Chonda lost 52 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Chonda lost 52 pounds and transformed her body. This petite and powerful mom’s prayer was to live a healthier lifestyle and learn to enjoy fitness. After losing a significant amount of weight, she decided to step up her efforts become a Figure Competitor, placing 4th in her first competition. Check out her story.

I developed a lifestyle focused on fitness 2 years ago. I have lost 50 pounds during this process and entered my first figure competition, placing 4th. When I started this journey, I just wanted to live a better, healthier lifestyle. My prayer was to learn how to love and enjoy the process.

Losing weight was not always a struggle for me. However, after having three children and after years of not taking care of my self, it was no longer an easy process. I guess that my motivation came after my unsuccessful marriage. No, not from a place of revenge, but of finally having the opportunity to put me first. I prayed and asked God to help me get to a place where I loved fitness. I wanted to get to a point where working out became an enjoyment and a part of my lifestyle.

I was introduced to a trainer in the area, Jerome Teasley, and began to work with him three days a week. Jerome has a gift of meeting a person where they are and gradually pushing them to progress in their workouts. My workouts consisted of weights and cardio. He would have me do a weight training set using weights or a weight machine and then move on to some jumping jacks, push-ups or mountain climbs.

My diet consisted of three meals, two snacks and a gallon of water a day. I struggled with the water. For breakfast, I would eat egg whites and oatmeal or egg whites with cheese and spinach. A snack would be a piece of fruit, such as green apple, pears, any berry and almonds or yogurt. For lunch, I had a salad with a protein (lean meat – baked or grilled). My dinner would be lean meat, 1 cup of vegetable, brown rice or pasta or a sweet potato.

I started working out in June of 2013 at around 143 pounds and by November of 2015, I weighed 116 pounds. My height is 4’11”. After getting down to 116 Lbs, I realized that I had fallen in love with the process and decided that I wanted to push myself even more, so I entered into a fitness competition as a figure competitor.

My diet became more strict because I had to become very lean. I had to drink a gallon of water every day, no excuses. We did weight training six days a week. With my competition diet, I had to eat every 3 hours, so it was very important to meal prep and carry my lunch bag every where I went. The meal plan consisted of a lot of proteins and vegetables. During my workouts, I began to lift heavier weights and increased my cardio to one hour, twice a day six days a week. I trained for the competition over the course of five months. On the day of the competition, I weighed 91 pounds at 4ft 11in tall. I placed forth in the Novice Figure Division.

The biggest advice I have to share about successfully losing weight and transforming your body is to fall in love with fitness and enjoy the process.

Instagram: @terriaficwoman_74