Traci lost 44 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Traci lost 44 pounds. She embraced a Keto diet and used fitness as a form of therapy. This mom of three used Instagram and YouTube to find effective workout routines. Check out her story.

I had a rough 2018, but I chose fitness as therapy instead of food! I
worked out 5 to 7 days a week for the whole year of 2018 and fully adapted to the Keto lifestyle. The rewards are amazing.

When did you start your journey?
In January 2017, I weighed around 220 pounds. I purposely ate everything I wanted during the holidays of 2016. Then, I jumped headfirst into the Ketogenic diet and working out.

I didn’t take Keto seriously until last January (2018) when I did it cold turkey. Got my macros on point, and tried to stick to the plan to the best of my ability.

My belly had to go! After having my two boys back-to-back (both by C-section), I knew I had a journey ahead of me.

What was your motivation?
Instagram was very helpful for motivation. There are literally thousands of pages to follow. Also, there are countless videos to watch on YouTube to get an idea of how you can get keto to work best for you.

I made my Instagram fitness page in January 2018 for accountability: @This_is_tracis_journey. I decided that I was going to post every workout and lots of motivational quotes to keep me going.

How did you change your eating habits?
Cutting out the sugar was the hardest. Keto curbed some of my cravings, but they were still there! There are many so-called Keto approved snacks out there, but all they do is make things harder. I found it was best that I just avoided as many processed snacks as possible.

From January to June, I was losing weight. I was thrilled with my progress, but honestly, I’m not a big vegetable fan and never have been, so when I saw some YouTube videos and listened to some podcast about Carnivore, I decided to switch to Carnivore Keto in June 2018. The switch has been life-changing for me. I’ve shed way more inches. I lost about 30lbs doing regular Keto, and I’ve lost tons of inches while doing Carnivore Keto…and I’m building muscle!

Carnivore Keto is strictly meat and dairy eating style. You eat until you are satisfied. Food no longer controls me. My cravings are virtually gone, and it has been life-changing. If I want to have a cheat meal, I do. Then, I get right back to my routine without hesitation.

What is your current weight?
My current weight is 176 pounds. (I am in the 170s these days.)

What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
What inspired me to keep going was that I relied on fitness for therapy. We are all going through personal things. Things that we can’t speak about out loud. To get out of my own head, I ran to fitness. I was so focused on staying glued to my goals that it helped take away the pain of the hardship that my family is enduring. It was my escape, and it still is!

There were days when I didn’t want to work out, and there were days that I wanted to eat whatever the heck I wanted. And it’s okay to give in to some of those days but don’t give in every time. If you do give in, don’t make it longer then a day or two!

Tell us about your workout routine.
I work out at least 5 to 7 days a week, depending on the week and how I feel. Cardio is my favorite type of exercise. I like Phil Weeden’s hip hop step, spin classes, jump rope, and workout routines by Adrian Bryant. Workout routines that are free on YouTube are my go-to for cardio.

I am learning to love strength training. I have a lot of clips bookmarked on Instagram of various strength training workouts that fitness pages have posted. I’ve been strength training for a while, so I freestyle a lot of my strength training workouts. I have also Incorporated Anowa Adjah’s fitness app, and that is helping tone my body. Seeing the muscle definition in my arms is fantastic! My ab line is coming through, and my legs are looking good!

I look forward to my workouts. I try to make my workouts fun, so I don’t dread them. That’s important! Working out for me is not a chore.

What advice would you like to share?

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
• Get an accountability partner if you can!
• Whatever you decide to do, Trust. The. Process!
• Take lots of progress photos and 360 videos!
• Stay off the scale! The scale is not your friend for the first couple of months. Just rely on your photos and videos to tell your truth!
• It’s a journey, not a sprint. Embrace the journey. Don’t quit and Don’t give up!

A lot can happen in a year! That’s what happened for me and for so many others. Don’t think about how far you have to go. Just take it one week at a time. Before you know it, a month will have passed, then another, and another. Your body will thank you! Keep going!

Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, diet plan, exercise plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.