Pathina lost 75 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Pathina lost 75 pounds. She’s gone from a size 26 to a size 18. Pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, insomnia and nerve pain couldn’t stop her. A friend suggested she work with a coach who gave her the guidance and support she needed. She put in lots of hard work and has maintained her success over the years. Check out her journey.

I want to submit my story to help motivate women to stay focused while on their lifestyle journey. I was motivated to make a lifestyle change because I started to experience health issues, such as pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems and insomnia. I also had nerve pain in my arms, legs and back. I prayed for help, because I was tired of trying fad diets that didn’t last.

A friend of mine was losing weight right before my eyes. So, I asked what she was doing and she referred me to Terry Starks, aka the Diet Doctor, on Facebook. He is a life saver. He provided me with a practical, doable meal plan and suggested I commit to 30 minutes of cardio daily. Not only that, but he prayed with me, prayed for me and gave me a scripture.

I changed my eating habits by eating five small meal a day. Each meal had to fit on a saucer, instead of having one big meal (like I was accustomed to). I stopped drinking soda and sweetened drinks. Instead, I had water and some juices (orange, apple, cranberry and grapefruit). I stopped eating bread, pasta, fried foods, potatoes and other foods high in carbohydrates. I starting eating more fruit and vegetables, such as bananas, grapes, grapefruits, peaches, plums, green peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and eating more salads.

The one thing I like most about the Terry Starks’ plan is that it incorporates all the foods you eat anyway. You don’t have to buy different or strange foods. You don’t have to order anything that you would not ordinarily eat.

I started working out 30 minutes a day. In the beginning, I decided to use Leslie Sansone’s “Walk Away the Pounds” DVD for cardio. I could barely make it through a one-mile video. Before you know it, I was running 5 miles on the treadmill. Do you hear me? I said RUNNING! I even led workout classes.

There were plenty of times when I wanted to give up. My cravings were very strong, because of all the processed food I stopped consuming. I stayed the course, because I wanted to stop taking the blood pressure medications that my doctor said I would be taking for the rest of my life.

My starting weight was 292 pounds in March 2012 and by September 2012 I had shed 75 pounds.  For a woman who is 5’4″, that may still seem heavy but look at the picture and judge for yourself. One day, I looked up and I wearing a size 16. I’d come all the way down from a size 26. The grand finale of my weight loss journey was being able to work as a Mail Carrier in 2013. I don’t believe I would have had the opportunity to get that job if I had not met Terry Starks and got my life back.

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL Y’ALL! I may have fallen off a few times, but glory be to God I’m still striving and I’m not where I use to be. When I look back over the years and see where I’ve come from while on this healthy lifestyle journey, I’m inspired to continue.

Going from a mail carrier a couple of years ago to a desk job threw my body into shock. I also wasn’t putting clean foods in my body. I believed this lie: “Because you walk all day, you can eat anything”. THE DEVIL IS A LIAR! Today, I can say that I am still moving forward and creating healthy lifestyle each day. I promised myself that I would not go back to my old way of eating. Thanks to the Diet Doctor, I don’t have to take blood pressure medication anymore (I haven’t for over 5 1/2 years) or any medication for that matter. I was taught by the best and I am sticking with Terry Starks.

I wear a size 18 now and I am getting rid of the pounds I put on a few years ago from sitting all day at work and reverting to poor eating habits. My smallest size was a 16, so I will take this 18 any day over the size 26 I wore five years ago. My husband and I do a lot of bike riding. When we go to the gym, we mainly concentrate on the elliptical machine.

My advice would be to celebrate the baby steps. That’s what has kept me going. Something else I would advise women to do: Don’t beat yourself up if you stumble along the way. Get up, dust yourself off and keep it moving.

I hope my story helps someone who may be going through similar struggles. Keep pushing and put God first in everything. Do what works for your body. What works for one does not always work for the other. You have to start somewhere, so just start.