Danielle lost 170 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Danielle lost 170 pounds. She released the weight and maintained her success over the past 7 years. She is passionate about telling her story because she was obese throughout adolescence and early adulthood. Check out how she changed her life.

My wellness journey began about 7 years ago when I discovered that I had an eating disorder. I began participating in support groups to address the issue. Over the past 7 years, I’ve maintained a 160+ pound weight loss. I was taken off of diabetes and hypertension medication about 6 years ago. My health and wellness levels continue to improve.

I’m passionate about telling my story because I was obese throughout adolescence and early adulthood. I’d experienced trauma at an early age and didn’t know how to overcome it, so I ate to not feel. Now, I feel my feelings and I work at eating for nutrition instead of emotions. It’s a work in progress that is no where near perfect, but I continue on the journey daily. Life is looking exponentially better than it ever has before.

What was your motivation?
My motivation was my desire to be healthier. I hit rock bottom when I was 26 years old. I weighed 376 pounds at my last recorded weight (I probably weighed more). I was pre-diabetic, pre-hypertensive and taking medications for both conditions.

How did you change your eating habits?
I used to eat all day. I had no structure to my meals and eating anything at anytime was the norm. Now, I have a meal plan that includes eating a certain number of times a day and planning well balanced meals. I eliminated dessert items about six years ago. I work at abstaining from eating things that have added sugar or salt. Also, I’m slowly releasing fried foods and white flour from my meal plan.

What did your work out routine look like?
I work at moving my body regularly. I walk for at least 30 minutes most days of the week, I’ve weight trained as well. I do Yoga, ride a bicycle and center some of my social outings around being physically active.

Starting weight/Current weight
My current weight is 208 pounds, down from 378 pounds. I’m working towards releasing at least 20 more pounds.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned over the past 7 years is that maintaining weight loss is just as difficult as releasing it. We must keep up with the same routines and plans that got us the initial successes in order to stay on the path that leads to greater wellness and health. I’ve also learned the importance of remaining curious about other areas of our life that could use self-improvement too. It’s all interconnected.

What advice would you share with other people who want to lose weight?
The advice that I have for other black women who want to lose weight is to love themselves, regardless of whether they ever lose another pound or not. I’ve never been able to shame, abuse or hate myself into making lasting changes. I continue to love myself into a completely new lifestyle that allows me to work at living my best life on a daily basis.

BWLW, Thanks for reading my story and publishing the articles that you share. They’re inspirational and give hope to many who are working at changing their lives daily.

Instagram: @danielle_faye_gilmore