Magic 81

I weighed myself today and I was so excited to see I had reached another milestone. Last year my lowest weight was 270 pounds. I wanted so badly to make it below the 270 point but life threw me a few curve balls and instead I gained 20. Since then I have taken control, lost the 20 I gained plus more. I am now at 267. I have never shared the actual number of my weight because I was so ashamed but now that I am making progress with losing I am now proud to share my success.


At my heaviest I was 348. That was when I got my wake up call. I promised myself I would not allow the scale to reach 350. Today I stand 81 pounds lighter. Yes it took 5 years but I have learned a lot along the way. I vowed to make this year my year of big loss. I am so happy. I used to dread stepping on the scale but now I absolutely love it.

Chemistry: Not My Cup of Tea

I have embarked on a journey to finish something I started 12 years ago. I am working on my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). I am currently taking one of my first prerequisites Anatomy and Physiology I. I was loving class right up until we got to chapter 2, Chemistry. Chemistry is not my strong suit but I am not going to let a few atoms, matter, and subatomic particles scare me. My 11
year old son told me not to worry, it's just chemistry.

Pound for Pound

In 2005 after being forced to resign from my insurance job due to health complications that were stemming from and complicated by my weight. I was suffering with low back pain, hip pain, lymphedema in both legs, depression, and more. I decided it was time to do something about it. My life was passing me by and my family was missing out so much because there wasn't much I could do. I had tried to lose weight other times before trying various diets but I never succeeded. I joined Weight Watcher's and the local gym and I lost 25lbs. I was so excited.


Over the years I would lose and then stop and then start again. I wasn't always fully committed to losing weight though I never gained all of my weight back. As of today I have lost 78lbs. One pound counts towards my pledge to the Pound for Pound Challenge. I will be giving tips on how I'm making it happen. I love to share my story because once I met a doctor who told me surgery was my only option. Every pound I lose I am proving him wrong and loving it.

I pledged 50lbs.

It's a New Year!

I am ready for a new Monique to surface once again. She has been making strides and working hard to be the Goddess she knows she's capable of being. Keep your eyes open, Freespirit is making a comeback and this time around she's taking no stuff.


Happy New Year!

I guess I'll see you next lifetime...

Dedicated to the one that got away...

20 FREAKING pounds:-(

I finally bit the bullet and climbed my butt on the scale. Lawd have mercy! When I saw that I gained 20lbs of the 78 that I lost, my heart cracked, crumbled, and fell to the ground. I have struggled with weight since my teens. I had adopted so many bad habits over the years. It's so hard to lose weight. It's hard to stay motivated. For someone like myself, when things are in disarray forget about me being able to focus on the task at hand. I managed to remain somewhat confident in my full-figured beauty as a young woman yet at the same time there were things that I wanted to wear that I just couldn't.

Earlier this year I was unstoppable. I was walking almost everyday. My diet was on point. There's a saying that health is 1/3 diet, 1/3 lifestyle and 1/3 attitude. I was so there, lol. I began to feel sexy and of course I started getting more attention from the opposite sex. It felt so good to finally be accomplishing my weight loss goals. I was able to do so much more. I had suffered with health complications due to the weight for so long. It was putting a major strain on my family. Things my husband wanted to do I was unable to do because of back pain and depression. When I say I was miserable, please believe me, I was!

I started making changes back in 2005 after I was forced to resign from my job for health reasons. In actuality those bastards tried to fire me because they didn't want to give me a part-time schedule like my doc said was needed. Anyway that inspired me to get busy. I joined Weight Watchers and the local gym. I couldn't walk without pain so I rode the bike. That's how I lost my first 25lbs. Since then I've worked on it, not consistently but I have never gotten close to my highest weight. It seemed that with every 15lbs lost my body reset at that weight. I would never gain more than 5lbs from that point and that would inspire me to start working at it again.

I'm at a point where it is really hard to get motivated and since I have other personal issues going on. I really have to get back in the game. With the 20lb gain my back has started hurting again. Yesterday I fasted. Today I made sure not to over do it. Tomorrow I'll make another step toward getting back on track. At this point all I want is to get healthier. My life depends on it. My family needs me healthy.

Eat well, live well, and think right!

Mommy Worries...

I am a concerned mom and I constantly worry about the well being of my children. I ignored the signs with Justin that there was something different about him. I was in denial even after a teacher brought it to my attention that he may have ADHD. I was always reading and studying about health issues but I reluctantly read about the condition but I didn't act. I listened to people say he'll grow out it, I even had my parenting criticized and labeled the cause of his behavior. That lasted for years but I eventually saw that his social interactions were not improving so I sought help. It's challenging and tough at times.

Naturally when I noticed that Sarah wasn't saying much I began to worry. I had a tough pregnancy and was constantly being monitored. I guess that was to be expected with my history. Sarah is very smart. She always was but she just wasn't talking. She's 2 now and she's more vocal. We put her in speech therapy earlier this year. She has progressed well but her therapist is still concerned. When Sarah was 18 months old she was evaluated. Her results showed that intellectually she was on the same level as a 3 year old. So why wasn't my baby talking. I worried it was autism. I just didn't know what to think but I was glad I didn't wait to seek help.

Yesterday her therapists suggested she be evaluated for Apraxia. I had read on the condition a few months earlier so I was familiar with it. Can it be that this is what is affecting Sarah? I want answers. I've been referred to a specialist. Hopefully it's not something that she can't overcome. She really is making progress. I just want my kids to have a life with less worries and more enjoyment. Time to research natural herbs and medicine for answers as well.