Rochelle lost 78 pounds

Weight Loss Story of the Day: Rochelle lost 78 pounds. After years of battling her weight and losing a loved one to high blood pressure and heart failure, she knew that it was time to change.  She began to lose weight on her own and was later blessed to be a part of a makeover reality show.  She shared the details of her journey with us…

My name is Rochelle and at my highest weight I was 276 pounds, not a good thing on my 5’2″ frame. I was always the “big girl” growing up. Everyone in my family was heavy so I just thought that was how I would always be. My grandmother, the woman who raised me, fell ill in 2012 after battling her entire adult life with obesity, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure. Ultimately, her kidneys shut down. My mother also struggles with similar medical issues. After losing my grandmother in April, 2013, I was told by my doctor that I was borderline hypertensive. I decided that I did not want to go through the same health issues or have my two sons spend as much time in hospitals as I had done over the years.

I joined Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds in over a year. That was good but I still had so far to go. I had been praying with my sisters in Christ at church and told them that I wanted the ways and means to lose the weight! A couple of months later I auditioned for a weight loss show for Lifetime Television called Mission Makeover and was selected as a contestant! Over the course of six months, with the help of a personal trainer, nutritionist and life coach I was able to lose another 39 pounds! God showed up and showed out! Here I was praying for money for a personal trainer and he gave me all that and more! He can do exceedingly and abundantly above all! The show has ended (you can still catch Season 4 on YouTube) but I am still on this journey and have signed up for a half marathon in November! I’m so blessed and excited about this new chapter in my life!

I stopped eating out all the time, even the stuff I used to think was “better” for me like Subway. I ate more lean meats and vegetables (fresh or frozen, never canned). I don’t eat white rice, only brown rice. I make sure to meal prep weekly so I don’t end up at fast food places. I changed my snacking from chips and cookies to nuts and tomatoes and hummus. I always eat breakfast, usually a protein smoothie with greens, like spinach or kale. I also make sure to eat 5-6 meals per day to fuel my body. Cooking at home allows me to control what I am putting in my body, as well as my 12 year-old son’s body. I drink no less than 100 oz of water per day, no sodas and juice is limited as well. I also take multivitamins and additional Vitamin D.

I worked out three times a week with a personal trainer, Billy Beck, and with my girls on the “mission”. We did full body workouts and circuit training. We also used Jamie Eason’s Livefit Trainer, a free training program from Bodybuilding.com. On the days that I’m not with a trainer, I do one hour of cardio, mostly the elliptical and treadmill. I also have completed the Couch to 5k program. I am currently doing the Livefit program again. I currently weigh 198 pounds and this is the first time I’ve been under 200 pounds in 13 years. My advice to others is to stay the course. Wake up everyday, thank God for life, get up and get active to improve your temple. Don’t worry about the scale! Focus on all you are becoming and the weight and inches will come off. Sometimes you fall off, but get up and keep moving. I have cheat meals but not cheat days that turn into binges. I’m still a work in progress and excited to make the rest of my life the best of my life!

Facebook: Rochelle’s Mission Makeover Journey
Instagram: @msrochelle73