No Trick Tips For Losing Weight.

1. LOVE YOURSELF! In ALL your gorgeous beauty from the inside out.
2. Come to terms as to WHY you eat the way you do and your lack of motivation.
3. Change your eating habits. Cook at home more with FRESH vegetables and fruits. 
4. Watch your portions , even overeating of the GOOD stuff can be bad!
5. Find a workout that you ENJOY and is FUN! This ensures that will more than likely STICK with it. 
6. Set small goals to achieve within a reasonable time frame (2-3 months).
7. Set Long term goals.
8. DO NOT take on several healthy small goals at ONE TIME! i.e. Stop smoking,lose weight and stop drinking soda. That's Self Sabotage if you do this!
9. DON'T be so hard on yourself. You CAN DO THIS! You will have setbacks and plateaus work through it. YOU GOT THIS! Remember how much YOU LOVE YOU SOME YOU!
10. Go at YOUR own pace. Don't think you're coming out the running block at full throttle, Nope ain't gonna happen. Do what you CAN DO then increase as you get better and healthier.
11. PUSH yourself! Challenge yourself! Be your own Superhero/She-Ro!
12. Look cute from the neck down! You have to PUT IN THE WORK to see results! That means STOP worrying about sweating your relaxer out or running your make-up. A Sweat Funky woman is a SEXY woman!
13. Use your haters as your MOTIVATORS! Nuff said.
14. DON'T get complacent. When certain workouts become easy with little to no effort needed, TAKE IT UP A NOTCH or find something NEW and FUN to do.
15. DON'T let the cost of purchasing a new wardrobe stop you! Wear what you have til it is literally "falling off" you! Buy a belt and put holes in it as you shrink! :-) Ladies invest in the fashionable big belts to accessorizes those tops and dresses. Then reward yourself with a FEW new pieces( I suggest Goodwill or Consignment shops til you get to your goal/stable weight) because you are STILL going hard and losing!
16. Just because the scale number isn't dropping doesn't mean you're not losing! Your body is still burning fat and you may be losing inches. If you plateau try adjusting your calorie intake(up or down) or shock your body into a new routine (add something different and FUN).
17. STAY OFF THE SCALE SO MUCH! another self sabotage. Maybe weigh yourself once a week to every two weeks.
18. Believe in you! It's not selfish. It's not being conceited or egotistical to PUT YOU FIRST. If you don't love and believe in you NO ONE else will either.

Self Sabotage

  Diving straight in on this one! We self sabotage ourselves when we don't see the changes we "think" we should be seeing at some point in our weight loss journey.  We say to ourselves "I have been at this for two weeks now I should see something." STOP fooling yourself, it's not going to happen that fast!  You didn't gain 30 pounds in two weeks it's not coming off that fast either. A pound or so a week is good, although don't give up because you haven't lost.

  We start manifesting these negative thoughts that, " I should have lost at least 3 pounds already! I'm doing everything right. I'm eating right,I'm working out, I'm determined, I have prayed and mediated on it and nothing is happening? Why?"  You start looking at other people working out as well and say, " Such and such is losing all kinds of weight and we are doing the same workout plan."  Guess what? Such and Such's plan may not be "YOUR" plan! Their calorie intake is different from yours. Their muscle mass and body structure is different from yours. Their metabolism is different from yours. YOU ARE DIFFERENT! 
You CAN NOT base your success goals off someone else's path! DON'T SABOTAGE your efforts based off what someone else is doing. Your path is your path and you can ONLY do what works for you! Just as they can not walk your path.

  Take some time to get to know your body pay attention to how it reacts to the things you are doing with eating and movement.  Kristie Allen said it best when she was on the Dr. Oz show and said that she noticed she lost more weight on a lower amount of calories than she did when she increased her calorie intake.  You and your body need to reacquaint yourselves. Your body is this awesome vessel that will alert you to the things it needs to survive. When you get sick you feel tired, you may cough and your body may ache. It is alerting you that something is wrong. When you are hungry your stomach will growl saying it needs nourishment. Trick here is to NEVER let your stomach growl! Eat 6 small healthy meals a day approximately every two to four hours that way your stomach doesn't growl and you don't overeat or eat the unhealthy "quick grab" foods. When you have muscle cramps that's your body alerting you that you are either dehydrated or need more potassium. As Beyonce' sings in her song entitled "Me,Myself and I" " It's just me,myself and I and from now on I'ma be my own best friend." Become YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND! No one should know you better than YOU, besides the good Lord himself.  When you become one with yourself it's a little harder in my opinion to sabotage yourself. Why? Because you know and understand your capabilities and your limitations. You accept and seek to improve your weaknesses and fine tune your strong attributes. You want the BEST for you? Well, the BEST requires you to love you, your time for you and your very best effort! Once you get to moving you will not allow anyone which includes YOU or anything to cause you to settle for less.

  Keep this in mind, negative manifested thoughts bring about negative energy, which draws negative actions from within and around you. So you start with the negative thought from within,"This ain't working! I don't care,I'm good with how I look (lying to yourself)."   So then comes the negative action around you, someone comes along and says," I thought you've been working out, what happened you stopped going to the gym? I don't see a change." Or they say. " I don't see how you afford those gym fee, or zumba fees?" or maybe it's "Where you getting all this time and money to do this stuff?" My favorite is " You should just be happy with how God made you."  Reality check. God DID NOT create me to be unhealthy! My body is a temple wherein I should treat it as such. Which means, any respectable, honorable person would not walk into a spiritual building and show ANY amount of disrespect that is not pleasing to their God. So, why would you disrespect the same building ( your body) that was created by God to house your soul? You wouldn't and shouldn't.

  Trust me I used to say that "God made us all different and different body shapes and sizes." This is so true and will always be true. Here is where the fault in that logic lies, when we try to apply it to our unhealthy lifestyles.  You just sabotaged yourself with that thought process! No, we all won't and can't be a size 0,6,8 or 12. We won't or can't all have firm booties with thick thighs and a pretty face, but we CAN ALL have healthy, happy bodies,souls and self-esteem! Reality is, I am never going to have a J-Lo booty and she will never have my smile. Why? Because she is Jennifer Lopez and I AM Shuntella Sweat-Whitfield. I AM who I AM in ALL my GREATNESS! Me saying this is not me being conceited or egotistical, it is me recognizing,accepting and believing in the person God made me to be.

I will be the first to tell you, I have my days when I look at women and wish I was that small, but I quickly come back to reality and realize... I'm good just the way I am. I am putting my best effort into me and doing what needs to be done to keep AND maintain my healthiness and I'm PROUD! Please Note: Just because she is a size 0,6,8 or whatever DOES NOT mean she is healthy! That's just good genes and a good metabolism. :-) She may not be able to run or walk a half a mile let alone do a sit-up or push up, but yet you at a size 8,10,12+ can run that half mile and then some and do 20 sit-ups! Don't sabotage yourself on others outward appearance. Realize this, You don't have to be "As Good" as anyone else you HAVE to be YOU everyday ALL day! 

Happy Anniversary BabyGirl!

Before 232 pounds

NOW 164 pounds!

October 1st I turned 36 years old and this month marked my 1 year weight loss journey anniversary! Yay Me! I am so PROUD of myself for sticking with it. I am so blessed that God allowed me to see another year and make the very best of it! I am happy to report I am weighing in at 164 pounds and have taken 32 inches from my body! That's 68 pounds GONE NEVER to return! I went from 232 pounds wearing a size 18-20W to 164 pounds wearing a size 8-10!

A few years back I started drumming with the MOST AMAZING woman EVER Ms. Joan Brannon. Joan is more than my drum teacher she has become my sister,life coach,support system, my source of encouragement,advisor,mentor and friend. Joan has worked with me and loved me unconditionally through the drum, energetically and physically. She has guided me through EVERY growth pain I have felt this pass year and long before the physical transformation. Be it tough love, self realization, being a shoulder to cry on, showing up at events way past her bed time just to support a dream of mine :-), teaching/showing me my worth and things I could not and would not allow myself to see in me,Joan has loved me. Joan is so humble in the work she does and the people lives she touches. I humbly bow at her feet with GREAT respect and admiration. God knew I needed her to balance me and hold my hand through this phase in my life. I shout THANK YOU LORD for guiding Joan to step outside her box so that our paths may cross. I love you Joan beyond words!

There is this group of people that have had my back through this journey as well that I NEVER would have made it through without them, those being my friends and family! They have watched me transform and smiled and encouraged me to keep going they have come to zumba with me, they have come to aerobics with me, they have walked, ran and climbed stairs with me or just been there to cheer me on as I set forth on a goal. So I'm going to take this moment to put you on straight BLAST! Thank you! Jaqui Linder, Josephwich Wise,Laurie Fields,Taunya Huff ,Amy Lewis, Elizabeth Beck, Amy San Pedro,Toya Richmond,Latoya Davis,Sarah McFarland,Lemeka Hawkins,Erika Wiggington, Adriana Thorton, S.Marie Thurman, Nardie White, Baba Kenyatta, Jameca Hardison, Donnie Hardison,Michael Jackson,Michelle White, Jonnie Johnson, Jason Thompson,Felicia Walker,Keith Hampton,Eric Toller,Nakia Raglin,Tanya Smith,Jeannette Connor, Shawn Connor Sr., Orland Moore,Kisha Givens,Phillip Williams,Imani Robinson,Oba T.,Osunnike, Felicia Walker,Tyrone Douglas,Sherry Payne,Janee White,Chante' Webb, Chaterra Webb and Juan Slaughter. Thank you! to ALL those that gave an encouraging word, that told me I was inspiring them, that ALLOWED me to inspire them. To those that liked my facebook pictures and post, that uplifted me when I was down and pushed me to go even further. If I forgot someone check it to my mind not my heart at this moment I am overwhelmed with LOVE for you ALL!

My daughter Kira and I after zumba

The Aerobics Crew on Tuesdays at William Wells Brown Community Center (back row): Jonnie Jones and myself (front row) Michelle White and my son Devin Whitfield

My family and Friends:Friend Phillip Williams, Sister Chante' Webb and Niece Chaterra Webb

Jason Thompson my dear friend and Awesome dancer that got me started on my  fitness journey!

The Queen Beauty herself my Zumba Instructor Felicia Walker

My fellow Zumba Beauty Tanya Smith we were Sweat Funky and  Gorgeous!

My bff lil'sis Latoya Davis and kids cheered me on as I ran the Midsummer Nights Run 5K!

My 36th birthday fell on a zumba day and I asked friends and family to come zumba with me and they did!

My Zumba Birthday Party! (back row left to right) Keith Hampton, Phillip Williams.(middle row  left to right) : Zumba instructor Felicia Walker Tanya Smith and my bff  Kisha Givens (front row left to right) my son Devin,me and my Sister-in-law Jeannette Connor

Zumba girls! My daughter Kira Whitfield and her bff Imani R.

(right to left) Sara McFarland, Lemeka Hawkins and myself. Doing the Shamrock Shuffle 3K

Last but not least I want to send a HUGE THANK YOU! to my children Kira Whitfield 12 yrs and Devin 10 yrs. I know this has been a journey for y'all as well. I took away ALL the yummy foods and made you eat healthy :-( I have infringed on your outdoor/friend time by having to go to some kind of workout regiment 4 days a week(the rest I try to get in before you come home!) but you have watched me change from the inside out and LOVED me through and through! You took it ALL as Mommy is doing something good for her and you have been my BIGGEST fans and SUPPORTERS you have now taken to joining me at OUR workouts now and I LOVE YOU so much! I did this so that I could see you grow up into the beautiful young lady and young man God created you to be! I want to be around for high school and college graduations. For my grandbabies to come in the far, far, far, far future! You two are who I live for. Kira and Devin you are my GREATEST accomplishment and blessing! I LOVE you beyond words, a whole big ole, big ole, big ole bunch times infinity!

A family that prays and works out together grows stronger in love and health together!