OXFORD, Miss.

Tammy Herod knows the challenges and juggles multiple careers and is always up for more. As a hairstylist, real estate agent, mentor, organizer and designer, Herod wears many hats. Now she adds another to the stack: the author.

On December 15th, Herod officially launched his book “How I Got My Life Back: A Journal and Cooking Guide to Getting Fit” at the Oasis Church of All Nations among family, friends and guests.

However, Herod didn’t initially create the book to get more people to adopt healthier lifestyles, it was because she admired his cooking skills.

“What really inspired me to write the book wasn’t my healthy eating journey,” she said. “It was actually taking pictures of my food, I just thought it looked pretty darn pretty. When I was done doing it, I was like, ‘This must be in a book. “

What started as a general cookbook turned into a story about Herod’s journey to get back in shape and overcome tragedy with the help and encouragement of its editor Deidra Jackson.

“She was like, ‘No, you have to write a little bit about your story too because people want to know more,” Herod said. “It adds meaning when you have a story attached to it. “

The process of editing and formatting was much more complex than she thought, but Herod came out with more knowledge about editing that would come in handy if she ever wrote another book.

“I have my manuscript, I have all my information, so can I just publish it?” ” she said. “No. You have page numbers, titles, and a table of contents. You have all of these things to do to put together a book.

In the synopsis, Herod summarizes how she struggled with food and weight loss for most of her life. She was always taller than her friends and when they went on vacation shopping was more of a struggle for her than for others.

Things started to improve when she joined a gym and lost 40 pounds in nine months, but the loss of her mother started the battle with food again.

It wasn’t until she sat down to lunch with a friend who went through an amazing weight loss journey that Herod decided to get back on track with healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.

Herod included only 20 of her recipes, and she chose those that jumped on paper and tongue. From steak and Brussels sprouts to crustless pizza, Herod offers dishes that will suit all palates of tastes.

“What’s beautiful about this book is that it’s healthy food, but it’s food that anyone can eat at home,” she said.

Herod said the key points to losing weight are knowing where your calories are coming from and controlling your portions.

“The bad part is overeating,” she said. “Of course, the more you eat, the more calories. Not all the calories are created. So you say that this steak and broccoli has 300 calories, but so is this cheeseburger, but the cheeseburger has all of it. those other things that are not good for you.

Healthy living depends on your choices, she continued. It’s about constantly making good decisions so that you can see better results later in life.

“It’s not something easy, but I worked and got results and I love the results that I got,” Herod said.

For more information on Tammy Herod’s “How I Got My Life Back: A Journal and Cooking Guide to Getting Fit” or how to order it, visit www.tammyherod.com.