Sarah lost 85 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Sarah lost 85 pounds. Three years ago she made the decision to change her mindset about health and fitness. She’d never been athletic and her eating habits were very unhealthy, but today she’s a personal trainer. No gimmicks or fads, just healthy eating and staying active. Check out her journey.

Three years ago, I made the decision to change the way I thought about my overall health. For all of my adult life, I’d been clinically obese/overweight. As a child, I was raised in a very healthy household but I abandoned that lifestyle once I moved out and went to college. My weight and health began to spiral out of control. I rarely ate anything remotely healthy and my doctor began to warn me about the health issues I could face if I didn’t change my eating habits (high blood pressure being one of them). I thought to myself, “I’m too young to have high blood pressure, something has to change.”

The first thing I did was change the way I ate. Instead of eating processed, fried, and starchy foods, I began to bake, steam, and/or grill the majority of my food. I meal prep every Sunday so that I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to eat. I also began to carefully read food labels.

Also, for the first time since high school gym class, I began to workout on a consistent basis. I initially started by fitness journey by running on the lake where I live, LakeMichigan. Then, I wanted to build lean muscle and sculpt, so I incorporated strength training into my routine. By doing HIIT cardio and circuit strength training I was able to rapidly reduce body fat and increase lean muscle. I workout at least 5 days a week.

Fast forward 3 years later, I have lost 85 pounds. My starting weight was 225 pounds. My current weight is 140 pounds. My height is 5’5″. My journey started around March of 2014. It took me a little over a year to lose the weight. It took another 2 years to sculpt and build lean muscle, which is actually an ongoing journey. Now, I run in races and am a certified personal trainer.

I’m someone who’s NEVER played ONE sport in High School and I was always last in gym class. I only started exercising about 3 years ago. The first time I ran, I couldn’t even run an entire block. Never in a million years would I think I’d be here. So, if I can do it, anyone can.

I did it the traditional way: healthy eating and staying active. It’s not rocket science. People think that there is a secret to weight loss. If there were, I’d be a rich woman. Just hard work, dedication, and consistency. Anyone willing to sacrifice can do it! If you think about health first, the body you desire will come along with it. Working out is no longer a “daunting task” for me. It’s therapy, an outlet, and if I miss a day it totally throws me off. I also have an amazing community of sisters (and brothas) who motivate and inspire me.

Advice: Never, ever, ever give up! Even if you don’t see the results right away, don’t give up. There were times when I didn’t see my body changing and I knew I was doing everything right. Sometimes it takes time for your body to react to your routine. Everyone’s body is different, so just be patient with the process. If you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do, I promise the weight will come off. One more thing, nutrition is EVERYTHING. It’s true what they say, “You can’t out-exercise a poor diet.”