Connie lost over 80 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Connie lost over 80 pounds after reaching almost 500 pounds and having a mini stroke. This is a life or death mission for her and she is focused on getting healthy. She is still on her journey, but we want to celebrate her awesome progress. Check out how she did it.

I started this journey back in 2014 after I recovered from a mini stroke. I weighed almost 500 pounds but I’m down to 410 pounds now at 5’5″. I could barely walk and had to use a cane. I have struggled with my weight for many years, but I’m tired of being fat. What inspired me to keep going is I’m tired of being sick. I have diabetes and at one point my A1C was over 13. I knew that if I didn’t lose this weight, it would kill me.

I started exercising while sitting on the couch playing “Just Dance”.  After that, I started using moderation when it came to my eating habits. I cut soda and pop out. I mostly drink detox water now. I use portion control and eat a lot of fruit and veggies. I use a lot of J.J. Smith’s smoothie recipes from her 10 day green smoothie cleanse book and follow her page on Facebook. (She posts a lot of encouraging posts that I need to hear to keep me going.) It is hard for me to follow a diet so I just stuck to the basics.

1. Eat healthy and in moderation
2. Exercise regularly, even if it is just for 10 min. Some movement is better than no movement.
3. Drink plenty of water. I drink detox water everyday.
4. Don’t deprive yourself. When I’m hungry, I eat. I just remember rule number one when I do.

I just stay consistent, try to keep my calories under 2000 and I refuse to give up. If I eat too much one day, I still might beat myself up, but then I get up the next day and try harder. We are only human and we are going to make mistakes.

Now, I workout at almost every day. I switched from “Just Dance” to doing Zumba and using resistance bands. YouTube is my best friend for finding workout videos. I made myself a playlist of Zumba videos. Also, I just starting a walking program. I’m walking a mile now but I want to work up to being able to jog a couple of miles a day.

My advice for others who want to lose weight is that it’s about consistency. It does not matter how fast you are moving as long as you are moving. That is what my doctor told me when she was warning me that I was going to die if I didn’t get my weight under control, and that has stuck with me. I pace myself to what I can do. Everyone is different and you have to find what works best for you. Once you find it, stick with it. Even if you fall off the wagon, acknowledge what you did, get back up and keep going. It will pay off in the long run. Look at me. If I can do it, so can anyone.

I still have a long way to go. I want to lose another 100 lbs, but I’m taking it a little at a time. Hope that my story helps someone else. Thank you

Instagram: @Conina72