Let me deal with expectations on the front end. Because I'm subject to the same demands I spoke of above, this blog will not be a weekly, bi-monthly or even a monthly promise. I do promise to share with you the people who inspire me and give me the push I need to keep going, I will do this as much and as often as I can.
With that said, let's begin.
I'm writing this blog as I sit and watch the 2014 Wimbledon finals; over 30 ladies took the court during the tournament but only one will emerge a champion. Thankfully in life we can have better odds than that. Our odds are better because we have champions among us every day. Our co-workers, neighbors, spouses and even our children are champions of everyday life - accomplishing amazing feats right before our very eyes.
Our first Champion is a good friend of mine named Tameka Freeman. Tameka is a dedicated wife, mother and employee for the Gwinnett County Juvenile Justice System. As you can see from the photos, one of her best assets is her mega watt smile and she has a sweet spirit to go with it. I selected Tameka as my first Champion because she is currently winning a battle that I'm facing right now (and I'm sure a lot of you are as well): weight loss. I have been a cheering supporter of Tameka's journey via Facebook and when she surpassed her goal weight loss of 60lbs (currently 62lbs), I just had to reach out to her and ask a few questions. I hope this Q&A is as helpful to you as it is to me:
Q: When did you start your weight loss journey and what was your weight?
- Tameka: I began my weight loss journey on June 17, 2013. At the time, I weighed 237lbs.
Q: Have you always been an active person or was it hard to get going?
- Tameka: I have never been a huge fan of exercising. When I was a teenager, because of my participation with the school's drill team, I was active, but that was the only time that I have ever been consistently active. Because of this, it was difficult for me to begin exercising, but I believe that my desire to lose weight and become healthy allowed me to overcome the obstacle.
Q: What is your exercise routine?
- Tameka: My exercise routine consists of working out for 30 minutes (sometimes longer) for a minimum of three days a week. I typically use a free running app that I downloaded to my cell phone (http://c25kfree.com/), the elliptical, or use workout DVDs. I chose to work out a minimum of three days a week because I felt that was an achievable goal for me. I truly believed that if I had set out to exercise five or even four days a week, I would disappoint myself if I didn't get that number in and ultimately set myself up for failure.
Q: Eating right is where most people fall off track, how did you tackle this?
- Tameka: Eating right is a HUGE part of losing weight. The plan that works for me is Weight Watchers. I first tried the plan nine years ago after giving birth to my daughter and had moderate success with it. I didn't achieve my ultimate weight loss goal at that time because honestly, I wasn't very motivated. This time however, I gave the plan "my all" and was able to get the results that I wanted. I think that Weight Watchers worked so well for me because it didn't require me to deprive myself of anything. If I had a day where I knew I was going out to eat, I saved my points for the day for that meal. Because it didn't tell me "no" to any food in particular, I was able to say "yes" to the plan.
Q: Before reaching your goal weight, did you plateau and if so how did you handle it?
- Tameka: While on my weight loss journey, I kept a weekly journal where I would record my weight and also leave words of encouragement for myself. For a period of nearly five weeks, I plateaued, I mean the scale just wouldn't budge! As frustrated as I was, I continued following the Weight Watchers plan and exercising because I knew that I was doing everything right and that eventually, the scale would have to move. You can imagine how overjoyed I was when it finally did!
Q: When eating out and socializing with family and friends, how did you modify your food selection without feeling deprived? (Give examples of choices you made eating out and how you cooked at home.)
- Tameka: When I would eat out with family and friends, most of the time I would skip the appetizer and only eat my entree. Knowing in advance [when I'd be eating out] helped me to be prepared for the meal because I would make certain that my other meals during the day were very light. I must admit that the eating portion of my weight loss journey actually wasn't that difficult for me because I am a repetitious eater; eating the same foods over and over again was easy for me. For example, I ate (and still eat) oatmeal every morning for breakfast. Most days for lunch, I would eat soup or chili. For dinner, most of the time I would eat a small burger or grilled fish or chicken. Also, I made it a point to drink plenty of water throughout the day.
Q: After losing 62 pounds, how do you plan to maintain your new body?
- Tameka: After losing 62 pounds, I plan to maintain my new body by continuing to exercise and monitoring what I eat. I came to the realization during my journey that exercise is not just a weight loss tool, but a permanent way of life for me now. I find myself actually looking forward to exercising now and for me, that's awesome!
And I think Tameka is awesome as well. We don't have to wait until the Final Four or the Super Bowl or even the Wimbledon Finals to celebrate Champions - we have them living among us everyday!
Written by: Kelli Stewart
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