I come from a Jamaican family, and food is an important part of our culture. It wasn’t what I ate, but the amount I ate and how often. It’s actually an offense to turn down food, so I could never go to a relative’s house and say no to a plate. I would eat even if I wasn’t hungry. How I ate trained my body to depend on food in a very unhealthy way.
I was overweight my entire life, but things got really bad when I hit my twenties, and I just kept getting bigger and bigger. At my heaviest, I was 230lbs, and I was really struggling. I wasn’t physically active, and it was an absolute nightmare if I needed to run anywhere. My body would just break down, and I’d sweat and feel completely exhausted as if I’d run a marathon.
I was a serial dieter and went on every new diet that came out. I would lose the weight and put it straight back on again because the problem wasn’t the diet, it was my eating habits. A series of embarrassing events motivated me to make permanent changes. I went to a theme park with my friends, and I was really excited to go on all the rides. But when I went to get on this ride in particular, I was told it would be dangerous for me to get on it because I was too big. I was devastated, and it put a dampener on the rest of the day.
The first time I left the country, I went to Japan, again I was really excited about the trip, but when I sat in my seat, I could barely fit, and I was so uncomfortable a flight attendant noticed and asked me if I wanted to buy the seat next to me. Some people might say that the theme park attendant and the flight attendant were rude and insensitive, but I say their comments were exactly what I needed to get my life in order.
I completely changed my diet by eating whole foods and plenty of fruits and vegetables, and I started exercising. I don’t deprive myself and still eat the foods I love, but I eat them in moderation. Deprivation is the problem with dieting, people literally starve themselves of anything considered unhealthy, and that’s why they fail. I started my fitness journey 15 years ago and lost 90lbs in nine months. I kept the weight off, and I haven’t looked back since. I work out four times a week, and the majority of my exercise routine consists of strength training because I love the feeling of empowerment it gives me.
After I lost weight, my friends and family started asking me how I did it, and I gave out a lot of advice. I knew what I was talking about because I had applied the principles for a healthy lifestyle, and they had worked for me. When I realized that people were taking my advice and it was working for them, I got certified and became a fitness coach. Today, I help thousands of women worldwide reach their weight loss goals, and it’s the most fulfilling aspect of my journey.
I didn’t date much when I was overweight. When you don’t love yourself, you attract the wrong people. But I’ve now met the man of my dreams, I met my German boyfriend while I was vacationing in Brazil, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. I moved to Germany, and we’re building a life together.
I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved for myself and how I’ve leveraged my success to help other women. I travel the world, and I’ve been to over forty countries. I’m just so grateful that no one will ever be able to tell me I’m too fat for a seat again.
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