Melissa Kuroda's Journey To Fit Chick

 I cant remember a time in my life that I wasn't overweight. From kindergarten all the way through senior year I was "chubby". Turning 18, moving away from my parents and "finding myself" meant going out with friends, binge drinking and eating greasy food at 2am followed by getting a few hours of sleep to get through the next day. I found myself always feeling "snacky" rather than hungry so I grassed through my days - filling open time with food. I was also always sluggish, tired, and unmotivated to work out.

My Moment

 Three weeks after the birth of my child I realized that I had no clothes that fit...and that I was so big I wasn't able to shop outside of the plus section. All of my favorite stores were out of reach and I had to do the walk of shame into Torrid and Lane Bryant at age 24.

I wanted to set the right example for my son. I didn't want him to go thru life with the mommy who was "big" or "fat" or any of those hateful words people use. I first came to terms with some underlying demons - sought medical help for depression and anxiety and pushed myself slowly out of my comfort zone. I utilized YouTube and fitness blogs (livestrong, bodybuilding.com, and lisamarie bodyrock) to get started-and a rocky start it was.

My Workout and Diet

 I start every day off with yoga - it helps me set my head straight. I get to work 45 minutes early and walk around the city with my morning protein, take the 11 flights of stairs to the office and any time that I can pull away I keep moving. When I get home I spend at least an hour performing active play with my toddler (he loves to dance so we usually blast the music in the living room and work up a sweat to whatever is on the radio), eat dinner, get him ready for bed and then unleash my workout fury with Lisa Marie and her body-rock challenges for a warm up, I then move onto weights or my heavy bag for about 15 minutes and end with a solid 20-25minutes on my elliptical.

 I do my best to take in at-least 160 grams of protein a day so generally 3 shakes a day + lean clean food. note: I am human, I break down every once in a while - but I have noticed that as long as I stay active my weight generally stays the same


Lessons learned on my Journey

My insecurities would (and still) get the best of me at times when I can not perform a rep the way an instructor does and I have to modify it to my strength level. I would feel embarrassed or inadequate at times to the point of wanting to shut down and quit. It took a motivational statement from a close friend to set my head straight...she told me "you do not have to be the best or finish first at everything - at the end of the day its the not quitting and giving it your all that makes you a winner". I tell myself this every time I get discouraged and it makes me push through.

 At the end of the day I am the only person reporting to myself. I have to live with myself for the rest of my life and I want to be happy with not only the person I am but the person I am becoming. Even now I still have many insecurities; my body is not perfect...but I now know I have the ability to focus that negative energy on something positive and make the change rather than wallowing in sorrow about it.

My Advice to You

You're going to hit a million plateaus, some for a few days, some for a few months - don't let them discourage you or hold you back from your goal. I went from being 5'10 280lbs in a size 20 at my heaviest to 154lbs and a size 4. I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been and I want everyone to feel the joy that I have in my heart right now. You are the only one who can hold yourself back from achieving greatness - never let anyone tell you that you cant...not even yourself


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