Transformation of the Day: Candice lost 55 pounds. With her son as her motivation, she is on a mission to avoid all of the preventable diseases that have affected the lives of her family members. By working out and making more health-conscious food choices, she has transformed her body and life. Check out her story.
What is your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you want to give up?
My motivation has been my son. So many minorities are dying simply because of diseases that we have brought on ourselves. High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, kidney failure, strokes, all of which could be prevented by choosing a healthier lifestyle (…in the cases where you weren’t born with any of those health issues, of course). I want to be around for my son. I want to see him grow up, get married, and have children. So, I plan to do my part in ensuring that I’m around for it all!
Whenever I feel like I want to give up, I just think of my son, and all of the family members that I have lost to preventable diseases, including my grandmother, my great grandmother, and my uncle. They all inspire me to keep pushing.
How did you change your eating habits?
Whenever I make a decision regarding my eating habits, I do my research. About nine years ago, I stopped eating pork and beef. I stopped eating beef because of the amount of time it sits in your intestines before it’s broken down by your body. I figure that anything that takes that long can’t be beneficial to your health. I stopped eating pork due to its high sodium content. High sodium contributes to high blood pressure, which in turn leads to strokes. I figure it’s safer to eliminate it from my diet all together.
I stopped eating canned veggies because of the high sodium content as well. I started getting fresh, raw vegetables instead. I watched a lot of YouTube videos to find healthy recipes because I didn’t grow up eating veggies and had no idea how to cook them!
I started drinking lots of water (no less than a half a gallon a day, but shooting for a gallon each day). I stopped eating all fried foods and fast food and stopped drinking sodas and juice. I just made more health-conscious food choices in general.
Tell us about your workout routine.
I work out five times a week. I do cardio on the treadmill, Stairmaster, or elliptical in the morning before work/school. Then, I have my weight training sessions after work/school.
Starting weight/Current weight
My initial starting weight was 190 pounds. Today, I weigh 145 pounds. I’m 5’5″.
When did you start your journey?
My journey actually started about seven years ago. I’ve stopped and started over so many times within that time frame. I’ve had a few personal trainers and joined several workout groups. Eventually, I started just working out alone.
I’m still on my journey. I’ve transformed it into a lifestyle. I enjoy exercising, seeing results, and accomplishing the goals I set out for myself. I even started helping other women on their journeys by creating meal plans and working out with them. With consistency, they have all been successful!
Was weight loss surgery part of your journey?
I haven’t had any surgery or procedures, just lots of hard work and consistency!
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
I learned not to rush. When you’re doing things the right way, it takes time. When you want to make PERMANENT changes and not just a quick fix, it takes time. I’ve learned to keep going and to be patient. As they say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”, and you can’t rush GREATNESS! A meme I saw on social media put it like this “Your body isn’t Amazon Prime. It is not going to come in a day!”
What advice would you like to share with women who want to lose weight?
My best advice is for anyone on their journey is to remain consistent, be patient, and DON’T GIVE UP! We are human. We have times where we just aren’t into it anymore, and we want to go back to doing what was easier and more comfortable. However, you have to think of the future. The ultimate goal is to be a healthier you. The choices we make will set us up for the days to come!
Instagram: @ikhandy_fitness
Ms. C says
OMG. I want those arms. I haven’t figured out the right exercises. Congrats! You look amazing.
Candice says
Thank you so much!!!!
Ms shawn says
Wow!!you look absolutely AMAZING!!So inspiring! Thank you for Your story. Lost 34lbs myself.. I know. How hard it is. Your.Arms are AMAZING! ! Tips for me please!!
Candice says
Thank you!! Weight training along with a clean diet. A few good exercises to help with toning arms are shoulder presses, bicep curls, lateral raises, and rear delt raises. YouTube can show you how to perform the moves correctly, and recommend how much of each to exercise to do!!! Congrats on your success thus far, keep it going!!! We’ve got this!!