Antoinette lost 56 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Antoinette lost 56 pounds and went from a size 14 to a size 8.  Reaching her highest weight after the birth of her son, she realized that she wasn’t happy with her appearance. On top of that, her migraines were worse and high blood pressure was not under control.  She told us all about the steps she took to change her lifestyle…

After I had my son last year, I was at my heaviest weight, 226 pounds. I was unhappy and embarrassed about my appearance. I knew that something had to change. I started going for walks and then walking stairs. I would start and then stop for various reasons; the weather, the baby, etc. I was having migraines daily and couldn’t get my blood pressure under control even with taking meds.

One day my husband said, “You know, when you were active you had less migraines.” So, I began walking. 2 miles turned into 4. 4 miles and 4.4 miles turned into 6 miles. I then started challenging myself to do more, like running a mile and working out on the elliptical machine at the gym. Cardio was literally my best friend. My workout buddy helped me change my eating habits. I picked out better quality foods vs. what was easy.

4 months ago, I met with a trainer. She checked my weight and body fat percentage to give me a starting point which ultimately led to me making new goals. Instead of doing all cardio, I started trying Cross Fit, TRX, HITT.

Well, it’s been a year since I started this journey and I now weigh 170 pounds (height: 5’7″). I dropped 56 pounds and went from wearing a size 14 to a size 8. The journey hasn’t been easy but I’ve learned a lot about myself. I live by the motto that if it goes away easy, it comes back just as easy.

I went from drinking sodas to just drinking lots of water all day, aside from my cup of coffee in the mornings and green tea before bed. I also changed my eating habits by cutting out processed foods.  I limit the amount of cheese and I trained myself to eat smaller portions. I did a “half a plate”, which meant I fixed a normal sized plate of food, then took half away for later. Now, I’m accustomed to smaller meals. You’ll find more veggies on my plate than other carbs. I make my own bread, bagels, and pizza crust (cuts out many preservatives).  I know that there will be days when I have minor set backs. I think it’s ok to eat an occasional slice of cake or have ice cream as long as it’s in moderation and not an everyday thing.

My advice: I suggest making small goals so that you will not get discouraged easily. The scale will not always be your friend. As you start developing muscle, your weight will fluctuate so focus on clothes, side by side pictures, or get your body fat measured monthly like I do. Remember, 80% diet 20% exercise.

I’m on Google Plus: Antoinette”Anna” Brown and Instagram: @antoinette.lorine