The Working Mom Who Lost 42lbs in ONE MONTH
I’m really excited to share Part 3 of this series. We get to take a look at another simply amazing individual who lost 230 pounds and over 40lbs in a single month; let those numbers sink in! This weight loss transformation can really provide us with some insight into how this woman realized enough was enough and took control of her life! Once again, here are the three main questions we covered:
1. How did your mindset change?
2. What about your exercise routine?
3. How did your nutrition change?
Weight Loss: Natasha Coleman’s Transformation
- Name: Natasha Coleman
- Occupation: Senior Health Educator
- Height: 5’10
- Weight Before: 438lbs
- Weight After: 208lbs
- Weight Change: 230lbs
- Quick advice:
1. I would tell anyone trying to lose a large amount of weight to understand not to get overwhelmed and set small goals and stay consistent and weigh often to stay focused.
2. I would also advise them to concentrate on removing all soda, fried foods, and processed sugar from their diets and stay full on healthy food and not be as concerned with portion control at first.
3. When it comes to fitness she started slow and went at her own pace, “I wouldn’t really pay attention to how far I went but more to how long I would walk at my pace.” Start slow and build up your exercise capacity!
This incredible weight loss transformation comes from Natasha Coleman a wife and full-time working mother of 3 with a background in Plus-size modeling and beauty pageants.
She lost over 230 pounds on her way to taking charge of her life. In 2010 she decided to take control of her consumption of soda, processed foods, and sugars. She was able to lose 42 pounds in a single month and THAT was just the beginning!
The weight loss wasn’t easy with family and career obligations as Natasha said, “It’s really hard with a full-time job and family, but I realized that if I didn’t take control of my health I would not be able to care for them anymore. I have lost 230 lbs to date and I’m almost at my final goal!” Cheers to her!
How did you make the mindset change that allowed you to do this?
I’m from the plus-size modeling and pageant world so self-esteem was no issue. I spoke publicly on the behalf of the fuller figure woman and I was very confident. My turning point was when I was awarded a trip to Mexico for being a top performer at my previous job in a regional cable company.
I could not fit in the plane seat and that was when I knew I HAD to take control of my health.
I was never diagnosed with pre-diabetes or high blood pressure but I was basically playing Russian Roulette with my own life and my children would suffer the most if I were to fall sick from my unhealthy lifestyle.
They were my motivation to make the change but knowing my own worth is what has kept me on the path.
What exercise changes did you make?
Being over 400 lbs there was very little that I could do physically without being in pain. After getting my eating under control and losing that first initial amount of weight, that gave me the encouragement to start moving.
There was a small fitness track near my house that I would take my kids to in the 
When I got up to 10 loops around I felt it was time for me to go a little further and start the larger track. I wouldn’t really pay attention to how far I went but more to how long I would walk at my pace.
I still had my eating in order and now I was moving and the weight was just falling off.
I was feeling better and getting stronger and decided to start a fitness class to change up my workout. I could only do about 5 minutes at a time, I would sit and rest and start right back up [Editor’s note: do what you can when starting]. I attended this class 4 days a week and in about a month I was able to participate in the entire class without resting.
The instructor of that class moved away and I really only preferred her style so I felt after 8 months that it was time to change up the workout again.
I received a FREE gym membership from a local gym that heard about my story (at that time I was down 125 lbs) when I spoke to the owner I told her my goal and she gave me a membership.
I was so excited it was the very first time I was a member at a gym (I had no athletic background growing up at all) I felt l like I was developing into an athlete it was an amazing moment for me. I honestly didn’t know where to start so I watched YouTube see how other trainers would use equipment in the gym.
I basically watched their form and did as many reps as I could at the weight that was comfortable for me.
I also found my new favorite piece of gym equipment which was the elliptical. Again I started slow because this was a totally different movement for me and I was actually afraid to get on the machine at first for fear that I would fall.
But I faced my fears and started out with only 3 minutes at a time. I have now graduated to 45 mins of cardio on the elliptical and I have also added 8 lbs wrist weights to challenge myself even more.
I love strength training and I love to see the changes in my appearance.
How did you go about getting your nutrition under control?
As far as my nutrition, my biggest issue at weighing over 400 lbs and not having any surgical procedures was that I had to identify the reason WHY I was overeating. I of course loved the taste of food but I seemed to lean more towards [wanting] the full feeling.
So I dropped all soda, fried foods, and processed sugar and I researched foods that were low in calories, fat, and carbs and ate just as many as those as I did the bad foods and still lost weight. Now that I am closer to my goal weight I pay more close attention to my portion sizes.
It was hard enough for me to remove those foods from my diet and it worked better for me to have larger portions of healthy foods so I didn’t feel deprived.
What are you doing these days?
I
advocate and a mentor for healthier lifestyles. I am now a Senior Health Educator with the Florida Department of Health and the National Diabetes Prevention Program.
The goal of the class is for the participants to lose at least 7% body weight in the 16-week course and increase their physical activity to 150 minutes per week and all-in-all to prevent or prolong Type 2 Diabetes with food tracking and group accountability.
I also contact the physicians in my surrounding area to recommend their patients to my class when they see elevated A1C or non-fasting blood sugar readings so we can teach them basic nutrients and the importance of daily activity. I LOVE MY NEW JOB!
Wrap-Up
This is truly another amazing weight loss story! It’s about someone who realized they needed to make changes because they were literally risking their own life!
Are you starting to notice some patterns emerge with these amazing weight loss stories? Here’s what I have noticed:
- They all failed multiple times until they created a program tailored to them.
- They started slow and didn’t make huge changes all at once.
- They cut out bad foods but replaced them with healthy foods which they could eat more of for fewer calories.
- They started to get active every single day.
- They took it easy on themselves and gave the program time to work.
If you want to make a change, those 5 points are a good place to start! Make sure to come back next week for more Fit-spiration as we hear from another incredible individual who has actually “Been There, Lost That – Weight Loss Success!”
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