Meet Tara, Lifestyle Fitness’s 10 Week Challenge Athlete!
Join Tara on her 10-week weight loss journey! Tara will be providing weekly insights on her physical and lifestyle transformation, so be sure to check back here for updates!
Here’s post 1 to kick off the start of my 10 week health challenge with George! I look forward to getting to know more of you at kickboxing and or in passing at Fit for Life. š
āCourage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.ā -Brene Brown.
Okay Brene Brown, I hear you loud and clear.
Hi. Iām Tara, and I am overweight and insecure about my body.
In fact, I have always been overweight and insecure about my body. Probably the only time I havenāt been overweight is when I first came into this world and had no idea what food was. My mom told me a story once of me as a toddler walking around her clothing shop in Waikiki in just my diaper with my hair tied straight up on my head, and one of the customers was greatly entertained by the sight of me, and said, āLook! Itās sumo baby.ā If only sumo baby had ended there. (For an idea of me as sumo baby check out the picture of me that goes along with this post)
Itās okay though because sumo baby is gone, and ninja warrior is here to take her place.
This week is week 1 of a 10 week health challenge I have chosen to participate in, which includes posting updates on my progress on social media. I am doing all of this so that I can be in the best health of my life, and finally know what itās like to be skinny and to feel proud of my body. It would also really be nice to be able to button my jeans again. Iām just sayingā¦
Since I know that I will need support during this challenge, I have partnered up with two really great people and companies. George Ma from Lifestyle Fitness Training is my amazing fitness and nutrition expert who will be creating the best workouts and nutrition plan for me to get the results I want during these 10 weeks. I already feel the burn!
Supplying me with lots of delicious and healthy meals from the heart for my 10 week journey is Adela Barquez Yong who owns and operates The Lunch Fairy. The Lunch Fairy is a healthy meal prep and delivery company that offers five different healthy meal options each week at an affordable cost. Who knew healthy could be affordable and taste oh so good?!
I look forward to continuing to be courageous by sharing my journey with you all for these next 10 weeks. If I havenāt already asked you, consider this me asking you all for your support on this journey by coming with me to some exercise classes, supporting me with food choices when we hang out, holding me accountable, and encouraging me along the way. I would also love to do the same for anyone who is on a journey of their own. Please feel free to reach out if you need support. I can do this. You can do this. We can do this together.
Participate. Accept and give support. Let yourself be seen. Enjoy the ride.
Are you ready?
Aloha,
Tara
Here’s post #2!Ā Go Tara!
“Know that all the limiting beliefs from your family, your friends, your fears and the world will begin to come up once you start to take action. Move through them. This part of the process is where we begin to grow as individuals into who we were meant to be by challenging all of these limiting beliefs and fears.” – Mastin Kipp
So very true! I’ve had some limiting beliefs definitely come up ever since I started even thinking about doing this challenge.
“I’ve been fat m…y whole life. Why would that change now?”
“I can’t do this! I’ve tried to lose weight and keep it off so many times before, and nothing has worked long term.”
“I have a tendency to give up.”
“It’s a waste of time and money because it won’t work.”
“I don’t have the time.”
“The gym is too far.”
“I’ve worked out with personal trainers before, and I’m still overweight.”
“I’m 30 years old now, so my metabolism is slower than before. Therefore, it’s going to be so hard to drop the weight.”
Those are some of the limiting beliefs and excuses I made before agreeing to start training with George Ma from Lifestyle Fitness Training.
Quite frankly, there are still some times when my mind is bombarded with those limiting beliefs. However, because of the support system I have built around myself, and because of the determination I have inside of me I know that if I’m ever going to truly release the weight and keep it off this is the time.
Life is too short for me to spend my time unhappy and unfulfilled when I have it in my power right now to be happy and fulfilled.
Speaking of which, I am excited to share that I had my first weigh in last Friday, and I have released 3 lbs! Yay!!! I feel amazing! I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when I release 30lbs! 
I am in the process of becoming the person I am meant to be, and it feels incredible!
If any of what I wrote resonates with you, and you would also like to become the person you are meant to be please do it now!
If part of who you are meant to be involves you getting healthier remember that you are always welcome to join me for kickboxing and conditioning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fit for Life in Nimitz Center from 5-6pm. The first class is free, and the classes after that are very affordable.
Invest in your health now because you’re worth it. 
George decided to do my measurements since it was the halfway point as a way to check in, and to encourage me to keep pushing forward.
I know you all are anxiously awaiting my numbers, so here they are starting with week 1 followed by week 5:
Weight: 183lbs / 171lbs
Body Fat: 34.5% / 33.6%
Neck: 14.50 in. / 14.25 in.
Shoulder: 51.75 in. / 43.25 in.
Chest: 41.75 in. / 40.75 in.
Waist: 40.75 in. / 39.75 in.
Abdominals: 42.50 in. / 40.75 in.
Hip: 44.75 in. / 40.25 in.
Thigh: 22.25 in. / 21.25 in.
Calf: 15 in. / 14.75 in.
Bicep: 13 in. / 12.25 in.
Forearm: 10.25 in. / 10.25 in.
As you can see from my numbers, I am doing pretty darn well! 
. I still have another 5 weeks to go, and I am excited to see my numbers at the end of these next 5 weeks! I am especially impressed with my shoulder measurements! That’s probably why a lot of my shirts fit better.
After seeing my results so far, I am definitely more motivated to continue this process even after my 10 weeks are up. I know that I will still want to release more weight by the end of this challenge, along with getting my body fat down, and just getting all of my measurements down more.
Fitness is a lifelong journey, and I’m so glad I started this fitness journey with George Ma from Lifestyle Fitness and Training. I know myself, and I know that I needed George’s support in lighting this fire under my butt to get started. That’s usually the hardest part for most people…getting started.
That is why I highly recommend everyone hire a personal trainer when starting a new health goal. It’s so easy for a lot of us to not keep our word to ourselves, but when it comes to keeping our word to other people…we tend to put more value on not letting other people down, so we keep our word to them. Not to mention that personal trainers are trained to show you how to use proper form for exercise, and how to most effectively and safely get you to reach your health goal.
Therefore, by hiring a personal trainer I knew I was hiring an accountability partner who is also an expert in fitness and health. Fortunately, I have a bunch of friends who have been so supportive of me with my health. I appreciate you all so much! 
. However, I also needed a health and nutrition expert like George who was going to support me with my health, as well as be my coach and guide me every step along the way.
If you’re like me, and you need a little push toward your goals please find a mentor, coach, or expert in the field you’re interested in. It’s good to build a solid foundation first, and then you’ll have the tools and knowledge to achieve your goals. Support also goes A LONG way!
You got this! I got this!
“I don’t believe in failure. Failure is just information and an opportunity to change your course.” – Oprah Winfrey
This past week was full of information and an opportunity to change my course!
So in my last post I shared how I had a fantastic week of wins because I released close to 5lbs, and my body fat decreased by about 1%. Yay! I was on such a high! Rightfully so!
Then I did what I usually do when I’m on a high. I rewarded myself with food. Not a good idea. I thought I had enough self control already to just have that one cheat meal that I earned. Nope. I’m not ready for that yet. Hehe. That one cheat meal turned into a whole day’s worth of cheat meals with no regard to portions or what I was eating. I was stuffing myself with white rice, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, saimin, link sausages, ice cream, and French fries. I went a little crazy like I had just returned to civilization after being stuck on a deserted island for months.
I kept telling myself that I deserved all this food, and I can just burn it off like I’ve been doing. Yes, I can burn off the food, and I did burn off most of the food. However, as a result of my food addiction I spent all of last week playing catch up.
I started the week off at 176.6lbs with a body fat of 33.1%, and I ended the week at 176.4lbs with a body fat of 33.4%. So the numbers aren’t terrible. They’re not as great as I wanted either though.
This is a new week, and I will use the information I gathered from last week to make this week better.
One interesting bit of information I’d like to share with you all that I learned last week is that all of that food that I had didn’t taste as good as it used to. I’m pretty sure nothing was different about the food. I’m what was different. My body and mind has started to detox and become healthier, which made all of that excess and unhealthy food unsatisfying.
That’s how I know I have a food addiction, as well as some other issues, which I am working on with my therapist. Quick side note, I have been going to therapy about once a week to facilitate this healthier Tara. It started out as couples therapy, and it has turned into Tara therapy. I figured that I want to be healthy all around, so it’s a good idea to get “exercise” and healing for my emotional side.
Back to my food addiction. I know it’s a food addiction because even though the food didn’t taste that good anymore I still kept shoving it in my mouth. There’s something about food being my reward that I am going to explore more. I know my parents used to use food as a reward for me and my sisters when we were younger, so I must’ve just had it ingrained in my mind all this time. My Grandpa also used to always give us too much food, and it was a treat to eat with my Grandpa. In fact, he still does, and it still is. In my family, food is a form of expression of love. Food can still be a form of expression of love, and it can be healthy food in proper portions. 
♀️
Have an awesome week of learning and opportunities for growth!
Aloha,
Tara
“The people that want to step into their GREATNESS are HUNGRY.” -Les Brown
I am hungry! No, I’m not talking about physically hungry for food. I’m hungry to achieve my physical goal of being in the best shape of my life, and loving my body.
My results have proven how hungry I am. I started out at 184lbs with a body fat of 34.8%. which is the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. Now, after my second weigh in last Friday, I am 176.8lbs with a body fat of 33.1%! How awesome is that???!!!
I’m really excited because I’m doing so much better than I ever thought I would. I had to get hungry before I could release the fat! ♀️
Being hungry was a key part of last week’s results especially because the lunch fairy is on a 2 week vacation. Thank goodness it’s only for 2 weeks! Fortunately, I still had some meals leftover from my previous weekly order to carry me over for a lot of last week’s meals.
There were some meals though that I needed to figure out what to do. I decided that if I want this to be a lifestyle change I need to make something healthy out of a usually unhealthy food I love. Therefore, I decided to make Kim Chee cauliflower fried rice. I absolutely love fried rice, and when you add Kim Chee to it I am even happier.
I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked the Kim Chee cauliflower fried rice. The cauliflower has a somewhat rice like texture to it. While I wouldn’t say I liked the cauliflower fried rice better than regular fried rice, I will say that the cauliflower fried rice is a tasty healthy alternative to regular fried rice that I’m happy to substitute with to achieve my goal. I’ll post a picture of my Kim Chee cauliflower fried rice below, so you can see my creation.
Well, I am off to go continue my hunger quest. I hope all of you are also hungry right now, and if you’re not…get HUNGRY! Bye!
“Know that all the limiting beliefs from your family, your friends, your fears and the world will begin to come up once you start to take action. Move through them. This part of the process is where we begin to grow as individuals into who we were meant to be by challenging all of these limiting beliefs and fears.” – Mastin Kipp
So very true! I’ve had some limiting beliefs definitely come up ever since I started even thinking about doing this challenge.
“I’ve been fat my whole life. Why would that change now?”
“I can’t do this! I’ve tried to lose weight and keep it off so many times before, and nothing has worked long term.”
“I have a tendency to give up.”
“It’s a waste of time and money because it won’t work.”
“I don’t have the time.”
“The gym is too far.”
“I’ve worked out with personal trainers before, and I’m still overweight.”
“I’m 30 years old now, so my metabolism is slower than before. Therefore, it’s going to be so hard to drop the weight.”
Those are some of the limiting beliefs and excuses I made before agreeing to start training with George Ma from Lifestyle Fitness Training.
Quite frankly, there are still some times when my mind is bombarded with those limiting beliefs. However, because of the support system I have built around myself, and because of the determination I have inside of me I know that if I’m ever going to truly release the weight and keep it off this is the time.
Life is too short for me to spend my time unhappy and unfulfilled when I have it in my power right now to be happy and fulfilled.
Speaking of which, I am excited to share that I had my first weigh in last Friday, and I have released 3 lbs! Yay!!! I feel amazing! I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when I release 30lbs!
I am in the process of becoming the person I am meant to be, and it feels incredible!
If any of what I wrote resonates with you, and you would also like to become the person you are meant to be please do it now!
If part of who you are meant to be involves you getting healthier remember that you are always welcome to join me for kickboxing and conditioning class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Fit for Life in Nimitz Center from 5-6pm. The first class is free, and the classes after that are very affordable.
Invest in your health now because you’re worth it.
āCourage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.ā -Brene Brown.
Okay Brene Brown, I hear you loud and clear.
Hi. Iām Tara, and I am overweight and insecure about my body.
In fact, I have always been overweight and insecure about my body. Probably the only time I havenāt been overweight is when I first came into this world and had no idea what food was. My mom told me a story once of me as a toddler walking around her clothing shop in Waikiki in just my diaper with my hair tied straight up on my head, and one of the customers was greatly entertained by the sight of me, and said, āLook! Itās sumo baby.ā If only sumo baby had ended there. (For an idea of me as sumo baby check out the picture of me that goes along with this post)
Itās okay though because sumo baby is gone, and ninja warrior is here to take her place.
This week is week 1 of a 10 week health challenge I have chosen to participate in, which includes posting updates on my progress on social media. I am doing all of this so that I can be in the best health of my life, and finally know what itās like to be skinny and to feel proud of my body. It would also really be nice to be able to button my jeans again. 
š
Since I know that I will need support during this challenge, I have partnered up with two really great people and companies. George Ma from Lifestyle Fitness Training is my amazing fitness and nutrition expert who will be creating the best workouts and nutrition plan for me to get the results I want during these 10 weeks. I already feel the burn!
Supplying me with lots of delicious and healthy meals from the heart for my 10 week journey is Adela Barquez Yong who owns and operates The Lunch Fairy. The Lunch Fairy is a healthy meal prep and delivery company that offers five different healthy meal options each week at an affordable cost. Who knew healthy could be affordable and taste oh so good?!
I look forward to continuing to be courageous by sharing my journey with you all for these next 10 weeks.
If I havenāt already asked you, consider this me asking you all for your support on this journey by coming with me to some exercise classes, supporting me with food choices when we hang out, holding me accountable, and encouraging me along the way.
I would also love to do the same for anyone who is on a journey of their own. Please feel free to reach out if you need support. I can do this. You can do this. We can do this together.
Participate. Accept and give support. Let yourself be seen. Enjoy the ride.
Are you ready?
Aloha,
Tara—
There’s a part of me that’s freaking out because I feel like I need more time, and there’s another part of me that’s excited that this will be over soon.
Then I realized that while this 10 week challenge may soon be over, my life health challenge is not. I have a long way to go still to feel and be fit and healthy, and it will take me longer than these remaining weeks to achieve that goal.
Yes, I can choose to be a little more lax after these 10 weeks because I won’t have as much accountability and responsibility.
Or, I could choose to continue to work just as hard after this challenge as I have during the challenge until I reach my goal weight and fitness level. I’d like to say that I will definitely do the latter, but at this time I will most likely do a mixture of working hard and being a little lax. Hopefully, something will change in me soon that will motivate me to continue to work hard.
I already have started to feel like being more lax, so I’m glad I looked at the calendar this morning and saw how close I am to the finish line. That was the kick in the butt I needed to pick up a protein shake today instead of just skipping a meal, and making sure I head to the gym today.
This week my personal trainer, George is on vacation, so this is a great opportunity for me to practice having good health habits on my own. I’m going to need to give myself a lot more kicks in the butt this week, and probably even today. I know I can do it. I just need to do it by remembering why I chose to start this journey in the first place.
To help motivate me to get back and stay on track I like to read personal growth articles, watch inspirational videos, and listen to uplifting podcasts. One of my favorite people to read, watch, and listen to is Mastin Kipp from The Daily Love.
This whole 10 week journey is about self love. It’s about loving myself, and actually showing myself how much I love myself.
Yes, I do believe in loving yourself just the way you are, and I also believe it is loving to be the best you you can be. Being the best me I can be includes me being in the best health I can be, as well as me feeling great about myself. If I felt like the best me I could be at 184lbs then I would have st…ayed at 184lbs. However, at 184lbs I felt like a big blob with little energy, and I couldn’t stand to look at pictures of myself.
Now, at 169lbs I feel incredible! I got a facial today, and I got my eyebrows done, and when I looked at myself in the mirror I couldn’t take my eyes off of myself. I felt beautiful and attractive, and my clothes fit soooo good again. It’s such an awesome feeling to love myself, and to feel good in my body again. I have hope again that I can lose the belly and be fit. You can’t even imagine how that feels unless you were once fat, and now are on the road to releasing all the excess fat.
A friend told me this weekend that she can tell the difference in me. Before when I’d put on clothes I’d complain and be sad about how my clothes fit. These days she sees how happy I am to get dressed up and show off my slimmer figure. 
👍
😄
😍
So if you’re thinking about finally doing this or that…something you’ve always wanted to do. Do it now. Love yourself. Act like you love yourself. Treat your body and mind like you love yourself.
As Mr. Justin Bieber says, “You should go and love yourself.” 
😉
Have an amazing thanksgiving week! Celebrate all of your blessings, and have a grateful heart
Post #8!
Quite frankly, I’ve been feeling very unmotivated to keep going strong with this health challenge. I have been cheating often on the food portion of my challenge, and I think it started a downward trend.
I keep telling myself I will get back on track and eat better, and then I eat something I’m not supposed to, and I repeat the cycle. I’ve been drinking my protein shakes and eating my lunch fairy meal…s here and there, but it’s not consistent like I was before. My body craves white rice, ramen, pie, Portuguese sausage, ice cream, etc and lots of it!
It’s so crazy because I feel a little out of control with it. As I’m writing this post, I’m slowly gaining back my control, but man I didn’t even want to write this post or do anything but veg out in my room and continue watching, “Drop Dead Diva” on Netflix (which by the way is a great show, and I wish it was still on tv).
Anyways, I’m going to continue to drink my protein shake for dinner and celebrate that win for today. Take it one step at a time.
Post #9!
As my health challenge is coming to a close at the end of this week, I am feeling a mix of emotions. Excitement. Thankfulness. Fear. Happiness. Pride. Relief. Sadness. Determination.
I have a tendency to veer off track near the end of challenges, so these last few weeks have definitely been a test of my determination, discipline, and will power.
I can’t change how I’ve been, but I can shift my attitude and behavior going forward. I want to finish strong, and do the… best I can.
Do something different to get different results.
Therefore, I’m going to say little, and take more action to finish strong this last week!