Happy New Year —My name is Keisha. I have been struggling with my weight and obesity for about 20 years now. I gained weight during my first few months in college, and the I have been struggling ever since. The “Freshman 15” was more like the “Freshman 30” for me. I have tried just about every diet and/or healthy-eating fad/tactic and may unhealthy ones. I could definitely be classified as a yo-yo dieter as I would literally “kill” myself to get the weight off (exercising twice a day for hours at a time and extreme calorie restriction) yet, I could never be consistent enough in my efforts to reach my goal weight. I am generally a very healthy eater, and cook more than eating fast food. However, once I gained weight and surpassed that 200lb threshold, no matter how close I got to getting back under 200lbs, I could never seem to get there. My highest weight was around 265lbs to 272lbs—although for many years, my weight tended to hoover around 230 to 250lbs or so. I discovered water fasting and tried it in September 2020. After getting great results, and genuinely realizing that it is the best approach for me (weight loss, and overall health, and mental clarity and focus) I found that it has been challenging for me to be consistent with fasting. I also experienced (what I believe to be Keto Rash) whenever I get to day 4/5 which has been challenging to deal with. Nevertheless, I joined this group because I realized that I need more support. Although I may have the determination, I definitely need support with increasing my consistency with reaching my goals.
My "Why"
My why is simple… I’m tired of always feeling discounted due to my weight. Whether it is by others or due to the way I view myself, I’m tired of feeling less than. I want to feel good in my own skin. I don’t want to feel like the real me is hiding under fat that is not who I truly am. I lived my 20s and 30s feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and I’m tired of wasting time (not achieving my ideal weight goals. I need to make my latter years better than my former years. I also have family planning goals that I am determined to achieve.
What Are My Long-Term and Short-Term Goals?
Currently I weigh around 240lbs after losing around 35lbs this past fall via water fasting. My short-term goal is to be under 200lbs by the end of this month(January). My long-term goal is to weight between 135 to 145 lbs. I want to look and feel healthier, and due to learning a few years ago that I have mild arthritis in my knees, I know that losing weight will help me greatly in this regard.
What are some struggles I facing or have I faced in the past?
I face the overall struggles of feeling like my weight as held me back in life. Also, I know that I have issues with being consistent as well as battling emotional eating/drinking.
Currently, my game plan is to complete this 7-day challenge, and to complete another 7-day cycle this month for total of 14 days of fasting. If possible I would like to get to 21 days. Ultimately, I want to gradually increase my “fasting muscle” to be able to do longer-term fasts like 21 and/or 30 day fasts.
How do I feel right now?
Right now, I’m happy to be apart of this group, and happy that I am getting back into fasting (Day 1 is completed…yay:))
How will I feel once I achieve my goal?
I KNOW that I will feel amazing not just because of the way I will look, but because I will have achieved my goal of being more consistent in achieving my goal.
Daily Affirmation
I will no longer be a slave to my fat/weight/bad feelings/low-self esteem etc…