My name is Antoinette Jensen (@netjfitness), and I’m 34 years old. I live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and I am the owner and operator of NetJFitness. I decided to lose weight as a New Year’s resolution and started with WW. So, I switched to my own way of eating and training low in carbohydrates and proteins, and kept more than 60 pounds.
Before starting my journey to lose weight, I lacked confidence, motivation and self-esteem. I hid at home to avoid being seen by anyone who knew me before I put on weight. My self-isolation and lack of confidence were beginning to affect my marriage and friendships. At 26, I reached my heaviest weight of 200 pounds.
While it may sound cliché, starting my journey was a New Year’s resolution.
I had reflected on the previous year and realized that it consisted of going to work and then immediately returning home to sit at home with my husband and children. I decided that night that I had enough. I was going to start working to feel and look better. It was 2012 and I was 26 at the time.
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Initially, I had signed up for Weight Watchers (now called WW). I had shared my desire to lose weight with one of my co-workers, and she invited me to join a WW group at our workplace. During our weekly lunch meetings, I learned how to ensure that my meals were nutritious and properly distributed, I was able to obtain healthy recipes and make healthy food substitutions, and I was able to control my weight to see the impacts of these changes on my body.
I am extremely grateful for the WW points system – it was easy to follow and I learned the basics of eating with a calorie deficit without becoming obsessed with counting calories.
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I also focus on portion control and register all my foods in the MyFitnessPal app to control my calorie and nutrient intake.
Here’s what I eat a day:
- Breakfast: Eggs with turkey sausage
- Lunch: Turkey meatballs with hash sweet potatoes
- Snacks: Fresh fruit
- Dinner: Salmon paired with asparagus
- Dessert: Premier Protein Cookie and Cream Shake
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After the initial weight loss I experienced on the WW program, I knew that adding exercise would only increase the results I was seeing.
Initially, I attended Zumba classes at a local gym. I am grateful for the support of my husband, who attended classes with me for months until I felt comfortable. After feeling comfortable, I sought the help of a personal trainer who showed me new exercises.
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Currently, I train six days a week for at least 90 minutes every day. I start my training with a five-kilometer run. I alternate each day between working the upper and lower body, using high-intensity interval training (HIIT).
I also like strength training. After researching and experimenting with different training programs and exercises, I found that I loved my body’s reaction to weight lifting and targeted body shaping.
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It took me two years to reach my overall goal of losing 61 pounds and managed to keep my weight off for 8 years.
During the two years I have been actively working to lose weight, there have been periods when I have not lost weight for weeks or gained weight. There were times when I gave myself over days and weeks. However, I never lost sight of my goal and the reasons why I wanted to lose weight and get healthier.
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To maintain my weight, I set goals every month. It helped me stay focused. Some examples of my goals:
- Reducing my mile time
- Eating more vegetables
- Doing an outdoor workout a week
- Trying out new group gym classes
I also take * many * photos. Doing this helped me to identify changes in my body composition and is a great reminder that the change is happening even if the balance is not moving.
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These three behavioral changes made the biggest difference to my weight loss results.
- I created a routine. This was necessary for me to be successful. For convenience, I started going to the gym early in the morning. I would be at the gym at 5 am, to start my day with a workout and still be home in time to help prepare my three children for school. Also, prioritizing the start of the day with my workouts reduces the likelihood of finding an excuse for not going to the gym.
- I set SMART goals. Each month, I decided to create a goal for myself that was SMART – which means that they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and have a timeline. For example, when I decided to train for a half marathon, I gave myself 12 weeks to prepare for the race. I set a goal to run a certain number of miles each week, followed my pace and the time of each race. This allowed me to measure my progress and make sure I was on track to achieve my goal of running a half marathon. I completed my first semester in 2019, in an hour and 57 minutes.
- I made healthy food exchanges. I have completely eliminated zero-nourished foods such as soft drinks, cookies, etc. My family and I also made other substitutes, such as exchanging hamburgers for turkey hamburgers, exchanging 2% milk for skimmed milk and ensuring that there is at least a portion of vegetables for lunch and dinner.
My life has changed beyond just losing weight.
My weight loss allowed me to understand that I am important, that it is okay to give me permission to take care of myself. Creating a routine to take care of myself is not being selfish – it is taking care of myself, and I need it.
I regained my confidence and discovered a new passion for fitness. However, the advantages do not come all at once. I discovered that you need to take the time to celebrate small victories and changes. Progress is the goal, not perfection.
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