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<\/a>V! by Fitzness.com<\/p><\/div>\n
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I grew up in a traditional African American family where lots of gatherings meant lots of food like greens, corn bread, home-made macaroni-n-cheese, ribs, fried pork chops, fried chicken, pies and cakes.\u00a0 The message I got from our family was that fat equaled happy.\u00a0 Mom & Dad\u2019s families hosted our family for meal times on a regular basis in my parents\u2019 younger years of marriage.\u00a0 Mommy did not cook very well initially.\u00a0 She was the youngest of 15 children; cooking and chores mainly fell on the older ones.\u00a0 It did improve over the years, but from what I remember, everyone around me was large; diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and some cancers were common in our family and friends\u2019 lives.\u00a0 My heart hurts to see this image, along with death, and I want to do something about it! \u00a0I know that this change starts with me and the choices I make.<\/p>\n
Although I was a happy, well adjusted, bright and outgoing child, I recall not feeling very good about my body because I also was large.\u00a0 In second grade, my P.E. Coach referred to me as \u201cTWO-TON\u201d and one family member even called me \u201cFAT-CAT\u201d! \u00a0What does that do for a little girl\u2019s esteem?\u00a0 For me to appreciate the present, I revisited areas of my past that caused pitfalls in my adult life.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t continue doing the same things I\u2019d always done while expecting different results.\u00a0 No one ever said these words to me, but I began formulating destructive thoughts at an early age that framed the world around me- I thought that \u201cskinny white girls\u201d were my enemy.\u00a0 Over the years, I felt jealous for not looking like them.\u00a0 This was an internal battle.\u00a0 I did not love who I was, so I packed that deep down and continued life as usual.<\/p>\n
My parents did what was within their realm of knowledge as they provided for us and pressed past the obstacles in their own lives.\u00a0 They would say that EDUCATION, along with loving God and living a clean life was our vehicle to success.\u00a0 A Bachelor\u2019s and two Master\u2019s Degrees later, I am grateful! Now, it is my responsibility to apply my new knowledge and share it with those in my sphere of influence.\u00a0 At 39 years old, I celebrate my natural curves while being good to my body.\u00a0 I\u2019m excited to share my experiences with Sistas who want to live a life of quality and good health. I want to encourage you and hopefully become an agent of change for those who need to see someone else walking this out!\u00a0 So, I open the curtain to my world, invite you to take a glimpse and reach out so we can do this together!<\/p>\n