Tamika lost 35 pounds. The birth of her beloved granddaughter is the catalyst that caused her to change her lifestyle because she is determined to see her grow up. She also wanted to look great in photos with her Delta Sigma Theta line sisters during their 20-year Deltaversary. She shared with us how she took action with help from her coach and her personal trainer.
Height: 5’5″
Starting weight: 232 pounds
Current weight: 197 pounds
My name is Tamika. I am 43 years old, and I am on the weight loss journey of a lifetime. My weight has always fluctuated, and I have always tried the quick weight loss options that guarantee lots of weight loss over a short period of time. However, no one ever tells you that the weight will come back ten times quicker.
Reality finally set in on September 20, 2020, when I became a grandma for the first time. I was blessed with a beautiful granddaughter named Riley, who came into this world with a set of heart challenges. It was at that moment that I knew two things;
- I needed to be healthy to be around to see her grow up.
- I did not want to physically look like a grandma, for real.
The birth of Riley jump-started my motivation. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, my other motivation was being able to wear white jeans for a photo with my line sisters during our 20-year Deltaversary.
I slowly started doing things like walking and working out with my favorite personal trainer Sakinah LeStage who motivated me to be healthy physically and mentally. I was consistent with physical activity, but I saw very little change in my appearance or on the dreaded scale. However, I did not give up.
I thank God that I did not because I connected with a phenomenal person in February 2021 named Terry Starks, aka. The Diet Doctor. It was Terry who not only inspired me to keep going, but he gave me the reality check and resources that I needed to begin seeing some changes. Working with Terry has been life-changing. The first thing he did was tell
me I was doing myself a disservice by only eating once or twice a day. I was in complete shock because I was sure that I would lose weight if I did not eat. Terry asked me questions about me as an individual so that he could develop a plan just for me. On February 8, 2021, I started following his meal and workout program and remained consistent.
The meal plan consisted of eating five small healthy meals a day and doing cardio daily. Thankfully, because I was already in a routine of working out with Sakinah LeStage, so the cardio was easy to manage. Remaining consistent wasn’t hard because Terry always sent motivational emails to keep me on track and keep me honest.
Within the first week of being on the plan, I saw a difference in how my clothes fit. After a month, I saw a major improvement, so much that I canceled an appointment that I had with a doctor regarding weight loss surgery.
I’ve been on this journey for a little over seven weeks now, and I have learned some lessons along the way. I learned that to lose weight, I had to change my mindset first. I understood that losing weight was about deciding to change my lifestyle. For example, on Terry’s plan, I had to eliminate cheese. The old me would have told you that I would die
if I could never have cheese. The new me, with a growth mindset, has not had cheese for over seven weeks. I have worked hard to make healthy eating a daily choice.
Next, I learned to trust the process. During my first week, I struggled to eat five small meals. After the first week, I saw how my body was trained to be hungry every 2 to 3 hours.
Lastly, the biggest lesson I learned was that it is ok to share my journey with others. I remained motivated when I saw how my friends and family were supportive of me and my journey.
If I had to advise other women who feel like they have tried everything, I would encourage them to first change their mindset from “I can’t do this” to “I can do this.” I would also tell them to reach out to Mr. Terry Starks (@thedietdoctor) and prepare to be encouraged and motivated while transforming your physical and mental health.
Instagram: @tamikaphillips35
Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, diet plan, exercise plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.
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