Raquel lost 51 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Raquel lost 51 pounds. Tired of making excuses and tired of the weight loss rollercoaster, she decided that she would do things differently this time. In her story, she shares the details of how she used at-home workout programs, specific nutrition goals, and consistent workouts to get impressive results.

My name is Raquel, and I would love to share my health and fitness journey to help inspire other women and encourage them to push through to reach their health and fitness goals. 

My journey started several years ago after I had my son, who is now 13 years of age. OMG! Thank GOD, I finally got my act together! I started the journey several times. However, I never stayed consistent enough to reach my goals. I always made excuses about it being too hard, not having time, eating foods I enjoyed eating, not wanting to starve to lose weight, and many other excuses that were just that EXCUSES. 

I have tried every diet that you could possibly think of (Weight Watchers, Keto, Green Smoothie Challenge, 7-day military diet, etc.) Like most diets, they only work if you are consistent. Being consistent was something I could not seem to do. 

In February 2019, I was fed up with how I looked. I hated going shopping. I hated the way clothes looked on me. I didn’t want to be seen out, and I was unhappy and tired of the same cycle of trying to lose weight. I weighed 169 pounds standing at 4 feet, 11 inches tall. I was obese according to my BMI, and that’s precisely how I felt. 

I started writing down what I wanted to change about myself from the inside out. I wrote down my health and fitness goals. I began to look at this as a lifestyle and not a temporary fix because I did not want to repeat the cycle of losing weight and gaining it back. I started to change my mindset and my thought process around weight loss. This became my motivation, and I was eager to get started. 

I also decided to do this on my own. I would try dieting and working out with a friend in the past, and that never worked. This is my journey, and I had to work alone in order to be successful this time around.

I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app to calculate and keep track of what and how much I was consuming each day. I lowered my caloric intake to 1200 calories! I did not let my mind revert to thinking, “I’m going to starve” because that would have halted my entire journey. This time, I was determined to go all the way. 

Next, I began working out at home, as I was a little intimidated to go to a gym because of how uncomfortable I was in my own skin. I started doing Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred program. I told myself that I would do this for 30 days! I found a calendar on Pinterest for the 30 Day Shred that consisted of me doing the workouts four days a week and cardio days a week, which equaled to me working out six days per week. 

All of this was certainly a change for me, but I did it! I ate 1200 calories a day, completed 45 days of the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and lost a total of 12 pounds. I could not believe it! Although I still had a long journey ahead, this victory only motivated me to keep going.

I started getting creative with my meals to eliminate one of the primary reasons I would always quit on myself in the past. I figured if I am going to make this a lasting lifestyle change, I need to make my meals fun! 

I also started looking for my next exercise routine. I purchased the Jillian Michaels’ Kettlebell Workout DVD. I used the same schedule that I used for the 30 Day Shred and lost another 9 pounds in 45 days. I was killing it, Baby! Can you say this girl was on fire? This was going to happen. I could feel it! I had the food calculation down, and I was working out 5-6 days per week. 

Once I completed the Kettlebell DVD, I purchased Shaun T’s T25 program. I did this for five weeks and t another 10-12 pounds. Now, I was down about 30 pounds, and people were starting to notice. I felt amazing and was excited about going shopping and purchasing smaller clothes. Summer 2019 was ending, and I was happy about how far I had come. However, I needed to drop about another 20 pounds. 

By October 2019, I weighed 123 pounds. I was excited, but I felt like I just looked skinny. I started incorporating small weights into my workout routine so that I could start toning. In April 2020, I started an Instagram Fitness page (@Kels_fitness_goalz ) and started sharing my journey with others as I felt comfortable enough to put myself out there. I started creating my own workout sessions. I was still working out 5-6 per week and calorie counting, but I wanted to take this further.

New journey alert! I started looking into how to change my body composition. I found that counting macros, incorporating heavier weights, and strength training would help with that. I increased my calories to 1500 and set my macros to 35% protein, 40% carbs, and 25% fat. I started to see some changes happening to my body, and I loved the results. 

I continued to read and educate myself. To date, I weigh 118 pounds, and my lifestyle change continues. I continue to count macros, and I still workout 5-6 per week. This is the happiest I’ve been in a long time. I’m not looking to lose more weight. My goal is to tone and build muscle. 

I’m super proud of the women I’ve become, and I’m determined to continue this journey while helping other women reach their goals. My advice to women trying to lose weight: Write down your journey, pray about it and ask God to lead you. Stay consistent and show up for yourself because you’re worth it!

Instagram: @Kels_fitness_goalz