Jennifer Espinosa-Goswami is a weight loss cheerleader who admits that vegetables still aren’t her favorite menu item. After losing 100 pounds in one year, Jennifer is motivating others on her website, Weightless Chronicles.
My goal is to coach other working moms like myself who are tired of yo-yo dieting. Weight loss is not a one-time event. It is a marathon that takes training and a certain strategy. ~Jennifer
More from Jennifer in her own words –
Tell me when your weight struggles began. I don’t remember ever being thin. I never felt like I struggled with my weight, but I was embarrassed by it.
What habits specifically led you to gain weight? I ate so much, and almost always to please my taste buds. I loved everything about food, from shopping for groceries with my mom, to cooking, to enjoying it with my family. I also hated vegetables with a passion. Once I turned 18, I vowed never to eat anything green (except ice cream). Two years later, I reached my highest weight.
What caused you to realize you needed to change? My grandmother passed away. She was the last of my grandparents, all of whom played a big role in my early childhood. Grandma Espinosa was an active and passionate woman who was there for every major event in our family. I realized that I might never see my own grandchildren.
How did you lose the weight? I lost the bulk of my weight during the first year. I tried to eat less than 1800 calories every day, with less than 50 grams of fat and at least 23 grams of fiber. I knew that eating high fiber food would keep me full and prevent me from overeating, but I was still leery about those veggies. I ate mostly beans and whole grains for the bulk of the fiber, and slowly added in vegetables. Today, I am mostly vegetarian.
What diet and exercise methods did you employ? Exercise has always been a part of my life, but I am now more intentional and intense with it. Instead of dancing for 40 minutes, I might do 20 minutes of high intensity interval training followed by 15 minutes of weight lifting. I also run and do Pilates.
Did you have any “ah ha” moments along the way? I never really believed I could lose as much weight as I did. I also never realized the amazing things I could do when I was lighter! One of my happiest moments was when a friend complimented my biceps. I had spent most of my childhood covering my flabby, stretch-marked arms.
Biggest struggle in your journey? My biggest struggle was social occasions. I started dating the man who became my husband shortly after I lost the weight, and he shares food as a sign of his affection. I rejected him several times before he got the message. Luckily, I only rejected his food advances.
Advice you’d give to other people struggling to lose weight? Take one action at a time, and focus on that one until it becomes a habit. Once that habit is established, move on to another one. You didn’t gain the weight overnight- why would you expect to lose it overnight?
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