Jasmine lost almost 100 pounds

Weight Loss Journey of the Day: Proud mom and teacher Jasmine lost almost 100 pounds after deciding to make a life change after reaching the 300 lb mark.  She made time in her very busy schedule to change her lifestyle.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey to greater health and weight loss:

“Almost 100 lbs down, and still a ways to go, but I’m ON MY WAY!!!! My journey has been probably 90% mental & only 10% physical. After struggling with weight my ENTIRE adult life, I had finally hit & surpassed the 300 pound mark. I was beyond embarrassed & depressed & it was impacting my day to day life. I finally realized the only way I could stick to a workout routine was in finding activities I enjoyed with supportive friends that I knew I could bare my soul to. I started with hiking, which was practically therapeutic. After hitting a plateau, I dug deep and found the courage to work with a trainer at a small local gym. That was the change maker. Not the training, but finding a place where I was more than just a card carrying faceless member. I NEEDED accountability.

After a few months I hit a plateau & became depressed again. I began cheating MYSELF, being inconsistent & not putting my all into it. One of the girls from the gym invited me to try “just one” bootcamp class the next morning. The rest is history. My morning bootcamp classes brought accountability to a whole new level. Now I had dozens of people expecting to see me, texting me & messaging me on Facebook Even more than that, by doing a workout in intervals that incorporates the scary W word, WEIGHTS, I’ve seen absolute transformation! I’m able to push myself because I know as hard as any particular station may be, I’m only doing it for a minute, then it’s on to the next one. Finding a workout that’s never the same, combines weight training, resistance, cardio, high intensity intervals, accountability, & is fun has been a life changer! I do bootcamp 6 days a week, & many days do 2-adays. I wouldn’t dream of starting my day without getting my workout in!

Of course with all this work, I don’t dare sabotage myself with eating habits.  I make sure I’m getting plenty of protein, lean meats, the more colorful my fruits & veggies the better, & I finally cut out breads & cut down on processed food. Finding what worked for me has changed my world, my attitude, & confidence, and I look forward to continuing on improving myself. I’ve accepted that I’m not competing with anyone but myself and only working on making myself better today than I was last week. I’ve learned it’s about “progress not perfection!” I’m a single mom of an active teenager in multiple sports and a public school teacher. It’s not about having time, it’s MAKING time! Your health, life, happiness depend on it. If I can MAKE the time, anybody can!”