Avicia lost 78 pounds

Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Avicia lost 78 pounds.  After years of yo-yo dieting and fad plans, she found success with green smoothies, clean eating and exercise.  Now she wants to help others change their lives.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

Growing up, I was always a thin girl and never had any weight concerns. I would eat anything I wanted with no issues. I began taking birth control and gained about 30 lbs, but once I stopped taking it the weight fell. Then in 2000, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and within the first year of having her I lost the 70 lbs I gained while pregnant. I was wearing a size 8 again. After gaining a pound here and there, within 5 years I was just over 200 lbs. I started doing whatever quick fix was available. Any new fad for rapid weight loss, I tried. I did lose a few pounds doing that but it soon came back plus some when I stopped following the fad plan. By 2008 I weighed 230 lbs, which was what I weighed the day I gave birth to my daughter.

I started to go to the gym regularly, even spent a couple of thousand dollars on a personal trainer and I lost about 15 pounds over the span of 6 months. Approaching my 29th birthday, I weighed 215 pounds and I took a week off to celebrate. However, one week turned in a month, a year and then 2 years had passed and I had not stepped foot in the gym. The scale continued to move up and by my 30th birthday I weighed 250 pounds. I tried a few diet pills and nothing happened. I talked about losing weight daily but put forth no action. By the end of 2011, I weighed 263 lbs (my heaviest) standing at 5’3” tall. Still unhappy and yet unmotivated, I accepted my weight and thought that I would be a big girl forever.

In February of 2012, I had to undergo a breast reduction and I immediately lost 10 lbs. I began to walk at the track near my home that spring. I lost 5 pounds over that summer, but things were not happening fast enough for me so I gave up yet again. By 2014, I was back in the 250’s and unhealthier than before. Then in April 2014, a friend asked me to join her on the 10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith and I my exact words were “Girl, I can’t be drinking no smoothies all day.”  After more persuasive talks from her and some much needed prayer I decided to give myself 10 days. I began the green smoothie cleanse on 4/20/14 and those were the most challenging 10 days of my life. I can remember sitting in my car in tears while eating an apple (day 5) but I would not let myself give up again. I had to do it for me. I completed the 10 days and continued a couple more and by my birthday on May 2nd I had lost 13 pounds. On that day I decided that I would never go back to my old eating habits and that it was time for me to take control of my life.

I focused on clean eating and ate lotss of vegetables and protein. My day will usually consist of a smoothie for breakfast and lunch then a light dinner, like chicken or fish with veggies and brown rice. I eliminated soda, coffee and juices, so I drink water, green tea and herbal teas. No artificial sweeteners, I will only use stevia if needed. I snack on crunchy veggies like carrots, cucumbers and celery throughout the day. I do my best to stay away from processed foods and foods with GMO’s. The biggest change for me was prepping my meals for a couple of days at a time. It’s helps tremendously. I also prep for upcoming events. No one wants to give up their favorite foods so I plan accordingly. If I know I have an event coming up I really buckle down and eat right so that when the time comes can enjoy a nice cheat meal without guilt. I love cardio, so I walk/run at least 4-5 times a week and I completed my first 8k in March. I recently started yoga and I enjoy it. I also have started some weight training to build muscles.

I followed the guidelines set in place in that book and other books by JJ Smith. Throughout this past year I have been able to lose over 70 pounds. It has been very challenging but extremely rewarding. Today, I weigh 185 lbs, my initial goal was just to get less than 200 lbs, but now I have a new goal set in place of 170 pounds. I am more determined than ever to continue this journey, for me this is a lifestyle change and I will never go back to the old me. The best advice I can give anyone trying to lose weight is to change your perspective. Don’t look for quick fixes because those are temporary solutions to a lifelong problem. Don’t look at it as dieting because dieting comes to an end. If you want permanent results you have to make permanent changes. It’s a lifestyle change!!

I recently attended the Sexy by Summer conference in DC and I became a certified green smoothie cleanse leader. This means that I have been trained by JJ Smith herself and I can teach anyone everything they need to know to be successful on the cleanse. I’m so excited about this new journey.
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