Cynthia lost 71 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Cynthia lost 71 pounds. Her doctors advised that releasing the weight could help improve her blood pressure and blood sugar problems. She found the help she needed at a local recreational center and worked on making healthy eating a habit. 53 years old and fabulous! Check out her story.

My name is Cynthia and I am 53 years old. My weigh loss journey started in November 2015. I have high blood pressure and type 2 Diabetes. Every doctor told me that I wouldn’t get any better if I didn’t lose weight. I am 5’4″ tall and weighed 242 pounds at the time. I was also taking 14 pills a day and 4 shots to control my illnesses.

In November, my friend and I decided to start walking. I went from one mile 3 times a week to 5 miles twice a week. I also began working out at the local recreational center in our neighborhood and praying for guidance. Varian May of Tailored Fitness is our trainer at the center. We joined 107.7’s 107 Days Challenge in February 2016. (HOT 107.7 is a radio station here in Birmingham, Al.) The 107 Challenge was done to see which recreational center would lose the most weight in 107 days. Our center won and I won 2nd place.With Varian’s encouraging words, I stopped saying “I can’t” and giving up. “I can!” became my mantra. I go to bootcamp twice a week and walk at least two days a week.

I changed my eating habits by cutting out all the sodas, chips and snacks cakes that I used to start the day with. I began to eat a balanced breakfast instead. Also, I started baking more, eating less fast-food and increasing my water intake by adding fruit and mint to give it favor. I more added vegetables and fruit to my meals and cut out junk food. With everything I stopped eating, I would do a 21 day challenge to make it a habit instead of doing it all at once so that it was easier.

My starting weight was 242 pounds and my current weight is 171 pounds. My advice to others is take the first step and focus on you. Your weight and your health will not change until you do!