First, let me say Tameika G is the truth. Like many of us, she was overweight most of her life and found herself at about 220-230 pounds and a size 16-18. She embarked on a 100-pound weight loss journey. Now, she's about 130-140 and a size 4-6 and has been able to keep it off for over 10 years.
Since losing weight, she has devoted her time to helping others achieve the same happiness she’s found on this journey. As a Certified Personal Trainer, she has helped over 400 clients, both in-person and online, lose a cumulative total of 3000+ pounds.
On her blog, Tameika does not hold her tongue when she says the journey wasn't easy. It's come with a fair share of challenges and took time to get where she is today. "While this journey has been a turbulent one, I am thankful for it. Without it, I wouldn't be the woman I am today," she says.
Here's how what she had to overcome and what she celebrates now in her own words.
The Challenges of a 100-pound Weight Loss Journey
Overcoming Addiction: Losing weight was the easy part, but keeping it off has been the biggest hurdle. Food is the worst of all addictions because your "substance" is easily accessible and cheap. For my whole life, I was obese and I had a food addiction. Unfortunately, that doesn't automatically go away when you lose weight. It's a daily struggle. Since I lost weight, I have struggled with food. I hate to break it to you, this hasn’t ended and honestly, I don’t know if it ever will. I have to constantly remind myself (and be okay with the fact) that I am a recovering food addict. I think if you approach this journey knowing and accepting this, it makes things much clearer for you.
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(Photo credit: @TameikaG on Instagram)
The CONSTANT Yo-Yo: While I haven't gained all the weight back, I have struggled with the yo-yo. I go up/down about 10lbs each year. For those who follow me, you've probably seen this cycle in my semi-annual "50/60/70 Day Challenge", when I proclaim it's time to whip myself back into shape LOL. Honestly speaking though, it is a constant cycle. Thankfully, my weight has never gone higher than the 10lbs, but I can easily see how it could! After being obese my entire life, inevitably, I slip back into my old ways. It's normal. These behaviors are almost too "normal" that you sometimes don't notice until it's too late. Being present and mindful each day has helped me here. The constant "check-ins" with myself and being mentally aware have helped me to keep my health a priority over the years.
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The need to re-wire my thoughts: The need to re-wire my thoughts: This was probably THE biggest struggle. Mass marketing had completely brainwashed me and took a toll on my journey. Between low carb/low-fat diets, weight loss pills, going paleo, meal replacements, being gluten-free/dairy-free, the keto diet, detoxes (incl. teas), waist trainers, and all-natural/raw food diets, there has been A LOT over the years. I've tried the majority of these and it took some serious reflection to realize that for me, it was all nonsense. These "extremes" in my journey were not sustainable. That's not to say I can't incorporate some aspects into my regimen (i.e. raw foods are always a good thing in my eyes), but to fully commit my life to any of these trends was just setting myself up for failure. This was a process to get through. A long and agonizing (and expensive) process. So please, be mindful of what's "in" and simply ask yourself, "What can I commit to for the next 20, 30, or 40 years?". Only then, when you are honest with yourself, can you prepare for a lifetime of maintenance.
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Finding my Balance: Listen, I'm an extreme person by nature. I go big or go home always. Lol. That means if you tell me that I need to go to the gym to lose weight. I'll go 10 times a week. Or, tell me I need to eat well to lose weight, I won't touch junk food for 100 days. Finding my balance with this process took me a solid 7 years. It wasn’t until 3 years ago that I reflected and realized that this way of life isn't sustainable.
If I wanted to avoid obesity forever, I had to change. So, I did. I built balance into my plan. I had a cheat here and there, went to the gym 3-4 times per week max and allowed myself to just LIVE from time to time. This was a mental struggle because I feared becoming too lenient would result in falling off the wagon. However, I'm well on my way and realize it's a marathon and not a race. As you approach this weight loss journey, I encourage you to consciously build balance into your routine and keep it top of mind.
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The Greatness
Let's move on to the GREATNESS. Because even though the struggles are real, the greatness that comes with this lifestyle is endless.
The Feeling: The Feeling: I think I preach this all the time but, life is beautiful. When you are genuinely happy in your body, the mind and soul just follow. Feeling great on the outside quickly snuck its way to my insides. I am ALWAYS on a high. People often ask me "why are you so happy allllll the time". The answer is, I FEEL great.
My Health: These past years have been amazing health-wise. I go to the doctor and things are seamless. For over 10 years, I have been pegged as "perfectly healthy". Do you know how good that feels? Especially coming from where I come from. I am aware this is largely due to my blessings, but a big contributor is the way I live my life. I am healthy! That feeling is indescribable. Especially when I used to dread going to the doctor and being told (again) that I needed to watch my weight. Oh, and always being handed one of those patronizing "Time to get healthy" pamphlets to review.
The Embarrassment--It's gone: It's been more than 10 years since my 100-pound weight loss journey and I haven't had to be embarrassed by my size. I can ride a rollercoaster without worrying if I'll fit in the seat. I can go into a store confidently knowing they'll have my size. I can wear a FREAKING BIKINI (something I never thought possible). I have the stamina and confidence to run somewhere if I'm late. I can participate in recreational sports without worrying how my endurance will hold up. The embarrassing hurdles you have to go through with being overweight (that most will never understand) have completely vanished.
Hair, Skin, and Nails: I am now acne-free, I couldn't say that growing up. I suffered with teenage acne and adult acne When I switched my diet for good, I never looked back. Also, my nails and hair are always thriving.
Courage: This is probably where I’ve seen the biggest change. Now, if I ever feel the least bit unhappy, I make the changes necessary to rectify. Losing the weight (and keeping it off) has helped me to see that I can do the "impossible". So to say that this weight loss journey has changed me for the better is an understatement. My first real "accomplishment" in my adult life was losing this weight. After that, I felt (and continue to feel) invincible. I now set a goal, and I accomplish it without fail. Whether it's buying my condo, excelling in my career, moving abroad, traveling the world, starting a business - I now have the courage to do anything I put my mind to. The accomplishment of losing weight was the catalyst to how I approach my life today.
Tameika's biggest piece of advice? "One: Ditch the fad diets/extremes. Two: Be Patient and Consistent. Three: Slow and steady wins the race with this journey if you want it long term."
For more on Tameika, follow her on social media, here.
Or check out her website here.
