Miranda lost 123 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Miranda lost 123 pounds. This proud mom found strength in her faith and her desire to enjoy a long life with her daughters. She also wanted to heal her acid reflux and reduce her risk of developing diabetes. Check out how she lost the weight with healthy eating and regular exercise.

My name is Miranda C. and I’ll turn 36 years old in 1 week. My motivation for losing weight was having acid reflux. I weighed 272 pounds at only 5’4″ and 28 years old. That weight took a toll on me. Many nights, I had to sleep sitting up because I couldn’t breath or I would gag in my sleep. I was in fear of getting esophageal cancer, so I knew I had to do something. Also, diabetes is prevalent on my fathers side of the family and I knew that if I did not get my weight under control, I would probably have diabetes. I did not want that.

In 2009, after hearing a sermon from my Pastor, I prayed and asked God to show me the way to becoming healthy. After an intense prayer, the first thing I did was cut out beef and pork. With that change, lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks. That was the beginning of my lifestyle change and natural weight loss journey. Anytime I felt like giving up I just stood on one scripture, “ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES US STRENGTH.” This scripture really gave me the drive and dedication I needed to make it through those tough times. In addition, my 2 girls are also my inspiration, because I knew that I wanted to live for my babies.

Eating Habits: I cut out all things unhealthy, from beef and pork to fast food, juice, pasta, bread, etc. As I cut out all of the unhealthy foods, I replaced them with more fruits and vegetables. I began to only eat chicken, fish and turkey. My water intake increased significantly. I did start on a specific plan that helped me learn what and how to eat, how much to eat, and how often I should. To this day, I continue to eat clean, eat every 2-3 hours and drink about 80 ounces of water a day.

Exercise: I started by working out at home and lost about 30 pounds. I next started to do Zumba 4 days a week. After doing well with Zumba, I decided to intensify my workout by adding the treadmill. My workout days quickly increased to 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. After a few months, I changed up again and added strength training, while still doing Zumba and working out on the treadmill. I continued to switch up my workouts when I felt that was needed, adding boxing and Buda Khi (martial arts and cardio).

I have been teaching Buda Khi for almost 5 years and I Love it. I also teach bootcamp. For the last year. I have been doing heavy weight training with my trainer, which has led to me losing another 17 pounds, 8 inches and 7% body fat. I’m so proud of my journey. It was tough but so worth it and I have so much energy. Less knee pain, no more back pains and I no longer have to take medicine for acid reflux. I’ve added years to my life.

My starting weight was 272 pounds. At one point, I measured my waist and it was 50 inches around (the same length as my mother’s couch). That made me cry and gave me more motivation. My current weight is 149 pounds with 22%  body fat. My waist is 29 1/2 inches and my hip measurement is 36 1/2 inches.

I started my transformation around October of 2009. It took close to a year and a half to get over 120 pounds off. I kept going even after hitting my goal because I knew the hardest part would be keeping the weight off. I did not have any surgeries. I was really determined to do it the traditional way, with hard work and dedication.

Advice: Just remember that you are doing this for you and no one else. Even when it seems that it’s not working just remember, we are so used to seeing our boys in a certain way that when you begin to get smaller you won’t see it initially. Do not let that discourage you. Always take pictures and do side by side images.

This suggestion is very important: Stay off the scale! Only weigh yourself once a month and take your measurements in inches for comparison. As you increase muscle mass, that will affect the numbers on the scale because muscle is more dense than fat. Speak positive things to yourself. Find you a quote or scripture to stand on for those times when you feel like giving up. Always remember one thing in terms of healthy eating, which is… EAT CLEAN AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!

I really hope and pray that my story motivates others and shows that with a positive mind set and hard work, this can and will be done.