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What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up?
I had just gotten into my 30s. By this time, I was just over the scariest time of my life. Years before, preeclampsia led to my son being born at 28 weeks (only 960 grams big). I needed treatment for a while, and he was in the NICU for months.
At that same time, the marriage that I was in dissolved. I had to relocate back to my home city of Chicago and start anew, all with the tiniest baby I had ever experienced. Life was difficult, to say the least. Postpartum WAS and IS real. PTSD, depression, and anxiety were at an ALL-time high & I started working full-time, so my life as a single mom on the go suddenly began. By the time my son was six, I weighed 252 pounds. I guess food was a crutch.
Externally, my charisma HID the fact that I was just trying to make it to the next day. Internally, I was deteriorating. Adulthood and I were in a full-on grapple, and I felt like I wasn’t winning. The more life handed itself to me, the more I wasn’t sleeping. Food no longer had taste or fulfillment. I had stopped eating, and my hair was thinning. I was withdrawn and didn’t FEEL my best. It didn’t FEEL good. I didn’t even feel ok.
I dropped 30 lbs (not on purpose) and was getting sick all of the time. Mentally, I was not OK. It was only then that I realized I was just out of control. I got down to around 220 pounds and STILL felt the same…NOT Good at All. I knew that just losing weight wasn’t the solution. I felt I needed to gain some kind of control over my life in this area. I had started to make so many changes to my circumstances, BUT the real change that I needed had to happen on the inside.
So, I made the decision to do the inner work and made prioritizing my Health a part of my everyday life FOR REAL for real.
How did you change your eating habits?
My sister, who is a Nurse Practitioner, was on her own journey and became a health coach after she’d gotten some amazing results from trying Optavia. My 60+ year young mother did the program too. As I saw them begin to transform, I was like, “Go where the results are!”
I sat with my sis, we talked about my goals, and she was able to help me. She went through my physical labs, and she was able to give me some insight into what was going on with me medically (hormonal imbalance, age factors, stuff, and such). With that, I decided to start the program.
I went from not eating at all and binge eating to developing the habit of having small portions throughout the day and a protein-packed meal with veggies for dinner. I also drank way more water than I have ever in life. I cut out simple things like bread, juices, sweeteners, processed foods, high-sugar foods, etc. I ate more AND more consistently than ever, and the transformation began.
So many people asked me how I did it Naturally, so I became a Coach myself, as I am NOT one to gatekeep. I share my wealth of knowledge and experiences by posting on my social media page in hopes that someone like me is inspired to begin their journey too! That keeps me going—that and wanting to live my best life.
What is your workout routine?
I’m NOT in the gym a lot, actually. I do at least 30 mins of cardio exercise 6 days a week. Recently, within the past six months, I’ve been trying to reach my goal of walking 10 miles per week. I’ve hit that goal a few times!
What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
I weighed 252 by the time my son was six. I committed to my health journey starting at 220 pounds. I currently weigh 189 pounds.
What is your height?
I’m a long-legged 5’8″.
When did you start your journey? How long did your transformation take?
When I began at 220 pounds, it was 2021. BUT this is what I mean about feeling in control again: SO…On September 1, 2023, after a visit with my doctor, my weight had crept back up to 211 lbs.
Now, I have been using a cut-back different method (developed by my coach) where you take things two weeks at a time. It’s kind of like a “75-hard” but more attainable for me, LOL. By December 2023, I was at 186 pounds.
Now it’s April, and I’m doing my 2nd round of the challenge. I started at 196 pounds on April 1, 2024. Now I’m at 186 lbs (April 24, 2024).
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
- If you don’t change your mindset, your physical changes won’t last.
- You cannot outrun a bad diet
- The health journey is one we’re on FOR the rest of our lives so GET HONEST with yourself, Get to know yourself. Do what works for You.
- It is difficult until it isn’t anymore. Simplify your life.
- Lastly, a huge lesson that I’ve learned is to NOT compare yourself to others. Look to others for inspiration, sure, but ONLY that. Your body is YOUR body. The only person that needs to love it is YOU and that’s a choice that only YOU can make daily.
What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight?
YOU are beautifully and wonderfully made today.
YOU are deserving of LOVE, LIFE, and PROSPERITY today.
YOU are more than your BMI, so TRY to treat yourself like you VALUE yourself.
YOU only get ONE VEHICLE on this life journey. Don’t just throw new paint on the car. Get under the Hood, purge what needs purging, and rebuild what needs building.
Is weight loss surgery part of your journey?
No, it is not, but I am not above it! Sometimes, we want to give the machine some professional work. Get your results the way that you get them. Just be wise and kind to and with yourself. Be safe about it.
NwokeAgulu
