Nancy lost 135 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Nancy lost 135 pounds. This single mom of 4 refused to be defeated by diabetes, pseudotumor cerebri, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and several other health issues. She released the weight by cleaning up her eating habits and dancing off the pounds.

I’m a 38 year old single mother of four. I’m originally from Brooklyn, NY, now residing in a small town outside of Atlanta.

What was your motivation?
I decided to take my weight issues seriously because I could no longer live the life that I was living. My quality of life was in the toilet, along with my self-esteem and confidence. The bigger I got, the more health issues came to play, and the more I drowned deeper into my depression. That vicious cycle went on for years.

I have four beautiful children I was entrusted by God to take care of, and they were taking care of me. They helped me get dressed every morning. I became a burden on them. Even though they never said it out loud, I felt it in my heart. My mother, who always accompanied me to all of my many doctor’s appointments, lived in fear of having to bury her child one day.

In 2012, at 182 pounds, I started my first attempt to get my weight, my health, and my life under control. I lost close to 30 pounds. During that time, I was diagnosed with cerebral hypertension, aka pseudotumor cerebri. It mimics a brain tumor, but no tumor is present. They started me on Prednisone, and one of the side effects is weight gain.

I hit a plateau in my weight loss, became overwhelmed by my medical issues, and began to feed my pain. From 2014 to 2019, I had three surgeries and was diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, sarcoidosis, fatty liver, depression, sleep apnea, and high cholesterol. I sat in front of bottles upon bottles of medications that I took daily. From 160 pounds, my weight skyrocketed to my highest weight of 282 pounds in January of 2019.

How did you change your eating habits?
Fast food was my best friend. It was tasty, convenient, and always available. During dinner, I would sit in front of two plates of Chinese food every night. I would walk in the restaurant, and they already knew my order; chicken wings, fried rice, and beef & broccoli with EXTRA sauce all over the rice. I ate both plates down to the last grain of rice. So McDonald’s made me breakfast, lunch was whatever restaurant I was closest to & dinner was always Chinese food. As far as drinks, I drank peach soda or Sprite. (Oh, I can not forget my energy drinks.)

I started by eliminating all fast food and made a promise to myself that if I didn’t cook it, I wouldn’t eat. I also refrained from frying the foods that I did cook. I tried day by day to make the healthiest food choices that I could.

Tell us about your workout routine.
At that height weight, my body was in so much pain. My knees, ankles, lower back, and feet would hurt so badly that I couldn’t see myself going to a gym to workout. However, I do enjoy dancing. My daughter Jennifer pulled up a Zumba fitness video on YouTube, and I started two-stepping in my living room. I danced almost every day. It was so much fun, and it didn’t even feel like a workout. Plus, I got to dance with my children.

Starting weight/Current weight
I started my journey on January 2, 2019 at 282 pounds, and I currently weigh 147 pounds.

What is your height?
I am 4’11”.

What advice do you have for people who want to lose weight?
You Got This! Be patient. Take it moment by moment, step by step, and day by day. Just keep going. When you feel like quitting and giving up, remember your why you got started.

My life has definitely changed. On my six month anniversary, I created a YouTube video documenting my weight loss journey. I was down 100 pounds at the time. Now, my story has 360,000 views.

I’m happy that my journey is inspiring and motivating people. I want to give them hope and show them that it’s possible to reclaim your health and your life. I feel like I’m living my childhood dream of wanting to help people.

Instagram: @back_at_it_again_2019