LaToya lost 75 pounds

Transformation of the Day: LaToya lost 75 pounds. A tragedy led to emotional eating, which led to significant weight gain. At the beginning of 2016, this mom made a commitment to lose the pounds and she did the work to get results. She is grateful that she had a great support system during this process. Check out her story.

What was your motivation?
I went through a tragedy in my life which led me to eating my stress away… OR should I say trying to eat my stress away! I gained so much weight during this trying time in my life. I never make New Year’s Resolutions, but at the beginning of 2016 I decided that some weight had to go!

How did you change your eating habits?
Since I was just preparing meals for my daughter and myself, every meal that we ate was fast food or came from a dining restaurant. We had no home cooked meals at all unless we were visiting my parents who resided in a different state than us. I had to change my eating habits tremendously. I stopped eating out, unless I purchased a salad. I also stopped eating fried food and cut back tremendously on my red meat. I started eating in line with a meal plan prepared by my trainer, Mario Coleman, which basically consisted of things like chicken, fish and veggies. This plan was designed specifically for me to lose the weight that I wanted to get rid of.

What did your workout routine look like?
My workout sessions consist of a variety of exercises to help shred fat and tone up my body. My trainer provided me with a workout program he designed for me. He does a mixture of back, hip, leg, arm, ab, and cardio workouts with me to help shape me up and tone with weight lifting.  From January 2016 til present, I’ve worked out 5-6 times a week.

Starting weight/Current weight
My starting weight was 336 pounds and my current weight is 261 pounds. My height is 5’10”.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Losing weight is very hard, or least it was to me. You have to be motivated and determined to knock the weight off. You have to figure out what works best for you, such as going to the gym and working out by yourself vs. working out with friends or family, or investing in a personal trainer like I did. Once you start eating healthy and working out, you can’t quit! You have to stick with the healthy and clean eating to maintain your weight. You have to stay consistent and even eat things you don’t want to eat from time to time. Losing weight also about your mindset. You have to make up you mind, do it, and not look back. I couldn’t have gotten this far without the motivation and push I had from my trainer. If you need motivation to get through this, find someone who will push you and not let you give up on yourself to reach your goals.

If I can do it, you can too! It’s been a hard journey, but it’s been very well worth it. It’s not over for me though. Today, I want to shout out the people who have stood by me and encouraged me on my journey! I COULDN’T have done it without you! Thanks to my motivation team: GOD, my trainer Mario Coleman, my daughter, my parents and my man. Thank you all for pushing me and encouraging me to stay on track to accomplish this tough goal.