Chelshe lost 90 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Chelshe lost 90 pounds. Her Alpha Kappa Alpha soror and best friend sent in her story to be featured. She is an educator and an Alderwoman. A desire to make her mother proud and see her daughter grow up motivated her to focus on her health and her lifestyle. Check out her story.

What was your motivation? What inspired you when you wanted to give up?
My motivation was my daughter. Health wise, The path I was on was dangerous. I knew I wanted to be around to see her grow up.  My inspiration was my late mother. She taught me to write down my goals, because a goal without action is just a thought. Whenever I was frustrated and wanted to give up, I would look at my goals and think about how proud my mother would be that I was sticking to changing my lifestyle.

How long did your transformation take?
I started my journey on June 1, 2016 with diet and exercise. I had Gastric Sleeve weight loss surgery on December 21, 2016. My goal was to establish healthy habits before the surgery that I could continue after the procedure.

How did you change your eating habits?
My first task was to remove carbonated beverages from my diet (I was drinking 4-6 cans a day). I knew that I had a caffeine dependency. I also limited processed foods and sweets. The first day of June 2016 is when I started breaking from caffeine. I had been warned that the headaches could be very bad and wanted to do it when I was on break from work. I also incorporated more lean meats, grains, fruits and vegetables into my diet.

What did your workout routine look like?
I started slow by walking 1 mile a day, 5 days week. Then, I added a mile each week. Now, I workout 3-4 times a week. In addition to walking, I incorporated weights and group exercise classes into my routine. I also took Spin class and Zumba.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight ws 286 pounds and my current weight is 196 pounds. My height is 5’6″.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Weight loss is not just a physical journey, it’s a mental one as well.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Explore all options, but just know that surgical weight-loss is not a quick fix. It’s just a tool that aids in achieving weight loss goals.

Instagram: @CWJArchie