Ajoke’ shares her 75 pound weight loss story

Today’s featured weight loss story: Ajoke’ shares her 8 year journey to losing 75 pounds.  Now, she’s a Zumba instructor.  This is another example that it may take time (perhaps a significant amount of time) to lose all the weight you want to lose, but in the end you will grateful that you did the Work to change your life.  Here is what she shared with us:

What was your motivation?

My main motivation was that I was tired of yoyo dieting and I wanted to live a long and healthy life. High blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer all run in my family.  I wanted to prevent those illnesses as much as possible.

How did you change your eating habits?

I started eating clean (meaning no processed food) and cutting calories.

What did your workout routines look like?

I started off walking 3 miles every day.  Then I found out about a great cardio workout called Zumba.  5 years ago and I started doing Zumba 3 times a week. I also would lift weights a couple of times throughout the week.

What was your starting weight?

200 pounds was my heaviest weight when I graduated from college in 2004.  However, I really I started to struggle with my weight before, during my senior year in high school when I put on an extra 20 pounds.  Over the summertime, after high school, my weight from 130 pounds to 150 pounds. I was not able to lose that extra weight and carried it on to college.  There I gained a freshman 20, not just 15, lol. That brought me to 170 lbs. until I eventually got to my heaviest weight of 200 lbs. On top of that I am petite at only 5’3″.

What is your current weight?  125 pounds.

How long did your transformation take?

It took me 8 years to lose 75 lbs. I did get discouraged throughout the years because I my weight yo-yo’d for so long that I thought it would never come off for good. Every time I fell off the wagon, I got back on and I did it over again. I am very grateful to say that 2012-2013 has been the 1st year that I have been able to keep all the weight off.  I have learned that eating healthy and exercising is a lifestyle. My fitness philosophy is 80% nutrition, 20% fitness, and 100% mindset. The bottom line is that if you aren’t ready to change you won’t and if you are ready to change you will.

The 1st picture was taking in 2004 and I was 21 years old. The 2nd picture was taking this year on July 4th and I am 30 years old.