Michele lost 120 pounds

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Michele lost 120 pounds.  Starting at over 300 pounds and taking meds for health issuers from sleep apnea to diabetes, Michele knew that it was time for a true lifestyle change.  She has transformed her body, her health and her life.  Read her success story:

My name is Michele Legette. I am 5 feet 9 inches tall and I weighed 306 lbs when I started on this weight loss journey in May 2012. I wanted to live a quality life as well as a quantity life. I had been diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, hyper cholesterol and sleep apnea. I was not able to play with my grandchildren without getting out of breath. I knew I needed to lose weight but it seemed like it was impossible because I did not know where to begin. When I would see people that I knew from my past they would not identify me by name. They would say “God, you got fat”. That sent me in reverse.

Well, in May 2012 I began exercising. At first I worked with a personal trainer for seven months, twice a week and my workouts consisted of mostly Cross fit activities. On my own, I did cardio exercises for an hour, seven days a week. I knew that I did not want surgery, diet pills, etc. MY question was if I stopped eating certain foods, what would happen when I started eating them again? I wondered what would happen if I took pills and then stopped taking them? Therefore, I opted for lifestyle change instead. I ate baked and broiled lean protein, vegetables and nuts. If I wanted something fried, I ate it in moderation but it was not all the time. I ate enough to get the taste of the food, so I was eating 1 piece of some foods to get rid of the cravings.

My transformation took 17 months and I lost 120 pounds.  I am no longer on medication with the help of God. Now, I do strength training, cardiovascular exercises, Cross fit routines and a lot of bodyweight exercises. I’m also running intervals.  I am now a personal trainer as well as a motivational speaker. It is my endeavor to inspire and encourage as many people as possible to take their life back and live life more abundantly. My advice to others is to take it one second, one minute, one hour, one day at a time. It is not impossible and you can do it. Failure is when you fall down and choose not to get up. Success is when you fall down but choose to get up and try again. It has been 25 months since I stared my weight loss journey. I am a work in progress and enjoying my new lease on life. We Got This!