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    • “WW and walking for weight loss helped me lose 123 pounds. »
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    “WW and walking for weight loss helped me lose 123 pounds. »

    Pabio Posted on

    My name is Sim Godoy (@sim_on_ww), and I am 28 years old. I live in Clovis, California and am a property management accounting clerk.

    Even as a child, I always felt like a bigger girl and was the heaviest in my group of friends. I never understood why I didn’t look like everyone else. Over the years I have tried several different programs. My mother even found me a personal trainer at one point. I went to gyms and tried shakes, frozen meals, the keto dietand Jenny Craig, but no program I tried was sustainable.

    My weight also had an impact on my health. I have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)which can lead to weight gain and irregular periods. I knew I wanted to start a family one day and that my weight would make a normal monthly cycle very difficult. At age 26, I reached my heaviest weight of 285 pounds.

    The turning point that sparked my weight loss journey took place at my cousin’s wedding in 2018.

    All I remember is feeling so bad about myself and feeling out of place. I was embarrassed to be in family photos. Plus, I was always out of breath. I had difficulty getting in and out of my car. Life was stressful and I had a long list of excuses as to why it was that way.

    So, in March 2018, I decided I needed a major change in my life.

    I chose WW (formerly Weight Watchers) to make this journey possible.

    Shortly after my cousin’s wedding, I was at work in the break room one day, talking to a co-worker. She told me about WW and how it had helped her manage her weight. She had a refer-a-friend code for the first month free, so I decided to give it a shot. When I started, I didn’t think it would work, but I was willing to try.

    Spoiler: This really worked for me because WW is really not a diet, but a lifestyle. You can eat anything; The program teaches you about portions and how to balance your foods and choose healthier options. Honestly, I don’t feel deprived of anything because if I want a specific food, I can have it.

    I’ve also found easy ways to lighten up some of my favorite foods. It helped me relearn a healthy relationship with food. I feel like I’m eating more of a variety of foods now, and I’m definitely more open to trying new foods and getting creative with meals.

    Here is what I eat per day.

    • Breakfast: Coffee, banana, and sometimes I make overnight oats or have a Smart Baking Company muffin or Fiber One brownie.
    • Lunch: I’ll have leftovers or a Healthy Choice frozen meal or a Panera Bread spicy Thai salad.
    • Snacks: Fruit like a plum or orange, Alani Nu Bars or Built Bar protein bars, hot baked Cheetos or Peatos.
    • Dinner: Tacos Chalupas.
    • Dessert: Yasso ice cream bars, and I’m obsessed with nut butters lately!

    I didn’t start exercising until six months into my journey, when I hit my first plateau.

    I was stuck at the same weight for a few weeks, so I started going for walks during my lunch break at work several times a week. This gradually increased to 30 minutes of brisk walking, five days a week.

    I set a goal to walk fast enough that my Apple Watch could track it like 30 minutes of exercise. I learned that if I walk 18 minutes or more, it registers as exercise. Now I’ve increased to walking 30 to 45 minutes five days a week for at least two miles.

    These three changes have made the biggest difference in my weight loss results.

    1. I had healthy exchanges with WW. I started by working more on fruits and vegetables and sticking to more white meats like chicken and turkey. So I started replacing my rice with cauliflower rice and Greek yogurt as a base for some recipes, and/or as a sour cream. I also cut out added sugar from foods and drinks.
    2. I joined StepBet challenges to help me become more active. When I started to get a little lazy and took a month off due to the summer heat, I had a hard time motivating myself to start walking again. I was then introduced to Bet by stage on Instagram by a friend. Based on your fitness tracker history, StepBet gives you a goal of four days of active steps (around your normal average steps), two power days where it pushes you a little beyond your number normal and a day off. As long as you complete the required steps before the game ends, you are guaranteed to get your initial stake back, as well as whatever is left in the pot that is shared among the winners. It was a lot of fun and it pushed me to be a little more active.
    3. I focused on changing my mindset. When I started this journey, I didn’t expect the program to last or be sustainable. But I was tired of feeling disgusted and feeling sorry for myself. No one but me could change that, so I joined WW. Your mindset is a powerful thing, and once you focus on something and accept that you have the power to do it, things become easier.

    I lost 123 pounds in 18 months.

    The best advice I can give to someone embarking on a weight loss journey is to not focus on the scale. This thing will mess with your head and send you into a spiral. We need to stop and celebrate the little things in life.

    I used to worry so much about what to eat and how to behave at family events. Now I just take snacks from my bag, try to have a meal before and take it step by step. I still enjoy all my favorite foods regularly (I eat pizza once a week!). WW is not a diet, but a way of life. I really feel like a whole new person.

    Pabio
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