It is my honor and pleasure to invite you to the #ScaleFreeForever retreat in Miami Beach, Florida, where it all began!

When I created this website, with the goal of chronicling my own weight loss journey, my intention was to encourage people to move forward on their journeys in a way that honors the human need for self-compassion, empathy, and a physically strong body. Now, it has grown beyond my wildest dreams, with thousands of women globally sharing their health and weight loss successes, and stating that A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss was a part of making it happen!

Join me on the shores of Miami Beach, from May 27th to the 31st, spending four days and three nights in the luxurious suites of Carillon Wellness Resort Miami, where I’ll teach you what it means to live healthily—and, yes, lose weight!—in the 21st century.

Enjoy a custom-built training plan targeted towards your body, your needs, and your goals. Indulge in the incredibly relaxing spa between sessions, take a dip in the pool with a view of the bluest water you’ll ever see, or view the sunset from the classroom with your fellow #bgg2wlarmy members as we learn, laugh, and share hugs and tissues together!

It is my pleasure to host you! Won’t you join us?

I’m Erika— a mother of two, a certified personal trainer and nutritionist, and a journalist specializing in commentary on all matters related to fitness and nutrition. I’m certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine in Women’s Fitness, Fitness Nutrition, and Weight Loss. I’m also certified by Precision Nutrition in Exercise Nutrition.

But I certainly didn’t start that way. I started as a 330-pound couch potato, and slowly built a lifestyle of healthy living, healthy eating, and learning what it means to protect both my physical and mental health in a climate that makes it increasingly difficult to maintain both.

A decade ago, I created this website with the goal of chronicling my own weight loss journey, intending to do it in a way that honored my desire for self-compassion, empathy, and a physically strong body. Now, it has grown beyond my wildest dreams, with thousands of women globally sharing their health and weight loss success stories, and stating that A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss was a part of making it happen!

I write, I teach, I train, and I coach. I’ve helped people from age 14 to age 68 get a grip on their blood pressure, reverse their pre-diabetic and type 2 diabetic diagnoses, lower their cholesterol, and live healthier lives permanently. They even lose a little weight while they’re at it! A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss is my legacy, and I am so proud to share it with the world!

What is the Scale Free Philosophy? Simple—the Scale Free Philosophy prioritizes more methods for understanding your body besides what you weigh.

In the modern world, far too many people are succumbing to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease, and thinking the answer to these problems can be measured on the scale.

Not quite.

While it’s true that weight loss can help with these conditions, it’s not true that the scale is the best way to measure your progress towards better overall health. It certainly isn’t the best way to motivate yourself into a long-lasting, permanent, effective, and fulfilling lifestyle change. Anyone can lose weight—we see that every day. Can you keep those blood pressure numbers low? What about your A1C?

The scale holds meaning, but not as much as we’ve given it. In this retreat, we will break down 1) the different aspects of a healthy lifestyle; 2) how to measure your progress in empowering, informative, and motivating ways; 3) how to handle the negative feedback you might get from the scale or any other metric; and 4) how to ensure that your motivation never wanes, and your healthy lifestyle becomes a permanent part of you.

Permanent lifestyle changes require a full and total mindset shift—and the scale can’t do that. But I can. Join me in Miami, and I’ll make sure you can, too.