Shatawna lost more than 200 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Shatawna lost more than 200 pounds. At 427 pounds, she decided to have Gastric Bypass to improve her health and wellbeing. Surgery has not been a quick fix for her. She’s had to work hard to change her eating habits and exercise regularly over the last 5 years to keep the weight off. Check out her story.

These photos show my progress. In the photo on the left, I weighed 427 pounds in 2011. In the middle photo I weighed 189 pounds in 2014. The photo on the right is the most current and shows me at 230 pounds (2016)! I am 5’6″ tall.

At 427 pounds, I didn’t realize I was that BIG. However, because of the way I felt I knew something wasn’t right. I made a life altering decision to get the weight off! I decided to have gastric bypass weight loss surgery 5 years ago, as of April 26!

The way I changed my eating was by shrinking my portions drastically, my entire meal now fits on a saucer size plate. I also stopped eating both beef and pork products. Now, my diet consists of turkey, chicken, seafood, lamb, and deer meat.

My workout routine consists of circuit training, squats, free weights for my upper body, stair master, elliptical, stationary bikes, Zumba and other aerobics. I also do some sports outdoors, like basketball and batting at batting cages. I workout 5 days a week.

At 189 pounds, I was beginning to feel like Skeleton. I didn’t the way I looked, so I promised myself that I wouldn’t get carried away and I put on a few pounds! Now, at 230 pounds, I’m not satisfied with myself. I know that the excess 30lbs that I’m carrying is due to medication I take and I know what I need to do to lose the weight! So, with the encouragement and support of my mother, we are about to kick things into high gear and shed these lbs! I’ve got some traveling to do this summer and I want to b healthy and fit doing it! With clean eating and exercise and I’ll be at my 200 lbs goal weight in no time!

The advice I would give to someone who is trying to lose weight is “Just start!” When you keep putting it off you only add to your unhealthiness and your unhappiness. Also, surround yourself with positive minded, supportive people. If you don’t have any around you physically, then join a positive weight loss group online or in your area. Having a good support system is a key part in any weight loss journey!

The thing that I would like people to know about weight loss surgery is that it isn’t the “easy” way out that so many people misconceive it to be. It takes just as much time and dedication as someone naturally losing weight. In some instances, it takes a little more, because you can get wrapped up in the weight coming off so easily that you get lazy, don’t exercise or start eating the wrong things because you can only eat a little food anyway. People who have weight loss surgery still have to eat a healthy, well balanced diet and exercise in order to maintain the weight loss. If they don’t, it can come back and sometimes even faster than before!

I hope that this can inspire and encourage someone else to get back up if they’ve fallen off course a bit! Black Women Losing Weight, Thanks for the continued encouragement, meal plans, exercise routines, challenges, and most of all support that u all continue to give to each and every person everyday! This group is truly amazing! Now, watch my transition back to where I want to be!