What an amazing time getting to see everyone at the 5K. You all did an incredible job and you should feel proud of your weight loss. What an honor it was to have this amazing opportunity with everyone. I want to thank His Radio, Rob Dempsey and the Greenville County YMCA for providing this journey for us. I also want to thank my trainer Misty Beacham and Tamika Pollard for your encouragement to keep pressing on. To all my Eastside RBL family, let’s keep it going and finished what we started. I am still working towards my goal to lose 40 more pounds. I just want to encourage each of you to keep going and let’s help each other. This is not the end, it’s just the beginning of a new healthy life. We must make a constant effort every day to keep using the tools we have learned during this 12-week challenge. When I started twelve weeks ago, I had trouble breathing, I had trouble sleeping, I didn’t have any energy and all my clothes felt uncomfortable. Since losing the weight I cannot tell you how much better I feel. I am sore from workouts and I have trouble with my knee but it’s a good feeling to breathe better, to sleep better and to feel comfortable in my own skin. Let’s keep it going!
Tag: diet
I can’t believe I did it!
Well, it’s almost the end. I can’t believe it’s been 12 weeks since I started this journey. Three things come to mind as I look back at the last 12 weeks: pain, frustration, and accomplishment. Pain: I remember the first day that I worked out. I barely made it a mile and was so out of breath, I thought I was going to pass out. The pain I felt the next day was horrible. I could barely make it out of bed. I have been through a lot of pain over the last 12 weeks. Frustration: This competition was not easy. It took a lot of time and effort to work out every day and that feeling you get when you thought you should have lost more weight for the effort you put in that week. There was also the frustration of injuries. Each week I pushed myself a little more. I had multiple issues with my feet, legs and worst of all my knee, which I am still dealing with. Accomplishment: I had a few goals when I started this competition, one was I was going to work out every single day, no exceptions and that I wanted to lose at least 50lbs. Finding time to work out every single day was rough but I did it, even when I went on vacation. I well surpassed my goal of 50Ibs. I honestly didn’t know if I could do it. When I started, I had so much doubt, heck every week that went by I doubted that I could make it another week. At times, even though I losing weight on a consistent basis, I wanted to quit because I didn’t think I could make it to the end. I can’t believe I make it and lost weight too.
The person that started this competition is not the same person that is ending the competition. I’ll see you at the 5k this Saturday. I will be the one limping across the finish line.
Eating is important
My biggest problem throughout this whole competition has been eating enough food during the day. I drive a lot and never have time to eat and when I do, I never have good quick choice. The one question the trainers ask me almost every time they see me is, “did you eat? Most of the time I would say no. One night before a group workout, I was in the Y’s employees break room eating one of my trainer’s dinners because I didn’t eat. I have found an item that is quick, easy, and inexpensive. I go to QT every day and get me a breakfast bowl from their kitchen. It’s awesome, you can make it any way you want. I love that I have control of what I put in it. Plus, it gives me a great boost right before a work out.
I’m still here
I’m back, it’s been a little while since my last blog. Life has seemed to smack me right in the face. Between longer work hours and a lot more pain, it’s been tough. On my last blog I said I was working through the pain, well the pain increased a whole lot more from the rigorous exercise routine that I had been doing. With a strained lower back and a leg muscle on the verge of ripping, I had to scale down my exercise, which has been frustrating. The good news is that over the last two days, I have increased the intensity of my workouts again and hope I can go full force on Monday. I decided when I started this journey that I would exercise everyday no matter what and I have kept that promise to myself. It’s nice to see all your hard work and effect show results. My clothes are loose; I have dropped one pant size; and I can sleep better at night. The best part is other people are starting to notice my weight loss. My wife and I have started new recipes to eat healthier and reduce our bread intake and to give me more options besides grilled chicken. She made spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs in a spicy sauce and it was amazing. She also made a healthier version of chili with lean ground beef, squash, green beans, carrots. It’s been awesome.
Pushing Beyond The Pain
What a week it has been. The excuse not to work out seems to be getting easier as I get busier at work and life seems to get in the way. Most of the week I have been having to work out later than normal, which is putting me home well after 9pm. I have work reports to finish because I worked out instead, not to mention being so tired, I can’t even think about blogging. 
What kept me going this week that I was able to move a notch in the belt, which was good because I was at my last one. That was motivation enough to keep going. This was a very tough and exhausting week for me at the Y. I pushed myself harder than I had before in any of the previous weeks. I am happy to say I went farther and burnt more calories than I ever had, but I did pay a price. My feet are swollen, blisters, feet pain and not sure if I can walk one more step much less the work out I am about to do. A big thank you to my wife for the foot rubs and applying muscle cream to my feet to help the pain. At the end of this week, I was able to wear a pair of pants I had bought a smaller size by accident and I couldn’t take back…. YES!!! Plus, another notch in the belt. It looks like another week of pain, but it couldn’t feel better.
Weigh In Time
This week is going pretty good. I have tried to double my work outs this week in preparation for my weigh in, which was tonight. I’ve noticed I’ve gotten a little faster on the treadmill and increased the incline. I also added another cardio and more weight training. I was pushing for double digit weight loss this week, but I didn’t quite make it. I have lost inches. My pants are feeling looser, I’m not breathing as heavy after a workout and I’m sleeping much better at night.
For this week, I will be pushing it a little more than this past week. I’m shooting for a double digit weight loss for the next weigh in. We will see. I have not allowed the thought of giving in to temptation to enter my mind, I think that would set me back. I’m focused on eating right and getting creative with food. I have been blending frozen strawberries and fresh blueberries together with coconut milk when I get a craving for something sweet. The one thing I cannot do without is coffee. I can drink water, give up soda but the smell of coffee has me weak. I use a couple packs of low calorie sweetener and a small dash of powder creamer in my coffee now and it taste great. My goal is to stop using any artificial sugar at all but one step at a time.
I’m Not Meant To Be Silent
Hello World,
I’m super excited & honored to even be a part of Rob’s Big Loser 2016. Although my mind cannot even fathom what a blessing this 12-week journey with the EastsideY will be, I can honestly say I feel it in my spirit. But if I’m being honest, with excitement I also feel a bit nervous. But I know this journey will not hurt me, it will help me so I’m choosing to do it anyway.
Spiritually, I worked through a lot last year and made some great strides in the right direction mentally as well. I even lost some weight along the way. Admittedly, I gained some of the weight back. Not all of it, but definitely more than the 10 pounds I initially allotted myself. But what I now appreciate about myself is the recognition that I have to make a conscious decision to move onward and upward despite what life throws at me.
While I’m celebrating because I’m not where I was, I’m also kicking myself in the behind because I’m not where I could be. But perhaps I’m where I should be. After all, everything thus far has brought me to this moment, this opportunity, & introduced me to such an amazing group of people. I am so thankful I get to experience this with 70+ other people who like me, have struggled to turn a corner. I feel God nudging me to conquer this part of my life and I know I’m suppose to share my journey with as many people as I can.
God has called me to such a level of excellence that no longer is it okay for me to stay where I am. It’s like a conviction or a restlessness within me. This thing goes beyond the numbers on a scale. I’m really thankful for this opportunity, and I’m super stoked to share my ups, downs, & roundabouts with my teammates & coaches as we move forward together towards transformation.
Blessings,
Tamika P.
“I’m letting go it’s time; leave my fear behind me; I’m ready now it’s time; leave my fear behind me; My dreams are loud and my heart’s wide awake; all I know is I’m not meant to be silent” – Tori Kelly
Rob's Big Losers 