Janay's Weight Loss Journey is an inspiring one. I love how she used the pandemic as a second chance. She had to figure out how to work from home, school from home, and get healthy from home; something she thought couldn't be done before.
Tell Us A Little Bit About Your Weight Struggle
At the beginning of my weight loss journey, I was a 32 year old, 5'8" female that weighed 265+ lbs. That was the most that I had ever weighed in my life. That weight also came with new problems, being told by my doctor that I was pre-diabetic, that my blood pressure was elevated and that I have bursitis. Before eventually canceling it amid the pandemic, I had a gym membership about 3-4 months before the pandemic hit in an effort to "get healthy;" however, it provided me with no benefit because of how poorly I was eating.
What Was Your Wake-Up Call Or "A-Ha Moment" That Caused You To Really Commit Yourself To Succeeding?
The pandemic happened, and that's when I knew that I needed to make a change. I couldn't imagine leaving my family because I had an underlying condition that was caused by my destructive lifestyle choices.
How Have Your Eating Habits Changed Since Beginning Your Journey? What Did You Eat Before And What Are You Eating Now?
I used to eat about 3,000 calories per day (full of junk food, and fast food and all the bad foods in between). I have adjusted my diet to where I only consume about 1300-1400 calories per day. I am better able to plan out my meals (that now include much more fruits, vegetables and home cooked meals), which has been very beneficial in my journey.
What Is The Difference In Your Fitness Before You Started And Now?
My husband and daughter bought me a Galaxy Active Watch for Mother's Day 2020 (which is exactly what I wanted); however, it still sat in the box for about 2 months. I finally broke it out of the box on July 21, 2020, and I have been working out every single day since then (whether it is washing/folding clothes, cleaning the house, walking or an actual at-home workout routine) for at least 30 minutes per day. My husband, daughter and mom sometimes exercise with me, which has been great!
What Has Been The Biggest Change/Payoff For You So Far?
It makes me so proud of myself to FINALLY no longer be considered OBESE, just overweight! That is a huge accomplishment to me!! I never thought I would see this day again!!
I continue to feel great and have so much more energy than I used to! It's awesome!
It has been such a great boost in my self-confidence! I am very proud of myself for all of the hard work that I have put in! I have been a girlfriend/wife/mother for the past 10 consecutive years, always giving myself to my family. It feels so good to finally do something beneficial for myself! I feel so much healthier now!
How Much Weight Have You Lost? How Long Did It Take You To Lose It?
I am happy to say that, in March 2021, I now weigh 191 lbs. which means that I have lost a total of 74 lbs. in 8 months! My goal weight was 199 lbs. (just because it feels unbelievable to be able to say that I weigh 100 something, something that I have not been able to say in 5 years!) and I was set to reach that weight by February 19, 2021 (according to a weight loss calculator I used online at the beginning of my weight loss journey), so with that being said, I beat my weight loss goal by an entire month. I first hit my weight loss goal on January 19, 2021 weighing 199.6!
I know that my goal weight was still not an ideal weight for my height, but it was a weight that felt good to me. My health has improved so much while on this journey, that the number is no longer my main focus.
With my one year mark on this weight loss journey is coming up in July 2021, my current weight is 178 lbs. (I just recently wore a pair of jeans I had in high school that I found at my mom's house!! I NEVER thought I'd fit into those things again!!). I started giving myself 1-2 days per week to rest from exercise once I reached my goal back in February, so the speed of my weight loss has slowed down, but I don't mind that because I reached my goal and I still know that this journey is so much more than numbers!
I still keep track of my meals, although now, I may eat a cookie or two for dessert (hey, I earned those cookies lol) and I still make sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes on the days that I do exercise.
Some Advice and/or Words of Wisdom I'd Like To Share
The pandemic continues to be an unfortunate time in the world; it has brought so much death and sadness. To me, the pandemic has provided me with a second chance. I had to figure out how to work from home, school from home, and get healthy from home; something I thought couldn't be done before.
I try to fit in workout times either early in the morning, during my lunch break, or sometimes at night time. This journey was definitely challenging to say the least, but I did it!! And am still doing it! And I am positive that anyone else can too!!
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