Chanel lost 67 pounds

#TBT #throwbackthursday #FuckDepression #Walk👣 #BriskWalk👣 Get Help if You Need it #Therapy #Medication, #exercise, etc. I’m STILL working on being a Better Me. I’m #Grateful 4 my Journey so I no longer allow myself 2 be #Mad #Sad or #Bitter everyday, any more! #LetThatNegativeShitGo #BabyStepsAddUp To read more about My #journey click the link in my Bio. & #Read: http://www.blackweightlosssuccess.com/chanel-lost-67-pounds/#.WNPONp9lDqA Fyi* #MyStomachIsFlatBecauseIBoughtItIn2005

A post shared by BriskWalkLady (@briskwalklady) on Mar 23, 2017 at 6:37am PDT

Update 2016 – Chanel wrote in to update us on her journey. She’s lost an additional 32 pounds since January 2016 for a total of 89 pounds gone. In April, went in for a high blood pressure check and her doctor told her that alcohol was endangering her health. She kicked wine out, going cold turkey for 3 weeks, and found new ways to deal with her pain and frustration. Check out the wisdom she shared.

Hi, I just wanted to give a update on my weight loss journey. I changed my IG & Twitter name to @BriskWalkLady. I also now have a blog: www.BriskWalkLady.com I have officially lost 89 pounds naturally in the last 24 months. I changed my eating habits for the better, brisk walked at least 5 miles per day, 5 times a week, and kept negativity out of my life. August 26, 2016 will be my 2 year anniversary of getting healthy again. I am no longer pre-diabetic, and no longer on high blood pressure meds. I’m no longer morbidly obese and no longer depressed every single day.

I was stuck in the 220’s with leg edema for over 6+ months. Then finally, in April 2016, I went for my high blood pressure check up and my doctor told me straight up: ‘You have to stop drinking.’ After I left the appointment and got in my car, the 1st song I heard playing was J.Cole’s  ‘Love Yourz’ and the 1st lyrics I heard were: So tell me mama please why you be drinking all the time?/Does all the pain he brought you still linger in your mind?

I knew at that very moment, that it was Finally time to stop my nightly ritual of drinking wine every night. I had been drinking a bottle of wine every night for the last 10 years, ever since my divorce. It started off as a way to relax and then became a bad habit. That night, I went cold turkey and continued for 3 weeks straight. Thankfully, I didn’t get the shakes or any bad side effects. (*Warning: talk to your doctor before doing this.*) My blood pressure went to normal within the 1st few days. It hadn’t been normal my entire 30s. I do still enjoy wine, but now I drink it in moderation and not everyday.

I share my journey hoping it will help someone. What I have learned is that sometimes we hold on to Pain, Anger, Frustration, Heartache, etc. like a badge of honor, when in reality there are NO rewards nor trophies for holding onto pain. The longer you hold on to it, the longer it will eat you alive. I definitely learned that the hard way.

I am so grateful for my journey. I finally found a way to channel all my frustration through brisk walking and took care of my mental health as well. If I can change my life for the better, YOU CAN TOO! No matter what you are dealing with, just start a healthy habit of some form today because one thing we can’t recycle is wasted time.

January 2016 – Great Transformation: Chanel lost 67 pounds. Neglecting her physical health and mental health, led to depression, isolation and weight gain. After some major life challenges, she pulled herself up and out of a dark place and worked very hard to change her life. The thing I love the most that she shared is, “Start making the needed changes for yourself today, because the one thing we can’t recycle is wasted time.” Check out her awesome story…

Starting weight: 282+ pounds
Current weight: 215-220 pounds (depending on my salt intake)
38 years old

Hi I’m Chanel M. I’m from West LA and I live in the LBC. I’m 5’5″ tall and I’ve lost 67 pounds naturally by brisk walking at least 5 times a week and making small changes to my eating habits, as well as taking care of my mental health. I’m sharing my story because a lot of women deal with depression, just as I have. I hope that by sharing my story I can help someone make the necessary changes to get back healthy physically and mentally.

My highest weight was 282 and I wore a size 22/24 (back in Feb 2014). I’m certain that I got bigger than that, however when I reached 282 pounds I just stop weighing myself so I wouldn’t become even more depressed. Prior to having my 13 year old, I had always been very fit and outgoing. I got very lazy during pregnancy and ate all types of junk. I gained 94 pounds and did not have gestational diabetes.

After I had my kiddo, I became obsessed with trying to get my pre-pregnancy body back. I did this water shot diet and I lost all the weight in an unhealthy way in less than 4 months. I then decided to have plastic surgery; breast implants replacement, tummy tuck and explantation (when they remove your breast implants). The tummy tuck went ok, however my breast implants were botched and the explantation was even worse. This caused me to become very sad. A few months after surgery, I started gaining all of the weight back that I’d lost with the diet.

Then severe depression kicked in. I got divorced, went broke and basically became a depressed, 2X Hot Cheetos eating, wino who was on the county dime. By 2009, I was a hermit, morbidly obese and on high blood pressure medicine. I literally didn’t leave my apartment for about 4 years, unless I was going to the store or to take my child back and forth to school. Unbeknownst to me, I had previously had postpartum depression after pregnancy and that led to major depression later. No one really spoke about postpartum depression in 2002, so I didn’t even know that I had experienced it until more than a decade later (in 2013) when I finally decided to start making positive life changes.

That’s when I put myself in therapy, got a psychiatrist and got on a antidepressant. The therapy and medication helped A LOT. After more than a year of therapy, I went back to working.  Then, in August of 2014, a close friend basically told me that “enough is enough”. It was either get healthy and happy again or continue to have my “pity party” and die young. I choose getting healthy and happy.

08/26/2014 was the 1st day I started brisk walking. I couldn’t even go an entire block without stopping to take a break. I didn’t let that discourage me though. Each week, I added a little more distance. 1 mile in Sept. 2 miles in Oct. 3 miles in Nov. 4 miles in Dec. Now, I do at at least 5 miles a night at least 5 times a week and I really enjoy it. I listen to music and “pound the pavement” in my neighborhood.

Eating Habits: I no longer drink juice, soda, etc. I drink a lot of water, always with cucumbers, blueberries and raspberries in it. I eat mostly fish, fruits and vegetables. I have chicken no more than times a week and I don’t eat pork or beef anymore. I’ve tried to eat those meats few times and with in 15-30 min, my body instantly let me know that “we” no longer eat that. lol. I also stopped eating chips on a regular basis. However, I do occasionally have a small 59 cent bag (like once a month but no more than that or I instantly swell up). I plan on making even more food choice changes.

I now only take 1 low dose high blood pressure pill, whereas before I took 2 with way higher dosages. I can’t wait to be off all medication. I’m 60% to my goal weight and I know that I will reach it eventually. I also still give myself at least 1 cheat meal a week.

My advice for anyone wanting to get healthy, is start eating healthier foods (vegetables, fruit, fish, etc.) Find some type of physical activity you like to do and stick to it. Start slow and add a little more. You don’t have to have a trainer or have a gym membership to start getting back healthy. I love working out outside, plus it’s FREE. I lived in a gated community (in the hood and I love it), so I workout there. My neighbors have been beyond encouraging and that has helped tremendously. Surround yourself with people who will help and want to see you get healthy. Also, download the Nike running app. It is awesome and seeing what you have achieved is very motivating.

Lastly, in our communities we don’t like to talk about mental health, but we need to! If you are depressed or dealing with any mental health issues, seek help asap! Don’t sit around waiting for something to change. Trust me, I did and all that did was make me morbidly obese and depressed. Start making the needed changes for yourself today, because the one thing we can’t recycle is wasted time.

New Instagram: @Briskwalklady