Krystle lost 58 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Krystle lost 58 pounds. She was determined to break the cycle of chronic illness in her family and get off the weight loss rollercoaster. Seeing an old friend’s success with a local fitness program encouraged her to try the program herself. 

I have struggled with being overweight pretty much all my life. I always wanted to be at a healthy weight, but I lacked the motivation and discipline that it took to change. In 2012, I reached my heaviest weight of over 300lbs, and quite frankly, I was fed up. I cried when I saw that number on the scale. “How did I let myself get this bad?” 

High blood pressure and diabetes run in my family. At the tender age of 22, I knew that I was headed down that road. I was determined to break that cycle, and I knew I had to make a change. I began utilizing every fad diet in the books. I saw some success, but like you’ll see with most “diets,” the weight came back with a vengeance. 

In late 2016, I saw pictures of an old family friend who had recently lost a significant amount of weight, and she looked fantastic. I asked what she did to have such an incredible transformation and was informed about Sweat It Off Fitness in Oak Park, IL. That’s where I met my trainer, Dee Caswell, an absolute force to be reckoned with. 

I joined her Sweat It Off Fitness plan. She helped me realize that food is meant to nourish and fuel our bodies. Food is not just something we grab when we are bored or depressed. She helped me change my relationship with food. I was no longer jumping from diet to diet. She simply helped me cut back and make better choices. I was not depriving myself anymore. Instead, I used food to create the body that I wanted. 

I started taking three exercise classes each week, which was extremely difficult. Eventually, I started going to class five times a week because I saw how my body was literally transforming. Adding the additional classes helped catapult my weight-loss. We utilize stationary bikes in each class, but the secret is that she provides us with a full-body workout on that stationary bike. 

I lost a total of 58 pounds in about six months on the program. Before starting with Dee, I weighed well over 200 pounds and rising. I am 5 feet, 7 inches tall, so that was way too much weight for my frame. My current weight is 165 pounds. It’s incredible because I’ve developed muscle (that I never had), I am not depriving myself of food, and I am the absolute happiest I have ever been. 

The biggest lesson I learned is never to give up and to find the right person to help you along your journey. Dee (I call her Coach Dee) always encourages her soldiers (that what she calls her students). Some classes are challenging because we really work out, but if she sees you trying and putting in the effort, she will NOT give up on you. She cares for all of her soldiers and wants us all to win. 

I also want to encourage people who are fighting the fitness war to be willing to sacrifice. Sometimes we have to give up an hour a day or put down a glass of wine for that finite amount of time to achieve our goals. That’s ok because in the end, it will all be worth it.

Instagram: @sweat_it_off_fitness_studio

Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, diet plan, exercise plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.