Transformation of the Day: JoYi lost 78 pounds. She woke up on her 40th birthday, overweight and headed for divorce. That day was her turning point. A vegan lifestyle and dance fitness changed this mom of three’s life. She has shared her story with us and has some terrific insights on mindset and setting goals.
I woke up on my 40th birthday weighing 232 pounds and heading for a divorce. At the time, my children were 11, 13 and 17 years old. Every day, I felt as if I was letting them down. The thought of my kids having to push me around on a wheelchair, change my diapers and feed me due to the diseases I was sure to inflict on body if I continued to abuse it was mortifying. I had to stop. I started my weight loss and health journey in 2010 for my kids and I continued for me.
Instead of the usual dinner and drinks that I would normally have with my girlfriends for my birthday, I planned a Zumba® workout followed by drinks. We walked into a full class at the YWCA. The music started, the dancing progressively got more vigorous and I was quickly gasping for air and dignity. I felt ashamed and embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up. I felt sad that I had allowed myself get so out of control. I also felt hopeful and free because the music and the movements made sense to me. I made the decision that day to do the work to get the weight off and try a life without all the aches and pains.
I started attending 2-3 Zumba® classes per week and jogging/walking 2 miles on the off days. By August, I signed up for a 5K and ended up doing 4 of them that first year. I lost 50 pounds in the first 6 months. Although I was eating better, I was a junk food vegetarian as I had been for the most of my life, since 18 years old.
For two years, I was alert and consistent. I never reached my weight loss goal but I felt good. Then, suddenly, I went unconscious, quickly gaining back most of the 50 pounds I’d lost by 2013. I’ve been dieting since middle school. I was always looking for that quick fix and reaching for the promises of all those late night commercials, but the way I approached health this last time around felt right. Even though I failed, I had a feeling that I could manage this process myself and that I was close to getting it right. No pills, no quick fixes – just hard work… but manageable.
In the summer of 2014, I geared myself up to try again. I became a licensed Zumba® instructor and decided that the only way to keep myself truly accountable was to teach a fitness class. Overweight and ashamed, I got in front of a Zumba® class and danced my butt off. I ordered PIYO (a pilates, yoga workout DVD from Beachbody) to do on my off days. I started recording my progress and made myself watch the videos regularly.
The most important thing I did on this journey was to clearly state my goal. The first time around I said things like, “I don’t want to feel aches and pains” and “I want to lose weight.” Not specific enough. This time I stated: “I will lose all my excess weight and get within a healthy BMI range. I will live a life filled with health and wellness FOREVER.” To do that, I met with a trainer who weighed and measured my body fat with the caliper. For the first time, I was able to see exactly where I was and how far I needed to go. My mantra at this time was “Don’t confuse effort with results.” I was done pretending and I wanted to live a different kind of life. I added goals like, “I want to walk around in a bikini without my belly falling out.” and “I want to wear body-con dresses and feel sexy.” I wanted to feel in control and I wanted to weigh 150 pounds (I wasn’t sure about this one since I didn’t know what 150 looked or felt like, so I gave myself room to adjust this as I went).
In June of 2015, I weighed 180 pounds with 28% body fat, but I was fit enough by that time to teach seven Zumba® classes per week and I was tracking my food on myfitnesspal.com. Between June and September, I continued to teach Zumba® and made THE decision about food. For 3 years, during my 20s, I was a vegan. It dawned on me that this was THE answer. I watched a ton of videos, read articles, armed myself with conviction and became a whole plant based vegan. By September 2015, I dropped 4% body fat and 9 pounds. By December 2015, I felt like a million bucks, finally reaching a goal I was too scared to reach before. Losing the weight felt great but my real goal now is maintenance. Almost a year later, I weigh 154 pounds with 21% body fat. I’m 5’7” tall and 46 years old. I can wear a bikini in public and feel sexy in body-con dresses.
This is the most in-control I have felt about my food intake, my body and my weight. I don’t weigh myself often, because now my mantra is “Focus on input.” I sweat 5-6 days per week, doing things I enjoy. I eat whole plant based foods in the quantity that makes me feel satiety. I enjoy vegan desserts and treats without worry but under the umbrella of “wellness for life.” I also meditate for 20 minutes on most days.
Getting to know myself and fully embracing what makes me, me helped me to make important changes. My advice is: Get to know you! Check yourself for honesty. It was amazing to me to discover all the different little ways I was lying to myself and thereby sabotaging real change. The saying “Being overweight is hard, losing weight is hard, staying fit is hard: Pick your hard.” is my new favorite saying. Instead of lamenting the sacrifices of this new life, I realize we all sacrifice one thing or another, but often it’s an unconscious sacrifice of our health and wellness for convenience and habit. I know that I have to work hard at staying awake every day. I have to consciously make myself make choices for my health and wellness. It still doesn’t come automatically. It’s simple and not easy, but it IS a choice.
FB Group: Plant Based Health
YouTube: Midlife Fitness
Instagram: @Vegan_SeoulSistah
Vegan2016 says
I loved reading this story again. So inspiring and honest on the ups and downs of healthier living. Thank you JoYi for sharing your story that deeply resonates with me.
Kendra says
Congratulations!! You’re journey is so inspiring to me, thank you for sharing!
Roberta says
CT