Keesha lost 65 pounds

Today’s weight loss before and after story: Keesha lost 65 pounds with Zumba, walking, fasting, changing her eating habits and help from Weight Watchers.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey:

Hi my name is Keesha. This is my story and I’m sticking to it.  My journey started in April 2011. I was 36 years old I weighed 240 pounds. I managed to lose 10 pounds by weening myself off of my drug of choice, soda. That got me down to 230 pounds. I was experiencing a few life altering situations. Pregnant teen daughter, death of close family members and a troubled marriage. It just seemed that no matter how hard I tried to make everyone else happy. I still felt as if I was lacking. I wasn’t healthy mentally, physically or spiritually.  I realized that It was time for me to do something for me. No, I couldn’t go on a shopping spree, a dream vacation or anything like that. So, I took a look in the mirror (for free) and gazed straight into the windows of my soul…MY eyes. I was lost and I didn’t recognize me. I set out on a journey to find ME.

I started off with getting baptized because I knew I couldn’t do this without GOD. I joined church and started to pray more. I started using my YMCA membership that I had been paying on for years and never used. Then I started doing Zumba classes. I joined run/walk groups via Facebook. I also started walking on my own. The weight wasn’t going anywhere. I googled information on losing weight and discovered that losing weight was more than just exercise.  It was about a lifestyle change. I had to change my way of thinking and EATING! I went on a 17 day fast. Plenty of water, green tea, no sweets, no sugar, no bread, lean protein (chicken, turkey and fish), no beef or pork for me, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and rest.  I was eating right and hitting the gym at least 4-5 times a week. In that amount of time, I lost 26 pounds. It was on!

I was now a grandma and I wanted to live for my children and my grandchildren. I wanted to be a shining example for them and me. It took me from October 2011- March 2012 to lose 30 pounds on my own. My goal was 170. Now I was at 200 pounds and I was feeling great but I wasn’t finished. I hit the gym even harder. I continued doing Zumba, joined a spinning class, a BLT class and start hitting the trails. I lost 20 more pounds that put me at 180 and BAM! I hit a plateau. Those last 10 ponds wouldn’t budge. So, I had heard about Weight Watchers from a few friends. I saw their results so I decided to join online. In one week I lost my 10 pounds!! I hit my mark! 170 pounds. I had signed up for three months, so I kept going. In August of 2012, I was down to 165 pounds. I was happy there. Mentally and physically so I stopped.  To date, I am now 38 years old. I went from a size 18 to a size 10!!! From 230 pounds to 165 pounds! I have lost a total of 65 pounds and have maintained the weight and healthy eating habits, with the help of Weight Watcher from time to time, for one year!!  (I fall off sometimes but I dust myself off and pick up where I fell off) With hard work, God, good friends and faith in yourself. This and any other journey is possible! When people see me they say I’m high school skinny. More importantly for me though, I feel good about the possibility of adding at least 10 more years to my life by getting healthy. It will allow me more time and energy to live!!!!