Update: Denna sent us an inbox message on Facebook to let us know that she lost 13 more pounds since we featured her story back in Dec 2013. She is now down a total of 90 pounds and has gone from a size 22/24 to a size 6/8. Find out how she did it below:
I’ve been a yoyo dieter more years than not. I think it where most of the trouble lies. I can’t be on a diet, it must be a lifestyle. A diet is temporary and only yields temporary results. I’m in this for the long haul so it has become a lifestyle for me. What I THOUGHT was my wake up call really wasn’t. My kids had lost one parent to cancer, something that could not be helped or stopped. In my mind I said this is something you can control, so don’t eat yourself to death. Fix it! So at over 240 lbs I embarked on a journey to save myself…for them. Wrong! Although I lost weight and a lot of weight, I quickly discovered I could not be about someone else, not even my kids. I had to be for me. When we do things for others there’s ALWAYS an unspoken contingency, that the other party is not even aware of most of the time. At least it’s true for me. Therefore, when that contingency falls through so does your desire and motivation (That along with some other things). I fell off the wagon and watched it roll almost completely out of site. However, just as “The Wagon” was almost out of site it hit me like never before, Fool WHAT are you doing? You put in ALL that hard work and you are flushing it down the toilet! Get a grip. Forget your kids. (Giggles but yeah) They don’t even now they had anything to do with your weight loss. So, I decided this time it’s all about ME. I’m doing it for me for the very first time. Every other time I have done this for someone else, my husband, my parents, my kids, worried about what other people thought about me and my weight. That’s the biggest difference this time. It’s for me and my desire to look and feel better.
I hired a great trainer that I have been working with during my journey. I’ve got a better yet not perfect grip on my nutrition. I’ve learned how to make fitness a part of my everyday life. My workout time is my “me” time. I need that DAILY (I’m the mom of 3 teens lol). I’ve identified emotional triggers and when I feel buttons being pushed I immediately begin tell myself you can’t eat it away! I say, “You are going to feel guilty if you turn to food” or “At least make yourself proud of the good choice you made and go burn off some calories”. No that won’t make the problem go away but it certainly won’t add to it. This fitness life is mostly a head game and you have to be able to strategize so you can win.
I workout 5, 6 or 7 days a week. I do a WIDE variety of things to keep myself interested; everything from pole dancing to CrossFit. However, the backbone of my fitness plan is working out with my trainer. My nutrition is my hiccup. I do eat clean but sometimes not enough (quantity or frequency). I don’t drink sodas or eat processed foods. I drink lots of water. So far I’m down a total of 90 pounds. I’ve gone from a size 22/24 to a 6/8. My confidence is soaring, I feel alive and sexy. I can’t wait to see what things will look like when I reach my goal. This is me sharing my progress, the end result is yet to be seen. Like I always say, my journey is mine, yours is yours and hers is hers. Don’t judge yourself by someone else’s success or failure. Someone is going to lose faster and slower. Someone is going to have a smaller waist, a bigger butt you name it. It’s ok just work hard to become the best you, you can be.
Facebook page: Get Right, Get Tight – The Journey
For more info, check out the original post about her journey
My name is Aliyah, I’m 26 years old. I just realized how much weight I lost and I couldn’t be more proud of myself! I lost a total of 66 lbs over 18 months. After graduating college, I realized I had gained a freshmen 50+ instead of a freshmen 15. I did high intense cardio classes (Tae Bo, Insanity, Kickboxing & Step Interval) four times a week. I also stopped eating after 8pm on weeknights. Although I wasn’t consistent through the entire 18 months, I am more than happy about my results thus far! I was 250 lbs and I now weigh 184 lbs (5’4″). My goal weight is 175 pounds!!! I can’t believe how close I am!!!!!!! My motivation: Well, someone asked if I had a baby since college since I had gained so much weight. I have no children so that was like my “end all to be all” moment. I HAD to make a change immediately! I didn’t diet, I made a lifestyle change. I only made changes that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.
Good Morning! I wanted to share my update with you. Since my story feature back in March I’m down 8 more pounds (I was 160 lbs then, down from 250 pounds). I now weight 152 lbs and I’m down to a size 8 . I have started a group page “I can, you can for weight loss”. This group page has allowed me to reach men and women encouraging them about getting their weight under control. This page is about daily prayer, daily motivation and encouragement. I continue to workout on my home I have incorporate weights lifting to tone my body. I have been working out during commercials breaks which has encouraged my whole family!! My goal is to reach people and encourage them that they too can achieved weight loss! I’m currently in process of starting Nonprofit Organization to reach men and women around the world. Thank you for this opportunity to share.
Hi, My weight loss started when I was doing a 4 month course. That was last year in May. We were doing physical training three times a week. My weight when I started was 105 kg (231 pounds). At the end of the course i was 95 kg (209 pounds). However, I relaxed and did not exercise anymore. On Dec 6, 2013 I decided to register with the gym and I haven’t stopped since then. I even join their classes; spinning class which starts 5:30 in the morning till 6:30 and a 30 minute abs classes. I workout 3 times a week at the gym, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 1 day for spinning 2 days I would do cardio and strength, including abs. Now, I jog when I get a chance on the weekends, do TaeBo, skip rope and use an ab wheel. Today, I just bought 10 kg (22 lb) sets of dumbbells. I’ve invested a lot in home equipment like a skipping rope, an exercise ball, ab wheel and women’s health dvds. I’m currently going to the fitness house (gym) 3 times a week and I’ve joined endurance class which is spinning. When I started working out again at the gym I was 98.5 kg (217 pounds) and my body fat was 43%. The last time I checked my body fat it was 32%. I’m not sure what my percentage is now because when I want to check it the machines are always offline. My current weight now is 79kg (174 pounds). My height is 5’5″. My motivation to want to lose weight was because of my health. I’m a diagnosed asthmatic, so I would struggle with breathing and easily get tired. As a person who works in the medical field, I knew that if I didn’t do anything about it I would not live long enough to see my 3 beautiful baby girls group. My Eating Habits: I’ve cut all junk food like fried chips and soda drinks. I avoid eating too many carbohydrates and sugary stuff. My meals For breakfast I always have high fiber cereals, with fat free milk or plain yogurt. Mid day – Fruits, nuts, raisins Lunch – I can chose to eat my Low go bread which is also high in fiber with no sugar or salt added with peanut butter and boiled eggs Dinner – Brown rice, 2 servings of veggies with grilled meat (chicken, turkey or fish). Sometimes sweet potatoes with any meat or High fiber spaghetti Don’t forget the greek salad as well. The discipline that is most important is food portion control. You can use food scale or just a palm of your own hand. It works. Also, eat before 6pm in the evening and try not to stress a lot as you know stressing too much decreases ones digestive system. For those who want to lose weight, I suggest you start a motivating routine and set a realistic goal. Find a weight loss partner or group, this will help you cut down a mental strain by sharing what you going through with someone. Start an exercise log because writing down your progress makes everything concrete. Find an old photo where you look good and post it on your fridge. That will remind you how you used to look and see that what you want to be is attainable is motivating. Lastly but not least, set up a reward, think positively, pace yourself, keep it fresh and have fun.