Transformation of the Day: Ludanise lost 48 pounds. Her father passed away due to heart disease and diabetes, and her grief led to depression and weight gain. She realized that if she didn’t change her lifestyle, she could face the same illnesses that ended her father’s life.

My name is Ludanise, and I’m 28 years old. Your page helps me stay motivated with my weight loss, so I wanted to share my story. My Instagram is @itsmzlu2u.

My motivation is my dad, who passed away three years ago due to heart disease and diabetes. He was only 56 years old. I spiraled into depression, which led to me not leaving the house much and eating my feelings. I gained so much weight over the course of three years that I felt like I was suffocating when I laid down.

In April of this year, I had an accident where I dislocated my patella and gained even more weight in a month. When my knee healed enough to walk, I finally stepped on a scale. I was at my heaviest weight: 237 pounds with a BMI of 42. I knew I had to change, or I would end up like my dad.

I work full time, and I’m a full-time nursing student, so I always made the excuse that I didn’t have enough time to be healthy. However, I made a promise to myself that I would stick to eating better and exercising for 100 days. I went to the gym five days a week for about 1-2 hours doing a mixture of cardio and strength training. I did intermittent fasting for 16 hours and cut carbs down to 3 days a week only. I also got rid of sources of unnecessary sugar in my diet, so I only drink water and black coffee.

Every time I wanted to quit, I kept looking at the calendar, where I kept track of my days completed and did not want to disappoint myself. When I finally got to day 100, I was down about 30 pounds, and my energy level was up. So, I promised myself another 100 days.

I started my journey on May 1st with a starting weight of 237 pounds. My current weight is 189 pounds, and I am 5’4″. My goal weight is 165-170 pounds.

The biggest lesson I learned is you have to love yourself enough to take care of your health. I also finally learned to love myself and love the girl I see looking back at me in the mirror. My confidence is up, my energy level is up, and I feel happier then I have ever been.

My advice to anyone struggling to lose weight is to stay consistent, persistent, and patient with yourself. Remember, it is not a race, so don’t be hard on yourself if you’re not losing weight fast enough. Just don’t give up. The end goal is to be healthy, not skinny.