Erica lost 32 pounds

Today’s weight loss success story: Erica lost 32 pounds with hard work and the help of her supportive, fitness minded boyfriend.

Erica gave us all details of her weight loss journey:

“The early part of 2012, I started out at 175 wearing size 13, large, and extra large and it seems that the number was going to keep inching higher if I did not make a change. My boyfriend, who is heavily into fitness: running, lifting, extreme calisthenics, eating healthily and losing weight in the right way, got me started on my journey on June 3, 2012. I discovered how important (and critical) it was to have strong support from loved ones and he was with me every step of the way. He has got to be the most patient man on earth because I kept hounding him with question after question!

Here’s a brief synopsis of what I have done over the last 7 months:

June 3: Took before pics
June 4: Started the Insanity program and wanted to quit the same day but I kept going
August 30: Finally finished Insanity after two knee injuries from a pinched nerve
August 31: Received my core-cardio liptical trainer and started working out on that
September 10: Started P90x and was still using my elliptical
October 20: Stopped doing P90x (too slow, too corny, and some of the moves was seriously aggravating my knee issues, like the Legs & Back set)…kept working out on the elliptical and doing other stuff like squats, jumping jacks, speed walking (all of this while wearing a 10-20# vest)
Novemberish: Added running to the mix while wearing a full sauna suit and also started lifting using my free weights with a dedicated program (I have a 250# weight bench set with olympic bar at home but I’m not interested in using it at this time…not part of the game plan just yet)
November 23: Had to stop running for a few weeks due to right knee pain but kept up with the elliptical
December 5: Threw in an extreme, high intensity calisthenics program that incorporates heavy jump roping 5 days a week – Chiseled in 30
January 16: Finished the CI30 program
January 26: Started back running….hit 2.16 miles my first day back.

In addition to the exercising, I had to do a complete overhaul on my nutrition. As of June 3, I went cold turkey on a lot of my fav foods and drinks: soda, specialty coffees/pastries from Starbucks, white bread, white rice, table sugar, canned veggies, packaged meals, frozen meals, pizza, all fast food, sweets/candies, chips, cookies, etc. I replaced all of that with fresh fruits and veggies (the fresh fruit I keep on the counter for grab and go), home-cooked meals, at least 60oz of water every single day (never leaves my side), brown rice, fresh spinach, egg white omelettes, fresh fish (salmon and tuna steak), limited 97/3 ground beef, limited chicken, no steak or pork. I pretty much stick to 90% salmon and 10% chicken.

In addition to all that I have learned from my boyfriend, I started researching not only what he’s told me but to learn other things for my own understanding. It’s important to understand how everything fits together so that I am able to help someone else. For instance, there are a lot of people who don’t understand what their TDEE is(amount calories your body burns in a 24 hour period) or what it even means. They don’t understand how certain vitamins and minerals feed off of each other to aid in weight loss, so if they’re lacking in one, it could hinder their progress. There is so much to know and understand!

The results of my hard work, DISCIPLINE, dedication, and purpose: total of 17 inches lost from hips, thighs, chest (not bust), and waist; total of 17% body fat lost (from 42% to 25%), and a loss of 32 pounds (just 8 pounds to go!).

My boyfriend, Bishop, took me on a very special cruise from Dec 13-17 to celebrate all that I have accomplished. As of December 12, I had lost 30 pounds. Since then, I’ve lost 2 more (it’s an up and down battle but the trend line goes down). What’s most important is how my clothes fit, how I feel, and how much I have progressed in my workouts. I went from the girl who couldn’t do a single push up to the girl who did the girly push ups to the girl who could knock out 15 in one shot. I went from the girl who could barely kick out 10 burpees to the girl who could jump rope for a minute, do 20 burpees, jump rope for a minute, do 20 burpees, jump rope one more time for a minute. That’s what being FIT really means to me.

My hope is that my story and all of the ups and downs will inspire someone else to not give up…to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and to keep going, to keep pushing.