#TransformationTuesday: The photos on the left were taken in August 2014, the photos on the right are from November 2016. My hair growth even surprised me but I am also pleased with the weight loss. At my highest weight, I was around 158 pounds and I’m now hovering around 136. (I’m about 5’3” tall.) I don’t have any more weight goals per se; I just want to build muscle and burn fat. I will begin training with my sister, Fit Girl Nikki very soon.
I lost my first ten pounds over a year ago mostly by becoming active again, doing a lot of walking, some weightlifting and being conscious of the calories that I consumed. I fell off in my consistency as far as exercising but I managed to keep those ten pounds off by being aware of what I was eating. My weight would fluctuate at times due to emotional eating but once I cut back on the sugar and carbs again I would settle back around the 148 mark. Since July I have lost about 12 more pounds by consistently exercising, drinking lots of water, and limiting sugar to the weekend. God has been doing a major healing work in me so the desire to eat emotionally does not occur often at all. Even when it does, I wait for my weekend “cheat days” to indulge.
My exercise regimen is not intense by any means right now. I try to use a “stepper” for at least 20 minutes per day, do about 75 pushups, 90 hip thrusts, and I do some bicep/tricep/shoulder/chest work with 7-pound weights while I am on the stepper. This is extremely light work, especially compared to what I used to do! What makes it effective for me right now, I believe is the consistency. The fact that I have been doing some form of exercise just about every day since July has made a difference. I do intend to start training with my sister in January, so no more light work for me at that point. Pray for me, my sister is no joke! She is a competitive body builder in the bikini and figure divisions and a certified NASM trainer. Check her out at www.FitGirlNikki.com
Note about the hair since people have asked: My hair is naturally very thick and curly and now that it is longer I usually manage it by doing a twist-out once per week. The only products I have been using for the past year are Blue Magic, Ampro Clear Ice gel, Shea Moisture Co-Wash and the Pantene Co-Wash and Conditioner for Natural Hair.
The only thing I have done intentionally to encourage hair growth is limit its exposure to heat. I blew my hair out and flat ironed it for my 40th birthday which was November 17, 2016, and the last time I had my hair blown out was November 2015. Since I have been coloring my hair I don’t want to do much else to it that could potentially damage it.
Here’s a photo of me and Tina Bailey from my event in November 2015:
