Tasha Sanders
HOW TASHA GOT HER FIGURE BACK
This story may be a little grotesque but it is the truth and I hope it will be a lasting story for everyone who reads it. I am proud of myself to be able to put it into words so that I may never forget.
January 2003, I weighed 170lbs and wore a size 14. That was the heaviest I had ever been in my entire life. According to the body mass index chart I was not overweight but obese for my height. I mean, my god I was obese at 23 and I hadn’t even had children. An ideal weight for a 5’ 4” woman is like 130lbs. Now, understand that I did it to myself. I neglected my body by not exercising and having a poor diet. I didn’t realize how big I was until one day I was looking in the mirror and I didn’t recognize my own body.
I gained 40 lbs over a 3 year period. Most of the weight I had gained within the last year. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I remember one day I ate a total of three Big & Tasty’s from McDonald’s. I had one for lunch, one for dinner & one as a midnight snack. I ate at least 2 meals a day that were either fast food or take out. I would eat to comfort my depression of being overweight. I sat at my desk for 8 hours a day and I never exercised. It was the first time in my life when I was not active.
Being overweight took a heavy toll on me, socially. I went from being carefree and comfortable to being embarrassed of my body and afraid to express myself. I know it is difficult to imagine that I couldn’t express myself (LOL!) I didn’t want to go out with friends or to family functions because I was so big. I didn’t even want to come to the Dojo the first time because I was scared of looking awkward while working out. All I wanted to do was stay home and eat. I was used to going out parting every weekend and having fun. As I got bigger I lost my self-confidence. I figured the way I saw myself was the way everyone must see me. It made me sick inside. The really sad part was, I saw myself going down hill but I could not stop mistreating my body. I was in denial. I knew what I was doing but wouldn’t make the decision to stop.
Daily routines were becoming more difficult. Some examples of things that used to be easy that became more difficult were that I couldn’t get comfortable in my chair at work, none of my clothes fit, getting dressed for work was so depressing. All my clothes were restrictive; nothing fit or looked right. I wore my jacket around my waist most days just so I would feel secure. The picture may not seem like I was terribly big but I felt enormous every moment of every day. I was not happy with myself and something had to change.
I drove by the Dojo for three months before I finally got the courage to call. bP told me to come in for a free class. I thought I was going to die from lack of breath or have a heart attack. The next day I couldn’t even walk. I wanted to die before coming back. But I made the mistake of giving my cell phone number and email address on my application. He called and emailed me every day harassing me to come back. I have been here ever since.
The more time I have spent at the Dojo the more it has paid off for me. bP constantly encourages me to try new things and keeps me focused. I would rather spend my time getting in shape and learning martial arts than being overweight and have no skill.
Just remember this, if Meg can do it, then I can do it. If I can do it, then anyone can do it! There were times when I wanted to give up, throw up, cry, kick bP’s ass or just die. Somehow I muddled through it. I made it and I hope I can maintain it.
I want to thank the following people for encouraging me and helping me stay focused. I would like to thank Sensei, Jennifer, Lacie, Wendi, Aunt Vicki, Gramie, Rebecca, Aunt Jenny, Meg, Allie & the Dojo family.
