Nicole lost 54 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Nicole lost 54 pounds. Within one year of moving a new city, she gained almost 55 pounds. During her weight loss journey, she learned just how important changing your eating habits can be. Check out her story.

The photo of me in the blue t-shirt is from 2013. That was almost one year after I left Detroit and I was almost at my heaviest weight, of 270+ pounds. I gained almost 55 pounds within one year of moving! How? Delicious food, sitting too much and eating.

I started exercising in 2014 by walking daily. That is when I realized how much the weight was pulling on my back from my tummy. I tried to be consistent with walking, and even tried the treadmill. However, I had not changed my eating habits yet. In October 2015, I changed that. No more preservatives, no more junk in the house and no more meat! These changes were a personal choice for myself.

For almost a year, I did not eat anything that did not fit with my commitment to eating to live! In one year, I dropped (before I even noticed) from 274 pounds and wearing a size 24 to 220 pounds and wearing size 16! No more pain, no heavy breathing and so many more benefits! I am sharing this because I am so happy to see that I am back to the weight I was before I moved from Detroit.

From October 2015 to April 2017, I’ve had a steady progression of weight loss and buying new pants and smaller tops. The pants I used to wear that were a size 24, I can put one leg of them on over my other pants! Also, I would note that I did not exercise when I changed my eating. The weight just fell off from changing my food choices! The other amazing thing that happened is that I have learned how to cook so many amazing dishes that don’t include meat. This is exciting for me, because my palate has changed so much. 

My favorite healthy foods: I like Roasted Russian fingerling potatoes with olive oil, and Spinach Salad with cucumbers, onion and Italian dressing. I love making Banana Strawberry muffins with honey. I also love fried rice, but I use organic brown rice, peppers and broccoli.

My advice: Start with just a small change. For example, I stopped drinking soda as a challenge with my friends. Just seeing the benefits of that choice gave me the encouragement I needed.

I hope that sharing a piece of my story will help someone else.