'After The Toughest Year Of My Life I Discovered Orangetheory And Lost 70 Pounds'
My name is Arneshia Hobbs (@gritxgracefit), and I am 28 years old. I am from Arlington, Virginia, and I work as a recruiter. After one of the toughest years of my life in 2017, I leaned into my faith, discovered Orangetheory Fitness classes and calorie counting, and lost 70 pounds.
Growing up, I always struggled with my weight. I remember weighing 185 pounds in the fifth grade. I began to play sports in high school, and that helped with balancing some of my weight issues. But my weight skyrocketed when I got to college, when I didn’t have the exercise from sports to outweigh my poor eating habits. I gained 40 pounds during my freshman year.
I had an amazing college experience regardless. I joined a sorority and landed a really great job after college. However, I wasn’t prepared for life after sports and life after college. I was 60 pounds heavier, and realized I couldn’t live like this.
So, I began my first weight-loss journey after college. I lost 40 pounds through commitment to the gym, but I gained it back after a bad breakup.
Fast-forward to 2017, when I had a very difficult year in my career and personal life. But it led me to my breakthrough.
At 24, I was at my heaviest weight of 255 pounds. At the time, I decided to lean into prayer and I decided to get baptized. This helped me eventually have a lot of emotional breakthroughs, and I remember praying on December 22, 2017, about dedicating the year to fitness and developing a healthy lifestyle. I knew I wanted it to be different, and this time I looked outward to ask for help.
It took some trial and error to figure out what worked for me, but I landed on calorie counting.
When I first started out, I did WW (formerly Weight Watchers). It helped a lot with sticking to a plan and the flexibility, but there were restrictions as well. I even tried the keto diet, but I didn’t like the restrictions. So I found what worked for me, and that was calorie counting.
Currently, I count my calories and I think that is the best choice for me. It allows me to have a donut here and there, which helps me avoid binge eating in the long run.
Here’s what I eat in a day.
Breakfast: Omelette egg bites and coffee
Lunch: Chicken tenders and cauliflower
Snacks: 100-calorie Oreo pack
Dinner: Steak and green veggies
Dessert: 100-calorie Oreo pack
In the first few months of my journey, I worked out at Planet Fitness five times a week. It helped me lose the initial first 30 pounds.
From there, I felt as though I hit a plateau. I knew I needed something that would challenge me and take me out of my comfort zone. My friends were discussing Orangetheory Fitness one day, and I decided to give it a try. Orangetheory is a high-intensity group fitness class that involves wearing a heart rate monitor to track your effort and energy output.
The first Orangetheory workout was terrible. I was embarrassed that I couldn’t run more than five minutes. But after the first class, I signed up for a membership anyway. I started out two days there a week, and within a month, I was going five times a week. Within six months, I lost an additional 40 pounds.
I still go to Orangetheory now, and I am actually a part-time employee!
These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight-loss results.
I changed my mindset. I began to look at fitness as a lifestyle. It became a part of my day like eating or sleeping. Once it became a part of my lifestyle, it didn’t feel like a chore.
I found exercise I could stick with. I fell in love with Orangetheory, and it ultimately helped shape my life. I really enjoyed pushing myself in class, and I ultimately became a healthier version of myself.
I incorporated my spirituality into my journey. Before I went on my fitness journey, I prayed to God for guidance. Not only is fitness a lifestyle, it is also connected to my outlook on life and my ideals.
I’ve lost 70 pounds, and it took a year.
Everyone’s fitness journey will be different, but I think it is important to invest and understand what is going to make it enjoyable. Try a lot of different types of fitness classes; dance, yoga, spinning. This is when you will fall in love with fitness and ultimately be happy with you.
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