LockMarie lost 80 pounds

Transformation of the Day: LockMarie lost 80 pounds. This petite mom lost the weight and has kept it off for the last 6 years. She learned the importance of portion control, fitness and having the right mindset. Check out her story and the advice she shared with us.

I have been on a quest to share and spread my love for health and fitness. I let myself go after I had my son in 2008. I started my journey in 2010 at around 215 pounds. I only am 5’1″ tall, so that did NOT look cute. It became a disgrace for me to look myself in the mirror. Oh, did I forget to mention I only weighed 98 lbs. before the weight gain began? Yeah, that part RIGHT THERE.

Motivation: My inspiration was my desire to live a happy and healthy life. I was tired of being tired and not wanting to look in the mirror at myself. I was determined not to have any health issues that would shorten my life. I wanted to live and enjoy living.

I had to make a change and take action, along with just wanting to be my best and look my best. I went through a BIG transition in life and one of my biggest motivations was that I was determined to NOT be the same person I was before. I wanted to make sure that when people saw me after the fact, I would be doing better and looking better than I ever did.

Sometimes we allow others to come in our lives, they change us and it is not always for the best. I had to take control of my life again. I want to encourage all women to stay in control of their lives. Do not let a man, a woman, family, friends, bills or life and its pressures make you lose sight of being your best self possible.

Workout: I hit the gym, got a personal trainer and began changing my eating habits along with my circle of friends and associates. My workouts were No Nonsense. My trainer had me doing combination of cardio, arms and legs throughout the week. I usually work out 3 to 4 times a week. The workouts would last from 45 minutes to an hour and sometimes longer. I would get a little cranky and mean during the middle of a session, but my trainer was a beast and kept me focused. He was not the least bit moved by my moods. He knew what I was paying him for and made sure I reached beyond my goal.

Eating Habits: My eating habits did not change too drastically. No sodas, plenty of water and low to no sugar. I also controlled my portions and stopped eating large amounts. I just cut back. For example: 4 slices of pieces became 2 slices, and 2 pieces of fried chicken became 1 piece or 2 pieces of baked chicken. I also stopped eating after 8 pm. If I ate anything after that time it was a salad or something simple like fruit. Here are some sample meals:

• Breakfast – Boiled eggs, oatmeal and turkey bacon
• Lunch – Lean turkey meat, yams and salad
• Dinner – Asparagus, tilapia and brown rice
• Snack – Sugar free Jell-O cup, butter free pop corn and sugar less pudding

Results: I dropped 80 pounds. I have kept the weight off for the last 6 years now and I have more goals ahead to shape up and tone up even more. I am now 43 years old and I weight approximately 135 pounds, which is amazing for me. I have more energy and my legs and thighs are not rubbing together anymore. (That was the worst. When it was hot, I was miserable and sweating in places I did not realize I could sweat.) I am doing great and feeling great.

Now, most if not all of my close friends/associates now are fitness and nutritionist experts or trainers. I am sure you have heard it said before that “birds of a feather flock together”, well, if you plan on being healthy and fit then you need to hang with those types of people. You need to also be in a relationship with that type of person as well. You do not need anyone feeding you like you are eating for four every time you eat.

I will not sit here and lie and said it was easy or it will be easy, it took hard work and dedication. However, I knew that there would be others who came after me who were going to need someone to push them forward and help them. In order for me to be that cheerleader for them, I had to “JUST DO IT”.

Advice: I have learned that the key is and always will be consistency. You must stay focused and not allow life, pressure or people make you lose sight of who you are and what you were created to be. Be determined to not allow problems to make you overeat, over indulge and go overboard. You never know if or when you will be able to bounce back. So, stay on track and it won’t be an issue.

I believe that you have to make the drastic change in order to see a drastic change. Once you see a change, then you can continue to learn how to alter your eating habits and control your portions better.

• Drink plenty of water daily. No sodas, few juices and low fat or 2 percent milk (if any regular milk at all). There are many substitutes, like almond milk, that are
  great for cutting out dairy, which is NOT a friend of woman’s mid-section AT ALL.
• If you want to see change fast, cut out dairy and sugar for a month. I guarantee you will see results. You don’t even have to workout. Just cut those things out and see the change. Then, you can begin working out or just walking.
• Get you a picture of what you want to look like. Tape it to your refrigerator or your bathroom mirror and look at it through out the day. Keep it at the center of your focus so you will have a goal in mind.
• THROW OUT THE SCALE. DO NOT LET THE SCALE SCARE YOU. When you begin losing weight, you will NOT see the numbers move quickly at first.

There is so much info I have to share. Please contact me if you have any questions. My Instagram is @lockmarie2014. I have a Facebook fitness group called St8Y fit and Live Well ministry with LockMarie.