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My name is Amanda Brooks.

I will be the first to tell you that I have always considered myself anti-exercise/diet. I walk a lot (more to get from Point A to Point B), and eat whatever I want to eat, and still manage to maintain my thin, but full, body weight. Being of Irish/German/English descent, not to mention having roots in Ohio, eating (cleaning plates and seconds) is a lifestyle. While

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My name is Amanda Brooks.

I will be the first to tell you that I have always considered myself anti-exercise/diet. I walk a lot (more to get from Point A to Point B), and eat whatever I want to eat, and still manage to maintain my thin, but full, body weight. Being of Irish/German/English descent, not to mention having roots in Ohio, eating (cleaning plates and seconds) is a lifestyle. While health, fitness and cholesterol were important to me, I didn't let that stop me.

What with being 37, I know that I must take care of my body. I need to start exercising to exercise, not to get somewhere. I know that I must eat healthier, watch my cholesterol, and TONE.

What I really want, more than anything, is to strengthen my feelings against comments about my weight - something that has been a "negative" factor for me all of my life.

We live in a world where the entertainment industry calls all the shots. If you're too thin, you're anorexic. If you have one ounce of fat on you, you're fat. There's no in-between.

While I have considered my weight to be normal, perfect, ideal, people have told me that I need to gain more weight - eat more. They don't believe me when I tell them that I eat like a pig. I get defensive and angry. Although I'm fine with my weight, people's comments are rude and hurtful. I've gotten to the point where gaining a pound excites me - and my little pot belly and slight double chin is something that I want to keep. While most people would do anything to be thin, I would do anything not to be just to shut people up. And that's not a good thing.

While I am proud and happy with my weight, I am hoping that Beachbody will give me the confidence I need not to let people's comments hurt me. I hope to be able to pass that confidence on to others dealing with the same issues.

I can't control what people say or think, but I can learn not to care. What's important is how you feel about yourself, not what others say and think about you.

-Amanda A. Brooks
:)

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