Weight Loss Stories – Ilyssa Lost 45 Pounds in 12 Months

Name: Ilyssa
Age: 24
Family Status: Single
Occupation: Financial Planner
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Pounds or Inches Lost: I lost 45 pounds and went from a size 12/14 to a 0!

Ilyssa’s Weight Loss Story!

When did you become unhappy with your weight?
November, 2003.

What made you decide to lose weight?
My mother was helicoptered off a cruise ship for not taking care of her diabetes. I sat in the hospital bed and said I didn’t want this to happen to me.

What were the most important changes you made to lose weight?
Lifestyle, friends, portion sizes, food choices and learning how to be consistent.

What was most challenging about losing weight?
Mentally remembering this wasn’t a diet to fit into a slinky dress, but a total makeover and lifestyle change to find out who I really was and who I could be.

How long did it take you to start to see results?
6 months.

How long did it take for you to reach your current weight?
1 year.

How long have you maintained your weight loss and how do you do it?
1 year. Because it was a life style change it feels natural like this was the way I always was. I worked out, ran, lifted weights, did yoga and meditation. I thank myself every day for just being me. I watch my portion sizes when I order in a restaurant and I ask them to prepare my food the way I like it.

How has your life changed now that you’ve lost weight?
I’m happier! Its funny, I can remember certain holidays and events in years past and then I go for a run and think how different I am now. I’ve decided to change my career to clinical exercise physiology and I’m trying to get into graduate school right now so that I may help young children with nutrition and exercise to help prevent diabetes from manifesting itself. I have become a person athletically that I never knew I could be. I reduced my risk of getting diabetes by 62% and I helped my mom get into a fitness program and get healthy. It’s really been amazing!

How did ShapeFit.com help you reach your weight loss goals?
I love ShapeFit’s tips on exercise and nutrition. They were really helpful! Above all I felt a confidence booster reading their articles.

Ilyssa’s Weight Loss Tips!

Weight loss tip #1:
Avoid obvious troublesome situations that lead you to eat unnecessarily. Instead, create situations that fulfill you positively. I would make dinner for my friends and try new healthy recipes and get everybody on board with healthy eating.

Weight loss tip #2:
If you eat something off your plan, get right back on the plan. Don’t feel sorry and beat yourself up about it and don’t start the next day either! Start right when you catch the mistake.

Weight loss tip #3:
Don’t engage in any other activity’s while you’re eating, reading or watching TV. Be really conscious of what you’re putting in your mouth, how much, what’s left and then how you feel after.

Weight loss tip #4:
Make time for the meals you allot for yourself in a day. Don’t eat on the run. Make sure to sit down and make time to feed your body the right way.

Weight loss tip #5:
Don’t get caught up in trying to implement a food plan and exercise plan at once. Start with learning how and what to eat. Get that part down and then after you feel comfortable, implement exercise.

Ilyssa’s Weight Loss Eating Plan!

Breakfast:
1 cup all bran extra fiber with 1/2 cup skim milk, a banana or an orange and decaf green tea.

Lunch:
Whole wheat bread with 3 ounces of turkey breast, no salt, mustard spinach leaves, cucumbers and tomato slices. A yogurt and a piece of fruit.

Dinner:
4 ounces of chicken or fish baked or broiled. A vegetable like squash, asparagus, black beans, baked potato, and then I use fruit as a dessert (baked pear or apple).

Snacks or Mini Meals:
Carrots, fiber crackers, yogurt, fat-free muffins, fruit.

Ilyssa’s Weight Loss Workouts!

Weight Training:
I used a personal trainer 3 times a week. It really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Cardiovascular:
In the beginning I would do the elliptical for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Then I found the secret was interval training and I got really into running on the treadmill and then outside running. Interval training is key!

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