LaKesha lost 22 pounds

LaKesha lost 22 pounds. On her 38th birthday, she decided that life was too short to not be happy or to live with regrets. She commited to healthy eating and exercise, but she also prayed, fasted and cultivated a positive, focused mindset. Check out her journey.

I experienced weight gain after having a hysterectomy in February 2016. I nearly died during that surgery as a result of blood loss and experienced a hard recovery, which took months.

Around May 2016, after my 38th birthday, I remember feeling like life was too short to not be happy or to live life with regrets. I decided that the month after my birthday I would totally work on me. I would focus completely, mind, body and soul. My goal was to not allow anything or anyone to stop me. 10 months ago, on June 7, 2016, I was at my highest weight of 170 pounds.

I realized that for me to truly be happy, I had to start from within. So, I began to work totally on me in every way. I was realizing my truths, loving myself without explanation and not caring about what others thought. I stopped seeking approval from others. Instead of dedicating myself solely to others and their happiness, I redirected that time into myself and loving me for me. I made the tough decision to cut things out of my life that had a negative effect on me and and negative people. I chose to value myself enough to walking away, no matter what anyone thought.

Fasting and prayer helped me to heal my mind, body and soul. I also started writing down goals and visions. Then, I began to exercise for health and fitness. It was a slow process, so I reached out to a high school friend who is a trainer. I work out 6 days a week. On 3 days, I do cardio alone on my own, and 3 other days I do weight training with my trainer.

I changed my eating habits by eliminating sweets (my weakness: pastries) and cutting out a lot of sugar by substituting with honey. Clean eating, low carbs and no breads. I start eating more green leafy vegetables and grilled meats (mostly chicken). I drank lots of water and cut out sugary beverages. I eat more times a day than I did before, at least 5 times a day. I eat smaller portions and at night I have a egg whites and grapefruit as my last meal of the day. No diet plan, because I wanted a lifestyle change.

I have gone from a size 12 to 6. I’m now weigh 148 pounds. My goal was to lose 20 lbs (reaching 150 lbs). I am 5 ft, 4 in tall. I wanted to succeed and continue far pass my weight loss goal, which I’ve accomplished. My new goal is to continue eating clean and becoming lean and fit. By my 4oth birthday, I want to be lean and toned completely.

What motivates me to keep going is my 23 year old daughter. She’s my pride and joy. I know that she looks up to me and I want to be an example for her to never give up and
to know that self love is key.

I want to let other people know that doesn’t matter how long it takes to reach your goals in life (weight loss, career goals, etc). Make up in your mind that you want to do it, then get up and do it. Tell yourself that you can, no matter how hard it is. There’s no race and no competition. The only competition there is between you and yourself. You vs. You.

You must change your mind and the way you think first, before anything else. Don’t allow negative to dwell in you. Even if you are in a bad situation, decide that daily you will find something positive to say about yourself and that day. Once you focus, that’s when the motivation will come and your drive will become stronger. When you want to stop, always remember why you started in the first place and allow that to push you even more.

My daily goal is to be the best me that I can be. Better than the day before. Be blessed and stay encouraged. We’re all beautiful in Gods eyes. We just have to believe that about ourselves.