Here is my second installment of my chronicles of what I released and gained as I lost each pound on my weight loss journey so far:

Day 2/Pound 2 I let go of shame and embraced freedom. Believe it or not, I was ashamed of how I looked. How I had gotten to be at this place I was in both physically and emotionally? See me hiding on the right in this photo taken of me, my sister, and my cousins a couple of years ago? This was my standard pose for years. Trying to shrink myself so others would not see me. It is not effective and it is not good for my own self-worth. I had to let go of this shame. Accept myself for who I was and who I am. I have had struggles in life and I am sure those struggles got me to where I was physically and emotionally. However, I cannot bring shame upon myself for situations I could not control. I needed to accept all that has happened in my life, the good and the bad, because that is what has shaped the person I have become. It is in this moment when I released the shame that I finally felt FREE.

This is the first blog post in a special series where I will be chronicling what I released and gained as I lost each pound on my weight loss journey so far.

Day 1/Pound 1:
When I lost that very first pound, I let go of FEAR and embraced PASSION. How many times have you been paralyzed by fear? I am not talking about thrill rides or haunted houses. I am talking about the fear of stepping out in faith. The fear of an undertaking that may almost feel impossible to you. That is the type of fear that I had to release when I began my weight loss journey. First, I had to separate myself from my fear that I would fail and take the first step and reach out to my coach. I was so anxious, but honestly, I decided it was now or never. I had looked up the plan I was going to follow and saw nothing dangerous about it. I rationalized that if it does not work, at least I would be doing activities and following a nutrition plan that is healthy for my body. So, I pushed all of my fears aside, contacted my coach, ordered my challenge pack, and joined my first accountability group. Little did I know that four months later, I would be down 40 pounds and leading my OWN groups and my OWN team of coaches. The moment I released my fear, I also gained my passion. What is your passion? What is holding you back? Let go of that fear and follow your passion.