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Natalie lost 45 pounds

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Weight Loss Story: Natalie lost 45 pounds.  Determined to break the chains of a family history of illness, this petite powerhouse took action to change her life.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

natalie before and after

The picture on the right is from February 2014 and the one on the left was taken in June 2015. I started this journey weighing 218 pounds and I now weigh 173 pounds… and counting (height: 4’11”). I’ve always been on the thicker side, but it wasn’t until I heard 218 lbs from my doctor that I made the choice to do something. Diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure runs in my family, but I am determined to break that cycle. In the picture on the left I had a lot going on personaly, but the gym became my stress reliever. Now, I eat healthy, work out at least three times a week and I feel great!

I started out with a personal trainer, EazyWork Fitness, and he put me to work! He had me doing all types of things, from weight training to cardio, three times a week for an hour. I continue to work out and I challenge myself monthly to stay healthy and work out. I never thought I could run, do push ups and lift weights, but I am able to do that now.

I also had to address my eating habits, which was hard to do but I just kept thinking of my son and how I want to be here for him. I changed by no longer eating fast food and by not buying junk food. I also learned how to cook more meals at home, used less salt and I didn’t fry anything. In addition, I stopped eating meat for 3 months.

The bodies that we have aren’t our own. They belong to God, so we must take care of the temples he has given us. I’m thankful that I started this journey and I continue to move forward toward living a long healthy life. Weight loss isn’t so much about the physical, but it is more about the mental. How you think about weight loss, you mentality, will be your outcome. I want women to know that this isn’t a gift to everyone else, it’s for and about you.

My mission is to help other women live BOLD in all things. My Instagram is @LiveBold4Christ and my blog is www.LiveBold4Christ.wordpress.com  Thank you!

Audrey lost 70 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Audrey lost 70 pounds.  This proud mom of three saw her health declining and was afraid of not being able to see her daughters thrive in the future.  She saw her cousin lose weight with an online coach and decided to try the program.  Now, she’s won a recent transformation contest held by her coach. Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

audrey weight loss

What was your motivation? What inspired you?
I have three amazing daughters. As my weight continued to increase, my health continued to decline (high blood pressure, arthritis, bad knees, bad back). My daughter Jada joked that she would soon be pushing me in a wheelchair. I was terrified that I would not be around to see what wonderful things they would do very far into the future. Not to mention, I felt that I had so much more to offer in this world, yet was squandering my blessings. Also, I was inspired by seeing the outstanding progress my cousin Deborah Harvin had made in her own health journey (Deborah lost 113 pounds). That roused me from my self-induced coma.

How did you change your eating habits? What did you stop or start eating?
Thanks to my coach Wiltrina Jones, owner of I Use to Be U, I started eating six clean meals a day. I stopped eating a lot of fast food, restaurant food, processed food, and junk. I started eating a variety of easily accessible healthy and fresh foods.

What did your workout routines look like?
I did weight training and cardio. I attended boot camp for comradery and variety. I lifted free weights, worked out with a weight vest. I also did body weight exercises, like burpees, pushups, squats and lunges.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
When I first started losing weight in February 2014, I weighed 255 pounds. In September, that’s when I started with IUTBU and I weighed 239 pounds. Now I weigh at 185 pounds. My height is 5’ 8”.

How long did your transformation take?
I started trying to lose weight in February 2014. However, I didn’t get serious until September 2014. So, about 15 months, all together.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Take the time to value yourself. It is so easy to get caught up with work, home, family and everything else. I know that I focused on everything else to avoid dealing with me, my issues and my problems. Do it for you.

Monique lost 41 pounds

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Update 2016: It’s been a little over a year since we shared Monique’s story. She’s not only stayed on track but she’s lost 10 more pounds and gained lean muscle. Check out her update.

“I’m down to 169 pounds, but I’ve basically stopped looking at the scale since I’ve began stacking on muscle. Although the scale has not changed much, those inches are definitely still coming off. Here is my before and my updated progress photo. I pray to continue inspiring women to be the best version of themselves that they can!” – @mosfitness.journey

monique weight loss

Aug 2015 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Monique lost 41 pounds this year. After the results of a doctor’s visit revealed that she was facing high cholesterol, rising blood pressure and pre-diabetes, she knew that she had to take action.  Being a researcher by training, she took the time to figure out what would work for her in terms of eating and exercise.  Her hard work has certainly paid off.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

monique before and after

After visiting my primary care physician last year for a physical, she went over the numbers from my blood work, as well as my overall health score. My cholesterol numbers were creeping up, my blood pressure was through the roof, and she told me that I was borderline diabetic. The most ridiculous diagnosis that was on the paperwork she handed me was that one of my chronic conditions was “obesity”. I sat in my car and cried. I remember growing up with family members who had Ziploc bags full of medications to get them through a day. I refused to allow my inability to commit to lifestyle changes cause me to poison my body with meds for the rest of my life.

My motivation became wanting to see a healthier me, to come off of my hypertension medication and most of all create a positive lifestyle that my three daughters could emulate. Also, many of the people I started my original journey with (I started and stopped tons of times over the last 5 years) were hitting their goals and looking fabulous, whileI was still stuck in a size 18/16 and still running from cameras and refusing to buy clothes. After my physical I thought to myself; “I could’ve hit my goal 10 times by now if I would just stick with it!” The success of others inspired me to make the necessary changes and to push past my comfort zones.

I changed how I ate very slowly. I’m a researcher by training so I utilized my gift to do some much needed research before embarking on my journey. I listed out what foods I needed to eliminate, to add in, and those I needed to modify. It was a painstaking process but I stuck with it. I removed sugar very slowly as I have a really bad sweet tooth and I didn’t want to binge or rebound. I then removed fried foods, processed foods, sauces, breads, sugary drinks and simple carbs. I added in lean animal protein, complex carbs, sprouted grain breads (Ezekiel), lots of fruits and veggies and tons of water!

In the beginning, I stuck to a Beachbody program that was a hybrid of P90X and TurboFire (to all that are familiar). It gave a good mix of workouts for every part of the body. We have an excellent gym at the college where I work that is free of charge. Each semester they offer 4 weeks of free one on one personal training so I jumped on board with that as well. I had an excellent trainer who also is a student at the college. I took the workouts we did and continued to do them even after the 4 weeks were up. The school’s gym also offers many weekly group fitness classes such as Women on Weights, Belly, Butt, and Thighs (my personal favorite), Fitness Boxing and something called Anything Goes, where pretty much…anything goes!!! I also added on swimming, running and a lot of HIIT workouts from home. After much research, I’ve now been able to create my own workouts which are an excellent mix of HIIT training, cardio, strength training, running, swimming, etc. I change them bi-weekly so that my body does not have time to adapt and at least 2 days a week I do two a days.

I stand at an average height of 5’5”. My starting weight was 220 pounds, wearing a size 18 pant and size 16 dress, depending on the designer. My weight fluctuates on a daily basis but hovers around 179 pounds. I’m currently in a size 12 pant and size 10 dress. So, I’ve lost somewhere around 41 lbs. I no longer using weight as my gauge as there are way too many parameters that affect our weight on a daily/monthly basis. I have moved to using measurements, clothing fit, and how I feel. These three things are much more accurate for measuring progress. My fitness journey began January 2015 and I’m still in progress. My goal size is a 9 as it puts me at a healthy weight and size. However, I’m not against going lower. At this point, it is more about how I feel than how I look.

It has taken me some time to really begin to love myself, every curve, dimple and dip. I use to think I had to look perfect like celebrities and models; but honestly, I had to realize that there is no one perfect body…just my own perfectly imperfect self. My goal is to become a personal and group fitness trainer to help others fight their own battle. I ultimately want to focus on training women over 40 as I’ve realized that it is much harder to lose weight in my 40’s than it ever was in my 20’s and early 30’s!

My advice to others is to not give up! Even on your worst days…don’t give up!! I have been fighting this war for many years and I finally was able to put all the pieces together to be successful. The first thing is to get your mind right, remove stressors and plan…plan…plan. Schedule your workouts like you schedule an appointment and don’t let anything or anyone interrupt that appointment. Plan and prepare all of your meals for the week. The easiest way to derail weight loss is to not have all of the tools in place to help you be successful. Find partners that will hold you accountable as well as workout with you. Also, don’t be afraid of trying new things. There is an endless amount of programs out there that will fit your time constraints as well as your fitness level and preferences. Lastly, run your race. Don’t compare your middle to someone else’s end. Write down and post your goals and make them realistic to what you wish to accomplish on a monthly basis.

Please follow my journey to better health on Instagram @mosfitness.journey. My hope is to inspire as many I can to a better way of life!

Tiffany lost 110 pounds

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Update May 2016 – Tiffany lost over 100 pounds and has maintained her weight loss long term. This month she appeared on the Dr. Oz show.

tiffany update weight loss

“I just wanted to update you on my progress but first thank you for all of the incredible work you do! You’re dedication to sharing these transformations is amazing! Your page keeps me motivated and accountable to keeping the weight off daily! So encouraging! You shared my weight loss story on your page months back. I got so much encouraging feedback from many of the women who have liked your page. It feels good to be able to inspire and motivate, while at the same time holding myself accountable. I have continued to maintain my weight, even though it has certainly been a challenge. I was, and still am an emotional eater, but through the dedication and daily motivation from pages like yours, I have done it. Since you have shared my story, I have had the honor of sharing my weightloss story in amazing ways! I was on the Today Show in the Joy Fit Club Segment with Joy Bauer. Just recently, I was able to share my story on the Dr. Oz Show (video)! I am so thankful for pages like yours and people like you who inspire and motivate with real life stories!”

Aug 2015 – Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Tiffany lost 110 pounds. After battling her weight for years, she reached a point where enough was enough. She focused on learning all about healthy eating, portion control and exercise.  Now, she is a personal trainer, fitness instructor and author.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

tiffany before and after

I had struggled with my weight my entire life. Once I got married, I weighed about 180 pounds. After about 3 years of marriage my weight skyrocketed to 250 pounds. I think I just started letting myself go. I ate whatever I wanted and was not active at all. I just kept making excuses for myself and ignoring the changes I was seeing in the mirror. I had not weighed myself in years. Then, they built a new fitness center in my community and my husband wanted to join. I joined too, but not because I wanted to. I just didn’t want to be left out of what he was doing. I decided to buy a scale. When I finally had enough courage to step on, I was shocked to see my weight. 250lbs! I was considered morbidly obese. How did this happen? I was mortified, depressed and so disappointed in myself. I decided that day to make a change.

tiffanyI slowly started to work out and instantly cut my calorie intake. After the 1st week I had lost 5 pounds! This was so motivating to me and I just kept going. Little by little I became more determined as I saw more progress. I constantly did research on how to burn calories and eat right. Eventually, I had lost 110 pounds! It took me about 8 months. I was very focused! My weight loss success story was featured in Oxygen Magazine. I wanted to help others who had struggled with their weight as well, so I became a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. I love inspiring others with my story and hope to encourage anyone who feels like they cannot do it.


Tiffany’s Book

I changed my eating habits pretty much immediately. I instantly cut my calories down to about 1,000 a day, which I would not recommend. This was before I had done any research. Now, I would say only go down to about 1200 per day. Never the less, I got educated about the calories in food. I had never payed any attention to that before. I downloaded the MyFitnessPal App and literally logged my calories everyday! Every morsel of food was accounted for. When I look back on how I used to eat before my change, I realized I was consuming about 4,000 calories per day. No wonder I was overweight. The main trick that I learned was calories in, calories, out. I found out that as long as I burned more calories than I ate, I could still lose weight and eat whatever I wanted in the proper proportions. I learned all about serving sizes, ate about 1200 calories per day and had 1 cheat meal per week. When I hit a plateau, I actually took my calories up to about 1500 per day, and was able to continue losing. My go to fitness product now is definitely the Fit Bit! It helps me stay on track with calories I’ve burned per day and I still log my food in the app!

www.100lbslater.com

Twitter: @100lbslater

IG: @100lbslaterdotcom

tiffany weight loss

Tish lost 75 pounds

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Weight Loss Story: Tish lost 75 pounds. Wanting to change her life, she connected with her cousin who is a personal trainer and began her weight loss journey.  She put in the work, changed her habits and now she is sharing her success story with us…
fish before and after

I was tired of not being able to climb a flight of stairs without taking a break! I wanted so badly to change my life but didn’t know how to. Then, I found out that my cousin was a trainer and that she is very affordable. So, I gave her a try, but I didn’t change my eating habits and thus I didn’t lose much weight.

I prayed and asked God to help me and he did. I started to love the taste of veggies and water which was a miracle, because I used to hate them both. LOL. I still eat what I want to, but in moderation. Also, I don’t waste my calories unless it’s a dessert! My heaviest weight was 236 pounds and now I weigh 161 pounds (my height is 5’1″ tall).

I meet with my cousin her every Saturday morning and she gives me meal plans and workouts to do at home until we meet the following week. I have been on my journey for 2 years in August. I reached a plateau at one point, so I incorporated hip hop dance into my workout.

If I could offer any advice to others, I would say pray a lot and stay focused on your goal. If you fall off the wagon please don’t beat yourself up just get back up and try to keep going!

Instagram: @hatishia

Carla lost 60 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Carla lost 60 pounds.  This mom of 3 experienced significant weight gain during her pregnancies, going from a size 5 to a size 16. She found her passion for fitness and now she helps others to change their lives.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

carla weight loss

Prior to having children, I was always active. After my third child I went from a size 5 to a size 16. After having three children my weight increased up to 216 pounds. Being an emotional eater, the weight stayed on for years. Then one day my niece and I decided to start walking. People really underestimate the power of walking, but it works. In addition as I got stronger, I incorporated dance fitness. From there I became an instructor and started teaching classes. Later, I fell in love with indoor cycle. As I became stronger my confidence increased. I continued to mix in different workouts, from TRX Suspension Training to intense weight training. I also got certified to teach TRX and Cycle.  With all of this, I was still eating bad. Once I changed that, I was able to achieve the waist size you see before you.  I currently weigh 156 pounds at 5’5″ tall.

I opened a fitness center, and now I’m currently working on opening an active wear store front. My biggest love is weight training. I love how powerful it makes you feel. It took me a while to get my nutrition on point, but once I did my body transformed in a way I had never seen it do before. I allow my self one re-feed day per week, where I incorporate a cheat meal. It’s all about moderation not starvation. I allow my body two days a week to rest and deeply stretch & meditate with yoga. I just take it one day at a time because there will always be a 216 pound girl inside me. I will always love food, I just moderate it now. I encourage you all to do what works for you. Be active for at least 30-45 minutes each day. If I did it, so can you. It won’t be easy but you can do it.

Instagram: @cyclechic15
Twitter: @bodybycarla
www.hyperydefitness.com

carla before and after

Yakila lost 77 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Yakila lost 77 pounds. Although she had a happy life with a great husband and children, she felt that she wasn’t able to live as fully as she could have since her weight had doubled. She realized that she had supportive people around her who could help her reach goals.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey…

Yakila before and after

 

I’m honored to share with you my story. To be honest with you I looked at all your questions and I thought of a million ways to write this story. Everyone tells you how they were depressed, lonely, working too much… I mean the list goes on!  I always got the comments “oh you’re cute for a big girl” or “you have a pretty face…” but it never bothered me. I was happy!! Happy with my life, blessed with 2 amazing kids, a very handsome husband (even my friends were surprised I got him) and I was living nice! I love to eat!! My family is the type that we get down in the kitchen and we waste nothing! Holidays, birthdays, you name it we were eating! So, why change!? I’m happy right? Have everything I could ever ask for right? So why even bother?

Well, I’ll tell you what changed. I started looking at the people around me. My kids would ask me to race them or to push them on the swing, but I was cheering them on from the bench! The bench! Husband started having that lingering look… And not at me! When he met me I was a size 16! I was plus size, but at 5’7″ I filled it out nicely. When I noticed him look at another woman, I also noticed I was a size 30! I literally doubled in size! He always tells me he loves me no matter what, but it still wasn’t fair for him. I was happy, but my family wasn’t. I took that picture in the mirror smiling, but I was far from happy at that moment. I couldn’t believe I let myself lose control. Yes happy, but super unhealthy! I was at my biggest at 367 pounds!! I cried when I seen that number. What was I thinking?

I called a friend of mine that became a personal trainer after high school. He told me it was okay! He said “Change starts when you make it happen.” So I started making it happen. Five days a week, I was in the gym. Met friends here and there to go walk or jog. I have two real friends in this world and they are always supportive. One is a chef and she helps me portion my food and gives me tips on how to eat if I go out. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, whole wheat, fish and chicken. I learned its 80% of what you eat and how much. I liked to finish things until the bag was empty! Now I buy everything already portioned like salads and 100 calorie brownie bites. I drink lots of water and no soda. If I eat out I ask them how it’s cooked and modify to my liking. I still eat! Just not as much and often as I use toI learned that weight loss is 80% about what you eat and how much. In the past, I liked to finish things until the bag was empty. Now, I buy everything already portioned, like salads and 100 calorie brownie bites. If I eat out I ask them how it’s cooked and ask if they can modify to my liking. I still eat, just not as much and often as I use to. All this support around me and I never noticed once!!

I started all this in October of 2014 weighing in at 367 pounds. I’ve been weighing myself on the same scale throughout and now I’m at 77 pounds gone!! No wraps, videos or trainers. All cardio and tips from Instagram. LoL!! My grandfather even started a garden and we have fresh cucumbers and squash coming in nicely.

Like I said… All these resources and never knew it. Wanting change isn’t always just about you. Yes you should want to do it for you, but people are depending on you every day to be healthy! Your kids, your spouse, even your dog! My advice to people that need help just getting to the gym: Stop thinking about it! I did it all the time! I did all the actions of going to the gym in my mind, but was still in the bed! Now, I open my eyes and I spring up! I go splash water on my face and I move around! Once I’m up, I’m up!! That was the hard part right there! I know this may seem all over the place, but it’s a true story. I’m as happy as I was on October of last year, I just feel better now

Dessiree lost 46 pounds

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Weight Loss Story of the Day: Dessiree lost 46 pounds. Her nutritionist, @Nutritionistguru, was excited to interview her and submit her story to us.  She says… “Dessiree was extremely dedicated to her weight loss journey because she realized she needed to get healthy, not only for herself but for her 2 year son Jo’siyah. She gets up every morning between 7-7:30 am, 6 days a week. Her workouts consisted of cardio and weight training and following the plan designed for her to target her problem areas while focusing on endurance and strength training while her Nutritionist, which is myself, monitors her food intake.”  She’s done an awesome job!

Dessiree before and after

Starting weight: 240 pounds
Current weight: 194 pounds
Her stating waist: 43 inches
Her current waist: 33.5 inches
Total inches lost off waist: 9.5 inches
Height:  5 feet, 4 inches tall

What was your motivation?
My personal motivation is myself. I say this because prior to this journey I didn’t care about my health. Now that I have the right tools to get to where I need to go and keep myself encouraged. I am my own worst critic. All the members of the Fitness On Fire Online Training Program have also been my motivators. They have opened my eyes to want to do more.

What inspired you?
My best friend was my inspiration to loss weight. Now, I am my own inspiration.

How did you change your eating and exercise habits?
I signed up with Fitness on Fire has a 24 hour fitness trainer and nutritionist available to me at all times who guided with changing my eating habits. I stopped eating fast food, eating junk food and stopped choosing the wrong restaurants. I started to eat more protein, more vegetables, more fruits and drinking lots of water I followed the plan designed for me by my online trainer. He had me doing a lot of endurance and heart rate training while my nutritionist monitored what I was eating.

How long did your transformation take?
I started my journey in March 2014, so a year and a month.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Understand what you want out of your weight loss journey because it is going to be filled with a lot of ups and downs. This is what is going to help you to maintain this lifestyle. Stay encouraged and stay focus on the ultimate goal. Don’t let any one tell you that you can’t.

Desiree’s instagram: @costaricansensation
Fitness on Fire Blog: www.facebook.com/fitnessonfirenewyork
Fitness on Fire online nutritionist instagram: @Nutritionistguru

If you would like to submit your story or your client’s story, here are our story submission instructions.

Latasha lost 75 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Latasha lost 75 pounds in 11 months, after battling her weight for years. She found out that she was at risk for stroke and sought out a personal trainer for the help she needed. Here is what she shared with us about how she lost the pounds…

latasha before and after

My name is Latasha and I’m 39 years old. Although I’m quite outgoing, I’ve been struggling with my weight for over 15 years. I’ve tried Weight Watchers, the Atkins diet, and several different weight loss pills over the years. In March 2014, I noticed that I was having difficulty breathing. Just to walk or move around I would sweat profusely and I would feel extremely tired. When I would go to bed at night, I felt as if I was drowning and I felt smothered. I went to the doctor to find out that I was on the verge of a stroke. My body was telling me, enough is enough! My boss at the time pulled me to the side and told me that she noticed that I was gaining a lot of weight. She referred me to her trainer in Lancaster, TX, Jay Jackson, who is also a nutritionist. (Instagram: @Jay.Jackson.773776) I was skeptical to meet him at first, due to my past experiences with trainers and also I was a little scared. On our first meeting he asked me what were my goals, what I wanted to accomplish and why. He made me feel comfortable and I was excited to get started. My healthy living journey started in May 2014.

A few weeks after working out with my trainer, I started my trainer’s weight control program called the J42. His plan helped me stay focused, while losing unwanted pounds naturally. Instead of eating unhealthy food like donuts, hamburgers, cookies, ice cream and pizza, I now prepare meals that consist of baked fish, chicken, turkey, fruits and veggies. I also eat out much less than I used to. I never realized that eating healthier alone, gives me much more energy. I work out with my trainer twice a week. On the other days, I walk/run, lift weights and take exercise classes at my local gym.

Going through this journey has taught me that it’s not about being a certain size, but it’s about my overall health and feeling better. I have my good days and bad days like anybody else, but what keeps me motivated is seeing my hard work not go in vain. So far, I’ve lost 75 pounds in 11 months. My starting weight was over 300 pounds, currently I weigh 229 pounds, and I’m 5’8″ tall.

My advice to others is to trust the process, be patient with oneself and work hard to achieve your weight-loss goal.

Avicia lost 78 pounds

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Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Avicia lost 78 pounds.  After years of yo-yo dieting and fad plans, she found success with green smoothies, clean eating and exercise.  Now she wants to help others change their lives.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

avicia before and after

Growing up, I was always a thin girl and never had any weight concerns. I would eat anything I wanted with no issues. I began taking birth control and gained about 30 lbs, but once I stopped taking it the weight fell. Then in 2000, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and within the first year of having her I lost the 70 lbs I gained while pregnant. I was wearing a size 8 again. After gaining a pound here and there, within 5 years I was just over 200 lbs. I started doing whatever quick fix was available. Any new fad for rapid weight loss, I tried. I did lose a few pounds doing that but it soon came back plus some when I stopped following the fad plan. By 2008 I weighed 230 lbs, which was what I weighed the day I gave birth to my daughter.

I started to go to the gym regularly, even spent a couple of thousand dollars on a personal trainer and I lost about 15 pounds over the span of 6 months. Approaching my 29th birthday, I weighed 215 pounds and I took a week off to celebrate. However, one week turned in a month, a year and then 2 years had passed and I had not stepped foot in the gym. The scale continued to move up and by my 30th birthday I weighed 250 pounds. I tried a few diet pills and nothing happened. I talked about losing weight daily but put forth no action. By the end of 2011, I weighed 263 lbs (my heaviest) standing at 5’3” tall. Still unhappy and yet unmotivated, I accepted my weight and thought that I would be a big girl forever.

*affiliate link

In February of 2012, I had to undergo a breast reduction and I immediately lost 10 lbs. I began to walk at the track near my home that spring. I lost 5 pounds over that summer, but things were not happening fast enough for me so I gave up yet again. By 2014, I was back in the 250’s and unhealthier than before. Then in April 2014, a friend asked me to join her on the 10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith and I my exact words were “Girl, I can’t be drinking no smoothies all day.”  After more persuasive talks from her and some much needed prayer I decided to give myself 10 days. I began the green smoothie cleanse on 4/20/14 and those were the most challenging 10 days of my life. I can remember sitting in my car in tears while eating an apple (day 5) but I would not let myself give up again. I had to do it for me. I completed the 10 days and continued a couple more and by my birthday on May 2nd I had lost 13 pounds. On that day I decided that I would never go back to my old eating habits and that it was time for me to take control of my life.

I focused on clean eating and ate lotss of vegetables and protein. My day will usually consist of a smoothie for breakfast and lunch then a light dinner, like chicken or fish with veggies and brown rice. I eliminated soda, coffee and juices, so I drink water, green tea and herbal teas. No artificial sweeteners, I will only use stevia if needed. I snack on crunchy veggies like carrots, cucumbers and celery throughout the day. I do my best to stay away from processed foods and foods with GMO’s. The biggest change for me was prepping my meals for a couple of days at a time. It’s helps tremendously. I also prep for upcoming events. No one wants to give up their favorite foods so I plan accordingly. If I know I have an event coming up I really buckle down and eat right so that when the time comes can enjoy a nice cheat meal without guilt. I love cardio, so I walk/run at least 4-5 times a week and I completed my first 8k in March. I recently started yoga and I enjoy it. I also have started some weight training to build muscles.

I followed the guidelines set in place in that book and other books by JJ Smith. Throughout this past year I have been able to lose over 70 pounds. It has been very challenging but extremely rewarding. Today, I weigh 185 lbs, my initial goal was just to get less than 200 lbs, but now I have a new goal set in place of 170 pounds. I am more determined than ever to continue this journey, for me this is a lifestyle change and I will never go back to the old me. The best advice I can give anyone trying to lose weight is to change your perspective. Don’t look for quick fixes because those are temporary solutions to a lifelong problem. Don’t look at it as dieting because dieting comes to an end. If you want permanent results you have to make permanent changes. It’s a lifestyle change!!

I recently attended the Sexy by Summer conference in DC and I became a certified green smoothie cleanse leader. This means that I have been trained by JJ Smith herself and I can teach anyone everything they need to know to be successful on the cleanse. I’m so excited about this new journey.
Facebook group: Vee’s healthy habits
Instagram: @thenaturalpurpleprincess
Weilos: @kurlykurvynfit

avicia weight loss

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