Lose It!

By: NewNaturalista

24 year old Charnika is on a mission. Lose 60 pounds in 160 days – and she’s determined to get others to join her! The Detroiter has taken to YouTube with her creative videos on motivation – her latest work is an ode to her determination and she hopes a source of inspiration to others trying to shed those extra pounds.

NewNaturalista: What inspired you to produce the video?

Charnika: This video is apart of my “Motivation series” on YouTube. The first one I produced received a lot of praise and comments, but honestly I wasn’t expecting that. I made the video because of how I was feeling at the time; just tired. I needed an extra boost to force myself to workout and the message was, you have to get that boost from yourself!

I was a scrawny little kid until I hit puberty, and then everything changed. I went from a size small to x-large in less than a year. As my hips and breast size grew, so did the harassing comments from my male peers. And unfortunately it didn’t stop there. My family members would tease me as well; it was unbearable! Soon after I became depressed and stopped eating and eventually became anorexic. No one tried to intervene until my sister, who came home one summer from college, begged my mom to get me some professional help, but she didn’t think I had a problem. She felt as though it was a phase I was going through, even when I told her I hadn’t had a menstrual cycle in 6 months. My eating habits changed for the better nearly three years later.

NewNaturalista: Tell us the purpose of the contest/challenge?

Charnika: The purpose of 160 Days 2 Lose is to lose 60 pounds and cut off the relaxed ends of my hair so I can be completely natural in 160 days. I don’t know if I’ll actually lose all of the weight I set out to in the beginning, but I made my appointment for my Big Chop for August 7! And if I don’t lose all of the weight, I won’t stop just because the challenge is over! When I set a goal for myself, I am determined to meet it, regardless of what day it is.

My ultimate goal is to be the healthiest person I can be. I would love to have a healthy BMI and prefer salads to pizza on a regular basis, instead of only wanting it when trying to lose weight. I don’t have any health concerns at this time, but health problems run in my family. My mother suffers from diabetes, kidney disease and hypertension. And earlier last year my father was forced to undergo dialysis due to kidney failure three days a week. Seeing him deteriorate right before my very eyes was painful, but also a wakeup call for me. I knew I needed to get in shape and change my habits now so by the time I’m their age, it won’t be a challenge and concern.

NewNaturalista: The video really illustrates the battles we all face with ourselves – much like the devil on one side and the angel on the other — is that your biggest battle?

Charnika: The biggest battle I face is time management! I constantly take on too much that I can bare and then get stressed out. That’s where the real problem lies. As it shows in the video, one part of me wants to take time and relax (which is honestly what my body needs) and other knows I have to get in tiptop shape in order to meet the ultimate goal! It’s a constant battle, but lately the fighter in me is succeeding. I haven’t missed a workout in almost two weeks and began doing protective styles in my hair. It’s going really great. I’m really excited to do my weigh-in on July 15 (the start of the 30-day countdown). I might not be where I “should be,” but I will get there eventually.

Click here for more on Charnika’s motivation series!