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When Lori Jericha’s two children left for college in the fall of 2023, she decided it was time to focus on herself and her health. For years, she had not exercised, her weight had increased to over 210 pounds, and her fitness level had declined. She wasn’t happy with the way she looked or felt. “I knew I needed to completely change my lifestyle,” she told TODAY.com.
“When my daughter and I went to a Taylor Swift concert in Chicago last July, I needed a break while walking from the parking lot to the stadium and up the stairs. I was tired of asking her to wait. I did,” she says.
“Another time, we went on a family trip to Denver. Six of us went to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, and I was the only one who said, ‘Can you wait?’ . I was still around 40 years old. I had to be able to walk. ”
In addition to having difficulty walking, she had high cholesterol and blood pressure, acid reflux disease, and required continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for sleep apnea. “My health was really starting to deteriorate,” she says.
Seeing a photo of herself in the summer of 2023 also inspired Jelisha to improve her health. “I went to my cousin’s wedding and realized how big I looked next to them. Then I went to a family event at my daughter’s university and couldn’t wear her school T-shirt. Nothing was right for me,” she says.
Jelisha, now 47, blamed her weight gain and health problems on her inactive lifestyle. Early in her nursing career, she used to walk a lot. Things changed when I hit my 30s. “I went from living on the go to sitting at a computer typing and using digital electronic records.”
For the past 12 years, she has worked from home as a nurse for an insurance company. “So, it’s the same thing. I’m desk bound. I can’t get up,” she says.
She started walking regularly in the fall of 2023 and adjusted her diet. In less than a year, she lost 58 pounds. “I know people still think I’m overweight, but I’m happy the way I am.”
The biggest impact on her life was improving her physical fitness. “My energy has increased. I can walk up the stairs without getting out of breath and have no trouble carrying a laundry basket,” she says.
Her health markers also improved. She no longer requires blood pressure or acid reflux medication and was able to avoid starting cholesterol medication. “My ultimate goal is to get off CPAP,” she says.
Additionally, she enjoys creating new wardrobes. “I enjoy buying dresses, skirts, and clothes that show my upper arms without having to shop in the plus section,” she says. I can shop at the same store as my daughter. ”
Walking started her weight loss all at once.
I’ve always loved walking, but I didn’t really take time to walk for myself.
loli jerisha
Jelisha never really liked exercise. “I had tried to exercise in the past, but I didn’t like sweating or having to go to the gym and sit still and do something. I don’t know how to swim, so That was out. I don’t like weightlifting. I don’t like running, but I always liked walking and I didn’t really take time for myself,” she said. I say.
When her husband, Tony, told her that he couldn’t lose weight just by walking, she said: I was just walking around the block. Now I run up to 3 miles two to six times a week. I make a playlist, put on one earphone so I can hear what’s going on behind me, and head out,” she says.
Her husband occasionally joins her for walks, and by walking with her and changing his eating habits, he has lost 25 pounds. He agrees that walking has made a difference.
Small dietary changes such as reducing snacking food tracking totaled
Now that the children have left the house, Jelisha can no longer eat the leftovers. She and her husband started eating less at restaurants and more at home. “It was a series of small changes that really worked,” she says.
- she is using mynet diary To keep track of her food. If you want to eat something like a small candy bar, you can see how it will affect your day.
- She took the food out of the office so she wouldn’t want to pick it up and eat it while she was at work.
- She began making changes, such as removing sour cream and cheese from her Chipotle orders. “The taste remains the same,” she says.
- She’s tried vegetables she never thought she’d eat, like Brussels sprouts. “It’s not as bad as I thought.”
- She aims to have at least one meat-free meal a week.
- Instead of ice cream, she started reaching for single servings of Greek yogurt with extra crunch. “It satisfies my sweet tooth, and it’s portion control,” she says.
- She and her husband make meals in advance, grilling extra chicken to add to salads or making grilled chicken wraps.
- She quits cheese and mayonnaise and eats more whole wheat.
“These were the things I was really trying to get into,” she says. “It’s a small thing, a small change. You can’t miss it.”
