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G E M I N ISpring 201 2
Brittany JemisonLiving Life
100PoundsLighter
Model Brittany JemisonStyled by Faithe Dennis and Crystal SmithHair and Makeup by Kortney Moffett of Dull to DivaPhotography by James Lewis of Noire 3000.
O n T h e C o v e r
G E M I N IGemini Magazine, LLC
Atlanta, GAwww.thegeminimag.com
(c) Copywritten by Gemini Magazine, LLC2012
All rights reserved
Are you interested in becoming a part ofthe Gemini team?
We are currently taking photograph andarticle submissions for the Summer andFall. For more information, please visit
www.thegeminimag.com.
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visit www.thegeminimag.com
So this is what mile 1 0 looks l ike. What can be
seen is the salt-fi lm mustache (no way to avoid
that one), the dazed look (the bright sun wasn’t
helping much either), and the sweat drenched
headband. What cannot be seen is the 3.1 miles
left to go. I have challenged myself to a lot of
things during this time of change in my life, but
this particular 1 3.1 meant more to me than any
other mile I have ever run. . .walked. . .or crawled.
Never in a mil l ion years did I ever think running
anything would become a passion (let alone 1 3.1
miles), but at this moment--this 1 0 mile moment--
the change I had implemented in my life was ever
so apparent. This was a milestone. I t was the
mark of change being a very good thing.
Our first issue of 201 2 (yes. . . it’s real ly been that
long) is dedicated to al l of the women who stood
at mile 1 0 because they decided to take a step
toward change. Of course not every l ife change comes in the form of 1 0k’s and half
marathons. Our cover girl , Brittany Jemison, took on the challenge of healing her pain and
dropping over 1 00 pounds! Her story of transformation is honest and inspiring.
Gemini has been transforming too! We added a new section (Fast 5) that al lows you to get
our top picks for Beauty, Skin, Fashion, Food, and (a personal favorite) my Perfect Pick of
the month.
I am so excited about the ideas and changes that wil l come as the months pass. This June,
in conjunction with Natural ly Me, Gemini wil l be challenging al l of you to become a better,
healthier version of yourself (and win prizes too). This summer we wil l begin to incorporate
more pages with more amazing things to be read and shared.
Change is good. I t should be welcomed with open arms. Do not be afraid of that huge
journey. Anything is possible with a l ittle faith, a l ittle strength, and a little change. Good
luck!
Next Issue:
Gemini Magazine, in
conjunction with
Natural ly Me and
Honey Bun Boutique,
wil l reveal our
challenge to women
of every shape, size
and color to get 5k or
1 0k ready for the first
ever Black Girls Run!
Race in Atlanta, GA
this September. Dust
off the tennis shoes,
pul l out those sports
bras, and get ready
to be open, honest,
and very sweaty.
Change Is Good
Sommer J.
Ever finished working out and noticed that sweat has reeked havoc onyour edges? The EdgeStick is a professional heated hair styling toolsuitable for all hair types and textures. What makes this so different fromyour trusty flat iron? NO BURNS! The EdgeStick's doublecomb designprotects the skin while catching the smallest hair at the hairline.Oringinaledgestick.com, $80
B e a u t yFast 5
The best solution to battling the summer heat and a postworkout do is thedrawstring pony. It is simple to use and adds a smash of color, curl, length,and shine to the ordinary ponytail. They come in all different lengths,colors, and styles. Visit your local beauty supply store and have fun withdifferent styles.Local Beauty Supply Stores, $10
For your skin, there is a battlebetween the sunny summer daysand keeping its moisture. Luckily,there is a perfect solution to helpprotect skin from daily sunexposure that is specificallyformulated to moisturize andprotect (and who doesn't wantthat). This light, fastabsorbingformula with SPF 15 sunscreenprovides 24hour moisture andhelps defend against sunburn.Eucerinus.com, $10
Whether you are running a 13.1 or walking to the car,the summer heat can suck the life out of your skin. Bythe time you finish your workout or running your errands,your face feels dirty from all of the sticky heat (andsweat). La Fresh EcoBeauty wipes are the perfectsolution. With a blend of Aloe, Cucumber, Papaya,Pineapple, Marshmallow, Jojoba, Vitamin C & Vitamin Ehow could you go wrong? Free of oil, parabens,sulfates, alcohol, petrochemicals, glycols, dyes, PEGs,fragrances & animal byproducts. A perfect quick facialcleanser for your onthego summer lifestyle.Lafreshgroup.com, $10
Summer heat does not just effect your skin. It canalso effect your lips and in a big big way. No matterthe weather, hot or cold, Yes To Carrots USDAOrganic Lip Butters conditions, invigorates, andrevitalizes your lips, moisturizing to keep them thesmooth and soft.Yestocarrots.com, $13 for 5
S k i n
When doing high impact activity,compression is your friend. Thematerial holds most jiggly parts inplace while you get to work. TheBCG™ Women's CompressionContrast Stitch Short is constructedfrom 79% polyester and 21% spandexmoisturewicking material for tightcompression with a 4way stretch.The short features contrast flatlockstitching and a full elastic, coveredwaistband.Academy.com, $13
When working out, every piece of your fitness wear wardrobe is important...yes, even the socks. Thisrevolutionary sock from Balega is built around a new cushioning material that promises to add a little"bounce" to your step, Soft Tread. Anatomically shaped pads of Soft Tread protect your feet in highimpact areas. Extreme vibration damping allowing you to cross all terrain with ease and comfort. The SoftTread by Balega promotes rapid evaporation and keeps your feet cool and dry.Runningwarehouse.com, $13
With the heat already beamingthis summer, staying cool isparamount during a workout.This Nike top is made with DriFIT fabric technology that helpswickaway moisture to keepyou cool and dry during yourworkout.Academy.com, $12
F a s h i o n
We all sleep late. We all get absent minded when it comes to breakfast (or lunch).Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus shakes are the perfect option for an onthego meal (orsnack). Snag a refreshing Mango Protein Plus and head out of the door without thefear of tearing through the doughnuts in the office kitchen. Its packed with 30gprotein per 15.2 oz. bottle, made with 90% real fruit juice, no preservatives, nothingartificial, and no GMO.Local Retailer, $3
Shirataki (sheerahTAHkee) noodles are thin, lowcarb, chewy, and translucent traditional Japanesenoodles. They are also sometimes called konnyakunoodles. Shirataki noodles are thinner than wheatnoodles, do not break as easily, and have a differenttexture. They are mostly composed of a dietary fibercalled glucomannan and contain very few calories andcarbohydrates (sometimes even zero). They do nothave much flavor by themselves, but absorb flavors wellfrom other ingredients you can combine them with.Shirataki noodles are made from Konjac flour, whichcomes from the roots of the yamlike Konjac plantgrown in Japan and China.
Shirataki noodles are packaged "wet", that is, youpurchase them prepackaged in liquid, and they arereadytoeat out of the package. You can prepare themby boiling them briefly or running them under hot water,then combining them with other dishes, or adding thingslike tofu, garlic, spinach, or soy sauce to enhance theflavor.Local Retailer, $3
F o o d
P e r f e c t P i c kFor the readers who may not
know, I am an easy kinda gal.
I l ike the pretty fri l ly stuff, sure,
but a good old tee suits me
just fine on any day ending in
'y'. Being an active mother of
two and wife of one, I have to
be ready at a moments notice
for just about anything and
this Old Navy Ribbed Knit
Henley ($9) does the job oh
so well .
I can throw it on before taking
the kids to school in the
morning, or I can unbotton a
few buttons before taking the
Husband on an easy night of
dinner and movies. The light
breezy material is perfect for
afternoon ball games at the
stadium. This is indeed my
perfect pick for spring and
summer--for $9 with lots of
juicy colors it cannot be beat.
Sommer J.
When I have read
weight loss stories they
always seemed too
good to be true. More
often than not they
gave me a false sense
of hope. Eat this, try
not to eat that, work
out this much, try not to
work out that muchIit
al l seemed so over the
top. Could our bodies
actual ly respond to
such torture? Were we
created to deprive
ourselves of one thing
over another for the
sake of being sl immer?
I guessed not and
decided to embark on
a journey that would
change my life in every
way. Sometimes, the
very thing we see on
the outside is more
than just too much or
too little of one thing.
Often times, it is a very
real hurt on the inside.
Welcome to the
Journey.
FindingBrittany
Hello, my name is Brittany Jemison
and I am addicted to food. The first
step to recovery is admitting there is a
problem, so I have been told. I f there
is one lesson I have held close
throughout this journey is to never be
ashamed of where you are in your l ife.
Acknowledging your current state is a
step forward towards where you want
to be. Too often the struggle between
where we are and where we want to
be makes starting or even accepting
the problem impossible thus we are
unable to move forward in the
process.
Morbidly obese—those are tough
words to hear and an even tougher
label to be slapped with, but at 300
pounds that is exactly what I was.
Honestly, I doubt I got there because
there is a fast food restaurant on every
corner or because I have an
obsessive love of sugary foods. I got
to morbidly obese status because I am
an emotional eater. What does that
mean? For me, that means for
everything I feel I deal with it in terms
of food. When I was happy I ate.
When I was sad I ate. When I was
angry I ate. When I was excited I ate.
When I was depressed I ate. When I
was stressed I ate. When I was
abusedII.I ate.
I discovered my obsession with food
when I real ized it consumed my
thoughts 24 hours/7 days a week, and
yes that does at times include dreams.
I could be eating a meal and half way
through I was already thinking about
the next one. Leftovers in the fridge
never stayed there long because they
would be on my mind unti l they were
in my belly. I f they were really good,
they would not even make it to the
fridge because I would eat unti l there
was nothing left, usually ignoring the
fact that I was so ful l my stomach hurt.
The breaking point came when I was
in college and I had gained so much
weight that I reached 300 pounds.
One evening, probably due to sadness
or depression more so than sheer lack
of judgment, I ordered a large pizza,
boneless buffalo wings, cheesy bread
and a 2 liter bottle of Sprite from Papa
Johns and ate it al l in one sitting. My
stomach hurt so badly and my heart
was racing so fast that I felt l ike if I ate
one more of anything I would die
(l iteral ly). I did not want to die eating.
That is not how I want to be
remembered. From that very moment I
decided I wanted to eat to l ive not l ive
to eat.
I have tried everything under the sun
to lose weight except surgery. The
Lemonade Diet, South Beach Diet,
Herbalife pil ls, Quick Weight Loss
Centers, Lipoloss, Xenadrine, and
Phentermine just to name a few. I
spent countless hours and money only
to arrive at the same result every
single time: I could drop dramatic
amounts of weight the first couple of
weeks (which was water weight by the
way) and then due to my own
unrealistic goals, I would get
discouraged and revert back to my old
ways. Needless to say all of the quick
This is me at my heaviest, 300 pounds.Do not get me wrong, I stil l looked good,
but I definitely was not healthy.
fixes resulted in major fai lure. I
gained the weight back plus more.
One of the many unfortunate side
effects of yo-yo dieting (besides
having your metabolism slow to a
crawl) is skin sagging. Sti l l unhappy
with the small results I had, the
realization came that I was searching
for a temporary solution to a
persistent problem instead of a
permanent solution for a deeply-
rooted, long term problem.
Imagine a car tire blowing out and
putting a spare on the car.
Instantaneously, the problem has
been solved, but there are l imitations.
The spare tire is designed to be used
as an emergency measure, not for
long term use. When using a spare,
you can only go so fast or travel so far
before the spare tire ceases to work.
When dieting, you can only eat certain
things or do so little the diet does not
work. In both cases it boils down to
the responsibi l ity of the operator
(driver/dieter) to seek a permanent
solution. I have learned that you need
to find out the cause of the weight
gain and work through the issues.
For some of us, the answer to why
the weight gain occurred is simple.
We go through pregnancies, medical
traumas, and times of stress where
we either overeat or are affected by
an outside component l ike medication
which causes the gain. However, most
of us tend to bury things or pretend
we have gotten over issues when
deep down we know it is sti l l there
and it sti l l hurts.
I learned through therapy, which I
highly recommend, that burying and
pretending is just sweeping the issues
under the rug. Because you have not
dealt with them they are sti l l there,
you have just managed to suppress
them temporari ly. Unfortunately the
issues slowly creep back into your l ife
and show up in various areas—one of
which is weight. The purchase of a
new tire and the time it takes to get it
fixed properly may not be considered
a wanted (and fun) experience, but
piece of mind you experience getting
back on the road without concerns is
well worth it. The same can be said
about our bodies and the issues that
bleed into our l ives through weight
gain and emotional eating.
Personally, therapy was a major
turning point in my life to a healthier
Brittany. I t was hell rel iving traumatic
events and having to come face to
face with issues that I had no
intentions of acknowledging. I even
gained weight during this time. I was
dealing with some deeply rooted
issues I was not prepared for so I
turned to my best friend that never
judged me, expected anything from
me, and comforted meI.food. Food
was my best friend and my worst
enemy at the same time. Unlike a
smoker or drinker, I needed food to
survive so I could not cut it off, shut it
out or replace it with something else.
I had to stare it head on and make
some of the hardest decisions in my
life.
Therapy revealed that it was not the
food’s responsibi l ity to comfort me or
help me deal with my emotions. I ts
purpose is to fuel the body, and I had
unrealistic expectations for it. I t was
not the food who had betrayed me. I
had been misusing food because that
was the only thing I could control
when everyone around me was
misusing me.
The secret to shedding major pounds
is (drum roll please). . . EATING
HEALTHY AND EXCERCISING!! ! ! ! !
Who would have thought that real ly
worked right?! See the problem with
diets is that it is a temporary fix to a
l ifelong problem. We diet when we
want to get into a certain outfit, or for
a certain season or when we are just
fed up with being overweight, but the
Calorie Round UpWant to know just how
many cals Brittany took in
with her Papa Johns
extravaganza? We have
the numbers right here.
Large Cheese Pizza
2,320 Calories
720g Fat
Cheese Bread
1 ,295 Calories
56g Fat
Buffalo Wings
850 Calories
65g Fat
2 Liter Sprite
800 Calories
0g Fat
208g Sugar
Total Meal
5,265 Calories
841 g Fat
problem is that diets don’t work. I t is
about a l ifestyle change. Diets do not
last for l ife which is why they have
such a high fai lure rate. You must
learn how to eat properly and be
honest with yourself. Saying no more
eating cake, pizza, hamburgers or
drinking again because of being on a
diet is setting yourself up to fai l .
I have found that if I deprive myself ofthese things then it leads to cheats
which is the beginning to the end. We
always want what we cannot have
and the more it is considered off l imits
the more we want it. My plan of action
was to eat clean during the week and
allow myself to have what I wanted on
the weekend but for only one day.
Eating clean for me consists of fresh
fruits and veggies, lean meats such
as turkey and chicken, and anything
that is not processed, loaded with salt
and sugar, or prepackaged.
For the one day I chose to eat what I
please, in no way am I eating
whatever I want the whole day. I al low
myself to have what I want within
reason. For example, I love burritos,
pizza, and burgers. Instead of going
to Pizza Hut, McDonalds, or Taco Bell
I try to find a healthier version that sti l l
gives me the feeling and taste of
eating outside of my norm, but it stays
on the l ighter side. I eat at Chipotle
which serves all organic and fresh
ingredients for a healthier burrito. I
stop by Subway for a fresh veggie
pizza, and if I want a burger I find a
place that serves fresh turkey burgers.
One of the most important steps to
my successful weight loss has been
having a personal trainer. Many
people protest at the sound of those
two words “personal trainer” with an
immediate “I can’t afford it”, but when
we look at how much is spent on on
all the weight loss programs that
fai led, and how much is spent on
extracurricular activities such as
shopping or going out with the girls
the perception changes. I felt a trainer
was critical to keeping me alive, and,
yes, it was just that serious. I cut
back in the areas of financial
nonsense and made room in my
budget.
Personally, I needed someone to
push me, motivate me, and scold me,
but not everyone can make such
room, no matter how much they cut
out of their financial l ives. For those
people who cannot make the room,
there are tons and tons of workout
videos, programs, groups,
recreational centers, and so on that
can help with the fitness part of l iving
a healthier l ifestyle. . You might have
to kiss a few frogs before you find
your prince, meaning you might go
through a few trainers, groups, and
videos before you find one that fits
your needs and that is ok. I went
through three trainers before I found
the one for me, Davius Bil l ingslea of
MaxResults. I work out with him 3-4
times a week and it is far from easy,
even at this size. There are more
times than not that I do not want to
workout but I have to keep pushing
and my trainer helps. He always
encourages me to keep going.
Losing weight has been the most
difficult chal lenge I have ever faced in
my life. The stories I have read and
the many shows I have seen do not
truly represent a realistic view the
determination it takes to continue to
move forward on the journey to a
healthier l ife. My weight represents
every negative experience I have
gone through and shedding the weight
is letting go of al l the hurt, anger,
negativity and disappointment that
control led my life for so long. I am a
strong believer in others finding what
works for them. Some people turn to
surgery to correct their weight issues,
while others find success in other
ways. Some people choose to just
stay exactly where they are and I do
not judge. What ever chosen method
for a person to really happy in their
own skin, if the outcome is optimal
A MidsummerNight's
Dream
Oh, thesummer
night, Hasa smile oflight, Andshe sits ona sapphire
throne.~ Barry Cornwall
health and wellness that is al l that should matter.
With al l of the bad things at our disposal, there
are tons of good things for us to turn to as well .
Just remember no matter what keep moving and
putting one foot in front of the other. Weight loss
or not, make the effort to become the healthiest
version of yourself. Your l ife wil l thank you laterII
know mine did!
Brittany Jemison is a plus size model and healthy livingadvocate.
We would l ike to extend a special thank you to
Brittany Jemison for being brave enough to share
her story with the world. I t is not every day a woman
is wil l ing to share her scale numbers with complete
strangers.
We would also l ike to thank Faithe Dennis and
Crystal Smith for styl ing Brittany Jemison with the
perfect wardrobe for our cover. Kortney Moffett of
Dull to Diva did an amazing job on hair and make up
and we cannot thank her enough.
Mr. James Lewis of Noire 3000 has an amazingly
beautiful portfol io and we were so lucky to have the
abil ity to showcase his incredible work. We cannot
wait to work with al l of you in the very near future.
Gemini Magazine would not be what it is without the
diverse community of women who read the
publication. Our special thank you's go out to the
team of professionals who created such an amazing
look for the Haitian-American beauty, Diana Gaitirira,
and the Caucasion-Japanese beauty, Maya Nozaki
(the MUA for the shoot as well as the model). Thank
you to photographerQiao Qiao Jade, hair styl ist
Snacks Viva, and wardrobe styl ist Kelly D.
Campbell .
Do you have talent in front or behind a camera?
Are you extremely gifted with a pen (or keyboard
these days)? Do you know of a worthy cover
girl? We need you to showcase your amazing
work and to nominate a person of inspiration so
their story can be heard. Please send all inquiries
to Geminimagazine@gmail .com.
Finding Brittany continued from page 14
G E M I N I