Back in 2008 I set a goal with my life coach.  We decided that I'd write 5 poems per week for as long as I could.  6 months later, I had quite a collection of poetry and spoken word pieces under my belt.  Being a writer is just something that I drink in like a marathon runner reaching for a cup.  My next step is putting my pieces on YouTube.

             I also have to note that I embarked on a weight loss jounrey that took so much extra effort.  I weighed over 200 pounds for 7 years.  When I finally hit 220 pounds, I said, "enough already."  I knew I had to make a change.  I started food journaling.  I ate only 4 times per day, and wrote it all down.  I was so ready to lose weight that this feat came easy to me.  Since I started food journaling, I lost 10 pounds per month.  I food journaled for an entire year.  The very last thing I ate in a year to celebrate was a slice of chocolate cake.  I had finally reached my goal weight of 142 pounds, and the world was my oyster.

            You accept a change, and you do it for yourself.  Empowerment is whatever it means to you.  For me, it's a commitment to living healthy lifestyles.  It's writing every week, no matter what.  It's setting a goal and sticking to it.  It's also about something that's become very important to me: following through.

 

SO HERE ARE SOME AFTER PICTURES:

 

                                          

  

      

 

                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEFORE: