Carmen lost 80 pounds

Today’s weight loss success story: Carmen lost 80 pounds.  She committed herself to getting healthy and losing weight and has provided the full details of her weight loss journey.  She gives God all the Glory for helping her to commit to a new lifestyle.  Here is what she shared with us:

Oct 30th: Wow, what a difference a year can make! Today, I am celebrating my one year anniversary of my weight lost journey. My pain is my power, my power is my purpose, and my purpose is my Praise. What was meant to demolish me only polished me. Live, Laugh and I LOVE being a LOSER OF 80 pounds!”

How I did it: 1. God 2. Diet 3. Gym 4. Sleep 5. Vitamins 6. Journaling

What was your motivation?

My pain is my power, my power is my purpose, and my purpose is my Praise. What was meant to demolish me only polished me. Live, Laugh and I LOVE being a LOSER OF 80 pounds!  When I looked in the mirror I didn’t like what I was seeing.  After a couple of stressful situations in my life one day I just had a light bulb moment and made up in my mind that I was going to lose weight because I wanted to be healthy, feel and look better.  First, I asked God to help me with my weight lost through prayer.  I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.  I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle because you cannot catch health but you can catch health related diseases such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular.  I eliminated stress and stressful people from my life.

How did you change your eating habits?

My diet is focused on portion control with a minimum of 50 grams of protein daily.  Example for breakfast I eat the following: a boil egg white, piece of cheddar cheese, 16 ounces of veggie/fruit juice that I make: beet, kale, ginger, pineapple and carrots, snack protein shake, lunch cup of salad with a small can of tuna, snack yogurt, dinner salad/steamed vegetables with grilled steak, fish or chicken.  I drink half of body weight in water.  For example, I weigh 145 pounds so I drink at least 73 ounces of water daily.  I eat and drink three (3) hours before I go to bed, I have a bedtime and I get 8 hours of sleep daily.  I also take the following vitamins daily: Iron, B12, Calcium with Vitamin D and Women’s multiple all from the $1 store.  When I eat out, I order a salad as my appetizer and eat an appetizer as my main entrée or only have an entrée that I eat half of.

What do your workout routines look like?

I joined a gym for $20 a month.  I signed up for the instructional classes to learn how to use the machines and received a written routine by a personal trainer.  My gym routine consists of 6 days per week 90-120 minutes work out.  I do a 5 minute cardio warm-up on the treadmill, 45 minutes of weights that I spend 5 minutes per machine that I alternate upper or lower body for 4 days and 2 days I do a circuit of weights and I finish my work out with 45 – 60 minutes on the treadmill and/or cross trainer.  Twice a month, I go hiking for 5 miles 5 hours and Pole Dancing for an hour.  Once a week I do Soul Line Dancing for 3 hours, Flat belly Work Out for 1 hour, Hip Hop Abs, and just for fun I do Hip Hop Dance on my son’s Wii along with a couple of dips and pull ups.

What was your starting weight?  What is your current weight?

My starting weight was 223 pounds.  My current weight is 145.8 pounds. [80 pounds down over the course of the year.]

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?

The main advice I have for others who want to lose weight is to educate themselves as much as possible about diet and exercise.  Secondly, understand that weight lost is a major lifestyle change.   My lifestyle changed with activities that included entertainment, traveling, hiking, DIY projects, knitting and soul line dancing are just a few to name.  Activities that did not include food but were physically focused.  I begin focusing on what I should eat and drink instead of focusing on what not to eat and drink.  I focused on my weight lost as a battle and a journey.  Third, keep a journal of your weight lost journey.  I picked up my pen and started a weight lost journal that I made a promised to myself to keep for one year.  The journey was so rewarding that I’m keeping the journal until the end of the year.  I also documented my weight lost resources as well in my journal.  I made up in mind that I was going to enjoy the journey no matter where I was at until I reached my goal which the journal helped me see my progress and was great motivation.  I understood that the weight lost was not going to come off fast because I didn’t put on the weight fast so I gave myself at least one year with a change in my diet and physical activity.  You cannot eat a whole pie in one sitting but if you eat a little piece at a time eventually you will eat the whole pie.  Remember anything is a cinch inch by inch and all things are possible through Jesus Christ who strengthens us.  Live, Laugh and Loving Weight Lost!