Transformation of the Day: Danielle lost 37 pounds and gained lean muscle. Despite several challenges, including postpartum anxiety, this busy mom transformed physically and mentally. She shared lots of details with us about how she learned to use food for fuel and made fitness a top priority. One of the significant factors in her success was an online transformation challenge she joined.
What was your motivation? What inspired
you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
I had
a few motivating factors. Before I embarked on this journey in 2020, I was fed
up with not taking care of myself and putting ME first. In 2018, I decided I
would embark on a lifestyle change. I began weight training and turning away
from fast food, sugar, and non-sustaining foods. I switched to foods that fuel
the body and help with positive body changes and working out.
In
2019, we found out we were expecting our 2nd child, and I had a miscarriage. A
few months later, we found out we were expecting again. I was thrilled to be
pregnant and continue my new lifestyle through pregnancy. Unfortunately, I was
thrown a curveball and put on pelvic rest pretty early due to spotting and
another threatened miscarriage. I realized my hopes of staying fit throughout
the pregnancy might not be possible.
My
baby was my top priority, so I stopped working out. I kept up with my healthy
eating habits for the baby and me, but I could not do much more than walk. I
gained 60 pounds during that pregnancy. After I gave birth, I suffered from
terrible postpartum anxiety. I did not want medications, so I researched ways
to beat anxiety. Food and exercise were two ways to help beat PPA.
Around
July 2020, after four months of being in the house, working full time, caring
for our newborn, and overeating/stress eating throughout the height of the
pandemic, I seemed at my wits’ end with the extra weight. Not that I didn’t
feel beautiful, but because of the mobility issues I began to have due to the
excess weight. I got tired easily, had knee problems, and my joints hurt just
bending up and down. I couldn’t even play 5 minutes of basketball with my son
before feeling over-exerted.
So, I
said all that to say my motivation was to get back to ME. I wanted to get back
to the lady who wanted to move daily and push myself to achieve the goals I set
forth for my own body and mind. My inspiration was knowing that I could be more
for myself and my family. I needed to be disciplined to get to my goals. I
wanted to show my kids that being healthy means taking small steps and
achieving new habits. My second motivation and inspiration was being married in
Hawaii to my best friend of 20 years and just wanting to look and feel amazing
in my own skin for our wedding in August 2021.
How did you change your eating habits?
I
joined the Heat Challenge in August 2020. It consisted of a meal plan based on
the goals and information I put into the system. I stubbornly followed it to a
T. If it wasn’t on the plan, I didn’t eat it for at least the first three
rounds of the challenge. So for about 18 weeks, I was very consistent and
focused on doing exactly as the plan stated so I could develop a habit of
discipline and teach my mind that I was stronger than my urges.
I
stopped eating fast food, highly processed food, sugar, soda, and juices during
my first three rounds of the challenge. Instead, I ate lots of protein, complex
carbs, loads of veggies (they were like freebies), berries, and fruit, like
apples. As a result, my body began craving healthy, clean foods for fuel, Yay!
I love
oatmeal. Fiber-rich foods help keep you fuller longer! I also incorporated
healthy fats into my routine and found new ways to curb sugar, with foods like
green apples and peanut butter (my new fav snack!)
What did your workout routine consist of?
How often did you work out?
I
worked out about 5-6 days a week in the beginning. Then, I slowed down to 5
days a week. I did fasted cardio in the mornings and some sort of weight
training in the afternoon or evening (whenever time allowed). My now-husband
(then fiancé) started the challenges with me, so it was amazing having his
support.
Five
days a week was most sustainable for me but what I realized was that on my
“off” days, I still wanted to make movement a priority. So even if I didn’t
work out, I still wanted to hit a certain number of steps or a movement goal.
I’d take advantage of parks, walk with my kids, or play a game of basketball
with my son…just anything to keep me moving for the day.
What was your starting weight? What is
your current weight?
My
starting weight was 189 pounds, and I currently weigh 152 pounds. I’d gotten
down to about 148 pounds in August, right before my wedding. Now I’m kind of
settling in at 148-152 lbs. as a weight range right, and I like it. I’ve begun
building muscle, so although the scale says one thing, my body feels amazing,
lean, and so strong.
I’ve
learned to love all these changes over the past year. Bodies are amazing. Mine
has morphed and shifted. I appreciate every step of this journey and all that
my body has been through.
What is your height?
5’2″
When did you start your journey? How long
did your transformation take?
I
began my journey in August 2020. Within the first six weeks, I dropped 13
pounds. It slowly came off over the past few months. However, it took roughly
ten months to really hit my weight goals and mental goals. The mental is just
as important as the physical, if not more.
Strengthen
your mind not to give up when you step onto a scale and not see the number
you’re expecting. Strengthen your mind not to compare you, your body, or your
journey to anyone else’s. Just be at peace with however long it takes to hit
your goals because your life and what you have going on may differ from the
next person’s life. Strengthen your mind to do YOUR best and know that with
consistency, it will happen.
Is weight loss surgery part of your
journey?
I have
not had any weight loss surgery.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned
so far?
I
learned to stay off the scale if it brings more harm than good. I realized the
scale was a little depressing at first because here I am eating great nutrition
for my body and working out daily, and oh my gosh, the weight isn’t dropping
off.
I had
to get real with myself. I put on 60 pounds while pregnant for nine months, and
I was still carrying around an extra 20 pounds gained before that (from years
of not-so-great habits and a lack of exercise). So even after a month, two
months or three, etc., I realized it would take time (just as it did with
gaining the weight). I learned about being patient, giving myself grace, and
just NOT STOPPING!
What advice do you have for women who want
to lose weight?
Be
real with yourself. You probably didn’t add weight to your body in a month or
two. Instead, it likely happened over the course of time and the incidents that
caused it, so be patient.
It’s
ok not to love your body, but you can love the journey and process of becoming
in love with yourself again. Don’t speak badly about yourself. Speak life.
Words have power, and the mind is powerful. Tell yourself you can do it more
times than not and watch what happens next!
Tell
yourself you will not QUIT. On the days when you just don’t feel like doing
anything, do it anyway. Most times, it’s a mental battle, and your body is
ready. You have to strengthen your mind just like you want to strengthen your
body.
NO ONE
is coming to tell you to get up, to get moving, to eat your fueling foods. You
are your best advocate. However, if you find yourself needing help, an
accountability partner is the next best thing. Choose your AP wisely. You want
someone who will help push you to achieve your goals, not someone who will ok
your complacency 🙂
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