Sheila lost 39 pounds

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Sheila lost 39 pounds. Determined not to let a family history of obesity and illness affect her future, she embraced regular exercise and changed her eating habits to lose the pounds.  Here is what she shared with us about how she did it…

Hi, my name is Sheila and I am 43 years old. In March of 2014, I had finally had enough. I had become sick and tired of being sick and tired. I had tried time and time again to lose weight but always gave up. After seeing first-hand the effects of obesity and rheumatoid arthritis, which both run rampant in my family, I finally was scared straight into making changes in my life. At 5’3″ tall and 202 pounds, I started working out with a trainer 3 days a week, doing strength training and very little aerobic exercise.  Then, after 6 weeks my trainer dropped me out of the blue. The scale hadn’t moved but I lost a few inches.

I wanted badly to quit at that point but looking back at my family’s health issues I decided to pick up the ball myself. I begin increasing my aerobic activity to 45 minutes three times a week and then up to 5 days a week, mostly walking on the treadmill. I dropped all the fast food I was eating and started cooking and eating more healthy food by incorporating more salads and fresh vegetables into my meal plan. I also added more protein and that helped me with food cravings. Exactly one year later, I’m now happy to report that I weigh 163 pounds. While I am still 33 pounds from my goal, but I am proud of myself. Trust me, if I could do it anyone can. Thank you for letting me share.