Dropping Weight!
This was me October 2017, the heaviest I’ve ever been besides pregnancy; 185 pounds! Sadly, I had no idea this is what I looked like and I almost allowed this picture to be the final nail in the coffin to any self-confidence I had. I understand that everyone has different views on body image and what they consider fat or healthy. Let me be clear at the height of 5’4” for myself personally, 185 pounds was too much, and I needed to make a change. There were days my ankles would swell and hurt, I would get tired after short periods of time and I had no energy to be productive.
As many other people I’ve tried to diet and exercise so many different times and ways, but the real motivation was never there. So how did I get here? I wish I could say it was baby weight that I never lost but that’s not the case. After having my little one in 2013 I lost weight and bounced back pretty fast. My weight gain came within the next few years of being a mom, girlfriend, working full-time and be a full-time student. I was so busy with everything I had going on I hardly ate and when I did it wasn’t anything healthy; ever! My day to day meals during the week was usually no breakfast and if I did it was donuts or bagels loaded with cream cheese, if I did have lunch which wasn’t often I ate fast food or chips and soda from the corner store and finally dinner. Dinner every night consisted of loaded carbs and meat. On weekends if I made breakfast it was pancakes with loads of syrup and butter, bacon, sausage and eggs with tons of cheese, no lunch maybe snacks during the day full of sugar and dinner was takeout or something greasy. My water intake was almost nonexistent unless it was all I had; root beer and juice were always my “go to” drinks.
When this picture was taken at my daughter’s 4th birthday I was surprised at the way I looked and the fact that no one told me how big I had gotten especially my boyfriend, but it still took a few weeks for me to say, “I’m going to make a change”. In December 2017 I registered for my last semester as an undergraduate and applied for graduation then it hit me! “There’s no way I’m taking graduation pictures looking like this”. I knew I was ready but with my schedule and my daughters I knew I had to be 100% dedicated if I was going to make it work, so I got help. I reached out to Jason Miller with the Mean Green Training Center in Houston, TX (look him up on Facebook!) and he helped me tremendously. For me it has always been a struggle to reach out for help with my weight lost because of my fear of being judged on my body image and my physical and mental ability to not give up. Not being able to make it to his training center Jason provided me with weekly meal plans and weekly exercise routines. We met monthly to take my measurements and to go over my exercise form to make sure I was doing everything correctly. He motivated me literally EVERYDAY to make sure I wasn’t giving up. I would even have to take pictures of my apple watch after workouts to show my heart-rate and calories burned and if the numbers weren’t good he didn’t hold back, and he let me know next go round I need to push harder.
Though I had someone to help and educate me on my health I wasn’t perfect, I struggled with still wanting to eat unhealthily and it seemed as if life kept throwing obstacles my way while trying to stay focused on so many different goals and sometimes I fell short. On my 3rd weight in I gained a few pounds and inches. I think I was more disappointed in myself than he was. I knew what it took to drop the weight, but I hit a period of losing my motivation and he helped me get back on track. In my opinion having someone to help you stay on track with your weight loss is important even if it isn’t a professional. Having someone to be honest with about your struggles not only with your weight loss but the things in life that may be affecting your journey is important.
For a long time I didn’t tell my family or friends I was working on my health because I didn’t want it to be a let down if a gave up. What I’ve learned from this journey is: no matter if you hire someone or you take this journey alone YOU are the only person holding yourself back from reaching your goal with anything in life and YOU are the only person that can keep yourself on the right path. No one puts in the work but you so only you will be the change you need. There will be moments of weakness but all you can do is start fresh the next day. I remember seeing people drop weight and thinking “if I would have started 3 months ago with them I’d have already reached my goal” and it feels so good to finally say I’ve reached some of my goals. I am far from where I want to be, but I know with consistency I will get there. Eating better and getting in the gym have become major parts of my life. Though I no longer use a trainer I still use the things I learned and incorporate them in my routines. I go to the gym no less than 4 times a week and still focus on maintaining healthy eating habits. I use the gym as a stress reliever and on the days I don’t go I actually miss it. Cycling is by far my favorite thing to do and I include it 2 times out of the week; 3 times if I make it more than 4 times a week to the gym. Lifting isn’t something I’ve been big on, but I have included it recently to work on toning my muscles.
One of my proudest moments from this journey has nothing to do with my own weight loss but someone I work with. Their health has been a major issue over the past few years along with major obesity and the changes I’ve made in my life motivated them to make a change as well. Remember, you never know who is paying attention to what you do. You could be the motivation someone else needs to make their change.
I am by no means a professional trainer or nutritionist, but I hope my progress and journey going forward will be of help to anyone who needs it. If you have any questions, looking for motivation or want more details on my weight loss journey please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Last but not least though looking good is a major plus to weight loss, health is the most important objective. So go about it the healthy way and try not to cheat yourself with quick weight loss products. I’ve had my fair share of experiences with them and they’ve all been a waste of time and money! Progress pictures below!!
Toi_D_Lane
