Yes Queen Just Got Genetically Upgraded
I am so unbelievably excited to announce my new partnership site with Fitness Genes!
For those of you that don't know, Fitness Genes is a DNA testing/analysis company that specializes in nutrition, weight loss, and building an army of revenge bodies.
Now before I go into the specifics of the partnership, and get into my plug, I thought I might tell y'all lil' story first...
"Ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh, HA-UUUH!" sputtered out of me like a car engine in the process of trying to get its power on.
"Daysha... Daysha, honey please!"
"Ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh..."
"Daysha, you've got to calm down--"
"Ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh..."
"What did he say, Daysha? We can't do anything if we don't know what he said," my teacher lamented.
You would have thought I was having a seizure the way I kept convulsing, looking around, and gasping for air; taking deep breaths, and some how still feeling suffocated... by the intense gaze of my teachers, the shameful but still unapologetic glances from the boy, and then just the general looks of confusion from all my other classmates.
"Whaat-diiid-heee-saaaay, Daaay-shuuuh?" just kept ringing in my ears... but when I tried to answer it, all I could say was
"Ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh, HA-UUUH!"
If you have been following me since my early days at BuzzFeed, then you might have a lil' bit of background on how much of a journey managing my weight has been for me over the course of my life.
I was in 4th grade when this story took place, and I was waiting in line to use the classroom computer (how 90s, right?). The boy had been on the computer well over his time limit, and as any angsty 4th grader would be, I started to get real agitated. I kept saying that his time was up, his turn was done, and any other possible combinations of words to say (in a 4th grade way, of course) "get-cho ass the hell up."
The funny thing about this story is that I don't even remember in full detail now what the boy said to me, but that it had to do with my weight. I think he called me a fat pig, but I'm not 100% sure. And of course as sistah auntie queen Maya Angelou would foreshadow, it's not what he said that I held onto for many years, but rather it was how it made me feel; the anger, the off-the-cuffness, the lack of empathy.
Maybe that's why I didn't have words that day. My teacher kept asking me about what he said, but that's not what had me sputtering like a broken engine. It was how he made me feel, and that because I was at my size, I was not only undeserving of using the computer, but that I wasn't even worth being treated like a human being.
For many years after that, I struggled with my weight and self-worth; I started a horrible cycle of starving myself and binge eating in high school, and tried very hard to be a bulimic in college (I just didn't have it in me to make myself throw up, even though I attempted many times). I gained, and lost, and gained, and lost and then ballooned, and just never thought there would be any end.
One of the reasons why I bring up that story from 4th grade is because the night after that incident occurred, filled with so much shame and hurt, I went to the fridge to make myself something to eat.
I landed on making a toaster strudel, and after tasting the warmth, and the comfort of the first bite, I had to have another... and another... and another. And after devouring six toaster strudels in one sitting, I was suddenly staring at an empty box, and an even more empty look on my mom's face.
"You ate that whole box of toaster strudels, Daysha?" my mom asked in a stupor of disbelief.
I honestly didn't know how to handle the weight of her gaze. I might have started crying.
I just didn't understand why everyone kept asking me for words I just didn't have.
"Ha-uh, ha-uh, ha-uh..."
I truly didn't know why I couldn't stop eating, even when I knew I didn't want to eat anymore. Maybe I started starving myself as a way of retaliation; as a way of exerting my control. Everyone kept making it seem like I was choosing to be fat, so maybe starving myself was my way of choosing to finally be skinny... I don't know...
Everyone-- my teacher, my mom, the boy, the world; everyone just kept looking at me for words that I just didn't have... until Fitness Genes.
After doing my DNA testing, I learned that I am an AA for the FTO gene, which is the gene that codes for appetite. This means that I am biologically wired to eat more, and feel hungrier sooner. Research has also shown that those who are an AA tend to weigh more, "have an increased appetite, and exhibit more loss of control when eating (source: Fitness Genes)." We also tend to love to go for the more fattier foods. And that was only the beginning...
After doing Fitness Genes, and taking the time to find clarity on how my body was hardwired, and on what my body actually needed to function at its peak, I embarked on a 30-day transformation that completely changed not only how I feel in my body, but how I feel about my body as well. Since completing the program last May, I have not only been able to keep the weight off, but I lost an additional 16 lbs.
So if you are someone like me, who has had every negative thought possible about their body, has tried every workout and diet plan under the sun, and yet still can't manage to get your body to a place that makes you happy, then Fitness Genes might help you get the clarity you need to put yourself one step closer towards reaching your health and fitness goals.
Whether your goal is to be fit 'n thick, or lean 'n mean (in a good way, of course), or just happy 'n healthy, Fitness Genes might finally give you the words you've always been looking for!
Through partnering with Fitness Genes, I hope to bring y'all more clarity, control, confidence, and choices as you embark on your health and fitness goals.
If you are finally ready to become part of the #FitnessGenesFam, then please click the button below to be taken to the Yes Queen Fitness Genes store where you will also be able to take advantage of a special 10% off discount.