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Name: Christina Cunningham (CC)
Before:
After:
Over the years (even childhood) I had struggled with my weight. Thanks to my Italian roots, I've always had meat on my bones. I've never really been obese, but I wouldn't be caught dead in a bikini or cheerleader outfit. It wasn't until I became pregnant with my daughter that my weight took a turn for the worse. As many can relate to, I was in an emotionally, spiritually and verbally abusive relationship to a man I loved and thought I would spend forever with. I suppose one could speculate that this was a result of any number of the hurdles life tossed my way from a very abusive childhood, assult as a teen or, most likely, from my insecurity from my portly physique. During my first 3 months of pregnancy, I was put on bed rest. I couldn't hold food or water down. In hindsight, I think stress played a huge part in that. But, in 9 months I gained 95 pounds. About 6 months after my daughter was born, the volatile relationship took a horrible turn and ended (however, the following years were worse than the previous). I was single, yet somehow committed to my "happily ever after". I struggled for more than 3 years with my weight, desperately trying every known pill, program and gimmick out there.
  Click Image To Enlarge.I Struggled With My Weight For More Than 3 Years. Though, for me, I never truly committed to the results, just the mere idea. It wasn't until November of 2004, while having a tickle fight with my daughter, did my epiphany come. As she reached in to tickle my stomach, her little hand got "lost" in my fat rolls. While she burst into laughter at the "peek-a-boo" effect, I burst into tears. I sat there with her in my arms realizing how much my life lacked - confidence, security, self-respect, dignity, but most importantly, I lacked the ability to be the role model that she deserved. From that moment on, I dove into as much research as I could, which is how I came accross Bodybuilding.com, trying to figure out why I was fat and how to get rid of it.
 Click Image To Enlarge.I Dove Into As Much Research As I Could. With all the craze out there on "health foods", I was overwhelmed with confusion. Being on a single mom budget, I couldn't justify or afford a trainer or nutritionist, so the weight was all on me (literally).
February 20, 2005 was truly the first day of the rest of my life. After doing months of research, I put together a very fine tuned diet, maintaining a 3 hour clean eating structure, plus cardio and weight training. Within 8 months, I had lost 90 pounds. I found that my results were becoming a huge inspiration and motivation for so many people around me, so I decided to become a certified personal trainer. I knew I had found my passion. I wanted nothing more than to help every person who approached me.
 Click Image To Enlarge.My Results Were Becoming A Huge Inspiration. Very quickly, my confidence began to surface, while my insecurities became harder and harder to find. Not only was I taking control of my life and future, but I was setting a good example for my daughter. Now 7 years old, she's truly one of the only kids I've ever met who requests healthy food.
Words such as "fat", "diet", "skinny", "ugly" and "too big" are curse words in our home. We speak of healthy and unhealthy. Because I was able to start her young, she makes the right choices instead of me forcing them on her. No one can put a price on that reward.
 Click Image To Enlarge.No One Can Put A Price On That Reward. What has been remarkable for me with this transformation is that with each goal I set and hit, I find a new fire to set a better goal. Once I lost the weight I decided to begin competing in figure competitions and try my hand at modeling.
 Click Image To Enlarge.I Decided To Begin Competing In Figure Competitions. Now, I sit here 3 years later having competed in figure bodybuilding shows, owning my own health and wellness business, professional model and having over a dozen publications and features such as:
I plan to go pro, get signed with a reputable company and really become an inspiring and known face in the industry! Each person I inspire reignites my passion to achieve greater success in an industry that has awarded me the opportunity to redefine "Habitual Health" in my own life.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Each Person I Inspire Reignites My Passion To Achieve Greater Success. And with each accomplishment I am truly humbled and inspired to be that epiphany of hope for anyone in need. I want to be hanging on someone's fridge!
These are some of the food choices I ate for each meal (Note: I didn't eat all of the foods in the meal).
Meal 2: Meal 3: Meal 4: Meal 5:
 Click Image To Enlarge.CC, HabitualHealth.
Afternoon:
Initially I didn't really know how to pair up body parts, so I just made sure to change everything up each week. All of my exercises were pretty basic (keep in mind that I was battling a major insecurity issue). It wasn't just a physical transformation for me, I had to learn how to give positive affirmation to myself.
 Click Image To Enlarge.I Had To Learn How To Give Positive Affirmation To Myself. I kept to journals religiously, one for my nutrition and one for my workouts. This helped me out a lot over the long haul because I was able to go back and see what was working, what variables I could change and where my diet needed improvement. I strongly encourage everyone to do this.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Continue To Set Realistic Goals.
 Click Image To Enlarge.Make Sure Your Physical Transformation Supports A Mental Transformation As Well. Check out my BodySpace profile and say hi! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and please don't hesitate to contact me if you need any help, guidance, motivation or encouragement.
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