As of January 1, 2019 I am stepping out in faith to walk through this journey of becoming healthy and fit, so I can help others become healthy and fit.

To be transparent I did not weight the 1st week. I had every intention of weighing in on Monday Dec. 31, 2018 (Monday is my weigh in day). However “good intentions” reached up and bit me in the rear. So, I weighed starting on the 1st Monday in January, that turned out at 223 lb.

I am counting calories because calories count. I started with a goal of 1800 calories. This is a high number, but compared to what I was eating I knew it was a safe starting place. As I lose weight I will calculate how many calories I should be utilizing to continue to lose weight.

There are many places you can visit online to calculate your calorie intake. If you do go online to calculate your calories, I want you to remember to pay attention to the amount of calories it says you can have. Some of them tell you how many calories to consume to stay where you are and you have to subtract 500 cal/day to lose 1 pound a week or 1000 cal/day to lose 2 pounds a week. Other sites will subtract the calories for you based on how many pounds a week you want to lose.

This is where I tell you I do not believe in people eating less than 1200 calories per day. I do believe you have to eat to lose weight properly. The healthy way to lose weight is slowly, 1 to 2 pounds per week. Now the more you weigh the more weight you will lose in the beginning, this will level off. This is another reason to calculate your calories. You will start off eating a high amount of calories and as you lose weight you will re-calculate your calories, many times. This is how you slowly eat less & slowly lose weight.

Here is the truth of how my beginning looks. I am not comfortable in my own skin, however I pray that my vulnerability will inspire people to look at their own truth, no matter how they feel. Everyone has a starting point.

I will continue to post pictures as my journey progresses.