Marea lost 108 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Marea lost 108 pounds. Although she was able to lose weight in the past, she gained it back when her life took a down turn. Years of being overweight led to serious knee issues and constant pain. She decided to take action to improve her quality of life. Her doctor recommended weight loss surgery to avoid a loss of mobility, and she had to decide whether that was the best choice for her. Check out her journey.

What was your motivation?
My motivation was that I wanted to lose weight and have good quality of life. I lost 75lbs a few years ago through low carb dieting and exercising 3-5 times a week. At the time, I walked 8 miles a day. I kept the weight off for a few years and I was very focused. Then, life happened.

Emotionally, I was going through so much. Slowly but steadily, I regained the weight I lost… plus more. I was wearing all the pain from the hard time I was experiencing in life and I felt defeated. Throughout all those years, I felt a constant knee pain. A few times my knee buckled and I stumbled, almost falling to the ground. I went to the orthopedic doctor and told him that I thought my knee issues were weight-related. To my surprise he said, “It’s past that point.” He explained that my body shape (pear shaped) causes me to carry the majority of my weight in my lower extremities. This caused me to develop a Valgus knee deformity that was progressive. He also let me know that I had arthritis in both my knees.

I was hit with so much reality at one time. I explained to him my efforts to lose weight and that I lost weight and then regained it. He told me that my knees couldn’t take me losing weight and then continuing to regain it all the time. He said that if I kept up this cycle, I wouldn’t be walking on my own in 2 years. Then, he suggested that it was time for me to have weight loss surgery to assist me in not just losing pounds, but maintaining my weight loss.

I didn’t want to do it because I wasn’t educated enough about weight loss surgery. However, I started doing my own research and thinking about my situation. I decided that for the sake of my quality of life I was willing to use a tool that could help me become healthier and allow me to keep walking on my own. I decided to have the Gastric Sleeve procedure.

What inspired you when you wanted to give up?
I was inspired by other people who were in worse health situations than myself and who were larger than me. I saw their success stories and I knew that if they was able to reach deep inside themselves and persevere, I couldn’t surely do the same. My son also inspired me during the days when I wanted to change my mind. I felt like I owed it to him to do whatever I needed to do be here to raise him, and to be an active, involved parent.

How did you change your eating habits?
My eating habits changed throughout this process. I used guidelines given to me by my bariatric nutritionist and formulated my own meal plan according to what I like to eat and worked best for my digestive system before weight-loss surgery.

I changed my eating by removing certain carbs and increasing my lean protein intake. I also purchased a portion size bowl and challenged myself to eat smaller portions, 6 times a day.

I stopped eating bread, rice and pasta. I stopped drinking soda and limited my red meat intake because red meat is hard on my digestive system. I started eating more seafood, like blue crabs and shrimp. I also ate lean turkey chicken, green vegetables, and drank low calorie Gatorade and Powerade Zero. I eat seafood at least 4 times a week because it works better with my digestive system.

What did your workout routine look like?
My cardio routine includes 4 miles on the treadmill and 45 minutes on the elliptical. I do planks, circuit workouts, strength and conditioning at an outdoor field with my trainer. I also do modified squats because of my knees. In the beginning, I worked out 3 days a week, but I gradually increased to 5 days a week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 305 pounds and my current weight is 197 pounds. My height is 5’4″.

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
May 31, 2016. I’m still transforming, but after 11 months I think I really was able to say hi to the new physical me!

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I learned was to listen to my body. I could have avoided my knee situation if I listened to the aches and pain.

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
If you want to lose weight, first evaluate why. What’s driving this decision to change? We can do anything we put our mind to. However, to be committed to completing and maintaining a weight loss goal takes real dedication. Nobody can give you that. You have to want it like you want your next breath. Also, no matter who is against your choices, you have to do what you have to do for yourself.

Confidence is not a number on the scale, it’s a state of mind.

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