Kameko lost 27 pounds

Kameko lost 27 pounds with clean eating and lots of exercise. Her lifestyle transformation evolved into a passion for helping others. Today’s she’s a Pilates instructor and owns a fitness company with her sister. 

I’ve been into fitness since I was a child. I was a skinny girl growing up who couldn’t gain weight. After school, I would lift weights and do crunches on my grandmother’s floor. I remember buying a diet kit from the school book fair so I would know how to help my aunt, who wanted to lose weight. 

I reached my heaviest weight in 2011 because I thought that if I put food on my plate, I needed to eat it all, even if I was full. I started eating healthier portions, working out, and I lost the weight.

As I got older, more of my family and friends were diagnosed with diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. So, I became a personal trainer and got an A.A. in Health and Fitness. I wanted to know how to help them and others. 

My weight fluctuated over the years because my old habits would come back. I became serious in 2017. I knew I had a calling to help others and myself. 

I initially thought I would teach yoga, but was advised by one of my yoga teachers to look into Pilates. I did, and I became a Pilates instructor. I learned to focus on strength training, flexibility, breath, posture, and so much more that I can share with others. 

I started a company, KB Fusion Fitness, with my sister this year. We share our love for health and wellness through Pilates, Zumba, and more. We do 21-day challenges to help those who need support and encouragement.

What is your motivation?
Along with helping my family and others, becoming a mom motivated me because I want to model healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle for my children. 

Becoming involved in the Pilates industry motivated me because I was shocked to see Pilates clients of all ages in stupendous conditions. I wanted that for myself. It showed me that age really is a number. Pilates changed my general outlook on my personal lifestyle and re-ignited my passion for getting back on track to achieve what I wanted for myself. 

I also kept going because the weight affected my self-esteem; I was tired of camouflaging my belly, waistline, and arms. Two years ago, I reached a realization point. Ever since then, I’ve been striving to become a better me. 

My true motivation is inspiring people. I use metaphors a lot. I feel that when you start your weight loss journey, you’re the artist with a blank canvas. You get to paint it the way that you envision. When you mess up, you just make that part of the picture, and it’s okay. The more you see that vision manifest, the more excited you get, and the more real it gets because you know that you’re getting closer to seeing the results that you want.

How did you change your eating habits?
I became conscious of how hungry I was (snack hungry, meal hungry, etc.), versus clearing my whole plate even when I was full. I cut out a lot of junk food and stopped drinking sodas and juice. I replaced those with water or sugar-free drink mix in water. I started limiting sugar, sodium, and saturated fats also. 

A typical week of meals for me was clean eating Monday-Friday. I ate whatever I wanted on the weekends. I made sure that my plate was balanced with healthy fats, protein, and carbs. (limiting starches to ¼ of my plate and increasing my veggies to ½ plate)

What did your workout routine consist of? How often did you work out?
I workout Monday through Friday and take it easy on the weekends. In the beginning, I would do bodyweight training (squats, lunges, pushups, etc.) and cardio. Then I started adding HIIT, yoga, Zumba, and Pilates. That’s how my sister and I came up with the idea to start KB Fusion Fitness. She’s a Zumba and group fitness instructor, and I teach Pilates. We wanted to give people a mixture of workouts in one class and motivate them to eat healthier. 

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 197 pounds, and my current weight is 170 pounds. 

What is your height? 
5’11”

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take? 
I started in 2010. I had relapses of working out and eating healthy. Then I’d go back to my old ways of eating and not being active. It took a total of 10 years to get to where I am today. Two years ago is when I became very consistent on my journey.

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey?
No

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Discipline is huge. You have to decide that you want the results and stay committed to doing what it takes to get it. Weight loss is just as much of a mental workout as it is a physical one. You have to train your mind to change its former way of thinking. I limit self-defeating thoughts like “You can’t do it, you don’t have time, you’re too busy, you didn’t do it right, etc.”, and replace those thoughts with positive thinking and solutions.

What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight?
Know why you want it. (The answer to that is different for everybody.) Then, show up every day ready to work towards your goal. If you don’t do everything you set out to do that day, it’s okay. It’s more about celebrating your successes than it is your failures. Focus on what you did right, not what you did wrong or didn’t do.

If you succeed at doing one more thing than what you usually do, you’re still moving towards your goal. If you meant to work out for an hour but only did 10 minutes, that’s still good. Just keep doing something. Keep pressing forward and don’t look back. 

Also, don’t compare yourself or your results to anyone else’s. You are on your own journey to become YOUR best self (as defined by you and you alone). It might not look like someone else’s goals. Be okay with that. Honor yourself where you are. You are STARTING a journey, so give your permission not to have it all right all of the time. 

Finally, I like taking a progress photo (front, back, and sides) every week to see the little changes in my body because sometimes it can feel like you don’t see any progress. Those photos show you those small changes. As long as it doesn’t get obsessive, that can be a cool little trick. My photos motivated me, and I couldn’t wait to see the improvements week after week. Some weeks, there wasn’t an improvement. There was an extra roll instead, lol. However, that motivated me to get back on track.

Instagram: @kamekojackson