Update: Renae has lost 50 pounds.
Weight Loss Journey: Renae lost 41 pounds. After years of struggling with her weight, she is now focused on wellness and fitness. Unemployment, divorce and being a single mom did not stop her. With focus and commitment, she changed her life. Check out how she did it.
My name is Renae M. and I would like to share my transformation story with you. For most of my life, I’ve struggled with managing my weight and living a healthy lifestyle. In 2006, I became pregnant with my first born and it became even harder for me after that. The stress of going through a divorce, becoming unemployed and being a single parent all took a toll on my health and weight. However, I knew that something had to be done.
In 2011, I made the decision to take control of my health and live a more healthy, active lifestyle. The pic on the left was me in 2011 weighing over 225 pounds. I am 5’5″ tall. The pic on the right is me today weighing 184 pounds. It wasn’t easy and keeping the weight off was a struggle for me at first. When you’re surrounded by so many fast food restaurants and you walk past so much junk foods in the grocery stores, the temptation can become overwhelming. I’ve learned that you have to make sacrifices if you want something bad enough and staying fit is my ultimate goal. I never want to go back to being that person I was in 2011 and that’s why I’ve committed myself to maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating more healthy food, drinking over a gallon of water daily and working out consistently.
There were many times I wanted to give up, because I wasn’t seeing the progress that I wanted to see when I wanted to see it, but I never gave up. I knew that I needed to set goals for myself and stick to them.
I spend at least 5 (sometimes 7) days per week at the gym. My workouts consist of lots of weight training. I focus on training a particular muscle group each day. I incorporate everything from bicep exercises, bench press to shoulders. I particularly like back and legs exercises, because those are my two favorite body parts to train. I also include cardio exercises on the stair master, treadmill and elliptical. Those three machines have helped me tremendously along the way. Sometimes, I switch it up and run 2 miles, 2 times a week.
I started eating more vegetables and fruits and I juice them everyday as well. I also eat a lot of fish, chicken, and steak. I’ve stopped eating rice for quite some time and now I eat quinoa mostly. I try to eat as organic as possible. The trick for me has also been portion control. I don’t purchase sodas or fruit juices. Instead, I drink a gallon of water a day. I’ve also cut out sweets, which was hard since I’ve always been a huge chocolate lover. The sacrifice has been worth it though.
To anyone who wants to lose weight I would definitely tell them to NEVER lose hope or be discouraged. Also, never compare your progress to anyone else’s because we are all unique. We have different body types, so the results will never be exactly the same. Trust the process and believe in yourself.
Being fit is now not just a destination for me. It’s a way of life. Through my hard work and dedication I hope to inspire many others along the way.
Instagram: @renaemeyers
Lola says
Happy for you sis!