Weight loss

Weight loss President/CEO Angela M.Evans shares her victory over Nutrition, Health and Weight.

You lost over 69 pounds over five years ago and kept it off. How did you do it?

At first, I wondered if I would be able to do it. Through the process, I learned how to respect food. In real life if you put your guard down just for five minutes, you can blow back up again. I know hundreds of people that have done it and it’s unbelievable. You have to stay the course and stay vigilant and be diligent on a program that does not cause you to overeat. You have to talk to yourself and it is mind over matter. You have to say “NO” to yourself.

Is it a mental thing?

Yes, absolutely. To me, its 100% making up your mind and100% staying to a program of your choice and being able to maintain it. Three factors are: 1) making up your mind, 2) sticking to it and 3) maintaining the program

In observing other women struggling with being overweight and not eating properly, what is the common pattern of behavior that you believe is attributing to their inability to overcome and succeed at losing weight and staying healthy?

The common pattern of behavior to me is a combination of making your mind up and your will to do it. I think that they have lost their will to control themselves and somehow they have gotten out of control. Sometimes it can be events in life, such as stressful events, that have caused women to overeat. I find that I do this sometimes if I’m irritated or stressed. I call it self-medication because you feel fabulous while you are doing it because the process of eating anesthetizes and releases the serotonin in your brain which is a chemical in your body that determines whether you are happy, sad or stressed. It causes and increases your hunger and makes you feel like it will all go away, and this can be extremely detrimental because eventually you will gain a great deal of weight. It is never ending because when you are depressed or sad, you eat some more and then you feel sad and depressed again and you will eat more. The main pattern of behavior is that they have lost their will to be in control and so, they are out of control.

What advice could you give to other people that are now experiencing frustration and feelings of low-self esteem due to their being overweight and feeling unattractive?

My main advice to people is to tell them that they have to make up their mind and I haven’t been able to figure out how to tell people how to do that because there is not one single answer to this question. For some, it can be at any given point of time, that a person will receive an epiphany about their present weight and decide to make up their mind. They are the only ones that can make up their mind. It is a matter of will and

Angela Evans with husband Michael Evans before Angie’s major weight loss transformation

to me it is the most powerful thing because everything we do in life is based on our will. Whatever we decide to do, we have the freedom to do it. We are adults and we are in control, and if so your eating is out of control, it is because you are out of control. The main advice again is to make up your mind. Have daily conversations with yourself, if necessary, especially when you are in the presence of food. Defer what you want to eat until you reach your goal weight. Maybe you can eat that favorite dish at another time when you have lost all of your desired goal weight. Then you can eat whatever you desire; however, when you get to that point, you may not even want to do that.

What was the real difference between you losing weight and keeping it off this time in your life?

The major difference was to be aware of not cutting loose again and blowing up again in which case I had done so many times over the 25-year period. That was the difference. I told myself that I am 54 years old and I cannot do this again and that was the last time that “Fat Angie” was going to roam free in my life. Keeping everything intact and staying focused. I talk to myself and always remain in control. I’m a grandmother now and my grandson is going to start running and crawling and I need to be able to keep up with him.

What helped you during your most difficult times of temptation?

I had to quote “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” and by talking to myself and telling myself that I can do this. It’s talking and saying “NO” to food and telling it that “you are not the boss of me.” Sometimes, I will reward myself for doing well such as buying an outfit or buying a pair of shoes for myself. You should never celebrate or reward yourself with food. You should never go out and celebrate by going to eat and stuffing yourself with more food after losing weight.

What quick tips can you share with other people regarding nutrition and exercise that can make an impact? And even contribute to significant results?

Nutrition: Eat a minimum of 5 to 6 meals a day which is always a combination of 3 main meals and 3 snacks for people over 18 years old. You should eat snacks to keep your metabolism stimulated because after 18 years of age, your metabolism slows down and holds on to fat, which can be a nightmare. Every day you should eat breakfast within 30 minutes after waking up. It is the most important meal of the day. Make sure you get something in your system within half hour of getting up in the morning to get your metabolism started.

Angie Evans shares her success of losing weight and keeping it off all due to three factors: what she eats, how much she eats and staying active physically.

MEALS: All meals should be well-balanced and should not consist of high fat foods. We should always try our best to avoid a great deal of carbohydrates such as breads or French fries.

Angie recommends that you eat a salad with your lunch and dinner. Dinner should consist of lean proteins such as fish, chicken or turkey with vegetables and try to eat a fruit for dessert. You can also carry a calorie-counting book.

LIQUIDS: Drink eight (8) glasses of 8 ounces of water. Water serves as a good-cleansing agent which flushes a great deal of impurities out of the body.

SNACKS: Do some research and find a good protein snack of at least 10 grams of protein, such as a protein bar. Study the labels on what you eat before you buy it and always be aware of what you put in your mouth!

EXERCISE: An hour at least 3 days a week or do some form of exercise for at least 20 minutes a day.