Courtesy Shavonda Brickley started eating a keto diet, practicing 16:8 intermittent fasting, working with a personal trainer, and cut out cheat meals to lose 143 lbs.
My name is Shavonda Brickley (@shrinking_shavonda), and I am 35 years old. I live in Dallas, Texas, and I am a customer service representative for a pharmaceutical company. I started my weight-loss journey by doing keto with intermittent fasting and working out with a personal trainer, and I lost 143 pounds.
I tried so many different weight-loss methods and did not stick to any of them. The thing I struggled with the most was consistency. I was my heaviest at 28 years old; I weighed 347 pounds.
In December 2017, I went through a life-altering event that put me in a really dark place. I was giving so much energy to that situation. In addition, I always felt like everyone elses happiness was more important than mine. I was always placing myself on the back burner. I felt that it was time for all of that stop. If I could pour so much into others (and wanted to continue to be able to do that), I needed to first pour into me.
And thats when things clicked. Before I could be the best mom or partner to anyone, I needed to be the best me to me.
Initially, I just tried to eliminate things like soda and juice from my diet. I made small adjustments like going from white rice to brown and eating more fruits and salad.
Then I came across the ketogenic lifestyle via Instagram and slowly transitioned into it. I would order a burger and remove one bun, and sub out fries for fruit. Eventually, I did more research and learned more about the lifestyle and went full-blown keto in July 2019. I love how non-restrictive keto is. I can still eat all of the foods I love, and there are so many products that can be used as great substitutes for some of the things that are not allowed.
Shortly after that, I also started to incorporate intermittent fasting (IF) by following a 16:8 schedule (meaning I ate within an eight-hour window every day and fasted for 16 hours).
I would work out six to seven days a week and eat properly during the week, but I would overindulge on the weekends. I thought of cheat meals as a way to reward myself, not realizing initially that this mindset was stalling my progress.
Currently, I have a personal trainer that I see at least three times per week. When I am not training with him, I may walk about four miles or do my C25K running app. I absolutely love working with my trainer. Before COVID-19, I would attend my favorite cardio hip-hop class called Mixxedfit at my local gym. I miss that class so much!
These three changes have made the biggest impact on my overall weight loss.
My advice to anyone who feels stuck or unsure of how to start: It doesnt matter where you start or how much weight you have to lose, just start! Dont focus on how long it will take, just focus on the direction in which youre going. Do not compare your journey to anyone elses.
Keep your head in the game and love yourself enough to get started. Be kind to yourself during your journey. Focus on the progression and not perfection. This journey is yours. Embrace it and take it on full-speed. Dont give upyou have nothing to lose but weight.
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Original post:
'I Didn't Have To Work Out Every Day To Lose Weight When I Finally Stopped Having Cheat Meals' - msnNOW
