Adina Before and After

Adina Child’s life was full of challenges and rapidly spinning out of control. With four children to raise solo, she began making herself the last priority and soon found that the woman she knew she could be was somehow lost in life’s events… and an extra 100 pounds. Adina made the decision to change her life, to take control and to be the woman she knew she could be; and once she got started, there was just no stopping her!

SM: What was your biggest motivation for the weight loss?

AC: “Entering my 1^st 5K with my daughter (12 years old) and she continually had to stop and walk with me for 52 minutes until we completed it. I was embarrassed and a poor example to her (and my other children). I was spinning out of control, had just become a single parent of 4 children who were scared and looking for a direction. At that point, I took back control of my life!”

SM: How long did it take you to reach your goal? 

AC: “My goals were simple, 10 pounds at a time. I never dreamed I would reach 100!! It took 16 months to shed the weight.”

SM: What was the biggest obstacle that you encountered?

AC: “Portions! Once I began measuring my foods, I was amazed how many I was eating for! It does take time to measure, but eventually I mastered it, I rarely have to measure now.” 

SM: Did you have a solid support group?

AC: “Tons of friends and many Facebook pages were a huge support and motivation on those days I thought about throwing in the towel. I also used LoseIt app and set alarms to remind myself to record food, and I recorded everything. I would log it before I ate it because sometimes the calorie count shocked me or I couldn’t find it and that meant, it couldn’t be good.”

SM: Please give us detail about the exact diet plan and fitness routine that you stuck to in order to lose the weight.

AC: “For diet, I ate fruits, vegetables, tuna, chicken, whole grains and staying within my calorie intake depending on my weight. (I did not start calorie counting until a good 6 months after my new life changes). For fitness, I started with walking every day which lead to running, every other day. Consistently!! I love to run! I would have never thought I was capable of running, and to think I almost missed out on this…yikes! Endorphins make my day better!”

SM: How has that diet/fitness regimen changed?

AC: “After 12 months, I enrolled in a boot camp. I needed some weights for toning and a change of “menu”, so I continued with the running just added to the program I had started. I also cross train with swimming, elliptical and the bike.”

SM: How has being in shape changed your life?

AC: “I enjoy life, smile, laugh, enjoy my children, try activities of all kinds, and I am not afraid of things I once was! I encourage others when the moment presents itself.”

SM: What’s the best part about losing the weight?

AC: “The people I have met and the trips I have taken. I use to hide from social events, but now I embrace them and live in the moment! To hear my daughters tell me they want to be just like me, and ask if I would help them train or make healthy food choices. And of course my oldest son (15), he just wants to beat me running, so it is a great motivator for both of us! My proudest moment was crossing the finish line of my 1^st marathon with my 6 year old son (he ran the last 200 meters with me) with my family and my closest friends at the end telling me how proud they were of me. That moment, I knew I was finally in control of my life and I could not have been any prouder of me!”

SM: Any advice for other moms out their struggling to lose weight?

AC: “Make small changes; if you try to change your diet and activities all at once, it is overload! Make one small change a week until it is a habit, then add another small change. And most of all, schedule your workouts for the week or the month. Hold yourself accountable! When you slip, (because everyone does slip up and make bad choices) don’t beat yourself up, just get back on track ASAP!! YOU are important and NO one else can do it for you!”

So whether you have 100 pounds to lose or 10 pounds to lose, remember, you are the only one who can make it happen. We all suffer from life’s many obstacles and fall prey to that voice in our head that says we can’t do it. However, the difference between a success story and a failure is the strength to stop listening to that voice and keep pushing forward.