Kandia lost 68 pounds

Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Kandia lost 68 pounds. This sister from Mali, now living in Colorado, wrote in to share her story with us. After having the classic doctor’s office wakeup call, she did her research, changed her cooking habits and embraced working out regularly at home. Her hard work has paid off.

Hi I’m Kandia. I’m from Mali, West Africa. I’m currently living in Denver Colorado. I have always struggled with excess weight since childhood. I wouldn’t even dare getting onto the scale anymore. It had been years and I didn’t even know how much I weighed. On April 2015, I decided to go for a yearly check up. I found out that I weighed 260 pounds. Fortunately, I didn’t have any health issues related to my excess weight. However, I knew it was just a matter of time until I would end up with a sickesses related to excess weight. I had my wake up call and now I had to do something about it.

My motivation was that I wanted to be fit healthy. I would like to have kids in the future and I know my excess weight could be an obstacle for conceiving. I also wanted to wear clothes that I like. I was tired of hiding my body with darker outfits.

I went to see friend who had successfully lost weight. She gave me a lot of advice about it. I have also done a lot of research on the internet about how food impacts on our body. I researched  our African foods and how to cook a healthy versions of them.

I have always cooked by myself and almost never eat out, which made this journey much easier for me. Now, I cook with less sodium less sugar, less oil and less carbohydrates. I have more high fiber and high protein foods. I also eat a lot of white meat, such as chicken, fish and goat meat, instead of beef or lamb. (Goat meat is lower in fat high and in protein and iron.)

I eat a lot of vegetables; lettuce, tomato, cucumber and avocado are my favorite ones, and I have them almost everyday with breakfast and dinner. Rice is something I love to eat daily, so I have started using brown rice instead of white and I control the portion size (no more than a cup a day). I stopped drinking any sugary drinks. Instead, I drink a lot of water and have green smoothies after workouts.

I have learned a lot about working out as well. I workout 5 to 6 times a weeks in my living room, in front of my TV. Most of my workouts come from YouTube or DVDs. My favs: Jillian Michaels’ 30 Days Shred, Rebecca Louise, Johanna Soh and 6 weeks/6 pack. Most of those workouts are 30 minutes per session. The videos are great short sessions for a fat burning workout.

From April to now, I have lost 68 pounds. I weight 192 pounds today. My height is 5’9″. I still have a way to go, with 12 more pounds to lose to reach my normal bodyweight  My advice for others is that we should not underestimate ourselves. We are stronger than we may think. Let’s have enough courage and determination to take care of our bodies and our lives.