W is for Writing and Weight Loss Journey

Writing. I am a writer. I've been in love with writing, ever since the first time my parents put a pen in my hand and taught me to write. Journal entries, plays, stories, songs...you name it, I wrote it. I no longer write songs or plays, though, if I really wanted to, I can. I still journal and write stories.

Writing, for me, is therapeutic. Having a bad day? I write. Someone pissed me off? I write. Something awesome happened? I write. After I'm done, I usually feel so much better. It wasn't until about 6 years ago that I decided to write professionally. That was about when my first character started talking to me. SIDE NOTE: For all you non-writers, talking characters in my head doesn't mean I'm crazy, it just means I'm a writer. Anyway, when I sat down and listened to my character, I ended up with a book idea and my first page. Since then, I've never looked back.

Even after 6 years, I'm still not published, but I refuse to give up. I will become a published author. Of that I'm sure. Not only that, I'm sure kids/teens/adults will like my books. I don't say this out of arrogance; I say this out of confidence in God, who gave me this talent. I've asked Him to bless my writing...to let it give whoever reads it the same kind of enjoyment I got when I read as a child (and even now, as an adult). God gave me this talent and I know He wants me to share it, not keep it to myself.

We writers - or any creative person, for that matter - are a special breed and it takes special people to deal with us. My family is special. My parents; my brother; my sister; me; we're all a creative bunch, whether we're writing stories, drawing pictures, coming up with ways to make lessons fun, thinking of creative marketing strategies, or writing songs. My family so gets me! They're my biggest cheerleaders. They encourage my creativity. As a kid, I wrote plays for ever special occasion. They were long; very long (maybe a hint that novel-writing was in my future, perhaps?). And my parents, bless their hearts, sat through them all. I absolutely adore them for that. When I said I wanted to have a career in writing, my parents didn't shun it as an "unsuitable" career. In fact, they're cheering me on. When I do become published, and my books do as well as I'm praying they would, my family will be the first to benefit.

Weight Loss Journey. I am on a mission...a mission to lose weight. I've been going back and forth with my weight and I am tired. I'm ready to lose weight for good.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love being curvaceous. I love my hips. I love my big butt. I have no problem being "plus size." In fact, I don't want to lose my curves. My journey to lose weight has nothing to do with what society says I should look like. I could care less what others think of me. You may think I'm fat. So what? I'm trying to lose weight so I can lead a healthier life. I have high blood pressure and I HATE taking medicine. I hate how my ankles and feet swell up. I hate how I get so many HBP-inspired headaches. I hate having HBP period. Besides high blood pressure, my family also have history of diabetes, heart problems, cancer, etc. I'm not trying to check out of here earlier than I'm supposed to. Besides, I have little brothers and sisters, nephews and future nieces, future kids, and the youth that I work with. I want to be able to run around with them without having to feel like I'm hyperventilating.

I want to be in shape. I want to be in the best shape of my life, for the rest of my life. Though I do feel better now, at almost 35, than I did 20 years ago, there's still more work to be done. Therefore, I must do what I gotta do. I love working out...walking, Zumba, strength training, volleyball, I love it. Suprisingly, my problem is not eating too much. It's not eating enough. I tend to only eat once a day, which actually starves my body. That's no bueno at all. So, I'm slowly learning to eat 4 - 5 times a day. Old habits die hard, though, and I sometimes go back to the one-a-day meals. I'm a work in progress, though. I joined Weight Watchers about 7 weeks ago. I don't always count points like I should, but it has helped me with portion control.

So, here's the deal: I'm trying to lose 85 pounds. I'm not trying to lose my curvaceousness, so after the 85, I'll see if I want to lose more. So far, I've lost 5 pounds. I'll post updates here, just to hold me accountable. Think I can do it? I know I can.