Transformation of the Day: Shaquillia lost 56 pounds. Our UK sista decided that it was time for a change after an embarrassing comment from a classmate and dressing room wake up call. Now, she shares her transformation online to inspire others and let them know that change is possible. Check out how she took action to transform her life.
It all started off when I was at college with my friends at the age of 19. Someone in one of my classes asked me when I was expecting my first baby. I was in shock. My face went bright red, my legs started to shake and I had a lump in my throat. My first reaction was to laugh it off and say, “Ha, ha, I’m not pregnant. I am just bloated.” When I got home, I went to bed and started crying. I bought sweets and snacks from the shop and ate them in bed for the rest of the night. This was in March 2015.
Two months later my friends asked me to go shopping with them. I said yes, of course. We went to my favorite shop, Zara, and I picked up size 16 jeans. When I tried them on they didn’t get pass my knees, let alone fit. From that day forward, I was wearing size 18 clothes, and from that day I knew I had to change. Not only were clothes not fitting, but I was getting gout in my knees and I was so unhealthy. I was always out of breath, even when walking up the stairs at home.
On the 16th of August 2015, I woke up and thought to myself, “I can’t be like this anymore.” I was so unhappy and I wasn’t getting any male attention on night outs. On that day, I had a healthy breakfast and weighed myself. I weighed 14stone 10lbs (206 pounds) and my height was 5’10”. I was mortified and upset, but I knew I wasn’t going to be like this forever.
That same day, I also went to Argos and bought a exercise bike for my bedroom. I set a mini goal for myself to do 45 minutes a day. I did that from that day on. By December, I lost 2 stone 7lbs (35 pounds). I was getting confident again and now I was wearing a size 12 and getting compliments from people saying that I looked good. By the New Year, I weighed 12 stone having lost 2stone and 10lbs (38 pounds).
5 months down the line, it’s June 2016 and I weigh 10 stone 10lbs (150 pounds). I now go to the gym 6 days a week, doing cardio and weights. I’m maintaining my weight and keeping fit and staying healthy. I can now walk into Zara and try on a size 8 Jeans and size XS dresses and tops. 16th of August 2015 is the day I changed my life and didn’t look back. Now, I have a lot more confidence. I’m also sharing my weight loss journey on social media and I’m always willing to help others.
I changed my eating habits by following Slimming World online [UK weight loss program]. I found the Slimming World program amazing because I could eat a lot but I was still losing weight. I could still eat chips, pizza, chicken and chocolates by using my daily sun allowance.
The foods that I cut out while I was on my weight loss journey were fast foods like McDonald’s, KFC, fish and chips and curry houses. I also cut out eating pastry stuff, like sausages rolls as I could eat around 6 on these at one time. As of my healthy regime today, I have things like avocado on brown bread. I eat this a lot after I have finished from the gym. For my snacks, I eat a lot of raisins and peanuts. These are very good when I feel hungry. My daily food routine would be porridge with peanut butter and boiled eggs with avocado with brown brown for breakfast. Then, at lunch time, I would have chicken with vegetables and a little bit of white rice. For my evening meal, I would have chicken with veggies or fish with veggies.
Now, I have 2 days of the week that are treat days where I eat anything I want. I normally do this on a weekend as I can enjoy my weekends with nice food and alcohol. For the other 5 days, I eat very clean and healthy 4 times a day. I now love cooking and sharing my meals on social media to inspire others to eat healthy.
From the day I started, I did 45 minutes on my exercise bike each day. I did this in the morning before work or college, or in the evening while watching the soaps. In January, I started going to the gym with my mum and sister and it was the best decision I ever made. Not only did the gym help with my weight loss, but it also helped with my anxiety. Now, I hardly get any panic anxiety attacks. I go to the gym 6 days a week with one day rest day.
The advice I would give to other people is never give up and know that anything in life is possible when you put your mind to it. Always set mini goals for yourself each month and before you know it you will have achieved them and I will be on to bigger goals.
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