Melissa lost 30 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Melissa lost 30 pounds. Due to fibromyalgia, being active used to cause her a lot of pain. Now, she has fallen in love with fitness, become a vegetarian and feels much better. She’s also gone from a size 20 to a size 14. Check out how she did it.

What was your motivation?
I was simply tired of hating my reflection. I also wanted to eat to live, not live to eat. I finally wanted to do it for me and not for someone else, not even my husband. I have fibromyalgia and getting healthier has surely helped me to feel better. Being active used to cause great pain. Now, I feel worse when I’m not active.

How did you change your eating habits?
I started watching my calories and using an app to track what I was eating. I was once a vegetarian, so I went back to a plant based diet. No soda, limited sweets and I strickly drank water. Also, I never denied myself anything I wanted. I just learned how to have things in moderation.

What did your workout routine look like?
At first, I didn’t work out at all. Then, I started using a punch bag about 3 days a week for 30 minutes.  Next, I joined a martial arts gym and participated in 30 minute sessions at least three days a week. Now, I’ve added weight lifting to my routine at least 2 days a week and I do 100 squats daily.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I started at 221 pounds and now I weigh 191 pounds. My goal is 150 pounds. I went from a size 20 to size 14. My height is 5’2″.

When did you start your journey?
March 2017. I took roughly taking 9 months to get to where I am now. I still have a long way to go, but for once I’m happy with my reflection.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
I learned that being on a diet will surely cause you to fail. Changing your lifestyle and falling
in love with fitness is a much better recipe for success.

What advice do you have for other people who want to lose weight?
Fall in love with fitness and living healthy, and you’ll soon fall in love with yourself. Don’t set big goals, like losing 100 pounds. Set small, achievable goals such as losing one pound this week or losing 3 pounds in two weeks. Focusing on and achieving small goals will make you more willing to stick to a routine.