Jessica lost 64 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Jessica lost 64 pounds. This active mom of 2 found herself facing post pregnancy weight gain, PCOS, anxiety and depression. She sought out medical help, dealt with her emotional eating and exercised regularly to get the results she needed. Check out her story.

I am 32 year old married woman with two kids under the age of seven. I have very active children and an active husband. I found myself very tired and just unmotivated about doing activities or anything with my family after I had my daughter back in 2013. I was suffering from anxiety and depression. It wasn’t until a visit to my OBGYN that the topic of PCOS came up and I finally got an explanation of the changes I’d seen in my body.

Usually, after you have a child, you lose weight, but I gained an additional 50 pounds. It became really hard to get the weight to come off. Truly, I wasn’t eating crazy things, like having fast food everyday, but I wasn’t eating right either. I would eat a big bowel of cereal at night, right before bed. Sometimes after I ate dinner too, just because I loved cereal. I also noticed that I am a emotioal eater. When I get upset about something I eat.

My mom joined a weight loss program at a doctor’s office and asked me to go for a visit. When I met with the doctor I was embarrassed, because she knew me in my high school days and remembered me as a fit cheerleader. Now, I had to deal with standing before her at 250 pounds. I couldn’t believe my weight had gotten so high. That is the highest I have ever been and I am only 5’2″. She told me that if I joined  her program she would get me back to where I needed to be. I would go in and get a B12 shot and weigh in every week. I was also given direction with regard to changing my eating habits and workouts.

Within a few months, I had lost 40 pounds. Then, just as I was making progress, I was in a very bad car accident that took me out of the race for a year. I had to focus on eating right during this time so I didn’t gain the weight back, because I couldn’t workout.

I cut out a lot of fast food. My Fitness Pal helps me to calculate my calorie intake and stay under 1500 calories a day. I never skip breakfast, which consists of turkey bacon eggs and toast. I eat a lot of salads and I love chicken breast with any vegetable. I also try to drink a half gallon or a full gallon of water a day.

As of today, I have lost a little over 60 pounds, which puts me at 186 pounds. I still want to lose more weight and I am working pretty hard to do it by eating more fruits and veggies during the week. I take Body Pump class 3 days a week, do a lot of walking and I’m going back to the doctor again, so I will get there very soon. I stay very active with my kids, which includes running behind my son who plays baseball and my daughter who is into pageants.

My advice to others is “Lose the weight for you.” Know that you are important and your health is too. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Sometimes when you lose weight too fast you can gain it back even faster. Weight loss is a process. Make the most of the journey and work toward real lifestyle change.