healthy

Whitney lost 64 pounds. While she was a graduate student, working on her Master’s thesis and working full-time, she didn’t realize how much weight she’d put on. She decided to change her mindset, change her eating habits, and start working out. Now, this archaeologist is focused on living a long healthy life.

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
Since entering college in 2009, my weight has gone up and down due to stress and poor schedule management. I developed pre-hypertension and was unable to do a lot of physical activity due to my weight. 

Before losing weight (in 2019), I was a full-time graduate student, working full time and writing my Master’s thesis. During my graduate program, I did not realize how much weight I put on. 

During graduation in the spring, I saw the scale go up to 256 pounds (sometimes 259 pounds). I was devastated. I had never been that big in life. Following graduation, I told myself that I would make a change to lose weight and keep it off. I want to live a long healthy life. That is my motivation. 

When I began working out in 2019, I had a hard time keeping a consistent schedule. So, I started keeping track of my workouts and my body measurements. I weighed myself on the scale once a week, but I did not use it to track my weight loss. I used my clothes to track how many inches and or centimeters I was losing. This inspired me to keep going even when I thought about giving up–and trust me, that occurred countless times. 

It was very, very difficult for me to keep going. I wanted to continue working and just attending school. I did not want to workout. However, once I began keeping a consistent schedule, I started to enjoy working out and sweating. 

How did you change your eating habits?
For this weight loss journey, I started eating as a vegan. The diet turned out to be too limited for my taste, so I switched to vegetarian. I ate whatever non-meat products I wanted and dropped weight. I used meat substitutes instead. This lasted three months. Then, I switched to a flexitarian diet. I began incorporating meat back into my diet little by little. To this day, I still eat a flexitarian diet. 

I did not follow a specific diet program. Following strict diets or programs did not necessarily work for me.

What did your workout routine consist of? How often did you work out?
My workout routine consisted of three separate workouts by Gymnetics Fitness called Black Girls Workout Too, Black Girls Workout Too 2, and Ectorcise. I did 30-45 minutes of the workouts 4-5 days a week (sometimes seven days a week non-stop). It felt good to move at a fast pace and reduce the amount of stress I was experiencing. The BGWT programs are my Holy Grails. 

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 256-259 pounds, and my current weight is 195 pounds. I am still working to lose another 50 pounds, but it has been difficult to lose weight during the Pandemic. 

I am an archaeologist. Usually, during the year, I work outdoors in the field. I’m active and educating youth about archaeological fieldwork methods and artifacts. This helped me lose weight in 2019. However, this year has completely shifted the way we live our lives. I have developed a sedentary lifestyle, which I believe has caused my metabolism to decrease and lessen the amount of weight I could have lost this year. 

What is your height?
My height is 5 feet, 3 inches tall.

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
I have gone through two rounds of weight loss. The first was in 2013 when I reached a weight of 223 pounds during my third year of undergrad. During that round of weight loss, I ended at 176 pounds. My most recent round of weight loss began in 2019. My transformation is ongoing. My goal is to reach 145 pounds. Since I’ve graduated, it has been easier for me to maintain a healthier weight and not indulge in stress eating. 

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey?
Weight loss surgery is not part of my journey. Just hard work, sweat, and good food! 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
The biggest lesson I learned so far in this journey is that your weight does not define you. At my heaviest, I did not have confidence in myself and in who I was. I lost sight of that. As I continued working on myself, I also regained confidence in the awesome person I know myself to be. This confidence inspired me to start a business called Poochie Doll & Co, which aims to help women feel their best and be their best. I wanted to create a business that helps women exude confidence while maintaining chicness, despite weight, body type, or flaws. 

I’ve learned a lot along the way about myself and the barriers I am willing to cross to gain a better sense of myself and my confidence, as well as the message I aim to share. Before starting Poochie Doll & Co., I was often afraid to take full-body photos of myself. I literally dreaded looking in the mirror or going shopping, as it was often difficult to find clothes to fit my body type. As I lost the weight, my confidence came back, and I felt amazing. 

I have to model clothes for my business, so that helped as well! It helped motivate me to keep going and let me know that I can be my best self as long as I continue putting in the work.

What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight?
Begin at your own pace or when you feel you have the utmost motivation to begin. Don’t force yourself. Just make sure you are motivated to do it.

There will be moments when you lose faith in yourself. There will be moments when you want to quit, fall to the ground, and cry because it seems like your body isn’t doing what you want it to do. I know because I was there! I experienced it, and I let myself feel it. 

Don’t let that stop you. Don’t let it lessen the motivation you have in yourself. Take a moment to cry, sit on the couch, and take a break. Eat that donut–let yourself be human. Let yourself feel and experience the emotions that come with a weight loss journey. It is not easy, but I promise you it will be so worth it in the end. You got this! Keep going.

Instagram: @poochiedollco_