Mimi lost 71 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Mimi lost 71 pounds. She is an educator, a caterer, and a cancer survivor. Despite constant pain after 5 surgeries on her legs, Mimi found a way to incorporate exercise into her life. She also embraced clean eating. Check out her story.

I am an educator and caterer. I am also a 3-time cancer survivor. I have had 5 surgeries on my legs, and I still don’t have an ACL in my right knee. My right leg is 75% metal. Cancer treatments, depression, and feeling sorry for myself kept me at 270 pounds for over 5 years. The last time I weighed under 200 pounds was May 2006.

I started my #Drop70by35 goal on 6-19-2017, a week after having knee surgery. Moving more (despite the constant pain), removing beef and pork from my diet, eating clean 85% of the time, and chasing my active toddler allowed me to shatter my goal of losing 70lbs. Now, I weigh 199 pounds at 5’6″, and I recently celebrated my 35th birthday.

Motivation: My Big WHY is my son, and making sure I will be alive to take care of him. I am in pain daily, but I am also woken up DAILY to reset. My life has a purpose.

Exercise: I started physical therapy after my 5th knee surgery, and went home every day moving a little more. I pushed to walk at least 3,500 steps a day when I initially started. Then, I increased that number to set new goals. I went from barely being able to walk to my truck to 3-4 workouts a week. Low impact aerobics and weight training are what helped me once I was strong enough to handle it.

Biggest Lesson: I am perfectly imperfect, and loved. I didn’t gain 85 pounds overnight, and it will not be removed instantly. Patience with yourself is greatly needed. Changing my relationship with food allowed me to see this. I wasn’t feeding my hunger, but my depression and pain.

Advice: Don’t doubt yourself. Never compare yourself to others results. We are all unique, with different needs. Taking baby steps with regard to what you are eating can lead to huge steps toward weight loss.

I was told I could never lose the weight on my own and that needed to have surgery. God & I said otherwise. I will now focus on my next goal of reaching 185lbs to help with my overall health.

Instagram: @transcendentmimi