Siri lost 109 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Siri lost 109 pounds. This 36 year old wife and mother of two knows the power of eating healthy and exercising regularly. Since 2013, she has taken action and done the hard work of figuring out what works for her. She wants people to know that they have the power to transform into their best selves. Check out her awesome story.

My name is Siri and I am a 36 year old wife and mom to two boys. I have lost over 100 pounds from just working out and eating right. I’ve gone from a size 22/24 to a size 8, and kept the weight off for 2 years. I am sharing my journey with BWLW to inspire even more women to believe that hard as it may seem, they have the power to transform into their best selves. You are not too weak, too fat or too poor to win the fight against obesity. Yes, it will take hard work, dedication, commitment, resilience and some discomfort, but YOU ARE STRONG and CAPABLE!

I have struggled with my weight since my early teens. At age 21, I weighed well over 220 pounds and I only got bigger from then on. I hit my highest weight at 27 years old at a whopping 322 pounds and my blood pressure was to the roof. I was placed on two different anti-hypertensive medications. I got a constant speech from my doctor about losing weight if I wanted to live long.

I could never stick to a workout program and I was literally addicted to soda and rice. I could eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner 365 days a year. Instead of water, I drank coke in excess. I kept telling myself I just needed to lose 23 pounds so I could get to 299 lbs. I tried intermittent fasting, almost every diet pill on the market, experimented with countless diets, shakes and teas. I would lose about 20 to 25 pounds only to gain it all back. This vicious cycle continued for a few more years before I got sick and tired.

What was my motivation to start my journey the last time around? In the fall of 2013 my wake up call came from my 3 year old. I came out of the shower one day and as I dried myself up, my son came up to rub my tummy. With a big smile on his face, asked me if I had another baby inside. The question was funny at first and I giggled in that uncomfortable way as I said, “No”. Not long after, it dawned on me that his baby brother was 16 months old, but my tummy still looked like I was 7 months pregnant.

Yes, I looked good when I was dressed up with my girdles, body shapers, etc. Once those were all off and I stood before the mirror, I couldn’t stand the image I saw. When you have to lift layers of fat to see your private parts there’s nothing beautiful about that. You cannot possibly look at that image and feel beautiful, regardless of what anyone tells you. I knew for years that I had to love myself enough to fix my body, but it took my 3 year old to drive the message home. I was hurt, embarrassed and very angry at myself for letting myself go. My husband deserved better, my boys deserved better but most of all I knew I could become better! I had a doctor’s appointment not too long after that and I weighed in at 295 pounds right before Thanksgiving. I remember making a promise to myself that if it killed me I would never hit the 300 lbs mark ever again. So, I didn’t wait for January 2014 to make a resolution, I started in December of 2013 instead.

My first order of business was to cut out Coke completely, reduce my food portions and have dinner no later than 7pm. I was hesitant about joining a gym again only to stop being consistent after a few weeks, so I walked 1 to 2 miles in the evenings 3 to 4 days a week. I lost 34 pounds during the first 3 months and then I plateaued. I knew by May 2014 that I had to get serious before I found myself right where I started. Then I discovered my game changer, Orangetheory Fitness! I’d heard about Orangetheory and was terrified at the thought of trying the program. I didn’t think I could make it through a session but I figured that since the first class was free I had nothing to lose. I walked into the Pembroke Pines studio on May 5th 2014 for my first one hour session and I discovered the perfect workout! In one hour, I got a challenging full body workout but it was unlike a regular gym setting. I wasn’t stuck on a treadmill or elliptical machine with no clue of what to do next. I signed up right after that first class and have been a member for the last 3 years. I work out 5 to 6 days a week and got even better with my food choices.

In addition to cutting out soda completely, I drink 4 to 5 liters of water a day. I switched from white bread to wheat and incorporated more veggies and grains into my diet. I still eat white rice (I don’t like the taste of brown rice), but in much smaller portions. I still try not to eat after 7pm.

In January 2015, I joined Black Girls Run of South Florida in order to mix up my workouts and completed my first 5k in February 2015. It was a huge accomplishment for a girl who could hardly walk a mile in the past. Since then, I have completed several 5ks, three 10ks, and five half marathons. God willing, I’ll do a full marathon some day.

I’m 5’9″ tall and it took me 15 months to lose 103 lbs. The maintenance phase has been harder than I expected, but I told myself that I would blow my own mind by never ever quitting. That goal has pretty much kept me going. My official starting weight was 295lbs and my current weight is 186lbs. [109 pounds gone] My goal is to get leaner and stronger at this point. I would like to stay under 190 pounds. The truth is, if I do get up to 200 pounds but look as toned as Serena Williams, I’ll be golden!

My advice to other people who are trying to lose weight: Wou must do the hard work if your goal is to get lasting results. Change requires HARD WORK! No quick fix, no shortcuts and no easy way out. Set realistic goals. Most of all, be honest with yourself. Don’t set out trying to compete with anyone, even if they inspire you. Our bodies are all different and so are our journeys. We all want to look and feel better, but you must realize that the speed of our journeys will differ. Comparison is the thief of joy, so you must be your only competition.

Above all, I give God ALL the glory for giving me the strength to become my best self. It has been a long journey of discovering my strength, self love, confidence and the warrior in me. It’s a lifestyle and I share my journey daily on Instagram, @siri_warriorqueen, to inspire as many people as possible. Lord knows, if I can do it then anyone can.