Shayna lost 107 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Shayna lost 107 pounds. Her doctor advised that losing weight would improve her chances of getting preganant. She found a low fat, low carb plan that worked for her, and did Zumba and weight training for exercise. Her hard work and consistency has paid off. Check out her story.

What was your motivation? What inspired you when you wanted to give up?
I have been trying to have a baby for over 4 years. My doctor said everything would work better if I lost 67 pounds. I am currently down 107 pounds. Still no baby, but still trying.

How did you change your eating habits?
I used a strict approved food list. The meal plan is from the Pounds and Inches protocol. Low fat, lean protein and low calorie filling vegetables for 6 weeks, along with a gallon of water each day. Then, you move on to stabilizing your weight loss using a no refined starch/no sugar diet for 3 weeks…. and repeat the cycle as needed. After 3-6 weeks of this, I slowly incorporate healthy starches.

I cut out all fast food, junk food, carbs and refined sugar. I still eat natural starches and sugars from fruits and vegetables. Everything is fresh and cooked at home now, so that I am aware of how it is cooked and seasoned. I look at the labels on everything before I buy it and rarely buy anything from the center of the grocery store, unless it’s condiments. I still eat fried chicken, I just use pork rinds as my breading and fry with olive oil. I have created a ton of low carb, no sugar recipes that have made stabilizing more enjoyable and successful. After my weight is fully stabilized, the protocol suggests gradually add back in healthy starches and sugars.

What does your workout routine look like?
I take Zumba class 3 times a week and do resistance training 2-3 times a week.

Starting weight/Current weight
My starting weight was 286.6 pounds. My current weight is 179.2 pounds. I’m 5 feet, 5 inches tall. No surgery was involved.

How long did your transformation take?
From Sept 2015 to April 2016, I lost 87 pounds. I took an eight month break, during which time I maintained my weight. Then, I picked this journey back up again in January 2017. I am finishing up my last round of the diet in 11 days. That’s a total of 107 pounds over a 12 month period (excluding the 8 month break)

What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Do what makes you feel good and and love yourself wholeheartedly! You have to do it for you and no one else. It is more mental than anything so find other ways to keep busy than eating- find new hobbies, try new things. And finally realize that you are not alone in this, surround yourself with people who want to see you happy and healthy and become their inspiration! I would also like to say that my husband has always been a big supporter of mine- he loved me big and small and keeps me going!