Francisconia lost 74 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Francisconia lost 74 pounds. This strong sista was faced with weigh gain after her depression led to a suicide attempt. She says that fitness saved her life. Her journey of finding happiness and regaining control turned into a physical and a mental transformation as well. Check out her story.

Starting weight: 248.6 pounds
Current weight: 174.4 pounds
Goal weight: 155 pounds
Height: 5’2″

Growing up, I was always the thick little girl or the big boned one. That was the norm, especially being from the island. After suffering a major depression that led to a suicide attempt, I gained about 60 pounds on top of already being overweight. I started working out to escape my depression. I was in pursuit of being happy and regaining control of me.

I don’t know where I would be without fitness. It saved my life, LITERALLY! I started working out on October 17th, 2016 to be exact, so it’s been about 11 months now. I workout 5-6 times a week at Ican Fitness and I run about 10 miles a week total. My workout routine is intense cardio 2 days of the week (mostly running) and weight lifting on the other days. Yes, I lift heavy to get those curves to show. Ican Fitness is a group training program, but I also workout alone at night incorporating what I learn from my trainers there. I’ve grown to love fitness and I feel bothered when I don’t workout.

I eat right 80% of the time. My eating habits changed by cutting out unnecessary carbs and reducing my sugar intake. When I started working out, I used to eat complex carbs every other day with a serving of vegetables. After losing 50 pounds, I hit a plateau for about 2 months. Then, I intensified my workouts and I consumed complex carbs daily, which I continue to do.

What keeps me motivated is looking at myself on a daily basis and seeing my transformation, but not just physically. Today, I’m a whole different person in all levels of life. I never want to lose myself ever again, so I keep pushing.

My advice to everyone anyone wanting to start this journey would be: Get up and start. Find something that works for you and stick to it. Remain consistent and keep pushing. On the days you want to give up, don’t listen to your body. You can make your body do what you put your mind to. It’s all a mind game, so believe in yourself and the rest is history.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that it is ok to fail. It’s ok to hit rock bottom. The question is, what are you going to do as a person to better yourself? Now, I wake up every day wanting to do better and wanting to be better. I’ve learned that I can pretty much achieve anything that I set my mind to. I’ve learned to be patient with myself and love myself. I just want what’s best for me, which is a healthier and better me.

Instagram: @gigie_24