I never thought it could happen to me. Just a year ago, I was seemingly at the pinnacle of my fitness journey. Fast forward to a two months ago, I stood on the scale in utter disbelief. The red numbers glared back at me: 169.3 lbs. I had never in my life been that close to 200 pounds. Ever. I knew that I had gained some weight and couldn’t fit hardly any of my clothes, but I didn’t think it was that bad. And there was the truth with her mouth wide open, laughing at my expense as I realized I was a victim of the dreaded … happy weight.

So what is happy weight? It’s that fluff that creeps into your life and wraps around your mid-section and thighs  when life is going well. Lol. At least that’s what I think it is. It happens when you start a new love life, get engaged, married or are just enjoying your life without worrying about your weight.

It all started when I got engaged on January 1, 2016. It was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. There were stars in my eyes…  apparently big enough to blind me, lol. That new promise of “together forever”  allowed me to become more comfortable with my fiancé, which also resulted in a less conscious effort to eat right, less motivation to exercise, the added stress of planning the ultimate wedding and of course… of course… 20 extra pounds. In the words of Shenehneh,”Oh my goooodnesss…”

Initially, I got upset. I had been doing so well to keep my weight in check. And honestly, I had even judged other women for “becoming victims of happy weight.” I was stuck on never letting my happiness or lack thereof affect my weight. Some of my friends had even warned me about it. I didn’t believe them. But today,  “happy weight” no longer exists in the realm where Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy reside. It is indeed real.

For awhile, home girl was wearing stretchy clothes and all black to cope, lol. But I finally decided to get up and do something about it. My fiancé helped me realized that being upset about it wasn’t going to change anything. The day I stepped on the scale and discovered I was nearly 170 pounds, I met with a nutritionist to fix the main problem: my eating habits. I have never had a problem with working out, but food has always been my main setback. You should see how happy I get when I see food. It is a serious love affair, lol. It has been about two months, and I have seen great results with my nutrition plan and exercise. I decided to not wait until the new year to change my bad, reoccurring habits. Check out my pictures to see my progress from mostly eating right ( because I did cheat sometimes lol) and working out. I am officially 78 days away from my wedding, and I want to be sure I am spiritually fit for my marriage and physically fit to slay in that dress, lol! Eating right and regular visits to my kickboxing gym should have me right by the time March 19th rolls around. Y’all pray for a  sister.

Ladies or gentlemen, if you have become a victim of “happy weight,” here are a few tips to help you cope:

1.) Stay happy. Being fine is not more important than a healthy relationship with others and yourself.

2.) Pinpoint what exactly is causing you to to pack on the pounds and start making small changes to reverse the weight gain.

3.) Add exercise into your schedule. Being physically active is good for your mind and body.

4.) Don’t have money to eat healthy or time to work out? Get rid of those useless excuses. There is always a way to do what you want in life. Period. You’re welcome.

5.) Pray and enlist the help of your significant other or friends. Being spiritually centered and having a support system are paramount to your success.

6.) Celebrate the small successes. But not with a drink or cake or bad food… because that’s just extra calories. LOL

7.)Stay positive.

8.) Do this for you and no one else.

9.) Get to it and stay consistent.

10.) I’m cheering  you on.

Truly Yours,

Garesia