Weight Loss Story of the Day: Renae lost 55 pounds. This single mom wrote to us from St. Croix in the Virgin Islands to let us know all about her weight loss journey. She learned that changing your lifestyle is hard work and hard to commit to, but it’s all worth it. Check out what she shared with us:
“My name is Renae Meyers and for most of my life I’ve struggled with managing my weight and living a healthy lifestyle. In 2006 I became pregnant with my first born and it became even harder for me after that. Being a single working mom was not easy for me. It was not until I started noticing that I didn’t even have the energy to play with my daughter that I knew something had to be done. In 2011 I made the decision to take control of my health and live a more healthy and active lifestyle. The pic on the left was me in 2011 weighing over 225 lbs and the pic on the right is me today weighing 170 lbs. It wasn’t easy and keeping the weight off was a struggle at first because when you’re surrounded by so many fast food restaurants and you walk past so much junk foods in the grocery stores the temptation can be overwhelming. I’ve learned that you have to make sacrifices if you want something bad enough and staying fit is my ultimate goal. I never want to go back to being that person I was in 2011 and that’s why I’ve committed myself to maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle by eating more healthy, drinking lots of water and working out consistently 5 days per week at the gym. I’ve learned that results don’t come overnight and if you want it bad enough you have to work for it. There were many times I wanted to give up because I wasn’t seeing the progress that I wanted to see when I wanted to see it, but I never gave up. I knew that I needed to set goals for myself and stick to them. I currently do a lot of weight training and run 2 miles 2 days per week along with other forms of cardio. Excuses don’t give you results. Hard work and dedication does. Being fit is now not just a destination for me. It’s a way of life.
I’ve changed my eating habits by eliminating foods from my diet that contain artificial ingredients and I focus more on natural foods and juices. I drink a lot of water and coconut water as well. I live in the Caribbean so coconut water is easily accessible. I’m also a Beachbody coach so I drink Shakeology shakes in the mornings for my breakfast. I usually snack on nuts and local fruits in between meals. I’m not a vegetarian but I do eat meat in moderation. When I eat meat, I usually try to find the lean parts of it and I take off the skin of chicken before I prepare it. I usually incorporate a bigger portion of veggies with my meals and cut back on rice and other starchy foods but I do eat them and have not eliminated them completely from my diet.”
Instagram: @renaemeyers340
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I am now training to participate in my FIRST Figure Competition. This competition will be held on October 11, 2014 in Atlanta. I am SUPER excited about this opportunity. Training for this requires an enormous amount of dedication and perseverance. I have to get my body fat % down to 6%-10% and also build muscles at the same time. At my heaviest, I had 40% body fat (whew!). I have made some great progress since Jan 2014 and I am 20 weeks away from the big day! At 64 pounds heavier I would NEVER thought to accomplish any of these things. I feel so blessed and honor to be an advocate for such an issue of great need. I will not stop! Each day I strategize on how to spread the word. We all can help with fighting obesity; make a difference and start the change in your household today!
How did you change your eating habits?