those two and half months of quarantine I stepped back out the house weighing 192 lbs, which is the biggest I’ve ever been. I kept asking myself how the fuck did I gain damn near 20 lbs in two months? Well drinking several bottles of wine, not being a server, and eating my feelings is how it happened.
Although I had cut up during quarantine the weight gain and issues with not having a cycle after I got off birth control in Feb. 2020 felt odd to me. My PCP referred me to an OBGYN and summer 2020 I was diagnosed with PCOS which further explained my nonexistent cycle and excessive weight gain. Between PCOS and Crohn's disease I felt like losing weight would be impossible so I kept eating whatever I wanted to eat and I stopped caring about the number on the scale.
Fast foward to April 2021 I had a bad stomach flare up and I decided on May 20, 2021to finally give up red meat. My doctor had told me a few years ago to scale back on red meat when my stomach condition started but I was stubborn and refused to put the bacon down. Not eating certain meats helped me lose a few pounds but I was still overweight and tired all the time. During a PCOS follow up appt. in Oct. 2021, I started complaining to my OB about being fatigue and she suggested I try to exercise more and if that doesn't help we can discuss other options. She really pissed me the fuck off which is when I decided that I wanted to get lipo 360. I did some virtual consultations and two of the doctors I was interested in said my BMI was too high and I needed to lose some weight. Ugh I was so annoyed.
The holidays are over and Jan 2022 I was tired of being overweight again, but I was really over my fupa and keep in mind even when I was smaller a few years ago I still had a pudge. Since no surgeon would touch me until I got out of the 180's I committed to intermittent fasting for the month of January but no weight came off. Ugh I was pissed the fuck off again and felt defeated.
I was considering seeing a nutritionist when a girl I went to college with posted that she was a licensed dietitian and she was starting her freelance client program. I invested in myself by paying her $450 and I started her 3 month program on Feb. 28, 2022. I chose a dietitian instead of a personal trainer but I wanted to learn more about food and how to live a healthier lifestyle vs. only focusing on the gym portion of becoming a baddie. I did a 3 day food diary and she diagnosed me with being overweight which I already knew. She recommended a low carb diet and we created some realistic goals and milestones. Also the factor that she was black was a bonus.
I was very skeptical about this process because it’s twice as hard to lose weight with PCOS and I've never lose weight without a weight loss pill or supplement. I kept telling myself that prior to getting surgery I need to start eating better, and I know surgery isn’t going to be worth it if I don’t develop better eating habits and prepare myself to maintain the shape the doctor gives me. To my surprise I lost 8 lbs in March 2022 by walking 3x a week and cutting back on the carbs. Since my BMI went down a little I was able to schedule a surgery date.
April 2022 I started buying meal preps from a black chef but this month was challenging because as I was getting into a workout routine I had to deal with my skin condition which made working out uncomfortable so I only lost 5 lbs that month. I felt discouraged but my dietitian reminded me that I had lost 13 lbs and that was worth celebrating. I had also reached one of my goals which was to get out of the 180’s. My last session with her was May 31st.
To avoid going back to old habits I switched from Planet Fitness to 02 Fitness in June 2022 and I lost 5 more lbs. At this point my BMI went from 35 to 31.4 and my weight went down from 183.4 lbs to 165.8 lbs which meant I had finally reached my weight loss goal of 18 lbs and surprisingly I had lost 5 inches off my waist.
I wanted the doctors and every other gym rat to be lying but the truth is when you eat better and make an effort to be active you feel and look better. I went from being in the bed and napping as much as I could to pulling up to the gym 3x a week and having more energy.
Now that I’ve reached my goal weight and I've kept the weight off since last summer it's time to tone up my body. I’m glad my waist is smaller but I fucked around and lost 4 inches off my hips, now I'm focused on hitting the stair master and hip abductor to gain it back. The long term goal is stay in shape and keep the weight off until I have a baby.
To wrap it up, I forfeited my surgery deposit for numerous reasons. 1) I have to find a doctor that will clear me for surgery with my skin condition. 2) My life has been too chaotic and I don't have any time for recovery. 3) I want to find a local surgeon in my new city instead of going to Miami.
Although I plan to targeting my stomach area, grow my glutes, and gain my hips back I still want to get snatched, and the new plan is surgery in 2024. If you're against surgery that’s fine. If you feel like I look fine and I don’t need it, that's fine too. However, I want to feel good about myself and that damn pudge makes me insecure in bikinis, bodycon dresses, and certain 2 piece sets. Unlike some females I can acknowledge that I have body insecurities and if I have the funds/credit and down time I'm going to get this work done. There’s a quote that states, “if you can’t change it embrace it” and this is something that I can potentially change.
"Losing weight is a mind game. Change your mind, change your body."
Here's my dietitian IG: chasidic.g if you're interested. She's the best and she does everything virtually.
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