Michelle Jones is 40 pounds lighter and happier

“MY brain function is at an optimal level, and I feel totally energised. I have to fight myself to stop working, and I mean in all areas,” an excited 44-year-old Michelle Jones gushed to All Woman about her healthy new lifestyle. Jones is now less than 140 pounds and is working on adding more muscle mass to her petite 5’2” frame. But if you asked her how she was feeling this time last year, she would probably have told you that she was exhausted.

“I was tired very often, and I would struggle to put on my clothes,” she remembered. “It wasn’t a feeling of insecurity per se, as I would always dress to hide my flaws, but I really wanted to see some changes and knew I had to make them.”

It was in November last year that Jones consciously and consistently decided to improve her overall health. At first she only wanted to lose some weight, but she soon realised that a good exercise regimen and proper diet could do much more for her than helping her shed pounds. When she found herself unemployed two months later, maintaining her healthy habits kept her mental health in check.

“I started to work out in an effort to relieve me of worry and stress, and the workout became a habit and I realised I felt much better about myself despite the fact that I was unemployed,” she recalled. “Every jog I took I felt empowered. Those 20-minute jogs were my getaways from the real world, my time to lock in with God who I depended on solely for guidance and direction in everything I did, and especially at that very crucial and vulnerable period in my life. Not only was it my prayer closet, but it enabled me to think with clarity and how I would now start living with purpose.”

Then it hit her. This was not only a turning point in her life, but a selling point as well.

“It so happened that I was introduced to this lifestyle from someone at the job that didn’t work out, and so I can truly testify to turning your lemons into lemonade,” she said.

Jones actually turned those lemons into a business. She channelled her experience and successful weight loss journey into becoming a health and wellness coach.

“My platform not only serves as a weight loss coach, but as a motivator, as I am able to inspire, uplift and empower other women, which I do with a sense of pride knowing I walked this very path,” she smiled.

“I might have felt like giving up once or twice,” she confessed. “But I was getting too many benefits from working out to give up. Also, the number of reviews I was getting on how I was motivating and inspiring others kept me going. More than that, I felt good about myself.”

At first her friends and family might have thought Jones was doing too much too fast, as she would work out for over an hour every day. But when they saw her shedding inches and feeling more energetic, they soon started coming to her for help.

“It reached a point where my first daughter, all the way in Atlanta, would ask me to video call her at nights to work out, as she didn’t feel motivated to even go to the gym, and she felt she was benefiting much more with our sessions,” the mother of three shared happily.

Jones, who has lost over 40 pounds since committing to the Ketogenic diet and consistent exercise, is now focused on strength and resistance training, which she does at least three times each week, coupled with aerobics classes, twice weekly. Her diet is high in fats and oils, moderate in protein, and very low in carbs. She believes that weight loss begins in the kitchen, and exercise enhances it, and is so happy with her results that she does not even get tempted by certain foods anymore.

“I am more focused than I’ve ever been. I no longer see certain foods when I go out socially, or even at home, and say ‘I wish I could eat that’. I am, however, very mindful of what I put in my body, and the amount, as moderation is always key,” she shared.

She says the secret to weight loss is not found in one particular diet, gym, or fitness trainer. It is in the habit of health.

“When I first started working out and changing my diet, I failed at being consistent until I focused on setting a habit,” she said.

“I had to be realistic with myself and stop constantly chasing results, because that mindset made me frustrated when I wasn’t consistent. Consistency came when I decided to start small, achievable habits and build from there.

“Build a habit first, worry about results later. Once you build that habit, you can find thousands of ways to improve,” she advised.

Have you managed to transform your body through weight gain or weight loss? Want to share your story with us? E-mail clarkep@ jamaicaobserver.com