Thankful

Today, I'm thankful to God for giving me the strength, courage, and belief in myself to battle obesity. Battling obesity has been one of the hardest things I've done in my life. And, while I've yet to beat obesity entirely I'm so grateful for the progress I've made. Today, I'm healthier and happier. I know that I couldn't do it without God's Grace and Mercy.

For anyone out there struggling with your weight...YOU can do anything you set your mind to. Take it from someone who knows...I used to weigh 388 pounds and have lost 170 pounds with a change in my attitude, diet, and incorporating exercise.

PRAY to God
BELIEVE you can
LOVE yourself every step of the way
FORGIVE yourself when you stumble
SURROUND yourself with healthy, positive people

Repost: No!

I've been thinking, and I've come to the conclusion, I don't mind being told no. When someone tells me no it just adds fuel to my already ignited fire. Telling me no just means I dig deeper. I'd prefer to be told no ten times rather than told yes just once. I know, preposterous. Just think though if you were told yes all the time you would never find  the other gear.

When someone tells me no, I always think of the now, famous author J.K. Rowling. Her Harry Potter manuscript was rejected on numerous occasions. She was told no multiple times. If she's anything like me, every time she was told no, she went back to the drawing board and came up with another plan. She never gave up on herself. She believed in herself and Harry Potter. Look at her now, a successful author, film writer, and            multi-millionaire probably close to a billionaire. So here I am working really hard to get the one yes that is going to make the difference. In the meanwhile, tell me no again. I double dare you.
  

This was originally posted on September 28, 2011.

Repost: I believe

My journey of self-transformation and weight loss has been an amazing experience. I've shed close to 200 pounds and in turn I have dealt with layers of emotional stuff. The old Chrisetta had a pessimistic attitude and did not truly believe in her abilities.

Over the years, fortunately I've had a cast of supportive folks in my life who have encouraged, supported, and believed in me. Believed in me at my worst. Believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I tell you.  That's a cold, dark place to be in when you don't think much of yourself, you seek outside approval and even with the approval of others you still don't see your value or believe in yourself. It has taken a great deal of time for me to be at peace with myself, believe in myself. Having folks encourage me and tell me they believed in me was very, very  helpful. I am forever grateful to them.

It's been a long, bumpy road, but present day, Chrisetta, does not seek outside approval or validation. Sure, it's nice to have supportive folks rooting me on, but it's more rewarding to know within myself that I can. Chrisetta of today, believes in herself, her abilities and will never give up on herself. I believe.

Believing in self

When I have the pleasure of delivering a speech. I explore five themes: Hard work, making adjustments, staying the course, believing in self, and never giving up. These very themes I use daily to combat obesity. This is an excerpt from my first motivational speech I delivered this summer:

I stay the course because I believe in myself. Henry Ford said: "Whether you think you can or you think you can’t you’re right."

Sure, along the way there has been self-doubt. Losing 170 lbs. is hard work. In fact, it is the hardest thing I’ve EVER done.

But, I’m worth the fight. All the bumps in the road are just that bumps. What I’m learning as I grow as a person is that it doesn’t matter what others believe about me. What matters is that I believe in myself. At the end of the day there’s only me.

I have always been a fan of the underdog. The one who the odds are stacked up against. The one that society is betting against. Many of our American sports heroes are underdogs: Rocky, Cinderella Man, and Rudy to name a few. There’s something about the quiet, enduring spirit of the underdog that I admire and can relate to.

       

As a product of childhood obesity, the odds are stacked up against me. Statistics are not in my favor. Most overweight children grow up to be overweight adults. In my case, that is mostly true, as I have been carrying the weight around for 39 years. But, I have a burning desire to beat the statistics. I am going to turn childhood obesity statistics upside down. 

Every time I walk into the gym I realize I am not the favorite and that I am not slated to win. By golly, I have the spirit of the underdog, even with the odds stacked up against me, I believe in myself. I believe I can win.

Folks, I’m proof, YOU can do anything YOU set your mind to.

Believe

People are going to say all sorts of things about you - good and bad. People will think what they think about you - good and bad. That's just life. It's human nature -- I guess. Throughout this journey and in life I've met plenty of folks who have had words of advice for me. Plenty of folks who have doubted me. Last summer, I was working with someone who told me that I was too worried about blogging and needed to focus more on myself if I wanted to get the weight off - read earlier post, "Do You."  Where would I be if I would have listened to her? Not on the front page of The Columbian, live on AM Northwest, and certainly not writing this blog post. Thank goodness, I believed in what I was doing and kept pursuing blogging.

When I was hit by a car and suffered a fractured Tibia in February of this year some folks around me gave up on me. I'm sure, they thought I wouldn't rehab my leg and doubted I could continue to lose weight. My physical therapist said it's unheard of to not gain any weight while rehabbing a fractured leg. Again, within 6 1/2 months I've completely rehabbed a fractured Tibia, remained positive, and lost 15 lbs. How? Because I believe in myself. No matter what others think of me or what they say about me. I know within myself I can do anything I set my mind to.  This battle is mine and mine alone so outside forces and people don't rattle me.

I'm not saying I don't take others advice. Surely, I do, but I take what folks say with a grain of salt. If the information or advice is reasonable, applicable I use it. Otherwise, it's just someone else's opinion. At the end of the day. Everyday, I believe in myself - that is unwavering.

The Underdog

     I’m a little teary eyed as I write. Saturday’s Seahawks vs. Saints game stirred up a lot of emotions in me. I love how the Seahawks kept their composure. How they didn’t give up. Never mind, everyone else had already slated them to lose. They held their heads high and played to win. In an after game interview the coach said they believed they could win. Yes, as crazy as it sounds they believed they could win.

      I have always been a fan of the underdog. The one who the odds are stacked up against. The one that society is betting against. Many of our American sports heroes are underdogs: Rocky, Cinderella Man, and Rudy to name a few. There’s something about the quiet, enduring spirit of the underdog that I admire and can relate to.

      As a product of childhood obesity, the odds are stacked up against me. Statistics are not in my favor. Most overweight children grow up to be overweight adults. In my case, that is mostly true, as I have been carrying the extra weight around for 38 years. But, I have a burning desire to beat the statistics. I am going to turn childhood obesity statistics upside down.  Every time I walk into the gym I realize I am not the favorite and that I am not slated to win. By golly, I have the spirit of the underdog, even with the odds stacked up against me, I believe in myself. I believe I can win.

      So, sure, many folks see the Seahawks victory as just a football game, but to me it was so much more. That game was about guts, courage, resilience, and belief in oneself. That game was about the spirit of humans and what we can do when we set our minds to it.  I can’t quite claim victory yet, but as I near the finish line, I’ll say this again -- I believe I can win. Here’s to the underdog -- never, ever, ever give up.