Anita lost 50 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Anita lost 50 pounds in a little over 5 months. She’s actually lost 106 pounds since 2007. After seeing relatives lose their sight and limbs to diabetes, this young lady decided that her path would not include such a diagnosis. Her faith, accountabily from others and a whole lot of daily walking has transformed her body and her mindset. Check out her awesome story.

What was your motivation?
In the beginning my motivation was to look good but now my motivation is to feel good. Many of my family members have been diagnosed with diabetes. Some of them have lost their sight and some their limbs as a result. I’m 28 years old with no children and I didn’t want to be next. I’ve been tested for diabetes many times since I was a child.

What inspired you when you wanted to give up?
What keeps me going is accountability, which I get from my Fitbit Friends, coworkers, and workout partners. Personal dedication is also key. My morning workout is my time to pray, read my devotional, and listen to worship and praise music. My other inspiration is my Doctor who agreed to let me come in every two weeks to weigh in. I weigh in, she checks my blood pressure and then she asks me about my diet, workouts, vitamin intake, and water intake for the past two weeks. After we discuss that, she gives me a little motivational speech to keep me on track.

How did you change your eating habits?
I try not to eat late. I stopped buying healthy foods that I hate in order to eat healthier and saved a ton of money. I spend more time checking ingredients. I also gave up cheating in the beginning until I could demonstrate self control. Then, I progressed to cheat meals and not cheat days.

I don’t really eat anything fried. Other than that, I eat what I like. I try to eat more protein and anything green for vegetables. I eat lots of oranges because they’re convenient and I like eating them. I never drank soda in the past so that hasn’t been a problem.

What did your workout routines look like?
To be honest, I just walk and occasionally I jog. I’m at the stage now where I definitely need to start lifting weights if I don’t want to deal with loose skin. At this present moment, I’m averaging about 30k steps a day. I’ve done a couple of things in terms of workout programs, but nothing really consistently. Zumba classes at Crunch gym were the most consistent and helpful.

Monday thru Friday, when I wake up on time, I do one hour of walking in the morning. I also walk on my breaks at work, which totals 45 minutes. I workout after work for an hour and a half. If I’m home for the rest of the day I will walk occasionally while talking on the phone, reading, listening to music, or watching tv.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
In June 2007, I weighed about 289 pounds. Last year on 12/21/15, I weighed in at 233 pounds and this was really the starting point that I would like to feature. My current weight is 183 pounds. My goal weight is 140 pounds. I’m 5’6″ tall. No surgery.

How long did your transformation take?
It’s been 5 months and I’m down 50 lbs since 12/21/15.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Join the Weilos community. It’s a fitness app that’s not really popular, but it provides a community with great support for fitness. Buy a Fitbit! It’s honestly the best tracker that I’ve ever had and I’ve gone through many other fitness trackers (Nike Fuelband , Garmin, and Polar).

Stop forcing yourself to eat foods that you hate in order to be healthy. Also, if you don’t have discipline you don’t need to cheat on your diet. Drink water. Walk as much as you can. Keep track of what you eat and at what times you eat.

Personally I like to weigh myself everyday and take pictures. That alone has kept me going at times when I felt like I wasn’t making progress. I was able to look back at those photos and see the changes.

Instagram: @AnitaHeartsYou and @FitQueenNeets
Twitter: @Yestweetme