herniated disc

Let’s show Amber some love.  She lost 44 pounds down from 418 pounds and she is just 25 years old.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

“My name is Amber and I am 25. I have struggled with my weight since I could remember. Diabetes and high blood pressure run in my family but I continued to pick up and put on weight as my doctor’s dismay. I have tried almost every fad diet, weight watchers, Jenny Craig, cabbage soup and nothing seemed to keep my attention for very long. The doctor seemed to be constantly concerned about my weight and one doctor seemed to have given up hope that I was going to do anything about it at all. I had continued to make excuses about why I haven’t done anything before now but I know that excuses are tools of incompetence :).  So, after seeing myself in pictures and feeling the most uncomfortable that I have ever felt at my highest weight of 418 pounds, I decided that April that I needed to make that change for MYSELF. Not because anyone told me, not by force but because I did it on my own terms. I changed the way that I was eating, drinking, and exercising for the first time in a long time. Shortly into this journey, I experienced a herniated disc and it forced me to curb the exercise for a few months. It was heartbreaking, especially because I was in the groove and I was just about to finish graduate school. When I moved back to CA, through medical assistance, my back has never felt better. Since then, I have joined the local gym with a majority of my family members. I try to go 3-4 times a week (I do Zumba, body sculpting, water aerobics and I am currently training for a 5k), drink as much water as I can and just try to stay positive about the fact that this is NOT A DIET, BUT A LIFESTYLE CHANGE! This page has also been an encouragement to me as well as MyFitnessPal! It has kept me honest and I utilize the support of other women to get through this journey. I have seen results but I am hungry for more…pun intended  but I just wanted to be able to encourage other women who have had similar struggles that you are beautiful and that this journey is not easy but we are doing it to be healthier! You are absolutely not alone and I hope that my 44 pounds inspires the next woman as I work toward the next 44. Instagram:@ _adeebee. I just recently started a blog on wordpress: http://selfgrowththejourney.wordpress.com/.

Have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!