LockMarie lost 80 pounds

LockMarie lost 80 pounds, and she has worked to keep the weight off for 10 years. She is 47 years young, and understands that eating clean and exercising on a regular basis are a power combination. We’ve been following her transformation since 2016. Check out her update.

I am 47 years old and still going strong on my weight loss maintenance journey. My journey started back in 2010 when I decided to focus on myself and my happiness. My son was two years old at the time, and I was sick and tired of being tired of the body I was in. My running joke is that I got rid of 200+ pounds of a man first, and the rest was easy, Ha. 

My motivation was achieving a healthy, long life and happiness. I also wanted to love seeing myself in the mirror and in pictures (something I hear many women complain about often).

Just a recap of my story: In 2008, I had my son and weighed between 200-230 pounds. Before I had my son, I weighed 98 pounds soaking wet, so this was very traumatic for me. 

In October of 2010, I’d had enough. I can remember standing in front of my bathroom mirror and saying, “Who are you?” I did not recognize the woman I had become. I knew I had to make a change. Sometimes we as ladies must do what is right for ourselves and our peace of mind.

I got a trainer and made up my mind. I lost 65+ pounds in less than three months. I went from size 2X tops to size Small/XS, and size 16-20 W pants to size 0, 2, 4, 6 pants.

Now, it’s 2020. I have never looked back or regretted the new me. I am currently still wearing the same small sizes. From then to now, I joined various programs and nutrition plans to keep myself accountable and focused during the times in my life when I could have easily been distracted.

In the past four years, I have happily maintained my weight and muscle tone. Now, I work out at least four days a week. I love to walk on my treadmill for cardio. Walking is an excellent full-body workout that does not cost a lot of money, and you truly get results.

I want to inspire other women (no matter how old they are or what they have dealt with in life) to be their best selves. I want them to understand that it’s okay to be selfish enough to take care of yourself first. You deserve to smile every time you look in the mirror. It is okay to have confidence and love the body you are in.

Since I submitted my last update, I’ve had an amazing journey. I am now coaching other women and assisting them with losing weight and feeling great. I have started a Facebook group called St8yfit with LockMarie. It is a family of women who help each other and encourage one another to stay focused daily. I post weight loss tips, maintenance tips, and I do exercise and mental inspiration videos often.

Today, 9/12/2020, I weigh 140 pounds (at 4 feet, 11 inches tall). It is important to me to be my best self and be a visual for other women reflecting that they can also accomplish their weight goals. 

Tips:

• It is important to have accountability partners, especially when you don’t have support from your immediate life with family, friends, or coworkers. 
• Working in Corporate America (where meetings were held monthly with potlucks for all occasions), it can be easy to lose sight of your goals or desires if you are not dedicated mentally.
• To be successful, you must have a mindset change. This journey is more than 70 percent mental. Once you get your mind on board, the body is bound to follow. It does not have to be hard, rough, or like work. It can truly be a joy to eat clean and exercise. This happens when you realize your actions are helping you become a better version of yourself. I wake up each morning excited about life, and I look forward to working out daily.
• I recommend that women take it easy (baby steps) instead of going cold turkey. Always start with portion control. For example, if you usually eat a whole pizza, cut back to 4 slices. If you typically eat three pieces of chicken, cut back to 1 piece. If you drink 3 to 4 sodas a day, cut back to just 1. You must give your body a chance to adjust and not make it go into shock. When women try to go cold turkey, they do well for a day or two and lose a couple of pounds. Then, they gain back twice as much because they have withdrawals of the foods. Personally, I have given up a lot of foods I thought I could not live without. One example is fried foods. Also, I cannot remember the last time I’ve had a soda. It has been years.
• Your body will not want certain foods once you begin to eat clean. I was raised on sodas, but now I enjoy drinking mainly water and teas. I do not even drink juice like I previously did due to all the sugar. Once I began reading and studying nutrition, I learned what is good for the body, what is not, and how much daily intake is healthy. I experienced a significant decrease in weight when I decreased my sugar, sodium, and dairy intake.

My advice to women: Do not stress so much about the numbers on the scale. Instead, focus on the inches that you lose. If you are eating clean/healthy, you will lose weight. 

We only get one body. There are no trade-ins or upgrades. I want to be an example that you can remold/remodel your body and maintain those changes for a lifetime.

Instagram: @coach_lockmarie