Marketa lost 108 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Marketa lost 108 pounds. She was dealing with depression, a number of health issues and felt that her health was on the decline. After college, she decided to use the same energy that helped her to graduate to reach her weight loss goals. She shared with us about how changing focus, changing her eating habits and connecting with a local fitness group helped her to change her life.

What inspired me and my motivation for weight loss was a number of things. I was suffering from hypertension, migranes daily, depression and my health was plummeting. I knew I needed to change but just did not have the desire to. I even remember there was a time when I tried to get on a rollercoaster ride and there were two men trying to let the bar down to lock me in. Unfortunately, they could not do it, so I wasn’t able to ride.

The turning point for me was when I graduated from college in December of 2012. This was a very challenging time for me because I never thought that I could do anything close to that. With faith and hard work, I was able to graduate and with a 3.6 GPA. I thought to myself, “Hey, if I can put my efforts into graduating college, then I can do the same thing when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy.”

I started to research online and came across the Biggest Loser weight loss show. I saw some of the pictures and transformations and became more inspired. Then. I did research on what was close to my home town similar to the show and I discovered a fitness organization called “Biggest Loser Memphis”, now known as “Fit Nation Inc“. I immediately joined and was excited to start on this new journey. I connected with the group and I started working out 3-4 times a week with Fit Nation and with this awesome personal trainer Toye Bogard (who is also the CEO). The workouts included cardio, weights and boot camp style workouts to the latest music. I also do Fit Nation classes called Max Skype, which is a combination of cardio and strength building in the convenience of my home. I also completed my first half marathon with the group last year.

Eating Habits: I eliminated soda, bread, added sugar, junk food and fried foods from my diet. I increased my water intake, eating fresh vegetables and eating lean meats, such as chicken and turkey. When I started I was somewhere around 276 pounds. I am 5’5″ and I currently weigh 168 pounds. I feel great! Joining Fit Nation has drastically changed my life for the better! Most of the weight took me about a year to lose. I want to lose a little more, but I am happy with my results thus far.

The advice I would give to others is to stay focused on your goals and change the way you think about health and fitness. I would also recommend creating an environment which promotes a healthy lifestyle to help achieve goals and surpass them. This worked for me. I became involved with a fitness group. I eliminated unhealthy foods out of my home and set realistic goals for myself. There will be bumps in the road and obstacles but you are so worth the fight!! Don’t give up!

I have a facebook page/blog called Live Well Beautiful where we promote healthy living holistically and just give good tips on how to become the best version of you.

Instagram: @MEHUD23