Finding Inspiration ....

I LOVE THIS! And I found this at the right time... no matter how badly I want to quit, I can't because tomorrow is another break-through, another chance for greatness, another day closer to my goal.

I made lots of copies of this. There is one in my bathroom, one in my closet, one of the fridge... anyplace in my house where I feel discouraged or temptation. 

So last month I moved my elliptical machine and it's now facing a wall, and let's me honest no one wants to stare at a wall even if they are wearing an iPod. So I decided that every month I would add a little inspiration to my wall. I'm a calorie burning woman on a mission to lose the pounds and an attractive (slightly nude) man was exactly what I need to stay on that machine. So this month my inspiration is non other than super studly, Olympic swimmer Anthony Ervin:

Let me tell you how awesome and inspiring he is 

• his tats are and glasses giving me hipster realness
• he wears pretty panties swim trunks
• he's a Cal alum/swimmer ...what's in that water at Cal Berkeley they have an awesome swim program that but do they also require their males to be completely gorgeous (have you seen Nathan Adrian??)
• his hair (wow do I sound like a fan girl???)
• this is the kind of cat that I can see myself sitting down with a cup of tea having a deep, meaningful conversation with
• he swims the 50 Meter
• his story is completely inspiring 

I'm always to say that weight has been a life-long issue for me. There has never been a time when I haven't been fat. Okay that's not true, there were a few years when I was normal weight as referenced in this picture (I was so ahead of my time fashion wise... how many little kids do you know that can rock a periwinkle swing trench-coat?)

I always remembered high school fondly, and I guess I sugar coated it by "remembering" myself with an athletic build..I don't even think I look the same, in all fairness I have been through a life-time of medical issues since then (numerous illnesses, hospitalizations, and two liver transplants). And in my lifetime I have been anywhere from 160 to 300 pounds... strangely enough before I decided to actively lose weight I was larger than I was in that picture (I estimate I was 250 lbs in that photo)

Tyra @ 17                                          Tyra @ 35

So why is this so inspiring? It reminds me that I've come s long way...and still have a long way to go!

About a week ago Sunshine proposed a challenge to her teams to create a collage as part of a contest. I've used this silhouette before in a collage that was in this post and thought that it would be perfect for the contest. The theme: Different Women, One Goal. I think at the end of the day that sums up the Blue Team. I love them, they inspire me EVERY day. We share our challenges and our successes and it makes this journey so much easier to travel. I can say 100% that if I didn't have the support I would have gotten this far, and would have quiet a long time ago. 

Inspiration is Everywhere, even online.

"Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement."
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog

5 things weight loss has taught be about myself

1. My body is strong!
 In all fairness, after having two transplants I knew how strong my body is, but this weight loss journey reminded be how amazing the human body is, just when you feel like you've pushed yourself to the limit... you body let's you know (after the pain has subsided) that it can go further and do more


2. Love the you body (the way it is right now!)

(2) Haute Fox Dress size 1x

(1) Target Dress size 2

Looking at ahead can sometimes be harmful when it comes to losing weight, often times I get caught up in the "my goodness I so fat, I must have been ginormous before" syndrome. Even though I'm not at the weight I want to be, my confidence has grown so much, and I'm able to appreciate my curves (and show them proudly!) I can look at the mirror and say, "wow, Ty you look hot today" or "Man, you have awesome skin!" 50 pounds ago that was not happening, the goal was to pass the mirror and fit something... ANYTHING that fit

3.Clothes make a difference
I love bright colors, so I've purposely put away the black, brown, navy
s and grey's and brightened my wardrobe. I'm finding that bright color complement my skin tone and I'm even doing more form-fitting  fabrics like spandex... its time for me to step out of the box... so now I'm going with the "I'll try anything once" attitude. As you can tell I'm a bargain huntress... simple reason I don't want to spend a lot of money of clothing I won't be able to fit next summer...

4. Support is the key!
There is no way that I wouldn't have been able to do this and keep accountable if it hadn't been for the support my wonderful Blue Team! (And by extension SJT199). Even my sorority sisters have committed to being healthy. It's amazing what happens when you surround yourself with like-minded individuals who want nothing but to see you succeed and reach your goals. I am blessed to have found such a wonderful group of people who frequently have to talk me off the ledge when I have a sudden and fierce cake craving


5. I love myself! And that makes this totally worth it
As mentioned in a previous post my journey to self  love has been a long and arduous one. But (I've said it so many times before) this has been more mental than anything else... when I started to clear the junk from my body, I HAD to clear the junk from my head...there is no other way to look at it..


Until next time!

(1) Target dress http://www.target.com/p/pure-energy-juniors-plus-size-short-sleeve-kimono-dress-assorted-colors/-/A-13816212

(2) Haute Fox Dress  http://www.thehautefox.com/collections/dresses/products/diagonal-stripe-bandage-dress