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DEL.ICIO.USResolution strong three months later
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s that time of the year.
Almost three months ago, many of us made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get fit. Desire and motivation typically wane this time of the year. Results aren’t as forthcoming or as measurable as we’d like.
Too much pain. Too little gain.
So many of us quit the weight-loss battle. Gyms thin out. Those cheery new faces that were abundant in January disappear.
“Maybe next year,” we say.
This year, it’s different for Tashae Barber of Stone Mountain. She’d resolved to drop about 30 pounds, and she’s sticking to it. Her eyes are on the prizes (more on that later).
Before college, she was petite.
Barber lived in a dorm and ate campus meals her first year at Middle Georgia College in Cochran. She moved off campus to an apartment the next year. Her roommate enjoyed cooking. Barber liked to eat. By the time she graduated with an associate’s degree in criminal justice, she’d ballooned to 150 pounds.
Barber, 22, wants to be a homicide detective. She plans to get a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Georgia State. She knows the sad truth. No matter how smart you are or what your qualifications, first impressions count. Her weight, she reasoned, might be a hindrance.
“People shouldn’t look at your weight,” she said.
“But they do. So my career is my motivator right now. If you don’t feel like you look good, how can you go into a professional office and feel confident? I have that confidence in me. I want to look like I do, too.”
Losing weight takes time. So far, Barber has dropped about nine pounds.
But she’s sticking with it.Most don’t.
Experts say 50 percent of people who begin an exercise regimen don’t sustain it. It’s ditched within a year. It’s hard work, and it can be boring and repetitious.
“After about two months of really working hard, people give up,” said Trey McNease, a personal fitness instructor. “It could be that they are doing the wrong exercises and eating the wrong way. There are a lot of facts the general public doesn’t know about that can help people reach their goals.”
Barber wants to be “the biggest loser.” She signed on as one of seven contestants in a 12-week program called “Weight in Gold,” at Gold’s Gym Lilburn. The person who loses the most weight gets goodies like $1,000 worth of massages and a full body makeover. The contest is in its third week.
And like the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser,” the person who loses the least amount of weight is sent packing.
“I don’t want that to happen,” Barber said, laughing.
So she does cardio, crunches and jumping jacks and lifts weight three times a week. She bought a George Foreman Grill that she uses to prepare healthy meals. This girl loves chocolate. Occasionally, she rewards herself with a Reese’s peanut butter cup.
“If you strip away all the food that makes you happy, it’s going to be hard for you,” she said. “That would drive a person too hard and make them want to give up.”
A halter top and a pair of jeans hang in Barber’s bedroom. She eyes the outfit everyday. She can’t fit into it yet. She has the resolve to, though. Give her a few more months.
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By Terri
March 20, 2006 07:08 PM | Link to this
Congratulations, Tashae. There are hundreds of us out here who wish we had your guts and determination. You are going to succeed where others of us have slid off the mat, so to speak. We are pulling for you. Make us proud.