Summer lost 40 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Summer lost 40 pounds. In December 2018, she saw a photo of herself that became the catalyst for her renewed commitment to being fit and healthy. She rejoined the Weight Watchers program and has achieved Lifetime member status. She also works out using Pure Barre and Peloton.

I started Weight Watchers in December of 2018, with my aunt, after gaining weight during a previous job. I stuck with the program for two months and lost 10 pounds. However, life stressors took advantage of my commitment to WW, and I ended up regaining the weight that I previously lost. I was dealing with some emotional stressors as well. 

In December of 2019, I took a picture that made me realize I needed to restart the program and fully commit. I realized that the person in the photo was me, but she didn’t look like the woman I remembered or the person I wanted to represent to the world. When January 2020 started, I set monthly goals, which ultimately led to me reaching my driver’s license weight by my 30th birthday. (This is a weight I had not been since college.) 

I also set a goal of becoming a lifetime member of WW. Being a WW lifetime member means that I can use the weight loss program for free. 

I lost a total of 40 pounds in six months and have been successful at keeping it off now for around six months. My fitness journey includes using Pure Barre and Peleton.

What is your motivation?
My “why” was getting back to the old me. I was always known as the fit, strong person in my circles. I somehow lost sight of her along the way while reaching my career goals, which truly affected my confidence. Not only did it affect my confidence, but it affected my happiness in general. Now that I am back to the old me on the outside, I am slowly returning to who I was on the inside, and it is a very great feeling. WW is a program that works, and that is also lifelong. Now that I am Lifetime and maintaining my current weight, I am in the process of learning that maintenance is just as hard, if not more difficult, than losing weight!

How did you change your eating habits on the Weight Watchers program? 
Weight watchers helped me with portion control and being more dedicated to meal planning. I learned to incorporate more proteins, vegetables, and fruit into my diet while still enjoying healthy fats and carbohydrates. I didn’t stop eating certain foods. Instead, I limited certain foods and changed my plans, depending on my goals at the time. As far as my success, it has been important to know that I can have any/all of the foods I like in moderation and by planning ahead of time.

I learned that while you can always figure out a “healthy hack” for a food that you enjoy, you can also still enjoy certain foods in moderation. Restricting myself from certain foods caused me to want and crave those foods more, which led to failure on past weight loss plans. Knowing that I can have all the foods I like as long as I am accountable for those foods has been a huge lesson for me. 

How many days a week did you work out?
I work out5-6 days a week. I do a combination of cardio and strength training with Pure Barre and Peloton.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 165 pounds, and I currently weigh 125 pounds.

What is your height?
5’4″

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey?
No

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Small goals are very important. It’s easy to start your fitness journey with a big goal or picture in mind but working small is what worked best for me. Whether that’s related to how much weight you want to lose, how active you want to become, or how you want to change your mindset or mental well being. 

Every part of wellness is intertwined. When you eat healthier, your activity level can increase. You can sleep better because of food and activity changes, and overall your mindset will be more positive. 

Accountability is a great tool to have on your journey. I know that I didn’t have a strong support system when I had failed in the past. When I restarted my goal in 2020, I made sure that I had a good support system. It’s essential to have people around you who are on the same journey so that you can comfort one another through the failures and celebrate one another through the successes.

While accountability is important, remember that you are the primary driver of your ship. You have to maintain accountability for yourself, and while people can be influential or helpful, you have to want to make the change. More importantly, you have to do the actions that will cause the change to happen. 

What advice would you like to share with women who want to lose weight?
Comparison is the thief of joy. Everyone is different, so success for one person won’t look the same for another person. Don’t put yourself down just because you feel like someone else is farther along in their journey than you. Use yourself as your one and only metric. When I started my weight loss/fitness journey, I never said, “I would love to look like x” or “I wish I had x’s body.” I used my past fitness goals and appearance as my metric. I wanted to become the old me on the inside again, so I worked on looking like myself on the outside. Like a family member of mine says, “When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you do good.” It’s important to be your best self to help others better themselves, which is very important to me!

Start small. Despite where you are starting from or where you want to be, set attainable goals. Whether that’s incorporating a new food into your diet or trying a new exercise, set goals that you know you can reach. Reaching those goals will help to boost your confidence, and you’ll see results. When you reach your goals, celebrate yourself! When you don’t, try to avoid being hard on yourself. Instead, ask yourself, “What kept me from reaching that goal?” and readjust as necessary.

Be your biggest cheerleader. It’s easy to be your own worst critic. While remembering the things that go wrong, celebrate the things you are doing right. Being healthy is not an easy thing, and making life changes is not easy either. Remember that you are doing the best you can with what you have, which is super important. If you can’t cheer for yourself, how will you expect anyone else to stand in the stands for you?

Instagram: @allyearsummerbod