Update Jan 2015 – Shonda lost 8 more pounds for a total of 90 pounds gone. She says…
“The biggest lesson I learned was if you are not prepared mentally then there is no way you can succeed. Another lesson was learning to eat in moderation even when it came to healthy food. I stuck to my same regimen when it came to eating and exercising. Staying consistent is the key. I focused on eating lots of fruits veggies and proteins. I also incorporated running and weight training. My advice to those who are losing weight is never give up, don’t dwell on your bad days trust me we all have them, take lots of pics for motivation and want it more than you want to breathe!”
Original Story – July 2014
Let’s show some love to Shonda. This super mom lost 82 pounds by changing her eating habits, exercising and learning what cheat foods worked for her. Read her story and find out more about her journey:
My motivation was my children and the fact that I was tired of being unhealthy! I changed my eating habits by limiting my portions, adding more healthy snacks and eating frequent small meals. I have learned how eat to live and not live to eat! My workout routines consist of kickboxing, Zumba, bootcamp and personal training 6 times a week! My starting weight was 260 pounds. My current weight is 178 pounds (I am 5’1″ tall). I started eating right in August 2013 and exercising in Oct 2014.
Eating wise, I do a lot of protein and veggies. I have replaced white rice with quinoa, cut back on carbs and on bad fats. I replaced wheat and white bread with whole grain bread but I don’t eat it often. For healthy snacks, I do lots of fruits and my guilty pleasure is WhoKnew cookies lol! A typical day for me would be…
- breakfast: 3 egg whites, salsa, turkey bacon and granola
- snack: fruit
- lunch: salad with tuna or chicken, lite dressing and some nuts
- snack: fruit
- dinner: fish or chicken and veggies
I don’t really do carbs at dinner but when I do I eat quinoa, snack nuts or granola or maybe a WhoKnew cookie lol!
The advice I have for others is be consistent, don’t quit even if you miss up and get rid of your excuses. Do the work! It took years, months, weeks, days, hours, mins and seconds to gain the weight. It is going to take all of that to finish! I am still on my journey and there is no turning back!
Instagram: @smccants32
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.
She told me to first get rid of processed foods and sugar. I took her very seriously and stopped eating processed foods and replaced them with healthy fruits, vegetables and whole grains and lean protein. I immediately had more energy and stamina. She also taught how to get the most out of my workouts using high intensity interval training. I love it because you can get faster results in a shorter time. The personal training that I received has made me more fit, stronger and has developed my confidence. I began to accomplish more than what I thought I could in the past. I became stronger, healthier and I began to really get leaner. The training that I received provided the tools that I had been missing from my toolbox to guarantee my success. I began to lose the weight very quickly. I lost 4.8 lbs the first week of training. By exercising smarter and 
Hello, my name is Barbara and I am on a journey to get fit. My journey began last year after I had surgery on my shoulder. My daughter, Anyika had started a Boot camp Fitness Class and thought the stretching exercises would help me. I am 5 ft tall and was weighing almost 170 pounds. I had gained up to 177 but I lost 10 lbs after my surgery. After working out for a few months, I learned I was type II diabetic and I panicked. By then my daughter, Anyika, got her Zumba certification. I started working out with her class and lost 25 lbs. I did her class 2 to 3 days a week if my back wasn’t hurting really bad. She always modified my workouts. I have been on all type of diets and exercise but with her class, meal planning and fitness tips, I have maintained my weight loss for over a year now.
