I have struggled with weight my whole life. My doctor was always so concerned about my weight. I was always the biggest kid in class. I tried to lose weight so many times, each time being unsuccessful. I would stick to it for a couple months, then I would fall off the train. I feel that you have to decide. You have to turn on the motivation and you have to really want to lose weight. If you are trying to lose weight for someone else. STOP. You need the right motives. I looked in the mirror and I wanted to change. I wanted to do this for myself. This is sad to say, but I hated what I saw in the mirror. I felt like crying all the time.  I hungered for change. I was tired of being the biggest kid in class. I was done with shopping in plus size stores at twelve years old. I was DONE. This time I was ready. Nothing could stop me. I made this decision the summer before seventh grade.

       So for a while I used an app called MyFitnessPal. It is a great app to learn portion sizes and track your calories. You have to find a way of healthy eating that works for you. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. For some people it's tracking calories. I used MyFitnessPal for a while, after I learned portion sizes I didn't use it anymore. I ate a lot of kale and chicken. So much kale and chicken, haha. That was what worked for me. High protein, low carbs. There will be days that you stray away from your meal plan, but don't beat yourself up about it. Jump right back on your healthy eating the next day.

       Fast forward to the first day of seventh grade, I lost about forty pounds. I remember how proud my doctor was. I felt good. I had not reached my goal weight yet, but I was proud of myself. I celebrated each pound lost like it was 20 pounds lost. The first week of school I was standing outside waiting for my brother to pick me up, and a student yelled at me "STOP EATING FAT PEOPLE FOOD". First of all, that is not clever at all. Second of all, what is considered "fat people food"? He should have come up with a better insult. I didn't let this bother me. Middle school kids are mean. Don't let people bother you ever. Shake it off, smile, and move on.



       So throughout seventh grade year I lost around thirty pounds. I definitely could have lost more, but that's okay. Read these words carefully, don't starve yourself. Food is fuel. Don't worry if you are losing weight slow. You want long term results, not a quick fix. I still try my best to eat healthy. I still workout. It's a lifestyle. I'm still trying to reach my goal weight. In my next posts I will go into more detail about some of the topics I talked about. I will share some workouts too. If you have any questions please comment down below, and I will answer all of them. Look forward to future posts. Remember you are beautiful, special, and you are worth it. Love, Amanda