For those struggling with their weight and self-esteem and feel that their wish to shed those extra pounds is a hopeless one, let me share this story of one woman who lost more than 185 pounds. One woman, 31-year-old Den-Ray Allen, weighed around 430 pounds at her peak and was just spiraling out of control with her eating habits. You'll never believe what it took to shed that first chunk of weight.
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Allen shares her struggles with social anxieties, how she blamed everything but her own self for unhealthy habits, and how cruelly she was treated for her appearance. It wasn't until she finally stopped clinging to excuses and admitted that it'd be nice to shop for clothes and have them fit well, that she started working towards a solution. So how did she manage to lose all that weight? Well Allen started out by just getting her body moving. By resolving to walk a mile at least three times a week with her neighbor, she started seeing improvements right away. Allen then began keeping track of her caloric intake through the MyFitnessPal app and she says that she lost 141 pounds just by keeping track of her fitness and eating habits with the app.
But like most of us, Allen soon hit a plateau in her weight and she had to go even harder to lose more pounds. She sought assistance at a weight loss center, committed to 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day, and exercised three to four times a week. She was also given pills and injections, but those came with awful side effects. She lost another 22 pounds, but it didn't come without sacrifice like giving up on red meats and fast food and lowering the amount of sodium and processed foods in her diet.
Allen's weight loss journey still isn't over and it could very well take a conscious effort on her part to make sure she maintains her healthier weight and doesn't fall back into the trap she once found herself in. In fact, she admits that when she falls off track, she notices the difference on her energy and ambition indicating that you truly are what you eat. It's great to hear stories of someone who picked herself up and put in a tremendous effort to achieve her goals.
Images via Huffington Post