Transformation of the Day: Georgia lost 100 pounds. She faced the emotional ups and downs of infertility and IVF. With IVF, the hormone injections brought weight gain, which led to knee issues. Ultimately, she just wanted to be the happiest and healthiest mom and wife she could be. She tried Weight Watchers, and it changed her life. Check out her story. 
I’m a 40-year-old wife to the most amazingly supportive man. I’m also a mother of a 5-year-old beautiful girl and 3-year-old handsome boy! I’ve been overweight all my life! There has never been a “skinny” Georgia. In middle school, high school, and pretty much all my adult life, I’ve weighed over 250 pounds, most of the time closer to 300lbs
We struggled with having children and quickly learned we had infertility issues. The only way to have children was through IVF. Infertility and IVF come with so many emotional ups and downs. They also come with weight gain due to all the hormone injections you give yourself. So, after both pregnancies, I had knee issues. I couldn’t do a squat or a lunge, and many days it was a challenge to get up off the floor.
There were times I’d be on the floor with my children and needed to get up to assist them, but I wasn’t able to due to my knees and my weight. This wasn’t the mother I wanted to be. I went to the doctor, and she told me weight loss would help, but then she gave me a bunch of restrictions. “You can’t run, jump, use the treadmill, or elliptical. If you walk and it hurts, stop. You can swim and ride a stationary bike.”
One of my friends contacted me. She told me she was doing WW (Weight Watchers) and was having great success. At the time, I had two young children to care for, and I didn’t have time to work out and eat right! However, I was tired. Tired of being in constant pain, not feeling comfortable, not feeling sexy enough for my husband, not feeling beautiful, and not feeling like I was the best wife and mom I could be.
On Wednesday, November 1, 2017, I was done with living an unhealthy life! I thought my destiny was going to be forever 300lbs, but I had to try something – a very small part of me wasn’t ready to give up on me. So, I jumped in head first and did whatever it took.
It worked out better than I could have ever imagined. WW just made sense, and it changed my entire life. I was able to eat balanced meals, and not feel like I was giving up the foods I enjoyed.
I didn’t work out at first because of pain and fear, but in March 2018, I started meeting with my personal trainer, Melissa. She began doing in-home training sessions with me. We started slowly, and she taught me the proper form for lunges and squats. Now, I do ALL the exercises that my doctor said I’d never be able to do.
When I initially started, WW was on an older version called Smart Points, then they added more zero point food a month or so later, and changed the name to Freestyle. You receive less points, but you have more zero point food options.
I had the mindset that no food was off limits, so I never felt restricted. If I wanted Doritos, I would weigh out an ounce of Doritos, and that is all I would eat. There are foods that I choose not to have, not because they’re “bad,” but because I have alternatives that work for me. I pretty much don’t eat rice or pasta. Instead of rice, I eat Cauliflower rice, and I absolutely love it. I make fried rice, Mexican rice, curry rice, and the list goes on. It’s so good!
If I want pasta (which I was never a huge pasta fan), I eat zoodles, or spaghetti squash. I was never a red meat fan, so I pretty much only eat chicken and fish, which are great lean meat options. I stopped snacking on my kids’ snacks, or finishing the “little bit left on their plates.” All those calories add up; even it’s a spoonful of this or a taste of that. I just really started being mindful of what I was putting in my body throughout the day.
My workouts with my trainer consisted of pushups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, and some upper body weight training. These workouts definitely got my heart pumping. I needed to learn how to do exercises properly with my knee. Since I was diagnosed with arthritis in both knees, form is so important. As I’ve progressed, I do all sorts of workout, mostly compound, full body workouts that hit every area of my body. My trainer keeps my workouts fresh, and new every time we meet. Before I joined the gym, I did a lot of Youtube video workouts. Jeanette Jenkins is one my absolute favorite trainers. Her workouts transformed my body, and the way I move.
In the beginning, I trained with my trainer 3 times a week. We have since dropped to once a week. I workout 6 times a week on my own, either at home or the gym. I usually do 45 minutes to an hour of strength training, and then 30 minutes of cardio.
As of today, I have eliminated 100 pounds with the WW diet and exercise only. My starting weight was 275 pounds, and my current weight is 175 pounds. I’ve eliminated a total of 100 pounds in 17 months. My height is 5’7″.
Biggest Lesson: Our bodies are capable of so much, but our minds can stop us from achieving our goals. We often talk ourselves out of achieving our goals in life, because of our thoughts. I stopped letting my mind dictate how my body would move, feel, and function.
Advice: It’s not all or nothing. You can start with nutrition, then add exercising when you feel comfortable. Also, don’t worry about being perfect, be consistent, and patient. It’s what you do most of the time, not some of the time that matters. If you’re eating in a balanced way and getting active 80% of the time, the 20% won’t matter. What you do most of the time is what will show up on the scale, in your clothes, in your measurement, and pictures.
Finally, it takes time, and you won’t always be motivated, encouraged, or see immediate progress. There were weeks or months that I wouldn’t lose anything, but I just kept going. I didn’t change my routine, eat less, or exercise harder. I remained consistent. I just kept showing up, even if I didn’t want to.
I hope to inspire the world! I just want to encourage and inspire people to not give up on themselves. Even when the doctor says, “You’ll never…,” don’t take that as the final word. I believe you can, not because I can, but because YOU can!
Instagram: @Georgia_losing_it_to_live_ww
Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, diet plan, exercise plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.
Sonya L Edwards says
You go
Sharee Brown says
GM!! I needed to hear your testimony for I am on my journey to lose weight I have lost 32 pounds so far but seems like I’m at a stand still. I am eating better and I’m at the gym 4 days a week! I got discouraged until I read your story. Now I feel as though I can go on a little while longer. I have a lot of belly fat that I want to get rid of. I want to lose 50 more pounds. I did improve in my health I am off of one of my blood pressure pills and one of my insulin’s! Please keep me in your prayers that I accomplish what I started! Much love