Jelian decided she was more than a “short, chubby girl” and took charge of her lifestyle. Hear her story and the step-by-step process that helped her drop 80 pounds.
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – commonly attributed to Dr. Seuss
Weight gain background and contributing factors
Jelian experienced a tough transition to life in the United States from her native Puerto Rico at a young age, and turned to food to cope. At 19 years old, 4’11” Jelian found herself at a peak weight of 200 pounds (91 kg).
How being overweight impacted Jelian’s life
Jelian describes a difficult school experience of mean remarks, unhealthy self-deprecation, and little attention from the opposite sex. She describes her self-protective behavior of making fun of herself before anyone else could.
The turning point for Jelian
When an ex-boyfriend described her as “that red-headed, short, chubby girl,” Jelian felt the sting of painful truth and decided to change. She knew “that’s not all I am.”
Starting the weight loss journey
Jelian felt she had known all along how to lose weight, but for some reason never acted on it. After her turning point, she began a five-step plan to slowly transition into a healthier lifestyle:
- Stop drinking calories.
Jelian stuck to water, tea, diet sodas in this phase, which lasted a month. - Portion control.
Jelian recalls that this was the hardest step for her, cutting down large meals into their proper serving sizes. - Add vegetables.
- Eat healthier meals overall.
- Add exercise.
Jelian chose yoga and belly dancing DVD’s to make exercise fun.
Jelian’s discoveries
Jelian learned to read food labels, to be aware of the sugar, carbohydrate, and calorie content of everything she consumed.
Jelian also realized the importance of not comparing herself to others. Her advice is to focus on your goals, your progress, your work, your journey.
Like many TipsOfTheScale guests, at first, Jelian did not tell others she was trying to lose weight because she still feared that she might fail. However, she stuck to her five-step plan and ultimately found success!
Looking back now, she admits she didn’t believe she could accomplish this, but now, with her improved empowerment, self-worth, and self-esteem, she knows she can do anything she puts her mind to.
If she could tell her old self anything, it would be, “that I can, that I will.”
Jelian’s advice for your weight-loss journey
- Take it one step at a time.
- Don’t worry if it’s not happening fast enough – stick with it.
- Take pride in every life-changing step you take.
- Mistakes aren’t the end of the world; get back on course and stick with it!
Resources discussed in this podcast
- MyFitnessPal – online calorie tracking & support community
- Yoga Studio app for iPhone/iPad
- RunKeeper app for iPhone/iPad or Android
- Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko [ Amazon / iTunes ]
On Jelian’s workout playlist
Jelian can be found on Instagram, Facebook, or you can e-mail her to say Hello!
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