Lee lost 70 pounds

Weight Loss Transformation of the Day: Lee lost 70 pounds.  This proud single mom and teacher made working out and eating healthy a priority.  Her main goal was to never see 330 pounds again, and I don’t believe that she will have an issue keeping with that goal for years to come.  Here is what she shared with us about her journey:

Greetings!! My name is Lee Bryant, and I have lost 70 lbs and 33in. since April 2012. This journey has been long, and arduous, but with discipline, patience, guidance and support, I have persevered. I started at a size 24/26, and I am now a size 18. I have no specific amount to lose, but I will continue to work-out daily, and make better dietary choices.

My inspiration started when I saw my high school classmate on Facebook. We had maintaned intermittent communication, via the website, but one day I noticed how much of a transition she had made. Both of us had always been heavy in high school, and now she is a lean and an amazing body builder. Lynette Wade is her name, and she is my motivation and THINspiration, and I will always be thankful for her presence in my life. Also, as a single-mother of two, and a teacher, I realized that I needed time to myself. Initially, since I had chosen to lose weight, I chose to go to the gym to just have adult time, and have a smoother transition from working with my students to going home to my young children. I started my journey in April 2012. I am 5′ 7″ tall and I weighed 330 lbs; I had no real goal in mind, only to no longer be 330 lbs…lol.

In May, while sitting in my children’s pediatrician’s office, I chose to weigh myself. In doing that, I discovered that I lost 17 lbs. That really fueled my motivation to continue working out. My eating habit changes were gradual, as I felt it necessary to approach changes slowly. I stopped drinking soda and juice many years ago, so I was already ahead of the game. As my body changed, I began to not be able to eat as much, and my interest in sweets somewhat faded. I still eat them, as I don’t believe in denying myself, because that is unrealistic for me. I like being able to know when I am satiated, and drinking water, (especially Sparkling Poland Spring) at every meal definitely helps that. I just do not indulge the way I once did. I am really satisfied with having one piece of cake at an event, whereas years ago, 2-3 would have sufficed. When I go to restaurants, I usually order appetizers now, as my stomach can no longer hold what it once did. If I do order an entree, I take most of it home–restaurants love to give us more than we need. The biggest change I made when it comes to eating, was to listen to my body, and recognize its cues. Knowing when I am full, and knowing when I am thirsty, and not hungry, were cues that I began to recognize–they are really important cues that one needs to recognize in themselves. Also, I planned my meals, and regularly use the MyFitnessPal app to monitor what I was eating. Lynette was very instrumental when she told me to create a diet that I can live with–that was the best advice I was given, earlier in this process. Bringing my meals to work, and packing snacks that were accounted for in the MFP app, are also regular behaviors that I have adopted over time. Because I do enjoy sweets, I buy items that satisfy that craving, but don’t have ridiculous amounts of sugar. Reading labels is also a key to losing weight, as well.