Jess lost 35 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Jess lost 35 pounds by dancing, walking, and eating for health and vitality. She restarted her journey in December. This time she is addressing emotional eating and getting results without doing workouts that she hates.

What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
I shared my 40-pound weight loss story over two years ago. With the pandemic and typical stressors (and never actually having fully addressed my emotional eating issues), I gained the weight back and more. I ballooned up to 256 pounds by the end of 2020. 

Although I’m only 35 pounds into this weight loss journey, it’s very different this time because I’m 100% invested in addressing the root causes of emotional eating habits. 

How did you change your eating habits?
I cap my calories off at 1,600 per day while trying to lose weight. (I realized that I was eating upward toward 3,000 per day at my heaviest weight! Yikes!) I eat as much minimally processed whole foods as I can now, and I focus exclusively on keeping my sugar consumption as low as I can. I have been finding creative ways to create little indulgences that are lower in sugar. (For example, Truvia instead of honey, Swerve sweetener replacement insead of sugar, and things like that.) 

I know and feel empowered by the fact that getting to a healthy weight is simply about maintaining a calorie deficit… and sustaining a healthy weight is simply about having that balance of moving enough, being active enough, and eating for health and vitality.

What did your workout routine consist of?
My workouts consisted of dancing and walking. That’s literally it. Another important promise I made to myself was that I’m not going to force myself to do workouts that I don’t like and won’t stick to. 

How often did you work out?
At this point in my journey, I work4-5 times per week. I’m getting ready to try out the 75 HARD fitness challenge, which will require me to work out every day for two and a half months! 

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I started at 256 pounds on December 27, 2020. Today, on April 14, 2021, I am 221 pounds. I have lost 32 pounds so far this year. 

What is your height?
I am 5’4″! 

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
I started this journey on December 27, 2020. My first 32 pounds took just over three months to lose.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Losing weight is SO much easier and less miserable when you get out of your feelings and get INTO things that you actually enjoy! I have always loved to dance but have always let my weight be the reason I didn’t take a dance class. One day, I had a major epiphany: Dancing every day could literally be what catalyzes a consistently active lifestyle and get me on a path to the body of my dreams. I have lost ONE-THIRD of the weight I aimed to lose in 2021 already without doing any grueling workouts that I hate. 

What advice do you have for other women who want to lose weight?
Find ways to be active that are sustainable. People are always talking about sustainability as it pertains to diet and food, which is incredibly important. However, no one talks about the physical activity side. You do not have to have a gym membership to lose weight, the same way you don’t have to pay for a diet plan to lose weight. It’s IN you, not in anyone else’s products or services! 

Instagram Account: @jessicancreate
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/jessicancreate