Wellness encompasses mental, spiritual, physical, and emotional health. Specific emphasis are always placed on maintaining physical health. Initially, I wanted to post weekly giving props to plus size people who have dropped their weight, otherwise known as Transformation Tuesdays. At 17, I promised myself that I would lose weight  before I was 21 so that I could be attractive and desirable. After embarking on an emotional, mental, and spiritual journey in college, my focus was altered. During this journey, that I am currently on, I’ve learned that my mental, spiritual, and emotional wellness are just as or even more important/ necessary than my physical health. Let’s be clear, I am in no way promoting being unhealthy. I promote living freely and happily. Don’t beat yourself up, destroy yourself mentally, and wreck your nerves because you aren’t a size 6. Change is up to you. It’s conducive to you. Go at your own pace. My spiritual connectivity, mental health, and emotional stability will positively influence my physical health. 

My first Wellness Wednesday feature is my dear friend Cecilia. Last year, she decided to embark on her journey to complete wellness which in turn led to her weight loss. She didn’t drop the pounds because she didn’t feel beautiful beforehand. She is a 22 year old senior at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. Cecilia enjoys writing, reading, shopping, lifting, and hanging out with her friends. Those of us who know her, know that she is outgoing and outspoken. When she isn’t at school, or with friends, Cecilia likes to shop at small boutiques and thrift stores. Currently, she is participating in a workout program called Stronglifts 5×5. Here are her stats- Squats-125, Deadlifts-155, Bench Press-80,Row-80 and Overhead Press-50.

“Weight has always played a pivotal role in my life. From the time I was a toddler, my mother’s obsessive eating habits have constantly been in the background. My father is a truck driver, so I was alone most of the time with my bipolar, anorexic/bulimic mother. My parents ended up divorcing before I entered the third grade, and that’s when I started to put on weight. From that point on, until I entered college, both my parents and my grandfather talked about my weight, and tried to bribe me to lose weight. My grandfather was by far the worst, and told me I would be liked more if I lost weight. My family members weren’t the only ones who were critical. I was bullied until high school because of my weight. It was hard. I’m sure everyone has experienced some type of bullying, but having people relentlessly pick on you for something that you didn’t quite understand was confusing, and so incredibly hurtful. While growing up, weight issues were the furthest thing from my mind. It wasn’t until last year, when my health started to go downhill, that I knew it was time to step up and start caring about myself. I’ve only recently realized why I become overweight in the first place. To combat this, I started doing cardio five days a week for 45 minutes. I ate around 1500 calories of veggies, fruits, low-fat meats, and whole wheats. This is how I lost the first 50 pounds. Since then, I’ve transitioned to mostly weight training with little cardio and I no longer count calories. While it works for some, I don’t believe it’s necessarily the healthiest way to lose weight. I became obsessed with how many calories I was putting in my body, and would berate myself if I went over the allotted amount. That’s not how I want to live my life. I started at 263 and I’m currently between 185-190 (I haven’t weighed myself in about a month and a half). The one thing people never tell you about losing a large amount of weight is how differently people treat you. People take me more seriously. If I say something, people listen. Guys that never looked at me or talked to me before are now asking to hang out. I’ve transitioned from an object of ridicule to another type of object, but an object just the same. People who talked about my weight before are now telling me that I shouldn’t lose anymore. Physically, I look different. Mentally, however, I still view myself as the 263 pound awkward girl I was a year ago. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see any differences. When I try on clothes I automatically think they won’t fit and I should go get the largest size the store has. The one thing that keeps pushing me forward is the fact that I’m doing this to better myself. I have PCOS. Weight loss is the number one recommended treatment. I didn’t do this because I thought I would look better. I’ve always been beautiful. I started this journey because I need to in order to live a healthy, productive life. I needed to get down to a healthy weight. On the way, I’m learning to love myself. I’m doing things that I never thought my body could do. It’s a bittersweet victory. If you’re trying to lose weight, for whatever reason, please realize that it’s not a one-day trip to the gym. It’s not one healthy meal. Just like how that piece of chocolate cake won’t make you gain weight. When you get to your goal weight, you most likely aren’t going to automatically love your body and exude confidence. That’s not to say that some people won’t feel this way, but weight is just a number. You’re still going to be the same person you were before, with the same mentality about how you perceive yourself. Have faith in yourself. People come in all shapes and sizes. Love who you are, and most importantly, do it for yourself, not for anyone else. LIVE YOUR LIFE. It’s the only one you’ve got!”

You can follow her journey to wellness.
Tumblr- http://kittychips.tumblr.com/
Twitter-https://twitter.com/umcecilia
Instagram- @ceciliamarielavoie


The main message of today is to transform your entire self. Don’t just focus on being physically attractive. Your personality matters. Your intelligence matters. Your character matters. You matter! Tell me about your journey to well in the comment section.