Name: Sherlonda Tyrus
Age: 38
Height: 5'7"
Before Weight: 325 pounds
How I Gained It: I have been plus-sized all of my life. I was overweight as a child, and I was about 200 pounds when I graduated from high school. Improper eating and no activity played a part as a child. As an adult, it was emotional eating; be it sad, depressed or happy, I would eat.
I was tired of being fat. I was tired of my thighs hurting when I sat in the chairs at the movie theater. I tried to lose weight numerous times. I did Weight Watchers, supplemental shakes, and they worked, but then I'd stop. I was even thinking about weight-loss surgery.
Breaking Point: My daughter came to me and said she wanted to lose weight for her prom. I told her what to do, but I wasn't doing it. I couldn't show her discipline. I knew that most of her weight issues were because of me and how I had fed her as a child. I didn't want her to wait until she was 36 to try to deal with it.
How I Lost It: So, we started bootcamp! My four daughters and I attended our first Zumba class there. We committed to going three times a week at 5:30 a.m., and sometimes we went twice a day. I had never stuck to anything before, but I decided to try sticking to a list of foods my doctor gave me and to exercise. My diet changed tremendously; I went from fast food to lean and clean. I cooked at home, eating mostly fruits, vegetables, chicken breast, turkey and fish, and drinking plenty of water. Now I reward myself or celebrate in ways other than eating.
One of the most important things I've learned throughout my journey is that you cannot out-work a bad diet. After losing about 60 pounds, I started working with a personal trainer two days a week. While working with him, I was encouraged to start running. I completed my first half marathon in October 2013.
I am now working on becoming a personal trainer. I'm so motivated to help others see that they are worth the hard work.
After Weight: 177 pounds. I'm still working toward my goal of 170 to 175.
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As told to Sarah Klein