My weight loss Journey

Just as our bodies are different, the weight loss journey is also different for each person.  Whatever your goals are, I want you to be encouraged and know that it’s your journey.  As I share my weight loss journey with you, know that we don’t have to compare our progress with anyone else’s.  We can be the best that we can be, while on our own journey.

For majority of my adult life, I was at a weight of about 111 lbs. As I get older, it’s not so easy to maintain that weight.  I’m okay with gaining some weight however, unconsciously, 111 lbs. turned into 141 lbs.  More than I anticipated or desired. You may say, that’s no big deal.  You may think that 141 lbs is not much to be concerned about.  Well, for me it is, for several reasons; I’m 4’11” in height. Not only is 141 lbs considered overweight for my body frame, it looks chubby on my body frame, lol.

In addition, I began developing symptoms of acid reflux and some digestive issues that left me with constant stomach aches.   I had a recurring knot in my chest which made it difficult for me to sleep at night. Oh and the constant burping was annoying.  I want to be the best me I can be and if I am having health issue due to my own lifestyle choices, then…

I am not meeting my own expectations nor am I in a position to be at my best for others.

I knew that I better start losing some weight before I have more serious issues.  I began exercising and being more conscience about the foods I eat.  As a healthy eater already, I didn’t realize what I considered healthy eating wasn’t good enough for me. As time went on, my weight slowly decreased. Ve-ry Slow-ly.  I went into this journey thinking it would be easy. Besides, I’ve never had a problem with weight gain in the past. Neither has food been a conflict with my weight nor my health.  But little did I know…

the way I applied food in my diet was causing a problem in my life.

I became determined and serious about losing the weight. I purchased a fitness tracker so I could keep track of my calorie burn and sleep pattern.  This really helped me to learn more about how my body reacts to calories and how much rest I receive each night. Our body tends to burn calories even while we sleep, so it’s important to get a sufficient amount of rest to remain healthy.

February 21, 2015, I set a goal to lose approximately 26 lbs. I was ready. I was excited and focused. At 141.4 lbs., exercising 5 to 6 days per week for an hour and only reaching 139 lbs by March 11, 2015; I wasn’t too excited anymore.  That’s about 3 weeks later and losing only 2 lbs.  “Ummm what’s going on”; was my thought.  I was determined not to allow anything to get in the way of reaching my weight loss goal.  But I will be honest. I was very discouraged.  It wasn’t as simple as I thought it would be. I felt like I was failing.

Continuing on my journey, losing and gaining; I kept a log of each pound I lost and each pound I gained. I kept track of the dates and times; weighing myself in the morning as well as at night in order to learn more about my own body.  I also kept track of the foods I ate and how many calories I took in.  Using my fitness tracker was a huge benefit in setting step goals, staying on task with my calorie burn and water intake.  Keeping track of my running distance was an important benefit as well. Although, I didn’t lose any weight while running, I enjoy the freedom and serenity running brings.

I lost the first 10 lbs by following a Turbo Jam video by Chalene Johnson.  In April, my body reached what I later learned is a plateau, where I wasn’t able to lose any more weight following this routine.  I became so discouraged that it almost brought me to tears.  I was working so hard and couldn’t understand what was causing my body not to lose any more weight. You may think, well, it’s just a few more pounds LaTanya…you look fine.  I’ve heard that comment from so many people so many times. 

 I am thankful for the internet as I was educated about how the body loses weight and how I needed to make a change to my schedule.  I learned that the amount of weight I wanted to lose is considered vanity weight and that vanity weight can be the toughest to get off.  I had to trick my body. I began an intermittent fasting method, changed my workout pattern to a High Intensity Interval Training program, in the morning 5 days per week, walking 5 days per week in the evening, 1 day of inactive rest and 1 day of active rest.  The pounds quickly came off.  I lost another 9 lbs, but quicker than I lost the first 10 lbs.  I was at 122 lbs in 5 months from the date I started.  I do all my workouts from home by using free weights, a treadmill, videos and my own body resistance.

Losing this weight has made a huge difference in the way I feel. I’m more energetic, my skin is clear and I feel so much better in my clothing.  I am setting additional goals for myself.   I would like to build muscle and tone in specific areas of my body.  A difficult thing about changing my eating habits is not being able to eat dinner with my family throughout the week. This is something that’s been part of our household for many years. Since I stop all eating at 6pm, it makes it difficult to eat with my children since their dinner is usually prepared after this time. 

Remember when I told you about the acid reflux and digestive issues I was having?  Well, after losing weight, I haven’t had any more problems with that.  It’s not a perfect situation. I am still having my own challenges. The holidays have been a great distraction in staying focused but I get back up and keep going.