Howdy from Texas!

Howdy y'alll!

I'm excited to participate in this challenge with y'all. I'm making strides towards being healthier and eating mindfully and so being in a group of like-minded people is a definite plus. Accountability is everything!

About me, I am a 27 year old (soon to be 28) Biotechnologist. I came to the US in 2008 to get my Master's degree. I've always been small. I weighed 105 lbs up until NYSC year. As the years have gone by and the stressors of life have increased (working and paying bills is not for small children at all!), I have put on weight.

I have always been interested in weightlifting, I believe all women should lift weights and no, unless you do extra (aka steriods), you won't look like a man. My first year of weightlifting was great, I lost weight, body was getting toned and stuff but then, I hit a rough patch of insomnia (I'm a chronic insomniac), and I was drinking 4-8 cans of Coke (my kryptonite) a day. I gained weight (thank you stress and insomnia). Working out started to do more damage than good - I gained more weight. I was my heaviest at 140-145 lbs. I needed to change.

Last year, I signed up for a Nutrition challenge at my CrossFit gym, it lasted 8 weeks, I lost about 5 lbs and 4% BodyFat. Since then I have maintained at about 140 lbs. I ran my first half-marathon this past December, and lost some body fat from training. I went to Naija for the first time this past Christmas, hi Malaria and crazy Allergies! I fell sick and lost some weight. I came back and really started looking at what I was putting into my body. Hippocrates said "Let your food be thy medicine, and thy medicine, your food". I couldn't continue my can of coke-a-day habit and expect any weight loss or great gains in the gym. I hit a rough patch this year and my can of coke became 2,3,4 cans of coke. Crazy, I tell ya!

My cousin died of Diabetes in March and it hit me. I couldn't put crap in my body and expect to be healthy. Outside of eating clean, I had to do something about my insomnia. Insomnia or lack of sleep makes sugar cravings worse. Bearing all these in mind, I signed myself up for a 21 Day Sugar Detox. A detox in the sense of I removed all kinds of sugars from my diet, including fruits which although natural, are still sugar! Today is Day 18 for me. I feel great, my sleep has improved (I still have some bad nights), MOST IMPORTANTLY, I'm curbing my stress.

My goals for this challenge are to eat mindfully, to eat healthily, to reduce my stress, and to lower my Body Fat. I don't really care about my scale weight!

Sorry for the long epistle.

Be well,

Phunkie O