Alicia lost 131 pounds

Great Transformation: Alicia lost 131 pounds. After a serious injury, she was told that for proper healing she needed to lose weight. She chose weight loss surgery, after which she focused on working with a trainer and learning how to live a much healthier lifestyle. Now her life is full of “new experiences, flights without seatbelt extenders, crossed legs and every activity with a weight limit.”

Hello! My name is Alicia L. and I want to tell you about my weight loss journey. Back in the spring of 2009, I suffered what I now know to be my first weight-related health issue. I tripped, fell and nursed the injury for almost a year before finding out that my meniscus was torn. The fact that I am 5’2″ tall and weighed about 350 pounds directly impacted the initial injury and the treatment after. I had surgery to repair the knee in 2010 and the surgeon told me that if I really wanted to heal well, I needed to lose weight. I attempted to lose (as I had so many times before) and was moderately successful in losing a few pounds, but I wasn’t able to maintain the weight loss.

Fast forward to January 1, 2012, when I sat in my bed thinking about it being another year where I said I was going to lose weight and hadn’t been able to do it. A few months prior, I had a conversation with my GYN about the possibility of weight loss surgery and she said I should consider it. In January 2012, I met with a surgeon to discuss my options. I decided on Lap Band Surgery and had my procedure on May 12, 2012 (I was 28 years old). Since then, it has been a beautiful, roller coaster journey.

In July of 2012, I began working with Metra Lundy of Kinetics Personal Training and Fitness in addition to following doctors orders and my nutritionists plan for me. When I began with Kinetics, I couldn’t even make it through the fitness assessment. The week before my surgery I weighed at 351 lbs. Now, I weigh about 220 and feeling great. I’m planning to get to 198 pounds eventually, but I’m taking it slow and toning/tightening along the way. It was important for me have as little loose skin as much as possible, because I know I do not want extensive skin removal surgery. I now workout 4-6 days a week and choose to do something active EVERYDAY! My workouts include personal training, bootcamps, Zumba, Pilates, yoga, and my favorite…WillPower and Grace. I’ve challenged my body to push and challenged my mind to embrace my new life and my new body.

I love cooking which has helped significantly, because meal planning and prepping comes easy to me. I embraced eating well, eating whole and working out regularly. I mostly eat chicken as my meat of choice (always my preference even pre-weight loss) and veggies. I have lots of fresh food and very little processed food. Every day is not perfect and every day is not easy, but I commit and recommit to this being a lifestyle and journey. It has truly been the best thing I have ever, EVER done for myself. There’s no doubt in my mind that I have added years to my life! A life that I can fill with adventures, new experiences, flights without seatbelt extenders, crossed legs and every activity with a weight limit. Thank you for providing a forum to learn and place to share!!!