I think we can all agree on something: Losing weight is no easy task. To do it properly, you need unerring discipline, determination and focus.
For 37-year-old Amanda ‘Mandie’ Wood, these three things made her weight loss journey an effective process – she managed to lose 150Ibs in just two years.
Mandie began her transformation in the fall of 2015, having gotten fed up with feeling tired and invisible all the time. At that point, she weighed 350Ibs.
Amanda felt it was time to change her lifestyle completely and consulted a nutritionist who helped her to adequately balance her diet. Together, they set up a plan for the size of her portions, took a careful look at her calorie intake and went over tips on healthier dishes.
The next step was training. After some failed attempts at motivating herself to form a regular gym routine, Mandie looked into hiring herself a personal trainer. This was the turning point.
“Now going to the gym is one of my favorite times of the week — I love pushing myself to try new things and heavier weights!” Mandie told Pop Sugar.
Amanda says that it was vital for her to find the right balance and thereby set reasonable goals for herself.
“Keeping it in bite-size chunks makes it not seem as daunting,” Mandie explains. “Five pounds is much more manageable than the 200 pounds I started out looking to lose!”
In the end, she encourages people to be kind to one another, because nobody is perfect in reality.
Mandie also has good, simple advice for anyone who has low self-esteem, is overweight or generally wants to change their lives. “No one is perfect. You will have days where you want to give up, where you get off track, or where you struggle — that’s normal! Just don’t give up. Grant yourself grace and get back on track with your next meal or next workout.”
See below for Amanda’s incredible transformation.
37-year-old Amanda weighed 350Ibs in autumn 2015.
In just 2 years, she managed to lose 150Ibs.
Mandie felt tired and had low self-esteem. Her weight loss trip changed all that.
The first rule she had was to determine the appropriate portion sizes and change her diet.
“I am getting 35 percent of my calories from carbs, 25 percent of my calories from fat, and 40 percent of my calories from protein,” she says.
The second step was to hire a personal trainer and learn much-needed exercises at the gym.
“It makes me sad to even say that I have never actually admitted to anyone how heavy I had been.”
Now going to the gym is one of my favorite times of the week”
Amanda’s third ‘step’ is to set small and reasonable interim goals.
She aimed to go down a few kilos at a time and still live a life she was happy with, as opposed to aiming to drop 10kg every few weeks.
“You will have days where you want to give up, where you get off track, or where you struggle — that’s normal!”
“Just don’t give up. Grant yourself grace and get back on track with your next meal or next workout.”
What an inspiration you are, Amanda! It’s not easy to kick old habits in order to reach your goals, but you’ve done a great job.
Share and leave comments on her amazing transformation if you think this woman deserves applause!
