Size Healthy
Nataisha Ramirez
“October 25, 2005 I made a decision to live a healthier life physically but I did not know that it would be a mental journey from the inside out.”
I traveled the world as a child because of my military father. I came into this world a “big girl” weighing 9lbs.at birth and I started to gain from there. It started slowly at first but it got out of hand as I got older. Weighing over 100lbs. in the 6th grade was a normal weight for me. I had the obesity gene from both sides of my family. My mother was a big girl at a young age however she lost her weight and my father’s side of the family also has a strong obesity gene.
Throughout high school I was still overweight, weighing 230lbs. for my 5’9 frame. I was an active teenager but it seemed like I just could not get the weight off. Did I suffer from a slow metabolism? Perhaps. No one knows because back then parents didn’t take you to the Doctor for being overweight they just withheld food from you and placed you on a diet. Conversations and facts around obesity wasn’t high in the 80’s and 90’s either.
No one ever said anything about my weight. I was always told “you’re tall, you carry your weight well”. Carrying your weight well doesn’t help you get healthy; it keeps you stagnant because you think it’s okay to be that size. My weight got out of hand when I got married. I was borderline 300lbs. and when I became pregnant, it crept up to 330lbs. I lost the 30lbs. pregnancy weight dieting, but it quickly came back. I was trying “this and that” with little exercise involved. Another pregnancy came and once again I was up there and with this pregnancy I gained more because I was eating and not exercising or exercising very little. I don’t know how and when but I hit an all time high of 408lbs. and that’s when I said enough was enough. October 25, 2009 I had the gastric bypass surgery and it has been a journey!
No one told me being healthy was a mental process. They just said I had to lose it physically. Well do you know I couldn’t do it physically without thinking about it mentally? It took 7 years for me to lose half of my weight. Diet, pills and even surgeries are not the best remedies. None of them last without a committed lifestyle change. It took me 4 years to lose 120lbs, which still makes me overweight and borderline obese. I had to change my lifestyle and I am not on a diet. I exercise 6 days a week. My routine is to give to God first thing in the morning with prayer and then I train my 5 am crew and myself and then I give to the world.
My exercise routine is split up with cardio and strength training but at this juncture in fitness I do more weight lifting and use cardio as my post workout. My current fitness goal is to build up the muscle in my legs to match my iron diva arms. I am currently using a Jim Stoppani workout training plan to reach my fitness goal. I have developed a pescatarian lifestyle and have been doing this for 3 years. I am not a junk food eater and have no desire to partake in those things. My go to food when I need something sweet is black bean brownies or a slice of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I don’t believe in restricting my body from nutrients but I do believe in making alternative choices and eating in modification.
One day I had an epiphany that I wanted to help other women lose weight but from the inside out. I personally dealt with a lot of jealousy and insecurity; other women had bodies that looked better than mine. It caused me to have low self esteem; no confidence in myself and always thinking that I am not good enough to be who God says I am. If I was going through this then surely other women were too. I began to pursue and obtained my certifications as a personal trainer through the AFAA and started to help those struggling as I was; with weight-loss.
As women we are all trying to fit into this one “society says” box, but truthfully God made us all different.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalm 139:13, 14 NIV)
So, if we are fearfully and wonderfully made why are we gauging our health by a number. Why not gauge it by how we think , how we look and how we feel? You can’t put a number on emotions. Heal-thy is healing of self not the scale, a number or what others say about you. The concept for Size Healthy was created from the thought that we are all a YOUnique Design. On Feb 4, 2012 I launched Size Healthy LLC as a faith based fitness business. I began working with women across the globe by motivating, encouraging and supporting them to attain their desires in weight-loss; giving them the support to become disciplined in their efforts and remain committed to their goals. Size Healthy improves your quality of life through education, physical fitness and building healthy habits. It’s a lifestyle change. We have a support group where we educate YOUnique women on the importance of dealing with the issues of the heart, eating healthy and exercising. We implemented walk to run clinics to help those that desire to run learn how to start. Boot camps are our signature class and we run that in 6 week increments 3 times a week. Individual personal training is provided to women who need that one on one assistance to reach their personal goals. We also provide workout classes at churches.
I speak at churches, empowerment retreats for women, motivate children to be active and encourage women of all ages to get healthy, stay fit and feel sexy. Your health matters and it’s your choice to do something about it.
On October 25, 2012 I reached my goal. I lost half of my weight! I went from 408lbs. to 200lbs. and the process has helped me to gain my confidence back. Gain my life back. It’s never too late to take your health back. If it doesn’t challenge you, it will not change you.
Take things one day at a time. Shift your focus from your weight to simply being healthy and you’ll win every time! You can visit us at www.sizehealthylifestyle.com or on Facebook www.facebook.com/sizehealthylifestyle
Nataisha Ramirez Founder Size Healthy LLC YOUnique Design
Socially Fit 