Breeshé lost 40 pounds

Breeshé lost 40 pounds. She didn’t let PCOS, pre-diabetes, headaches, or low self-esteem stop her from pursuing a healthy lifestyle. After doing lots of research, she found that Keto and Intermittent fasting was the right combination for her. Check out her story.

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going when you wanted to give up?
I got tired of being sick and tired all the time. I have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic since I was about ten years old. I found out that I also had PCOS, but not until I was 20.

I didn’t like how my clothes looked on me. Seeing unflattering pictures of myself caused me to have low self-esteem. Being also overweight caused me to have digestive issues, and it in conjunction with my PCOS, it caused me to experience long, painful menstrual cycles. I suffered from unexplained headaches and back pain as well.

Every time I went to the doctor, I heard the same thing, “Losing weight will help.” After the appointment, I would begin to eat better and exercise. I would be on a little health kick for a few weeks. Then, I would entirely fall back into my old habits again.

I moved to Arizona at the beginning of 2018. I wanted the move to be an overall fresh start for me. I did some research and found what turned out to be a great and supportive primary care physician. I was initially looking into and taking steps to have weight loss surgery, but I was told that I barely qualified. The nurse practitioner at the weight loss center told me not to lose any weight. Instead, the nurse suggested that I gain about 5 pounds to make sure I would qualify for the surgery through my insurance.

I was discouraged about the thought of having to stay fat for another 6-8 months while I went through the steps to qualify for weight loss surgery. I spoke with my primary doctor, who discouraged me from taking that route and instead encouraged me to lose weight naturally. So I embarked on my journey.

Seeing the scale move, seeing my clothes fit better, feeling more energetic, and finding out I am no longer pre-diabetic helped me stay motivated when I wanted to give up. I joined a few different groups on Facebook for support with Keto and Intermittent Fasting. Also, tracking my progress through MyFitnessPal was very helpful.

How did you change your eating habits?
I wasn’t looking for another diet. I wanted to find something that was sustainable long term. I started by researching a Ketogenic way of eating. While I was doing research, intermittent fasting was mentioned. So I decided to research that as well.

I jumped in headfirst and adopted a Ketogenic way of eating along with intermittent fasting (16:8). Keto and intermittent fasting are not diets to me but a new way of life.

For those not familiar with intermittent fasting, 16:8 means fasting for 16 hours and only eating within an 8-hour window. I stuck to 16:8 for the first couple of weeks to give myself some consistency and time to adjust to fasting. I generally ate/eat between noon – 8 p.m. While I try to keep my food Keto, I do switch up my fasting schedule now that I am more comfortable.

What did your workout routine consist of?
I haven’t started working out yet. Monday through Friday, I do try to walk at least 1-2 miles a day. I plan on adding some light weight lifting a few days a week starting next week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 264 pounds, and my current weight is 223.6 lbs.

What is your height?
5’8″

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
I started on March 10th, 2019, at 264 pounds. As of June 23rd, 2019, I am down to 223.6 lbs. My goal weight is 175 pounds, and I hope to reach that by the end of the year (2019).

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I learned was to not compare my journey to anyone else’s. We are all different. Some people lose faster than others. Also, what works for one person may not work for you. I had to find what worked best for me individually and do things in a way that I would be the most successful. There are a lot of people who do Keto and Intermittent Fasting, but if you ask one person what they do, it may be completely different from what the next person will tell you. I had to use what I researched as a base in the beginning and then tweak it to fit perfectly for me.

What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
Stay consistent. Nothing happens overnight. There will be times when you give in to your weakness but don’t beat yourself up. Don’t give up on yourself. Start fresh the next day. To be successful, you have to really want this for yourself.

 Instagram: @shay.b_93