Tonya lost more than 70 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Tonya lost more than 70 pounds. Last year, she realized that she was not making her health a priority. This Delta Sigma Theta soror decided that the backaches, knee pain and high blood pressure medication had to go. Check out how she took action to change her life.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a doctor’s visit in May 2016. At that time, I tipped the scale at 282 pounds. When I saw the numbers on the scale, I was like, “Wow Tonya, you’ve got to do something about this!”

I piled on the pounds for years and really didn’t pay attention to myself. All my adult life, I was told that I carry my weight well. That’s one reason why I never made it a priority. When I saw those numbers, I got serious. I know that I have to be an example for my 26 and 16 year-old daughters. Above all, I want to be healthy. The backaches, knee pain and high blood pressure had to go. I was feeling very low, so I had a conversation with God. I asked him for his guidance and strength as I began living a healthier lifestyle.

The answer to my prayers came in the form of an email. Weight Watchers sent a promotion to all New York City employees advertising employee discounts. I took advantage of the offer and attended my first meeting July 25, 2016.

During my first week of Weight Watchers, I decided to eat like I normally ate to see how many points I consumed in one day. Before lunch time, I’d exhausted all my daily points. I was shocked because I felt that I didn’t “eat that much”. I texted the following message to my girlfriend “Well, no wonder I’m a porker!” The next day, I started paying attention to portions.

Since joining Weight Watchers, I have made small changes to what I eat and I monitor how much I eat. I had some setbacks along the way but I keep pushing forward. This journey has its ups and downs, but I can truly say that it is so worth it. The back pains are gone. I’m no longer out of breath and I’m no longer on blood pressure medication.

In addition to changing my eating habits, I incorporate movement in my daily activities. Now, I park my car 2 miles away and walk to and from work. Instead of sending emails or making phone calls from my desk, I get up and walk around to deliver messages or handle issues. These changes increased my daily steps from 3,000-4,000 to 10,000-14,000 per day.

After one year of portion control and exercise, here are the stats:

• I’ve released 77 pounds.
• My pants size has gone from a 22w to a 14w/16r
• I’ve gone from a size 2x to a size medium in tops. (I’m pear shaped)
• I’m down ½ of a shoe size!
• Current weight is 205 pounds, standing at 5’5”
• My doctors are jealous.

My advice for people who would like to lose weight is to ask for strength and guidance from God. Also, seek out supportive people. The most important thing is to remember that it all starts with YOU…if YOU are not ready, it will not happen.