Dawn Campbell-Codling finds Keto diet success
WHEN Dawn Campbell-Codling decided that she was going to lose weight, her husband jokingly bet her that he would pay her $200 for every pound that she lost. He is yet to start paying her, but if he were to begin, he would owe her at least $7,000 now, as she has lost 35 pounds and counting.
“When I was doing any activities I was panting to breathe, and when I was getting dressed I was having to do too many things to try and hold my body down. I decided that I needed to do something about it,” the woman from Wire Fence, Trelawny, told All Woman.
And so, on June 15 this year, the Albert Town High School guidance counsellor decided to make a change. She consulted health and wellness coach Michelle Jones, who was previously featured by All Woman, who introduced her to the Ketogenic diet, and got her started on her journey.
“It was difficult at first to get used to the new diet,” Campbell-Codling confessed. “I was off sugar; I was at five per cent carbs; I wasn’t drinking any juice, which I used to drink all the time. It was difficult when I saw certain foods and I still wanted them and found it hard to resist.”
She also found it difficult to exercise, as she was never a fan of excessive physical activity.
“I remember about two weeks into my new lifestyle I was going up a hill, and it felt as if I was never going to reach to the top, and in that moment I felt like giving up on the entire journey,” she shared.
But she was kept on the course by the compliments that she was starting to receive from her friends and family, who noticed that she was shedding the weight.
“And I started feeling so good about myself,” she added. “I felt so healthy, especially after exercising in the morning, and I was having more positive thoughts.”
Her current routine sees her drinking water first thing in the morning, walking for about a mile or two, then having a moderate cardio workout session. Her diet consists of 75 per cent good fats, 20 per cent protein, and five per cent carbs.
“And the carbs are from green, leafy vegetables only,” she explained. “So I will eat things like cabbage, okra, callaloo and spinach, broccoli, and cauliflower. I use coconut oil only, and I love things like nuts, eggs, avocados, tuna, and fruits.”
When she switched to Keto and started working out three months ago, she weighed 227 pounds for her fairly short five feet three inches. Today she is 192 pounds, and she is not done yet.
She gives some words of encouragement to others who are struggling to achieve their transformation.
“Go for it. Just start,” she urged. “Get a scale, and monitor your progress. When you start to notice that you are not fitting into your clothes, don’t go out and buy bigger clothes to accommodate the fat. It means it is time to shake up and fit back into your clothes.”
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
