Kendra lost 39 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Kendra lost 39 pounds. Her motivators are her daughter, who is a competitive swimmer, and her husband, who doesn’t let Sarcoidosis keep him from working out. She was determined to transform her life, despite several medical issues and family history of illness, so she reached out to an online training program for accountability.

Age 39
Height 5’5
Starting Weight: 211.6 pounds
Current Weight: 172 pounds
Total Weight Loss: 39lbs
Representing Maryland

What was your motivation?
Honestly, my motivation was my husband and my daughter. She’s a competitive swimmer, and I also swim but couldn’t keep up with her. I wanted to be able to swim with her and do any other activity she desired without tiring quickly.

My husband was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis, and the one thing besides his meds that keeps him alive is being active and a regular at the gym. If his health issues are not holding him back, I had no excuse.

What inspired you to start your weight loss journey?
Similar to my motivation, it was family as well as scrolling across Fitness On Fire online. My family has a history of diabetes, congestive heart failure, breast cancer, and high blood pressure. I already have to fight genetics, so I made up in my mind that I would make it easier on myself by prioritizing my health.

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic during my pregnancy. I also have a herniated disc due to pregnancy and arthritic knees with a threat of surgery if I didn’t lose weight. Additionally, I started seeing pictures of myself and became depressed with how I looked in my clothes, which did a number on my self-esteem. Even when people told me that I looked great, on the inside, I felt horrible. I am a, “Fake it until you make it.” type of person, so no one ever really knew how bad I was feeling about myself or that my self-esteem was suffering. God blessed me not to be plagued by any other genetics issues, so I decided to honor him by treating my body as my temple. Running across FOF and seeing the AMAZING natural transformations solidified it for me.

Sometimes you wonder if pictures are photoshopped or not when you see transformations. Inspired by the stories and the photos, I figured that the only way to find out if this is fake is to try it for myself.

How did you change your eating habits?
With the help of Nutritionist Guru, I learned what to eat and what not to eat to transform my body. She truly personalized the plan for me. I sacrificed (yes, sacrificed) red meat (except for lamb), fried food, fast foods, white pasta and bread, nuts, sodas, and most ALCOHOL! Yep, that was real. It’s not that I may not periodically have a drink, but I’m very conscious of it when and if I do. I began making sure that breakfast consisted of fiber, protein, and fruit. My lunch and dinner consisted of fiber, protein, and a veggie. I did my best to meal prep and prepare healthy snacks as well. The accountability part of this process has been huge when it comes to keeping me on track even if I happen to fall off.

What did your workout consist of?
My workouts so far have been all resistance training, which is the regimen given by my online trainer, King of the Fire! The fat burn is real. This program focuses on fat loss and NOT the scale, as that is not a true indicator of fat loss. It is about transforming your body. My workouts consisted of 75-90 min of exercise at least 4-5 times a week. There were days when I could only get in 60 min due to my schedule. My goal was to stay consistent and remain active, no matter what.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I believe my starting weight was 211.6 pounds. I stepped on the scale just for this question, and I was at 172 pounds. I do, however, have a check-in in a few days so I will see what I can accomplish before progress report #3!

How long did your transformation take?
I have been on this program for almost a year now. I honestly can’t say when I first saw results because it feels like I just saw them. Unfortunately, even when I started to drop clothes sizes, I still saw the negative, and sometimes all I see is the little pouch that I want to be gone entirely. I think month 2 is when others really started to take notice of my changes. When people begin to notice is when it really begins to hit you. Someone told me today that it looks like I have taken about ten years off of my life. That makes me smile.

I recently had blood work done that I’ve always been scared of, and the results were perfect. My doctor’s exact words were, “No concern for diabetes!” I’m no longer in PT for my disc as the weight loss has helped to suck it back in place and my knees feel better than ever with less weight on them. I can also wear my stilettos without being in pain. What girl doesn’t want to wear her heels? Lol!

What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
Stay CONSISTENT and find someone who will always hold you ACCOUNTABLE, like NutritionistGuru and Fire. The Fitness on Fire” Online Training Program worked for me because of the accountability portion. The fact that I had to communicate daily with both the Trainer and Nutritionist was a big factor. Nutritionist Guru was able to see my eating choices and guide me in a different direction if needed to or give me words of encouragement to keep making the right choices. I had to check in with the trainer Fire after each workout as well to be held accountable.

Keep a positive attitude and remember that nothing will happen overnight. Being impatient is human, but trusting the process takes a lot of willpower. No one is perfect, and every day may not be great; it’s how you rebound from those not so good days that counts. Remember that it takes sacrifice and know that your mind will be a constant battle, but I can promise you now, as I look back, that it will all be worth it. Heck, I’m not even done yet!

Instagram: @kheckstall

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