iamlshauntay's profile

About Me:

I am a freelance photographer & culinarian who lives in Brooklyn, NY. In 2013, I managed to stop counting after reaching 265 lbs; over five years into this journey, I know that this is a lifelong process. Through changing my lifestyle habits, I am an ultra marathoner, cyclist, obstacle course racer and learning how to swim to become a triathlete. Too many times in the past, I attempted to lose weight for the right reasons but the wrong primary inspiration. It's wonderful to have other people or things as an inspiration point but I never chose me as an inspiration to lose it. It was always for someone else primarily. This time around, I wanted to do this for me--and sure enough, I did. I lost 100 lbs from 2013 - 2014 and I realized that I wasn't happy with the weight loss. As a person who did it and gained some of it back, I can actually say that I'm at a happier place. My goals have changed since 2013 and instead of looking for this magic number to surface on the scale, I know now that I'm seeking a desired feel and even look. This go round, I want to build muscle, lose body fat and remain healthy. Hopefully, with the privilege of logging in my information through MyFitnessPal, I will be able to set realistic goals and continue seeing this through.

Why I want to get in shape:

At one point, my weight gain caused me to have health issues and in turn, I left behind my passion of working in the kitchen full time partially because of it. The weight gain made me uncertain of how my days would go-- there was an influx of anxiety attacks, hits to my self esteem and my sciatica/herniated disc would flare. Remaining physical fitness allows me to continue my passions as an ultra marathoner, obstacle course racing and other activities while being an active role model to my son who is a type one diabetic.

My Inspirations

• Continue living life versus existing without purpose
• Conquering fears and taking on more challenging activities
• Maintaining my physical strength with stellar mental and emotional health
• Showing people that a full figured body can still move and be healthy