Weight loss transformation story 1 in her own words:
Honestly I think it’s getting in the right headspace. Id eat and be lazy bc I hated the way I looked and took zero care of myself, and then gain weight and it would get worse. Shitty cycle of trying to eat my feelings. To be completely candid and honest, I made getting myself in a better mental place a priority and got a therapist, learned to treat myself with a bit more kindness and then actually could stick to a plan. I loosely do weight watchers, but more for the meetings and sense of community- as far as diet I calorie count but nothing crazy- 1800 4 days a week, 1500 2 days a week, one cheat day within reason. I started working out on my own- which is fucking hard at almost 260 lbs- everything is hard and everything hurts and it’s frustrating to want to be able to do more, to work really hard and not see results tantamount to the soreness/effort IMMEDIATELY. But it made me feel good, and like I accomplished something, and made me happier. And I got stronger relatively faster bc our bodies WANT to move and be active. After 3 months of doing it on my own I found a fitness studio, 305, that is like hip hop dance cardio- the classes are hard AF but so fun, there’s a live DJ and you do kinda feel like you’re at a party- but even more so it’s an amazing community that supports being yourself, loving yourself, finding your own strength and sexiness and getting fit along the way. It gives me motivation every day! That’s the one that works for me, but sometimes just going to the gym and trotting (still terrible at running lol) is what I need. There’s so many options to move- find one that makes you happy and motivates you. As far as putting myself together- I used to be such a hot mess lol. Didn’t wear much makeup, didn’t do my hair, didn’t like to look at myself. But I think since I feel so much better on the inside, it’s fun now to do up the outside! I started skin care and all that, got an ipsy account and watched some YouTube makeup tutorials, and most shockingly maybe of ALL the things- learned how to wave my hair with a straightener 🤣 seriously fucking hard for me lol! Sorry for this novel length response- but you can change!!! Commitment, loving yourself, and believing that change will come if you stick to it, and that you’re fucking worth it and worth being happy. Because you are!!!
Valuable tips:
1.Down 50 is amazing. Years ago I started at 225, got down to 175, then slowly gained up to 258 because I fell into worse and worse behavior patterns and emotional eating- it was really hard starting 28 lbs over my original starting weight. It was a tough pill to swallow- but one I had to and am really glad I did. Never focus on the “failures” or the missteps. Focus on the new starts, current wins and your unlimited potential. You’re down 50 and that is fucking incredible. If you can lose 50, you can lose as much as you want. We gotta fall a few times before we really learn to stand up straight! Keep going…
2.Fitness has really changed me in so many ways. Physically, which is great, but more importantly mentally. Endorphins are real! I immediately feel a thousand times better after working out. Just sad it took me 36 years to start!
3. I do feel so much better, and it’s so worth making difficult changes. And I finally giving up crash diets/quick fixes and sticking to just being sensible with my diet and commiting to working out has been key. It’s not coming off lightning fast, but it’s definitely coming off and I’m still living life and enjoying things I like. Like a little candy if im craving something sweet. Not a family sized bag laying on my couch lol.
4. A thousand times better. Really happy 🙂 but I worked on being happy so that could commit to losing the weight. Now instead of overeating feeding depression and likewise, taking care of myself emotionally, mentally AND physically and eating well feed each other 🙂 it’s a way better pattern
Weight loss transformation success story 2
I started off with two things. I was at Islands one time seeing surfers on the tv and that’s something I’ve always wanted to do as a SoCal girl born and raised, but I was always too heavyset to do anything like that and it made me miserable. I couldn’t even eat what I ordered. I was disgusted in how far I’d let myself go. At the same time, I was also starting to get into Lebanese music and I saw this incredibly beautiful singer named Haifa Wehbe in this green dress for this song called Fakerni (YouTube it to see the song and dress) and I was immediately amazed. I always wore baggy clothes to hide my body, but I’m like why can’t I wear something like that? It’s a beautiful dress and it looks so seductive and beautiful. Why can’t I feel seductive and beautiful? So that week I got a coach and started working on my fat loss. I fell into powerlifting this way and enjoyed the way I felt and how it helped accentuate my curves with muscle. I tied that with a healthy diet and a love of holistic nutrition and I haven’t looked back since. ☺️
Tips:
- It feels so good! It’s helped me out in so many more ways than just physical fitness.
- I suffered from severe PCOS and have had two blood transfusions because I’ve bled out so much (when I was heavier). I’ve been on birth control for 15 years to control it and finally gave it up this past July. I’ve been eating healthy for a couple years now and I figured it was time to let it go and truly see if I fixed my issue. And it did. My cycles have become more regular and normal. And it’s because I don’t eat the same way I used to. My bouts of severe depression and anxiety have minimized substantially. The true test I think will be if I ever get married and try to get pregnant because I’ve been told when I had PCOS that I would have a really difficult time conceiving. Maybe I’ll update it if those things are ever in the cards for me so I can talk about my fertility haha.
Weight loss transformation success story 3 in their own words:
After having my second child I struggled with postpartum depression and gained a lot of weight as a result (on top of already existing baby weight).
I got my mental health under control and decided it was time to make better choices nutrition wise.
I wish I had better before pictures but avoided the camera and only have three full body pictures of myself over a span of five years.
For 6 months I did strictly calorie in calorie out and averaged around 1200 calories.
After losing 40lbs in those 6 months I started to stall and feel unmotivated so I began to incorporate intermittent fasting and started going back to the gym.
I hit my ultimate goal weight of 140 around 2.5 months ago and since then have been focusing on body re-composition.
I eat 1500 calories now and do 16:8 IF schedule. I’ve lost only 2 more pounds since hitting my goal weight but have gone down two pants sizes and feel everything tightening up.
Everything really clicked for me when I committed to meal planning and tracking everything. I had lost and regained the same 10lbs for 3 months because my choices weren’t as healthy as I thought once I was honest with how much I was eating.
If I’ve already done the work of planning out what I’m going to eat for lunch/dinner then it doesn’t give me a chance to do the whole “oh I don’t know what to eat I’ll just grab a pizza”.
I also used online grocery shopping pickup so I don’t have the temptation to grab junk food. If it’s not in my house then I know I won’t eat it.
I think you just have to experiment and find what works for your body and schedule! My kids take swim and gymnastics at the gym so we are there 4 days a week for that anyways.
I do 15 min stretching, 30 min cardio, 1 hour lifting (rotating muscle groups throughout the week), 15 min stretching. If I did any more than 30 min of cardio I would probably do it on its own day or with something like a light core set.