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One of my favorite things is hearing of success stories from remarkable people! These men and women will tell you that it isn’t an easy journey but that it is definitely worth it. We all have different approaches to our health journey. The approach will depend on your current health, your personal ability, your time commitments (children, work), and your access to healthy foods and facilities.
This next lady, Tish Barnes, lives on Bell Island, the place I grew up. Bell Island is just outside of St. John’s, NL, and is only accessed via Ferry. Tish has always been an incredible athlete, but not unlike many other people, she gained weight slowly over time and before she knew it, she was 35 pounds overweight.
Continue reading to hear about her awesome story!
This next lady, Tish Barnes, lives on Bell Island, the place I grew up. Bell Island is just outside of St. John’s, NL, and is only accessed via Ferry. Tish has always been an incredible athlete, but not unlike many other people, she gained weight slowly over time and before she knew it, she was 35 pounds overweight.
Continue reading to hear about her awesome story!
Deanne: What was your reasoning for wanting to lose weight?
Tish: When I was thirty five pounds overweight for my height, I wanted too lose weight for many reasons:
Deanne: Had you tried to lose weight on the past?
Tish: No, I hadn’t tried to lose weight in the past. I was so comfortable with my life that I didn’t think anything when I ate bad foods, fast food or didn’t exercise. I just figured I would never become overweight and never cared too much for my appearance and health.
Deanne: What supplements did you take to promote success?
Tish: When I first started my diet, I tried the Green Tea triple fat burner pill. I would take two pills with a glass of water, and a healthy snack before I worked out. I found I sweat a lot more in my workout and burned more calories when I had this supplement in my body. I also would have a couple cups of green tea during the week and drink lots of lemon water and just more water.
Deanne: Did you follow a strict diet?
Tish: For the first three months I did. I cut out all junk food, soda's, and fast foods. I didn't treat myself until I lost 20 pounds. After three months, I kept losing more weight and felt like I was accomplishing my weight goals. So once in a while, I sit down and have a burger or bag of potato chips and not feel like a 'pig'. But I would never over treat myself. I am so motivated and feeling really good about myself so I won’t allow myself to follow old footsteps. This may sound a little crazy, but in my workout room , I kept a picture of me overweight on my wall . It’s my constant motivation!
Deanne: Did you feel like you couldn't go out anywhere for fear of "falling off the wagon" so to speak.
Tish: When I first wanted to make that lifestyle change, I found that trying to do better for yourself, make better choices and live a healthier life made people uncomfortable. Most people told me I was crazy because they didn't think I was overweight and that I looked good. When I was asked out for supper, and ordered Chicken and chips, people quickly assumed that I was never going to succeed in losing weight. That I was working out for nothing. People assume when you try to lose weight you have to '' Starve'' yourself. It’s just not true!
Deanne: How long did it take you to lose the weight?
Tish: I was down a couple of pounds and inches off my waist into my third week of my clean diet.
Deanne: What would a typical daily food journal and workout schedule look like for you?
Tish:
Breakfast: Two hardboiled eggs with hot peppers, Glass of Lemon water, Cup of hot green tea
Workout- 45 minutes of my own workout routine that I now teach to my fitness class on Bell Island. (Squats, Crunches, lunges, sit-ups, exercises with weights, stairs) A bit of cardio, abs a strength workout.
Post workout - 1 scoop of whey protein mixed with almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken breast with cayenne pepper and spinach
Snack - Greek yogurt, banana, lemon water
Supper - Chicken breast with cayenne, lots of veggies
Deanne: You are a very busy person running a photography business and working full time. How to you balance everything in a day?
Tish: Just looking back on what I used to look and live like has motivated me to never let myself go again. To go to the mall and pick out a pair of jeans that is size 2 or 3, feels great. To have people tell me that I look amazing feels wonderful. I love working out and I just made it one of my top priorities in my life. With my own experience with the change of my lifestyle, I teach fitness classes twice a week to a group of people. Staying fit and being healthier will always be a part of my life. I keep focused with my work and no matter how tired I am, I make sure at the end of the day, I feel good about myself before I go to sleep.
Deanne: You live on an island with little access to fancy gyms etc. How do you make it work?
Tish: I have my own workout equipment and fitness room in my house on the island. The island does have a track where I like to run as well as great areas to go for a hike. I teach fitness classes at the Wabana Boys and Girls club twice a week. Sometimes I will drop into a gym in the city if I am not too busy.
Tish: When I was thirty five pounds overweight for my height, I wanted too lose weight for many reasons:
- to be able to run, play sports, ride a bike or go for a swim for more than two minutes without stopping to catch my breath. All physical activity is more difficult when you carry around a lot of extra weight.
- To look better; to be able to go to the mall with my girlfriends and pick out a smaller size in a pair of jeans.
- I wanted to fit in. I wanted to walk into a room full of people and not have people comment on how chubby my face looks or how fat my butt looks.
- I wanted to feel more confident and better about myself.
- I wanted to be healthier. Eating “McDonalds big macs'' a couple times a week can be harmful to your health. Not only that it contributes to weight gain and raise levels of cholesterol in your blood increasing your risk for heart disease. I don’t want those health issues.
- I wanted to sleep better.
Deanne: Had you tried to lose weight on the past?
Tish: No, I hadn’t tried to lose weight in the past. I was so comfortable with my life that I didn’t think anything when I ate bad foods, fast food or didn’t exercise. I just figured I would never become overweight and never cared too much for my appearance and health.
Deanne: What supplements did you take to promote success?
Tish: When I first started my diet, I tried the Green Tea triple fat burner pill. I would take two pills with a glass of water, and a healthy snack before I worked out. I found I sweat a lot more in my workout and burned more calories when I had this supplement in my body. I also would have a couple cups of green tea during the week and drink lots of lemon water and just more water.
Deanne: Did you follow a strict diet?
Tish: For the first three months I did. I cut out all junk food, soda's, and fast foods. I didn't treat myself until I lost 20 pounds. After three months, I kept losing more weight and felt like I was accomplishing my weight goals. So once in a while, I sit down and have a burger or bag of potato chips and not feel like a 'pig'. But I would never over treat myself. I am so motivated and feeling really good about myself so I won’t allow myself to follow old footsteps. This may sound a little crazy, but in my workout room , I kept a picture of me overweight on my wall . It’s my constant motivation!
Deanne: Did you feel like you couldn't go out anywhere for fear of "falling off the wagon" so to speak.
Tish: When I first wanted to make that lifestyle change, I found that trying to do better for yourself, make better choices and live a healthier life made people uncomfortable. Most people told me I was crazy because they didn't think I was overweight and that I looked good. When I was asked out for supper, and ordered Chicken and chips, people quickly assumed that I was never going to succeed in losing weight. That I was working out for nothing. People assume when you try to lose weight you have to '' Starve'' yourself. It’s just not true!
Deanne: How long did it take you to lose the weight?
Tish: I was down a couple of pounds and inches off my waist into my third week of my clean diet.
Deanne: What would a typical daily food journal and workout schedule look like for you?
Tish:
Breakfast: Two hardboiled eggs with hot peppers, Glass of Lemon water, Cup of hot green tea
Workout- 45 minutes of my own workout routine that I now teach to my fitness class on Bell Island. (Squats, Crunches, lunges, sit-ups, exercises with weights, stairs) A bit of cardio, abs a strength workout.
Post workout - 1 scoop of whey protein mixed with almond milk.
Lunch: Chicken breast with cayenne pepper and spinach
Snack - Greek yogurt, banana, lemon water
Supper - Chicken breast with cayenne, lots of veggies
Deanne: You are a very busy person running a photography business and working full time. How to you balance everything in a day?
Tish: Just looking back on what I used to look and live like has motivated me to never let myself go again. To go to the mall and pick out a pair of jeans that is size 2 or 3, feels great. To have people tell me that I look amazing feels wonderful. I love working out and I just made it one of my top priorities in my life. With my own experience with the change of my lifestyle, I teach fitness classes twice a week to a group of people. Staying fit and being healthier will always be a part of my life. I keep focused with my work and no matter how tired I am, I make sure at the end of the day, I feel good about myself before I go to sleep.
Deanne: You live on an island with little access to fancy gyms etc. How do you make it work?
Tish: I have my own workout equipment and fitness room in my house on the island. The island does have a track where I like to run as well as great areas to go for a hike. I teach fitness classes at the Wabana Boys and Girls club twice a week. Sometimes I will drop into a gym in the city if I am not too busy.
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Deanne: Do you have any advice for people who really want to get healthy and feel great?
Tish: Set goals! Block out anyone that you feel that is judging you for wanting to make healthier choices. If it's your first time working out, remember that it will likely hurt and you will feel tired. You may feel like you can’t do it, but don't stop. Just think positive and know that in time, you will reach your goals. You have to put yourself first. You've got to say to yourself, how bad do I want this? When you feel like having an unhealthy meal, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not like you are going to gain fifty pounds if you do so. I honestly can say I enjoy my cheat days and don't punish myself for it. I haven't felt this confident and happy in a long time.
Deanne: Do you have any favorite quotes that keep you motivated?
Tish:
What an incredible story. Thanks so much Tish for sharing with us. As a Bell Islander, it makes me proud to see people like you doing so much for the community. Thanks to you, there are more and more people becoming active on Bell Island.
It’s amazing to hear such incredible stories. Do you know someone who is motivating in your community? Are you that person? Would you like to be that person? What’s your motivation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
*It’s important to note that not everyone will get the same results. We are all unique individuals and so the approach may need to be different as well. If you have an underlying health condition or have tried to lose weight on a clean eating plan with no success, you may want to speak with a qualified healthcare Practitioner, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Nutritional Practitioner or Naturotherapist.
Tish: Set goals! Block out anyone that you feel that is judging you for wanting to make healthier choices. If it's your first time working out, remember that it will likely hurt and you will feel tired. You may feel like you can’t do it, but don't stop. Just think positive and know that in time, you will reach your goals. You have to put yourself first. You've got to say to yourself, how bad do I want this? When you feel like having an unhealthy meal, don't beat yourself up over it. It's not like you are going to gain fifty pounds if you do so. I honestly can say I enjoy my cheat days and don't punish myself for it. I haven't felt this confident and happy in a long time.
Deanne: Do you have any favorite quotes that keep you motivated?
Tish:
- Don't stop when you are tired, STOP when you are done.
- Keep your goals away from the trolls
- Wake up with determination and go to bed with satisfaction
What an incredible story. Thanks so much Tish for sharing with us. As a Bell Islander, it makes me proud to see people like you doing so much for the community. Thanks to you, there are more and more people becoming active on Bell Island.
It’s amazing to hear such incredible stories. Do you know someone who is motivating in your community? Are you that person? Would you like to be that person? What’s your motivation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
*It’s important to note that not everyone will get the same results. We are all unique individuals and so the approach may need to be different as well. If you have an underlying health condition or have tried to lose weight on a clean eating plan with no success, you may want to speak with a qualified healthcare Practitioner, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Certified Nutritional Practitioner or Naturotherapist.
