If you are unhappy with your weight and feel like over the years, you've just kind of let yourself go, you're not alone. Tina Adams, 31, told POPSUGAR that at 5'2", her highest weight was 202 pounds. Her motivation to do something about it came from looking in the mirror and not liking what she saw. "It got so bad that I hated buying new clothes and hated taking pictures because it all was just a reminder of how much weight I gained over the years," she said.
Tina credits the weight gain [1] to working night shifts and not being active enough. In the Summer of 2017, she finally made a decision to do something about it. Read her story about how she lost over 50 pounds [2], and if you're struggling with your weight, it'll inspire you to start your journey and stick with it.
Tina's Weight-Loss Journey Begins
On Aug. 24, 2017, Tina was preparing to go to her parents' annual all-white Labor Day cookout. "When I tried on a dress from the previous year, it was too small. I was so upset and tired of that feeling of disappointment. I always avoided the scale, but that day I said 'enough is enough' and finally stepped on," Tina shared. "I was 202 pounds! I couldn't believe it; I was in tears praying to God asking him for strength and motivation to lose weight and not give up this time. I said 'this time' because I had tried in the past a couple times but always gave up. This time I knew things had to be different."
Tina did make some changes, and in the first three months, she lost 30 pounds. Around the fourth month, the weight loss started to slow, and overall, it took Tina eight months to drop 52 pounds.
Tina's Diet
Tina began focusing on controlling her portion sizes, even buying portion-control containers to help her stay on track. She ate lean meats (ground turkey and chicken breast) along with salmon, veggies, whole fruits, and one gallon of water a day [3]. She cut out all juice and sweets (candy, cake, etc.) and limited her carb intake. Tina said, "If I had rice, I would aim for brown and only do 1/2 cup. I used a lot of substitutions like zoodles and cauliflower rice [4]."
A Day of Eating
Here's what a typical day of eating looks like for Tina:
Breakfast: IdealFit protein shake
Snack: fresh fruit
Lunch: turkey wrap made with Flatout Protein Wraps, turkey breast, lettuce, and tomato
Snack: almonds or Quaker rice cakes with peanut butter
Dinner: grilled pesto chicken breast, broccoli, and cauliflower rice
Tina's Workouts
Tina worked out five to six days a week and focussed on doing a mix of HIIT [5] (high intensity interval training) and strength training via YouTube on the FitnessBlender [6] channel (it has tons of full-length videos for free).
"I didn't have a gym membership, so I did all the workouts at home in my living room. I would only work out for about 30 to 35 minutes, and that was it," Tina shared. Totally doable!
Nonscale Victories
Through this journey, Tina was able to lower her blood pressure, put an end to her chronic headaches [7], and walk up stairs without being short of breath. Her clothes became too big, her wedding rings needed to be resized, and links needed to be taken out of her watch. "I had a leather jacket that I struggled to zip up," Tina shared. "I remember one day I put it on and zipped it up without even realising. I was so happy, I couldn't believe it!" It made Tina feel proud when friends and family noticed her weight loss.
Tina shared, "This may have started as me wanting to lose weight, but it has become so much more. I'm happy with myself and who I've become. I'm not just slimmer, I'm healthier, and that's the most important part."
Tina's Motivation
"To help me stay motivated, I started an Instagram page called BrownGirlWeightloss [8]," Tina said. "It really kept me accountable in the beginning because I would post my daily workouts, what I ate, and motivational quotes. I wanted to help other women like myself who were looking for ways to lose weight naturally."
Tina also had something in the future to look forward to: her sister's wedding and a huge family family holiday scheduled for the following year. That motivated her to want to stick with her weight-loss goals.
Advice
"The best advice I can give to someone on their weight-loss journey is to have patience. Over the year I've realised that I didn't gain all the weight overnight, so I can't expect to lose it overnight. It takes time. Just do the steps and the weight will come off."
Tina added, "Also don't let the scale discourage you [9]." Sometimes when Tina weighed herself once a week, the numbers wouldn't change [10] but her clothes would fit differently. "The scale can really mess with you, so just don't give it the power. Focus on nonscale victories and before-and-after pics. Pictures are the best because you can really see the difference."
And probably the best advice Tina can share: "It's OK to treat yourself! Have a cookie! Just don't overdo it."