Yolanda lost 61 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Yolanda lost 61 pounds. This mom of three gained 40 lbs with her last pregnancy. She didn’t feel good about the way she looked and felt, so she decided to turn that negative energy into positive motivation. Key to her journey was identifying carbs that she needed cut out. Check out her story.

I am a mother of three. After gaining 40+ pounds while pregnant with my daughter, I knew I had to get that weight off. My starting weight was 225 pounds. My current weight is 164 pounds. I am 5’4 1/2″. My daily routine; exercising, daily protein shakes, portion control and not eating after 7pm. I’ve almost reached my desired weight, with 20 lbs to go. I was successful on my journey through the grace of God, motivation and determination.

My weight loss journey satarted on 1/2/2015. My motivation was to become healthy and to stay active. I was inspired by a co-worker who lost 60 pounds. Looking at her before and after pictures made me feel like I could do that too. I kept looking at myself and feeling disgusted at what I was seeing when I had excess weight on. I felt so disgusted with myself and that feeling motivated me. I would think about how I would look if I was smaller.

I am a true vegetarian/vegan and I have been committed for 14 years. Most people think that just because you are a vegetarian/vegan, you should automatically be small. However, that’s not the case. I ate a lot of carbs. Actually, I ate too many of the wrong carbs, since my food groups were restricted. Once I realized how the body works and discovered the keys to losing weight, I limited my carbs intake. Once I limited certain carbs, like pasta and bread, and started substituting more veggies instead, along with my protein shakes. Thats when the pounds started coming off tremendously. Cuttimg back on carbs gave me more energy.

In the beginning, I would walk/jog daily for 2 miles. I now workout 3 days a week for at least 45 minutes. I take the stairs instead of elavator, I park further away from the building at my workplace.

For others who want to lose weight ,my advice to them is to set a small goal first. Once you meet that goal, set another one. The more goals you set and meet, the more you will be motivated. Motivation starts within. If you don’t like the way you look, do something about it. Look at yourself in the mirror and consider the feeling you feel towards that person that is staring back at you. Use that feeling to make a change.

Most of the time when it comes to diet, we all hate saying that word. Healthy is a better term. We are not successful with diets most of the time because many diets require us to stop eating our favorite foods. My thought towards this is that you can continue to eat what you like if you cut back on your portion sizes. After you meet each goal you set for yourself, reward yourself with a piece of cake, candy bar or something you like. It shouldn’t be an everyday thing, but maybe once a month.

I just want you to know you can do it too!