It’s my first blog and I bet you can guess what my topic will be. Nope, not sex-at least not this time. Weight loss! You are so right! I’ve been on this journey for years now. Trying to find the magic formula that will transform my body into one that looks like Joselyn Hernandez’s or Tina Turner’s or Serena Williams’ or . . . Jennifer Hudson! Yea! But it doesn’t work that way folks. There is no magic pill. There is no spot-reducing exercise. There is no special ‘diet’ and there is no liposuction to suck the fat out of my hips and thighs. In order to transform my body, I have to do 3 or 4 things simultaneously:
1-I have to exercise. Treadmill, elliptical trainer, gym, walking trail, bicycle, whatever! In order to melt off this inner tube around my belly and thighs, I must work it off the hard way.
2-I have to drink the water. Lots of it too! Fourteen cups a day by Mama J’s formula. Now I can barely get in the recommended 8! But get it in, I must.
3-I must consume the proper nutrition. (Notice I did not say ‘food?) Not just cabbage soup for days, not just drink the vinegar to shrink my stomach. Nooo, I have to plan meals and pack them for work and after-work activities. I have to check out restaurant menus online to see what might be available and make better choices.
4- I must get my rest! I need 7-9 hours each day! Do I get them now – NO. I get 5 here, 6 there, and 4+ most nights. But any less than that and you would not want to be around me. I can’t think and I’m so short-tempered. Sometimes the lack of sleep/rest gives me a gigantic headache.
So these are my 4 ‘pills’ so to speak. Exercise, water, nutrition and sleep. They all must be taken together each day consistently for me to see any results. The scale is not the only thing that counts my successes either! My clothes show me I’m on the right track. So how are YOU doing, my Sistah? What are your ‘pills’?
Cynthia Cuttino Edwards
Weight Loss Motivation Tip
Instead of getting fixated with the number on the scale, find some other fun ways to measure your progress – such as taking (and comparing) selfies, tracking how far you can walk, and aiming to fit in a smaller-sized outfit.
Sistahs Making a Change 
Your hard work is paying off and helping others. For me, the New Orleans Musician Assistance Foundation’s Water Challenge has helped immensely. Before that challenge, there were days that coffee was my water source. Now that I drink my 96oz. per day, I feel better, and have trimmed down. Go Cynthia!