Takara lost 83 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Takara lost 83 pounds. Her goals are to create a better quality of life and feel good mentally, spiritually, and physically. The tools she used to transform included gastric sleeve surgery, walking, and eating more protein.

Social Media:
Instagram: @sooitskara 
TikTok: sooooitskara (I documented my journey)

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
Motivation: A better quality of life. As the weight started to come off, the everyday things I struggled with disappeared, leaving me with a better quality of life. Now, my only focus is to make it a priority to feel good mentally, spiritually, and physically. 

When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
10/10/2022 – It took me five months to lose 83 pounds.

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey? 
Yes, I had gastric sleeve surgery on October 10, 2022.

How did you change your eating habits?
Having surgery limits the amount of food you can eat at one time. However, that doesn’t mean I can still eat like trash. I had to remove sugar-rich food. I prioritize protein for every meal. I still enjoy some of my favorite foods by finding protein substitutes. Examples; protein peanut butter cups, protein ice cream, and protein chips 

What is your workout routine?
I walk 30 minutes 3-5 days a week. I am rebuilding my relationship with exercise. Years and years of weight loss journeys left me hating exercise. So now I just focus on doing activities that I enjoy, like walking on my lunch breaks or dropping it like it’s hot at the club on the weekend, lol.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 272 pounds, and my current weight is 189 pounds.

What is your height?
I’m 5’2″.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
Love yourself throughout your entire journey, and don’t wait until you hit your goal to start loving yourself. Our journeys are beautiful and way more enjoyable when you love yourself inside and out.  

Also, find different ways to measure your success. Don’t rely strictly on the scale because it’s not always reliable. So try to use a tape measure, a pair of pants, or a dress to help measure your success because sometimes you may gain weight (based on the scale), but you’re losing inches. The scale can’t capture that.

What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight?
No matter what path you take on your weight loss journey, whether naturally losing weight or having weight loss surgery, we all have to apply the same fundamental practices – choosing healthier options and moving our bodies more.