Sheena lost 87 pounds

Update: More than 2 years later, Sheena is still going strong.

Before & now #LittleBlackDress 💙 I’m not done yet #TransformationTuesday

A post shared by 📷 Sheenas Lifestyle Change 👆 (@determined2satisfied) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:24am PDT

Instagram: @determined2satisfied

Weight Loss Success Story of the Day: Sheena lost 87.2 pounds.  After years of starting and quoting diets she decided to recommit to her goals and was inspired by the stories of others online to change her life.  She has chronicled her inspiring journey on Instagram and now she’s sharing with us about how she lost the weight…

START Determined: END Satisfied! It started off about wanting to lose 100 pounds before I graduated with my MBA but it is so much more than that. I’ve learned that the only way be successful losing weight is to make it a LIFESTYLE change. No crazy DIETS just eating better, working out and staying motivated. It took me a long time and many failed attempts but I’m more determined than ever and enjoying this journey. It’s crazy how much can change in such a short period of time. One decision to lose weight has the power to change your entire life. People ask me how I started and how did I lose the weight?

My story sounds like so many others, I’ve been overweight my who life. I don’t really remember a time which I wasn’t the chubby/big/fat whatever you want to label it girl. As a child I got made fun of a little but not really to my face. It was more of me feeling others got chosen over me because of my weight. I’ve always had a lot of friends and even though I would have preferred to be smaller I still loved myself. My weight issues probably bothered me more inside then I let it show to the world. I tried so many DIETS and QUIT that eventually I embraced the cute big girl look. I went to college, worked, partied and traveled. I usually didn’t let my weight stop me. I tried some more DIETS during and after college but quit those too. I had my son in 2011 and I believe I was back to weighing the same 225 pounds soon after, so I can’t use the “I gained weight with the baby” excuse. Lol

When 2013 came around, I weighed in at 248 pounds and I knew if I didn’t do something soon I might hit 300 pounds. I followed an account on Instagram for months with such inspirational post (@mbfitsupportsu ) I found a whole world of people on Instagram documenting their weight loss journeys. I watched real people, shrink in a matter of months. I watched them post recipes, workouts, tips and motivational quotes. It was December 2013 and my Fall semester of Graduate school was coming to an end. I remember how much trouble I was having earlier that semester and thinking wow you really turned it around at the end. Then I asked myself why is it that no matter how hard school gets, I complete it. I might cry, be mad or whatever, but the work gets done no matter how crazy work or life gets. I told myself that I needed to look at going to the gym as school and eating right as my homework. If all those regular girls on Instagram can do it then why couldn’t I? Finally after almost a year of watching other people transform their bodies I opened up my own Instagram journey account @sheenafitzai, now @startdetermined__endsatisfied. On December 11th 2013, I weighed in at 255.6 pounds.

When I first started, I made small changes. A normal day drinking wise for me before my journey started would be maybe some OJ in the morning, a bottle of grape soda for lunch and maybe some coffee with lots of sugar and milk. I didn’t really drink a lot during the day but whatever I did drink something it wasn’t water. So when I started my journey I decided to drink WATER only. I stopped eating out as much and changed what I ordered when I did eat out. I could eat out more than once a day, usually I would order something for lunch at work and buy something for dinner. Vegetables and fruits weren’t really part of my diet, so I started eating more vegetable and fruits. Making a green smoothie in the morning made it easier for me to get my servings of veggies/fruit in.

I worked out at home and used guest passes at different gyms before I actually joined Synergy. I would go to the gym walk a mile and go home. Doesn’t sound like much now but it was a lot for me at the time. So many times in the past I joined a gym or workout program then never went back. I wanted to commit to working out before joining anything this time. The more I went, the harder I pushed myself.  In the beginning of my journey, I mostly went on the Elliptical and Treadmill but also did 30 day challenges I found online that focused on different parts of the body. An example would be a 30 day squat challenge or plank challenge. I also tried different classes at the gym, like PoundFit, Zumba, Kickboxing basically anything they offered. I even went to a Cross Fit class, swimming classes at a different gym and bootcamp classes. Anything to keep me motivated. I tried to do something everyday even if it was only 20 minutes. I also took walks on my lunch breaks. I posted pictures and documented my journey on Instagram for motivation and support.

My last weigh-in was 11-14-14 at 168.4 pounds. I am down 87.2 pounds and fighting to hit 100 pounds by my year mark by December 11 2014 (I’m 5’1″). Now I’m proving myself wrong. If I can do this, I’m telling you so can you. Make this Lifestyle change a priority and the results will come.

My advice: This journey is 100% mental; you should embrace the journey. Commit to a Lifestyle Change not a DIET. Take it slow and do your research. Just because someone does it one way doesn’t mean that’s how you have to. Take the things you see and make them work for you. Meal prep things that work for you; meals you will eat. Keep an open mind and try new things. Start cooking your own meals and find ways to make the unhealthy meals healthier. Be reasonable when setting goals. Don’t compare your day 1 with someones day 300. You are amazing and if you put your mind to it you can do it :). I used to make a lot of excuses, I used to say the one thing I couldn’t do was lose weight .

RECAP:
Embrace the journey #thinkpositive
Try to change the way you think!!
Do your own research!!
Find out what works for you!!!
Use all your resources. (IG, YouTube, Pinterest, MyFitnessPal, countless apps)
Change things slowly!
Don’t be too hard on yourself!!
Take lots of pictures/videos.
Make goals other than losing pounds.
Believe you can do this!!
When in doubt, Drink more WATER!
Wake up with Determination & go to bed with SATISFACTION!