Marie Hallock-Sweet - Top-Heavy to Top of the World
I grew up thinking bone-thin was the shape to acquire, and for a ballerina, that would work; but that stayed with me into my later life. Activity was what I thrived on in my lifetime, I couldn’t sit still, and I worked out, ran, danced, hiked and anything else; then I would eat and workout more, to burn the calories.
Where did I let it go? I started a family and forgot about the person who was supposed to be taking care of her family. I stopped living for me, and gave everything I had to others. My sense of self left the building and with it, so did my physical and emotional growth; I stagnated and slipped into very bad habits. My excuse was always, “If they love me like this, they will love me skinny,” however, I never tried to lose weight; I let it go. I let it go so long in fact, I reached a top-heavy weight at five foot and 235 lbs. Sometimes I even used my weight to be the butt of jokes, and pretended to be smiling. What a lie...
What happened to make me decide to change? There was a series of things that happened; my daughter was ashamed of my size for one, and other humilities such as not being able to get on an amusement park ride and having a hard time in an airplane seat. I began doing cardio at least six days a week, and diversifying my activity daily. I was running myself ragged at one point, and hit a complete plateau at 169 lbs. The woman who was taking care of my son, handed me the book Body-for-Life™, I found weightlifting and I took flight again. In the year 2000, I reached a nice weight of 135 at 19%, and was doing so well. A series of tragedies rocked my world the following year. My brother died, and then came 9/11 and I spiraled yet again. Losing hope and losing my focus; I went back up, up, up.
2003 became my time, and I seized the day, made healthy eating my lifestyle, looked back only long enough to make sure I was making progress. The single most important thing I did was drop the baggage, put my head to the sun and kept following the brightness that is in this world. Jeremy Likness had gifted me with a wonderful program, but I hadn’t implemented it properly. I decided to do it one more time and set the gears in motion. What a great thing: it took effect. The rest has been like a dream, the one I had in my head came to fruition. With the help of the wonderful and talented Emma Stirling from Australia, I am chiseling out a body I only thought of in the past. It is slowly becoming my reality. This year I continue on with my bodybuilding endeavors and continue to progress towards a ripped body.
If you are reading this and are someone who has yet to make the decision to change, don’t hesitate any longer, jump into the water feet first. You will never regret saving your own life; not one bit. One step at a time, one victory, then accomplishment and your world will never be the same. If you wish to ask questions or need a quick assist, please feel free to email me at mzhallocksweet@yahoo.com. Don’t wait another minute; don’t waste anymore of your precious time. “BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, IT ALWAYS SUSTAINS...”