Featured Fitale – LaToya Palmer

FFFC: Please introduce yourself to our readers (i.e. your name, occupation, hobbies, etc.).

LP: Hello, my name is Latoya and I am a disabled stay at home mother of five children and a wife. My children are ages 14, 13, 10, 23 months and three months old. Two girls and three boys :-). I love to paint and make handmade jewelry in my spare time, which hasn’t been much these days.

FFFC: What sparked your weight-loss transformation journey?

LP: What led me to really get serious about my weight loss journey was the issues I was having with my health. I am now 36 years old, but started getting sick and slowly gaining weight at age 28 with thyroid issues.

I am always in pain. I knew I had scoliosis as a child, but was diagnosed with osteoarthritis, fibromaylsia, and slipped disk in my neck and back. Then came the sleep disorders… Sleep paralysis, narcolepsy and cataplexy, memory loss, then deep depression from it all which made me put on more weight. I went through a divorce (the man was one reason for my depression ), met a wonderful man, had two more children and gained more weight. Along with more weight gain, came more pain. I decided not only did I hate the way I looked, it wasn’t healthy and I know had a toddler to run after and was really winded doing so.

FFFC: What was your beginning and current weight or measurements?

LP: My beginning weight was 214 and my waistline was 38. I am now 167 and my waist is 34.

FFFC: How long did it take for your weight-loss transformation from beginning to end?

LP: My actual weight loss journey started in 2014 a little after I had my fourth child. I got up to 214 after having him and then dropped down to 174. I got pregnant with my fifth child and had him the ending of May 2015. I started my weight loss journey again the middle of July. I was 208 lbs. It is now the middle of September and I am now 167 lbs. My goal is to get down to 150 lbs.

FFFC: What physical activities did you participate in during your journey?

LP: I do light walking and chasing my almost two year old keeps me on my toes. So that’s my exercise for most of the day. I love the elliptical machine. It’s great for a person like me who has back and knee problems because it glides. It is fun to me. I love it. I listen to soca and calypso music as I exercise to keep me at a steady pace. I try to at least exercise about twice a week, I would honestly like to do it more.

FFFC: How did your eating habits change?

LP: I eat smaller portions than what I used to. In the past I piled my plate with everything, now I pretty much measure out and weigh my meat and vegetables. If I don’t have access to a scale, I remember that a small serving of meat should be no bigger than a fist and so forth.

FFFC: What do you typically eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

LP: For breakfast I usually eat a slice of 40-calorie toast with a bit of low fat margarine (I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter), 4 oz of skim milk, ten green grapes or twelve small strawberries. I eat a protein bar with 14 grams of protein midmorning for a snack. For lunch, 6 oz of chicken breast, (or 4 oz beef, 5 oz tilapia) 1/2 cup of a cooked vegetable and 1 cup of a raw vegetable.

I will have another protein bar or shake as a snack. No more than 14 grams of protein and another fruit. For dinner the same as lunch, just different meat, veggies, and a starch such as 1/2 cup of brown rice or 1/2 small baked potato. I also drink 80 oz of water a day. I do not drink sodas. If I do, I limit it to one glass of clear diet soda per day and use crystal light packages in my waters with a splash of lemon. No fruit drinks.

Through bad physical pain and poor health LaToya found a way to fight her way back to healthy and dropped over 60 lbs.. #fitfam

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FFFC: What do you do now to maintain your physique?

LP: I maintain my physique by watching my portions and trying to stay active. I don’t lay down right after eating either. That’s not a good habit.

FFFC: How did you develop and sustain the willpower to avoid the bad stuff (i.e. junk food, bad drinks, lack of activity, etc.)?

LP: I avoid eating bad things by snacking on healthy foods such as green grapes, small strawberries, or protein bars with no more than 14 grams of protein. They are usually sweet enough to curve my cravings and healthy as well.

FFFC: What advice do you have for someone starting out on their weight-loss journey but unsure of how to begin?

LP: My advice that I would give to someone starting their weight loss journey is to stay patient and not to compare their weight loss journey with others. Everyone’s body is different and some time it takes some of us longer to lose the weight. If you mess up, don’t give up, keep going! Some progress is better than no progress. It takes time.

FFFC: What do you think is the biggest misconception about this journey?

LP: I think the biggest misconception about losing weight is that some think that you can just exercise and diet for a while and you will lose the weight. It is a life changing experience which means that you have to change the way you eat and live in order to keep the weight off. Better portion control can be used when it comes to food and smarter choices such as baked chicken over fried chicken. We must also watch the things we put into our bodies for a healthier lifestyle. Alcohol can also be a contributing factor to weight gain. So can smoking. Some people don’t realize these things can play a major role in weight.

FFFC: Do you have any fitness inspirations? Who are they?

LP: I really admire and Ellen Ector. She is an inspiration to me. She is a beautiful, black woman who is physically fit and looks awesome for her age!! I wish to look half as good as she does at the age I am now! LOL she is AMAZING.

FFFC: How can readers learn more about your transformation and journey online (i.e. Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, etc.)?

LP: I really don’t have a blog site but I am on instagram at MRS_TPALMER.