I started my weight loss journey in late summer of 2014. I remember attending Essence Fest that year and being so uncomfortable and miserable with all of the touristy walking. When I got back home to Chicago, I decided that something needed to change. I was, generally, in a very negative place.
I set out on a journey of holistic fitness. I wanted to change anything about myself, that I didn’t like or that I found myself “whining” about. The 3 areas I decided needed targeting were: my weight, my teeth, and my attitude. I started to grow deeper in my relationship with Jesus to target my attitude.
I was negative toward myself, and our relationships with ourselves eventually spill over into all of our relationships. I started seeing a therapist, as I identify with being a highly sensitive person. I invested in fixing my teeth. And I started walking home from work. I lived in the west loop area and worked in the loop. The walk home was about 4 miles. With that change, I also decided to give up sugary drinks and commit to eating something green with every meal. Which was a huge change for me, as I had never been a vegetable eater!
I lost 20 lbs, quickly. So I decided to add in bike riding for half of that walk. I joined a gym and added more cardio machines to my day. I took up a spin class. The weight was falling off. Between
late summer 2014 and fall 2015, I lost about 60 lbs doing cardio. As I rolled into 2016, the weight loss plateaued, and I maintained my weight loss for a year.
In late fall 2016, I was going through another rough patch in my life. I gained about 10-15 lbs back, and I knew that I needed to get back into doing what I loved. Bettering myself!
I had lost focus of my journey with weight loss, and my spiritual journey. While looking for boot camps and cross fit gyms on Groupon, I found a Christian based gym in Chicago. I joined Hour of Change Fitness in late 2016, and that is where I began lifting and focusing more on strength training. With my trainer’s help, I changed my diet even more and began studying macros and nutrition.
It has been a long journey! 4 years almost, but every part of it contributed to my progress and getting where I am now. The change absolutely had to start with my defeated attitude. Transformations take a victorious attitude, and I could not have done that without growing with God first.
I am now over 100 lbs down from my starting weight of 258, and I am training, still with the help of my trainer Ndubuisui Ugbaja at HOC, to compete in my first figure competition in September. I am, both, scared and excited! I know it won’t be easy but I have faith that with prayer and hard work I will do well! My journey of finding myself has become a lifestyle of loving myself!
– Anastasia Reeves
By subscribing, you consent to receive emails from BlackDoctor.com. You may unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service.
