Transformation of the Day: Monica lost 43 pounds and transformed her body with healthy eating and exercise. This amazing mom of 2 is a restaurant owner, author, mom blogger and health coach. She figured out what worked for her and now she’s helping other moms to create healthy lifestyles. Check out her story.
A bit of background: I was 60 pounds overweight due to depression and lack of motivation after graduating high school. I decided to start fresh and move to Albuquerque. Getting healthy was the first thing on my to do list. I managed to lose all the extra pounds while going to school, getting married, and starting a business. Now that I’m a mom of 2 kids ages 1 year and 4 years, I focus on providing postpartum fitness coaching. My lifestyle brand is Moms Wear Heels. My mission is to empower women and mothers to lead healthy lives from the inside out.
What was your motivation? What kept you going?
I held a vision in my heart and head: although I was overweight and felt lethargic, I always knew instinctively how I wanted to look and feel. That vision is what got me out of bed in the morning to workout when I wanted to hit the snooze button. I always thought, “Life is too short not to live out my fullest potential”.
How did you change your eating habits?
I kept it simple by first eliminating all fast foods. I replaced all juices and sodas with water. I started a simple cardio routine of jogging 3 miles a day, 5 days a week. After I had kids, this evolved into a more in-depth plan, including higher (much higher) protein in my diet and weight training.
Some staples on my grocery list each week include: lean proteins, like swag, tilapia, salmon, lean ground turkey, veggies like spinach and asparagus, grains like whole wheat penne, ezekiel bread, and carbs like sweet potatoes and oatmeal. I also protein powder supplements in my smoothies to help gain muscle (and therefore burn fat!)
What did your workout routines look like?
Once I started seeing results, I became addicted. I worked out 5 days a week. Now, I focus on simple compound movements like squats with bicep curls for maintenance.
My goal is to keep my curves in all the right places, so I do not do much cardio. My focus is on strength training, as I’ve found that works best for my body type. Cardio was king for me in the beginning of my first transformation to instill discipline and burn fat. In order to truly transform one’s body, however, I strongly believe weights is the way to do it.
What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
When I first started my weight loss journey, I weighed about 175 pounds. Now, I weigh 132 pounds. I am 5’7″. I weighed 175 lbs. when I was at my heaviest (before kids) at age 19. Then I gained 50 pounds during each of my pregnancies, but this was years later after I had already lost the weight during my initial transformation.
How long did your transformation take?
I stared officially in 2008 when I packed up my life and decided to make a start fresh. It’s actually a difficult question, because I am still on a journey to becoming my best self.
What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Have a compelling “why”. Combining that “why” with a vision of the woman (or man) you want to become will motivate you more than anything else.
Her story was featured by Oxygen Magazine in June 2016. Check out the article.
Instagram: @momswearheels
My blog: Momswearheels.com
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