Transformation of the Day: Rebekah lost 59 pounds. While growing up, she was teased by kids and family members due to her weight but never saw herself as overweight. Her wake up call came in the form of a photo posted to social media. This mom decided to change her lifestyle and get healthy for herself and her 3 children. Check out what she shared with us.
My name is Rebekah and I wanted to thank you for the daily success stories that are shared on your website and Facebook page. They are one of the biggest motivations for keeping me while on my weight loss journey. I wanted to share my story with you in hope of encouraging someone else.
I have struggled with my weight all my life. I am 5’4″ and at my heaviest weight I weighed 269. I currently weigh 210 pounds. My motivation for my weight loss journey is my children. I have three wonderful children and I want to be able to keep up with them and show them that you can do anything you put your mind to.
Growing up, I was teased by other children and even some family members about my weight. Even through all the teasing and remarks, I never saw myself as heavy. Throughout all the teasing, over the years, I used food as my a comforter. Food was my best friend, but enough was enough. One of my biggest reality checks was a picture that was shared of me on Facebook in 2013. I could no longer hide the fact that my weight was out of control.
My weight loss journey was a roller coaster, at first. I had plenty ups and downs. There were many times that I wanted to quit. That what kept me going was that I continued to see so many others who had kept going on their own journeys. Plus, I had to find the determination within myself, not only for me but my children as well.
In May 2016 at 242 pounds, I had finally stopped making excuses stopped being on such a terrible roller coaster with my weight. I buckled down and now I weigh 210 pounds (32 lbs gone). I am nowhere near where I want to be, but I know that giving up on myself is not an option.
I have been following a low carb diet, mostly. I eat more vegetables and added more protein to my diet. I drink only water or green tea. I stopped eating sugar and excessive salt. I no longer eat a lot of fried foods, having baked food instead. Also, I do a lot of substitution with my foods when it comes to no longer eating many carbs. For example, I love tacos but instead of eating tortillas I make a bacon shell, lettuce shell or even a cheese shell. I love chocolate but I have found a substitution that works best for me, which is a chocolate meal replacement. I also currently use THRIVE products. In the morning, I normally drink their meal replacement shake (apple pie flavor), which I just love! The rest of my day consists of healthy snacks. For lunch I have a salad and for dinner two cups of veggies and baked meat. I try to not eat after 7 pm.
As for working out, I mostly do a lot of walking. I currently use a pedometer which helps me set new goals and track how many steps a day I take. I also do workout videos on YouTube, like Zumba.
If I could give anyone advice, I would tell them that no matter where you are on your weight loss journey, the first thing you have to do is love yourself. Stay focused on your goals. Don’t get discouraged and don’t let others make you think you can’t achieve what you have set your mind to do. No matter what anyone says, if I can do this you can too. Just keep the reason Why in your mind. Write it down in your office, put it up on the fridge or posted in your car. Keep your Why posted as a reminder.
Also, find out what works for you. If you try something and see that isn’t working find out why. I’ve tried several things from diets, fasting to weight loss pills. I even considered surgery. Most of these methods failed or just weren’t for me.
I would also say that when you decide to start your journey, start small with regard to changing what you eat and how you exercise. When I first started years ago, I tried to just let go of everything that I enjoyed eating all at once, without substitution. I also tried to do all the extreme hardcore workouts. By doing this all at once, I failed. Not only did I fail, I gained more weight after realizing that I failed. Realize that no matter what you do, it’s okay to mess up. When that happens, instead of quitting get right back to it.
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