Nicole lost 136 pounds

Update: Shout out to Nicole! She’s lost 155 pounds.

Boom!!!

A post shared by PrettyNikki (@lovingmyselfandbody) on Feb 10, 2018 at 6:31am PST

Transformation of the Day: Nicole lost 136 pounds. PCOS, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol could not stop her. She made a life changing decision to have the Lap-Band procedure. Surgery was not a quick fix. She did lots of exercise and let go of bad eating habits to get results. Check out what she shared with us about her journey.

My highest was 379 pounds. Today, I weigh 243 pounds at 5’8″. I struggled with PCOS. I was also diabetic and had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In March of last year, I decided to get the Lap Band and that decision changed my life.

I still have a ways to go, but I’m happy to say that my health has improved and I’m free from all medication. I also have a lots of energy and I love myself again. Going through this process, I’ve learned that I am tough, driven, beautiful and inspiring. I never would have thought I was any of those things before. Thank God for changing my mindset, because it has been so hard.

The truth is that the Lap Band got me started, but I DID THE WORK and it’s NOT easy. There’s no miracle cure out there. You have to want to change. A lot of people miss understand weigh loss surgery and think it will fix everything. Wake up call: you can still GAIN weight! You could lose NOTHING. You have to change your diet and exercise, even with surgery. You have to push and you have to change.

I ate smaller portions, measured my food and meal prepped. My meals were high in protein. I cut out all bad carbs, ate more veggies, stopped eating junk food and only drank water. It also helped to consume only liquids for a few days, every few months.

For exercise, I started running with the Running for Weight Loss app. I ran everyday. Eventually, I started doing a stairs routine and got a personal trainer to help me start toning. I worked out 6 days out the week (2 times sometimes, while working out 3 or 4 times a day)

My transformation took one year. I had the Lap Band surgery in March 2016. What kept me going was not having the pain anymore and having friends for support. Learning to love myself throughout this process also helped a lot. I just wanted to live life outside of this shell.

My advice: Put you first and don’t give up on you. Love yourself and fight for you. Learn to say no to the negative thoughts. Find a GREAT support system that you can feed off and give back to. You will get better and better. Lastly, always remember who you used to be so you’ll never go back.

Instagram: @lovingmyselfandbody