My Weight Loss Journey

 

Current Before & After





Weight Loss Story

August 2010 I received a call from my dad and we have a very lengthy conversation.  I was recently home for a visit and he expressed his concerns regarding my health.  He advised me that I was getting "heavy" and in my family when that word is used, I know it means that I was fat/overweight.  Surprisingly my feelings were not hurt; I was more shocked that my dad mentioned it because he never discussed my weight with me in the past.  I knew that I had to do something about my weight because my dad usually never says anything unless it's serious.  From that point I was determined to get back in shape.  I immediately consulted my doctor the following day for help and she put me on a strict diet which resulted in a 46 pound weight loss from September 2010 to May 2011.  I pretty much was on a white fish, chicken and vegetable diet during that time.  I cut out pop, breads, certain cheeses and meats during this time which really helped me, but it got old when the summer hit. 

 

  In May 2011 I started to add in some of the foods I ate in the past and I ended up gaining 10lbs during the summer which was not my goal and I knew that I had to take control again.  Although I was happy with my loss, I knew I still needed to lose some more weight.  During the month of August I was on a mission to find a place that would supply me with all the tools needed to be successful.  I did Weight Watchers before which helped me, but I started to lose focus several months into it.  I also had memberships at LA Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness in which I had a personal trainer, but I didn't have much success with those places as well.  I still found that I needed help with my nutrition and none of the trainers I had was good at helping me with that.  In September 2011, I received a Groupon for a private training studio that had boot camp, pilates, yoga, tread/running class, tabata classes, a nutritionist, several personal trainers, etc... and I just knew that God had put this in front of me for a reason.  So......

 

 

I discovered a place called Transform U Fitness and started with them September 2011. Shayla, one of the owners of the facility met with me to discuss what my personal goals are and what I am looking for to accomplish those goals.  She made me feel so comfortable when meeting with her.  I ended up using my Groupon to try out the boot camps which she instructed.  I went in thinking that I would be there for the month that I purchased, but that was not the end for me.  I knew that I needed more personalized training as well so she referred me to Andy for personal training.  I tried a session with him and after that first session I just knew that this was what I needed as well.  He pushed me so hard from day one & we had our ups and downs, but we overcame them together.  It was very tough having him because I was not use to a real trainer, one who could help you with everything.  Along with the nutritionist that I had consulted with at the gym, he stayed on top of my food by looking at my logs on MyFitnessPal.  I personal trained with Andy for over a year twice a week, boot camp 3x a week, crossfit on Saturdays and went to the tread class initially for 2 days a week before I started hitting the pavement with my run group- Black Girls Run.  In over that year, I was down the 10 pounds I gained that summer plus an additional 40 pounds, lost 26 inches, 25 fat pounds and dropped 11% in body fat. 

The funny thing is, I remember telling him that I can't run because I was told that I would never run again by one of my doctors and after month 1, he had me running on the treadmill. 

Due to me starting a new job, I am no longer training with Andy or going to the boot camps at TransformUFitness, but I didn't stop working out.  I am still running 3x a week, I cross train 3x a week and I get in a day of sprinting & yoga.  I will never fall back on working out, it's an addiction.  Plus, my journey will be ongoing. 

THERE IS NO STOPPING FOR ME!  I am down a total of 111 pounds, I am in a healthy range for my body fat percentage, I have gained muscle mass and I am toning up very well.  I went from a size 18/20 to a size 10/12 and my goal is to be a size 8 one day very soon!  With persistence, it WILL be done! 



Don't let nothing stop you from reaching your goals.  I will discuss my running journey under another page........

http://www.tufbodies.com/b4_after.html

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you"- Fred Devito