These days, it seems that you cannot open a newspaper or journal without seeing a medical article warning about the potentially harmful consequences associated with
being overweight or obese. For example, overweight or obese people have higher risks of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, joint pains and diabetes. If you ask me, these are some compelling reasons to make a commitment to shed those extra pounds now.
Last month, for the abovementioned reasons, I shared Anthony’s plant-based journey from sickness to improved health and his mouth-dropping weight loss. This month, we turn our attention to the women with an inspiring transformation from a female who struggled with excess body weight for most of her life and finally said goodbye to a whopping 65 pounds, joint issues and a negative self-image.
The health journey is not always easy but I assure you that you can succeed at achieving your goal. It requires not just expert information, but for most people the support of a Health Coach to inspire and motivate them to accomplish their goals and make long-term lifestyle changes. If you are on
e who struggle with follow-through or quit because you get frustrated with a lack of results, or flat out confused about what to do…I have good news for you so read on.
Shoshana is a 42-year old mother, who was overweight for most of her life and never thought she would be able to lose the weight. When I met Shoshana she was at a low point in her life but she did not stay there. She decided enough is enough and started the journey to change the narrative of her life.
This is her transformation story:
“For the first time in my life, I am radiating with confidence, have structure with my food and exercise regime and have a healthy relationship with myself.
I’ve been considered “thick” my whole life, a comment I learnt to live with but desperately wanted to change. Overtime, I be
came insecure with my body image so much so that I would not take full-length photos and preferred to hide out in the back of our family photos. The truth is, I was becoming tired and frustrated with the body I saw in the mirror but yet lacked the motivation to lose the excess weight.
I appeared to be happy externally, but there was a war going on inside my head. I was struggling to break free from the negative self-talk that was defeating me and further eroding my confidence and self-esteem. Tired of feeling unattractive and embarrassed by the body I lived in, I needed to make some serious life changes. Then came the COVID -19 pandemic bringing with it the lock downs and more time at home to eat and laze around. Like so many others, I became depressed and even more overweight. I gradually noticed that my clothes were not fitting right; my knees were becoming even more painful and despite my frustration with my increasing body weight, my daily routine remained mainly eating and watching television.
In July 2020, when I stepped on the scale, I never imagined that I would be weighing in at close to 300 lbs and so the tears started to flow. At my highest weight, lowest point and just tired of feeling lazy and fat, I knew that I could not continue with the same excuses and expect different results. Something had to change; my health became the #1 priority. I decided it was time to try losing the unwanted weight as I had enough of being “thick” and heavy- it was now or never. However, I had no idea how I was going to transform my body.
Around the end of November 2020, I met my Health Coach Pamela and took the first step on the path of my transformational journey. Three weeks into the Program, I lost 9.5lbs-O.M.G. Seeing the transformation occurring before my eyes was motivation to keep going. My body was finally doing what I wanted it to do – make positive changes and shred the unwanted body fat.
Three (3) months into the journey, my friends, family and work colleagues were stunned at my weight loss, and the fact that I stuck to a plant-based diet and regular exercise. That’s because I live in the USA where there is the convenience of several fast food outlets from which I previously purchased my meals. One of the most memorable comments was a colleague saying to me “
Hi, slim thing”. This was the first time in my life that anyone referred to me as “slim” and it was a joyful feeling.
My weight loss transformation has not always been easy as some days I struggled to remain on track. Losing weight is hard; being fat is also hard so I picked my hard and continued with determination to reach my weight loss goal. I am happy to share with you that I have met my three goals:
Below the 250 marker on the scale
Fit into size 14 clothing
And…. thirteen months later weighing in at my ideal weight of 225 lbs
Imagine no more feeling bloated. No more needing to unbutton my pants just to breathe. No more feeling embarrassed and hiding in family photos or refusing to take full-length photos. It’s an amazing feeling coming out of the holiday season with no weight gain. I never expected to be where I am today. Surprisingly my knee pain abated, I wake up with more energy and I'm confident in my own skin.
I love that others have noticed my transformation and are saying, “You look incredible!” “I am so proud of you for staying with the lifestyle changes.” My life is on a completely new trajectory and if I can do it, trust me, you can as well! My transformation is worth every ounce of blood, sweat and tears!”
Now it’s time to write your transformation story- I promise you it will be epic!
Comments