Transformation of the Day: Jourdan lost 40 pounds. When she realized that the workers at her a local fast food restaurant thought of her as a daily regular, she knew that her eating habits were out of control. She learned to see food as fuel, committed to exercise and now she is sharing her journey with us.
Starting weight: 196 pounds
Current weight: 156 pounds
Height: 5’6″
My motivation: The day I decided to get back in shape, I weighed 196 pounds and working a full time job that was emotionally draining. I was working over 60 hours a week and constantly feeding myself unhealthy choices. One night after work, I made my routine stop at McDonalds to order a McChicken with cheese and a small french fry. As I drove around to the second window, the employee smiled at me, handed me my bag and said “See you tomorrow!”. It was at that very moment when I knew that my eating was out of control. I had always been in relatively good shape, but overeating has always been my issue. For me, food had been associated with happiness, sadness, social life, love life… anything you can think of, food had always been involved. I was finally motivated to see food as fuel.
Changing my eating habits: I changed my eating habits day by day. It’s so true when people say the words “lifestyle change”. I made the conscious effort to change the role that food played in my life. I started including more things that came from the earth (fruit, veggies, etc.) and less of the processed stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t eat clean 100%. It’s honestly all about moderation.
Foods I cut back on; I LOVE SALTY FOODS, so I had to cut back on chips, french fries, cheese, bacon and CHIPS (ha!). I was consuming a lot of sodium on a daily basis and with high blood pressure running in the family, I knew I was on my way to hypertension. Today, my breakfasts consists of things like oatmeal, turkey bacon, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and fruit. I always have a coffee to start my day as well. For lunch and dinner, I have ground turkey, salmon, tilapia, steamed veggies, brown rice, quinoa and black beans. All of my meals are super simple and quick. In the beginning of my journey, meal prep was key. I have gotten a little lax with it, but have started to be more strict. Meal planning is SOOOOO effective.
Working out: I do a lot of cardio, group fitness classes and free weight training. I have just started to switch up my workouts to include heavier weights to define and tone my body. I work out 4-5 days a week. Every day includes cardio. At least three of my days contain weights (arm + abs day, leg day, total body day or a class)
How long was my transformation?: Indefinite. Day by day I am still transforming. It really is a lifestyle I am trying to keep living daily. The initial weight loss of 30lbs took me around 6-8 months. I have fluctuated back and forth quite a bit. I have been this current weight for about 2 months now.
Advice: Don’t give up! You only get one body. Start small and do what you can, because we are all stronger than we think!
Instagram: @jourdi07
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