Candace lost 167 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Candace lost 167 pounds. Her story is awesome because she is willing to talk about the struggles and failures she experienced with no shame. Her initial try at weight loss surgery was not successful and she gained the weight back. Wanting to improve her health and take control of her life, she decided to keep trying. Check out how she got results.

Highest Weight: 358 pounds
Gastric Sleeve Surgery Weight: 343 pounds
Current Weight: 191 pounds
Goal Weight: 170 pounds or until it feels right to ME
Height: 5’5″

In 2010, I decided to have Lap-Band surgery because my weight had gotten out of control. I weighed 358 pounds! Fortunately, I didn’t have any known health issues at that time, except a very high BMI (which was the only way I qualified for surgery). I was so excited about my surgery and the lifestyle changes, but about 3 months after surgery I hit a plateau. I had only loss 30 pounds in 3 months and the scale wouldn’t budge any more after that!

I went back to my doctor for repeated “fills” to tighten my band (which was very uncomfortable), but still had no results! After a year of exercising, eating right and getting “fills”, I lost another 10 lbs for a grand total of 40 pounds lost within 1.5 years. I was so devastated and was convinced I had failed!

In 2012, I was back up to my highest weight again, due to going back to old eating habits and not exercising! I started a new job. The stress and anxiety from this job caused me to have a panic attack at work. At the doctor’s office, I found out I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Although I wasn’t shocked, I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. That’s when I took control of my life again!

After talking with a co-worker about her recent weigh loss surgery, I decided to give it another try! On October 13, 2015, my life changed forever. I had the Lap-Band removed and had Gastric Sleeve weight loss surgery! I was so scared that I would fail again, so didn’t tell many people about my surgery due to the disappointment and embarrassment from the previous procedure.

Fast forward 21 months… Now, I’m celebrating my 2 year anniversary! I’m proud to say that I’ve fully embraced my new lifestyle and I’m loving every moment of it! After the Gastric Sleeve surgery, I developed a lot of new food allergies. Seafood presented the biggest issue. That only left me with chicken and turkey, because I couldn’t digest red meats well. After eating chicken or turkey EVERYDAY, I was burned out and decided to give up all meat and become a vegetarian! Now, I’m 7 months in. I love it and so does my body.

Walking outside is my first choice when it comes to exercise. In inclement weather, I get on my treadmill. I also use workout videos on YouTube. I do cardio 4 days a week for an hour.

Advice: Don’t give up! I gave up after facing failure with the Lap-Band. During that time, I developed health issues and that was truly my motivation to get back on track and conquer this weight battle. I would advise women to set personal goals (things you want to achieve while on this journey). Most importantly, lose the weight for YOURSELF. Don’t compare you’re journey to anyone else’s, because no two journeys are the same.

I’m finally at a point in my weight loss journey where I can talk about my struggles and failures without being embarrassed. I know anything worth having is definitely worth the struggle. I’m proud to say I no longer have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. I’ve never felt this good in my life! Thank you for allowing me to share my journey. I hope that I can be an inspiration to someone.

Instagram: @Larkisace