Elease lost 63 pounds

Mom on a Mission: Elease lost 63 pounds. This mom of 4 made time to change her lifestyle while working full time and being an entrepreneur. She sought out a weight loss program, changed her eating habits and too up walking to lose the pounds. Check out her story.

On my birthday, New Years Eve 2014, I got on the scale and weighed 293 pounds. That was more then what I weighed when I gave birth to my twins. I was devastated. That is when I decided that I was tired of being sick and tired.

I started my journey by making small changes to my diet and purchasing a Fitbit. I saw minimal results. On March 13, 2015, I went in for a consult at the center for medical weight loss. The thing that stuck in my mind the most was when the doctor said, “If you had cancer, you would treat it aggressively.” I opted for the most aggressive program they had; total meal replacement and an appetite suppressant. I also started working out. I did two 6 week rounds of the program. I drank the shakes for 6 weeks and then took a 2 week break, followed by another 6 weeks of shakes.

I changed my eating habits. I ate smaller portions and ate more veggies. I found vegetables I liked and stopped drinking soda pop. I also stopped eating food in the middle of the night. For exercise, I began walking every day for about 30 minutes and worked up to an hour. I would do squats and lunges at the park while my kids played.

I still continue with weekly weigh-ins and making better food choices. To date, I have lost 63.5 pounds. I’m 5’2″ tall. It took me about 9 months to lose the weight.

Advice I would give to others: Take your health seriously. Find things that work for you and if they stop working try somethings else. The weight won’t come off overnight, so be patient. Also, water is your friend.

I always hear that being healthy is expensive, and I say, “So is being overweight.” Make your choice. Nothing is easy, but it is worth it. I was able to make these changes while being a single mother of 4 (ages at the time: 8, 5 and 2 year old twins), working full time and being business owner.