Transformation of the Day: Sandrine lost 33 pounds/15kg. Body shaming from her family made her self-conscious. She decided to focus on improving her health and changing her relationship with food. It took a while for her to find the right eating and exercise routine, but she didn’t give up and didn’t make excuses. Check out her story.
Hello, my name is Sandrine. I’m 27 years old, and I’m from lovely Martinique (French West Indies). Here is my story:
I’ve never cared about what I looked like or what I ate until people in my family started to body shame me. I became really self-conscious. I realized I was becoming unhealthy when I looked at my pictures, and when I couldn’t fit in my clothes anymore. I’m 5’8″, and my peak weight was 92kg/202 pounds in September 2016. I got down to 87kg/191 pounds in 2017.
After moving to the UK in 2014, I often bought loads of junk food and ate all of it with absolutely no hunger. A friend told me about Lise Bourbeau‘s work on the relationship between emotions and what we eat. I started to listen to her conferences while walking to work. I learned that I was binge eating because of my loneliness. I decided to cut out meat and alcohol for a year. I also went for a run 3 to 4 times a week… but ultimately I didn’t get any results.
When I came back to Martinique in October 2017, I didn’t go back to eating meat and drinking alcohol but kept the same unhealthy habits. After working out for months and still getting no results, I decided to commit to a nutritionist. She made me realize that I was eating way too much fruit, nuts, fat, and carbs, so I reduced my intake a lot. I literally only eat vegetables with eggs, meat or fish, and I only have alcohol on the weekend. If I have a cheat meal, I don’t have carbs for the three following days. I also do intermittent fasting at least four times a week and drink half a gallon of water a day.
I currently weigh 77kg/169 pounds. My next and last goal is 73kg/160 pounds.
Motivation: I became motivated when I read this quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger: “You can have results or excuses. Not both!” At that moment “No Excuse” became my motto and my favorite hashtag. I set realistic goals that I
wanted to reach in a specific time frame. I promised myself that I’d never let excuses get in the way of my results. I also read success stories on BWLW’s website that keep me going.
Workout Routine: I work out every day. At first, I didn’t want to get a gym membership because of all the money I would waste as I get bored quite easily. So, I try to vary my activities throughout the week by mixing weight lifting, hiking, swimming, walking and running in nature. I also take a dance and an aerobics class once a week. I aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, but it’s more likely 1 hour to 2 hours. I generally use Spotebi programs on a mat with my own equipment. I also bought a Fitbit Flex 2 to keep track of my activities.
Biggest Lesson: During this process, I’ve learned that the only person who counts on my journey is me. If I’m the one making excuses, I am the one facing the consequences and getting no results. I also learned if I can do a 10k run one day and I do a 9k the day after, I should still be proud of myself.
Advice: If you’re at the beginning or middle of your journey, going for a 30-minute workout is better than finding an excuse not to do anything. Don’t let other people’s negativity impact your work and don’t beat yourself up! Be strong. Be proud.
Instagram: @cendreens_journey
View this post on Instagram
Comment Via Facebook