weight loss

Amazing Transformation: Lisa lost 190 pounds. She reached 380 pounds and realized that she hadn’t taken the time to notice what was going on with her body. After dealing with knee issues, breathing issues and being diagnosed with arthritis, she knew it was time to start making some changes. Check out what she shared with us…

Hi! My name is Lisa. Getting out of the shower one morning, I caught sight of my nakedness in the door mirror. I don’t understand how I got up to 380 pounds without noticing (height: 5’11”). It was like I saw myself for the first time. I had a doctors appointment that day for problems with my knees. During the visit, my physician diagnosed me with arthritis and recommended that I lose 10-15 pounds. After my appointment, I took my daughter out to eat and we raced the short distance from the exit to my car. By the time we made it, I could not breathe! I went home that night and decided that I didn’t want to weigh 380 lbs anymore. My entire day had shown me something I had not wanted to see, let alone accept: That I was obese!

I decided that night, while everyone was asleep, I danced for 30 minutes. Well, 30 minutes was a bit much for my first time and I just decided to stop when I couldn’t breathe. The next night I did the same thing, in a room no bigger than a large closet. Going forward,  I did dance cardio 7 days a week for a minimum of 30-40 minutes. I alternated between different styles of dance. I learned how to dance “dancehall reggae” and for one week all of my cardio would be Dancehall. Then I would watch belly dancing videos and that week would be Belly cardio. During the first 3 months, I lost 30 pounds dancing 4 times a week and recognizing when I was full.

I also began to use portion control when it came to meal times. My eating habits were deplorable. I used to overeat. If one porkchop satisfied my hunger, I would still eat another one to satisfy my taste buds. At a buffet, my plates (I usually ate 3), were overflowing with LOADS OF UNHEALTHY CARBS. The first things I cut out of my diet were cakes, cookies, donuts and white bread. I ate 3 times a day with very little snacking in between. Now, I’m doing something I never thought I could do. I’m eating raw vegetables. I used to hate them. When you begin to feed your body what it needs, healthy food becomes addicting.

My goal was just to lose weight. I did not know getting healthy would feel so good! I read everything I could about exercising and how our metabolism works. That first year, I lost 112 pounds and the rest, as they say, was history. I went on this way for a year and I lost an enormous amount of weight, but I wasn’t happy. I had loose jiggly skin from losing weight too fast. I felt like being satisfied with my body was out of reach. I ended up gaining weight again.

I got fed up again and decided that I would still dance 7 days a week, but this time around I would only eat twice a day. Within 5 months, I went from 250 to 165 and I became sick. I started having heart palpitations and I felt run down all of the time. I was pushing my body past its limits by not giving it enough fuel to perform like I was demanding it to do. The doctor said I was “an anorexic that liked to eat”. After they released me from the hospital, I was so stressed out that I began to pick up cookies again. My weight went back up to 229 pounds. Then one day, I decided that there had to be a better way to achieve my goal. I started researching how your body responds to exercise and which methods worked for specific goals.

I discovered that just losing weight wasn’t enough. I began incorporating weight training into my regime, learned about proper dieting, incorporating lots of natural fresh foods. I also reduced my cardio to 4 times per week. I went back to what I did in the beginning and reinstituted the weekly dance challenges. The results were astonishing. Now, I’m training for my first figure competition!

I cannot believe how far I’ve come or how much I’ve learned about my body, determination, and commitment. Looking at the before and after picture, sometimes it’s still hard for me to believe that I will be a certified “Cize” dance coach in March. At 380 lbs, I could barely walk without pain. Now I jump, run, lift, and dance like there’s no tomorrow. For the first time since becoming an adult, I am happy with my body. I’m still not a finished project, I am a work in progress. I have enjoyed learning about myself on this journey. The most important thing I’ve learned so far, is there are no quick fixes. It takes consistency and education of how your body responds to food and exercise. It also takes you battling mental demons that tell you the pie will make you feel better.

The one thing I would want anyone to take away from my story is that it doesn’t matter what you do. What matters is that you do “something” consistently. This is not an easy journey, but it is worth it. In three years, I went from 380 pounds down to a very healthy 190 pounds. I can’t ever imagine being back there again. Fit feels fantastic!

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