Amber was like most mothers: overworked and tired. From cooking and cleaning to taking care of the kids, there was no time left to take care of herself. Sound familiar? Well, everything was going as it always does until one day Amber looked in the mirror and saw she had ballooned up to 200 lbs, the heaviest she’s ever been. She knew she had to do something. The 5’6″ mom took control and lost nearly 40 to weigh 163 lbs with more weight loss to come!
BlackDoctor.org spoke with Amber about what it took to lose the weight and keep it off. Take a look below:
What was your motivation? What inspired you?
I was motivated to lose the weight, because I had lost a sense of who I was and was using food and alcohol to comfort myself. I had become a stay at home mom after having my second child and I was very depressed, lonely, stressed, and become dependent on alcohol to get through most days.
When you don’t have a support system in place it can be very difficult as a new mom to try and balance everything. At the end of most days I had nothing left to give and was exhausted. My kids were my inspiration. I knew they deserved better than what I was giving them. I knew I couldn’t be the best mother to them if I didn’t take the time to get healthy and lose the unwanted weight and stop drinking and get HAPPY ABOUT LIFE!
How did you change your eating habits? What did you stop or start eating?
My issues was not eating enough food and eating junk when I did eat. I first cut out soda pop and coffee. I started drinking a nutrient dense shake in morning as my breakfast because I wasn’t much of a breakfast eater. And eating 2 meals a day and 2 snacks in combination with the shakes. I focused on whole grain, lean protein, limited sugar, and a ton of WATER!
What did your workout routines look like?
I committed to a 90 day at home fitness program called P90X3 where I worked out for 30 minutes 6 days a week. It involved burning fat while building muscle. Lots of push-ups, squats, resistance training, and plyometric exercises.
How long did your transformation take?
8 months with a lot of falling off the wagon and getting back on.
What advice do you have for others who want to lose weight?
Make a commitment to yourself and get your mind made up that you are going to do it no matter how long it takes. Don’t focus on the number on the scale. Believe in yourself and have patience. Trust the process and focus on cleaning up your nutrition which was the most challenging part for me.
Facebook- www.facebook.com/ambermfitness and www.facebook.com/Amrenkin
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Twitter- www.twitter.com/AmberMFitness
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