Keisha’s Weight Loss Journey

My name is Keisha and I am 31 years old. I have lost 30 pounds through healthy eating and exercise. My Instagram name is keisha199. Here is a glimpse of my weight loss journey:  The first step in doing anything in life, is to believe in yourself. Losing weight is possible because of that same belief.  You must believe that you can. You must believe that you will and must achieve it. I believed that I could and I did. And if I can do it, you can do it.

The motivation behind losing the weight was myself. I work as a Registered Nurse and my hours are normally 7p-7am. I normally focus on taking care of everyone but myself. As a Registered Nurse, we tell our patients how important it is to take care of themselves, but sometimes they neglect doing so. I have decided to stop neglecting myself and make me a priority in my life.

The thing that inspires me to continue my workouts, even when I want to give up, is my strong faith in God. What also motivates me is knowing that the best is yet to come. The reason why is because I am still here. I believe that with God anything is possible and I believe I am destined for greatness. I have those days when I am so tired from working, that I don’t have the energy to get up early to workout. I have to constantly remind myself of why I am on this journey. My favorite scripture to motivate me is “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

I have changed my eating habits by doing the following: I have stopped drinking soda, limited my sugar and salt intake, and started eating good carbohydrates. On days when I would work, I bring a 48oz bottle of water with fresh cut strawberries inside. Sometimes for a change, i would use lemon or cucumber. I always try to drink 48oz of water 2x a day at work. For dinner, I always made sure I have a side salad, protein and good carbohydrates. I created my own salad recipe and I let some of my co workers sample. They loved it. My recipe is below:

First, start with a little olive oil or organic coconut oil. When the oil is hot, put in two cloves of crushed garlic. Dice one half onion and add to oil until brown , cut 1 half  red , yellow and green pepper, add to garlic and onion , allowed peppers to cooked , sprinkle the complete seasoning sazon. Add reduced sugar cranberries, 1 or 1/2 shredded beets, 8 oz can of corn , 1 carrots shredded, dash some more Sazon seasoning, wash spinach and kale and add to pot, Add a little cold water, sprinkle more seasoning, cover the pot and it cook 4-5 minutes. Reduce fire and stir the pot. Boom! ready to eat. You can store the unused portion in your refrigerator for 3 days, just spray olive oil and add some salad, sautéed for 3-5 minutes on stove up and enjoy.

My overnight shift I would bring yogurt, dry Cheerios or fruits to eat at work, when I am hungry because I eat my dinner before I go to work. Breakfast I have oatmeal with chia seed, egg whites. I am not following any special program I just eat clean and healthy. I eat in moderation sometimes I do eat unhealthy foods but I limit it.

My workout routine varies from three to five days of exercise with two rest days. I workout at home using workout DVDs for cardio, strength training and kickboxing. The DVDs range from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Also, I use Popsugar Fitness on YouTube and Pinterest to change up my workouts. My workout equipment includes two 5 pound dumbbells, two ten dumbbells, a twenty pound kettle bell, yoga mat, and resistance bands. After a 12 hour shift, I sleep from 9a-3p. If I work the night before, I would get up at 3pm and workout at home.

My weight loss journey began in December 2016. At the end of December, I was at my highest weight of 155.6. My height is 5’2.’ I lost 30 pounds since and I am currently at 125 pounds. My transformation took from December 2016 to today. I am now focusing on toning  my body. The biggest lesson I have learned during my weight loss journey, is that weight loss is not a destination but a lifestyle. Also, I have learned the importance of taking care of myself.

My advice for others who want to lose weight is find your “why” because there will be days

When you do not want to exercise. There is no magic weight loss pill. What there is however is  hard work and grinding everyday. Don’t be afraid to put in the works in because if you don’t believe in yourself, who will.

I love what Denzel Washington said “Don’t be afraid to fail big, to dream big, but remember, dreams without goals, are just dreams. And they ultimately fuel disappointmentment. I try to give myself a goal every day …”