When this is all said and done! Will you need Plastics???

My journey to freedom started 4 years ago and I can testify that YES you can tone and reshape your body with exercise and proper nutrition. If all you do is cardio you will drop the weight, but in doing so you will lose muscle. Strength training is vital to build lean muscle and burn fat. Results don't happen in the gym, but in the kitchen. If you don't properly fuel your body then all you are doing is spinning your wheels and your body will not change.

My youngest son was born by c-section and I didn't think I could ever loose my tummy. Today, I am a size 10 and when I started I was a 28. I look and feel better than I did 20 years ago and my tummy is gone. You don't have to have plastic surgery to change your body, but you do have to decide you are going to change your life. The greatest battle I fight is the battle of my mind. Everyday I choose to change, I choose to be accountable for every bite that goes in my mouth and I choose to exercise with everything in me. It took me 17 years of neglect to reach 257 pounds and it has taken 4 years of determination and hard work to reach 141 pounds.

I live in TN and being raised in the South...you don't eat or live a healthy lifestyle. Fried chicken and sweet tea is in every home. My grandmother and mother were amazing cooks, but as an adult all I knew how to cook was with bacon drippings and crisco. Everything I made was fried and loaded with butter. Learning to eat healthy has been a challenge, but not impossible. I made up my mind to change and poured over websites and cookbooks to teach myself a new way of living. I stopped eating fast food and learned to make healthy homemade meals at home for my family. I substituted white flour, white bread, white rice and white pasta with whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables. Cut out red meat and replaced it with lean chicken and turkey. Snacks are no longer chips and moon pies, but fresh fruit and veggies. I stopped buying sugared cereals and processed and boxed foods. I didn't think I could afford to eat healthy, but I could sure afford to eat bad. It was a choice I made and if I can do it, you can too!

I drink a gallon of water everyday and exercise 6 days a week. Circuit training is my favorite exercise routine with cardio everyday and strength training 3 days a week. I surround myself with like minded people who help me when I struggle and build me up to pull out things I never thought possible. I jump, I run, I spin and I smile. I set goals and everyday I reach for my dream. Everything in life that is worth something, is worth fighting for. Don't look for the easy way out, but fight for your dream and never give up!!