'I Did Intermittent Fasting And Early-Morning Workouts For A Year—And I Lost 63 Pounds'

From Women's Health

My name is Latoya Hall (@tranformingtoya), and I'm 34 years old. I live in Orlando, Florida and I’m a mom to two kids, and work as a personal trainer. After going up and down in my weight for years, I committed to morning workouts and intermittent fasting and lost 63 pounds in the process.

I’d been yo-yoing for about three years—staying on track for a month or two, losing about 10 pounds, than falling off. And each time I fell off, I just gained the weight back, plus more. I was at my heaviest, 218 pounds, in July 2018. But six months later I was down to 205 pounds, and it finally clicked in my head that I didn't want to continue down this path.

I remember going to the bathroom one day to use the toilet and as I went to wipe myself, I realized that I had to really, and I mean really, stretch to reach back there. I sat there and came to grips with all the other daily activities I struggled with, like cleaning myself or walking up our flights of stairs without being out of breath.

I told my ex-fiancé that this would be the time I was finally going to lose the weight. He looked at me and said, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” And that's when I realized that I needed to do this for me and no one else. I had to find the discipline and I would reap the benefits.

I started getting up every morning at 4:45 am to workout.

I had previously tried exercising in the late morning and evening but I would always come up with an excuse to skip it. I don’t have time, I’m too tired, I have to cook dinner, I need to get some extra cleaning done. I'd find any reason to make not exercising seem like the right choice.

So I started setting my alarm for 4:45 a.m. for a 5 a.m. workout. I’d set my clothes up the night before (I only had about three pairs of leggings then!). I’d also put my socks, underwear, and shoes next to the bed. And when the alarm would go off, I’d fling myself out of bed. Sometimes I would hit the floor with a thud, but I got out of that bed before I could hit the snooze button, crawl to my clothes, and go.

I'd prep Ezekiel bread, peanut butter, and banana the night before and keep it in a Tupperware dish in the fridge. After putting my clothes on, I’d zombie walk to the kitchen and put the bread in the toaster and top with peanut butter and banana for a pre-workout snack. My water bottle was already prepared, with a towel for wiping sweat on top of it.

Before I could fully wake up, I was already in my car. This process would take me about 10 minutes. I was on the way to the gym before I could decide not to go. And the great part about these early mornings was that I got it out the way before my day even started. I didn’t have to worry about things happening later in the day that would deter me—it was already done.

When I first started working out, I'd do a combo of cardio and resistance training.

I’d start with 20 minutes of HIIT cardio, followed by 45 minutes of resistance training. Then I’d do 10 more minutes of light cardio at the end, stretch, and sauna.

Now I do a slightly different routine. I do a glute-focused HIIT cardio workout (either a 10-minute routine on the StairMaster, a routine on the highest incline of the treadmill, or intervals until failure on the elliptical) with a booty band around my lower thighs. I also do a 10-minute abs routine before my workout on back days. Then, I strength train for an hour to an hour and a half.

Once I’m done, especially on booty days, I do a complete stretch for about 15 minutes. Stretching has been so important for me. It helps with soreness and growth. My favorite exercises are definitely all about the glutes: hip thrusts, sumo Romanian deadlifts, and I’ve recently become addicted to doing kettle bell swings with a super band around my hips. The burn is real!

I also completely changed the way I ate by cutting out processed food, dairy, and making tons of healthy swaps.

My rule of thumb was to buy 85 percent of my foods from the outside perimeter of the grocery store. That’s usually where I’d find the whole foods, meats, and dairy substitutes.

Cutting out sugar was too difficult for me to completely give up, so I traded out all refined sugar. I used honey, coconut sugar, and 100 percent maple syrup when I was desperate for a sugar fix. And sometimes for I'd treat myself to dark chocolate (78 percent cacao or higher) and some strawberries.

I also cut out rice for the first six or seven months, and I switched to sprouted grains. I swapped in Ezekiel bread and use PBFit instead of peanut butter. I swapped eggs for egg whites, and I had a low-fat, high-protein smoothie once a day (twice now that I’m building muscle).

Since I wasn’t in a rush or on a timeline and trying to enjoy the process, I gave myself a cheat meal or dessert once a week. I never did a whole day or weekend. I also drank half my weight in water ounces.

Another big diet change I made was incorporating intermittent fasting at least three of four days a week, using the MyFitnessPal app to make sure I stayed within reason when it came to my macros.

Here's an example of what I'd eat in a day during my weight loss phase.

• Pre-workout snack: Toasted Ezekiel bread with one tablespoon of peanut butter, a sliced banana on top, sprinkled with chia seeds and a little honey.

• Breakfast: Egg white omelette with pico, spinach, and turkey bacon or turkey sausage, with an avocado on top.

• Lunch: I'd usually pre-pack a protein smoothie or have burger (no bun, no cheese) and avocado.

• Dinner: I do shrimp, chicken, or steak with broccoli and avocado. Sometimes I switch out the broccoli with asparagus, sweet potatoes, or corn. But I tried to keep it easy and consistent.

• Snacks: Paleo chocolate chip cookies from my local Fresh Kitchen or some Skinny Pop popcorn.

Right now, I'm in a fat loss/muscle building phase, so my days go something like this.

• Breakfast: Two whole eggs with a whole avocado, two slices of Ezekiel bread or a Killer Dave’s Epic bagel or a bowl of oatmeal with a handful of blueberries. I also like to make a green tea matcha latte with plant-based Ripple "milk" in the a.m.

• Lunch: A power bowl (Jasmine rice, egg, spinach, ground chicken, pico) with two slices of Ezekiel toast.

• Pre-workout snack: A protein smoothie.

• Dinner: Filet, salmon, shrimp, chicken or scallops with jasmine rice, and broccoli. Sometimes, I'll do tacos using a lettuce wrap. And if I cook spaghetti, I use ground turkey, gluten-free pasta, and spaghetti sauce with no extra sugar.

• Snacks: I still *love* my paleo chocolate chip cookies and Skinny Pop Popcorn. But I also found some delicious cinnamon pretzels in Publix.

Consistency and compromise made a huge difference in my weight loss journey.

If I had consistent in the beginning, it wouldn’t have taken me five years to get to the point that I am now. It doesn’t matter how much you think you should lose in a certain amount of time, as long as you are consistent you will see progress.

It's also important to find ways to enjoy your favorite foods and still lose weight. Don't cut yourself off completely—just find a compromise. For me, I love sugar. And if I would’ve completely taken out sugar, there’s no way I would’ve stuck to that. Finding healthier, more sustainable weight loss options to substitute cravings got me to my goal without compromising the joy I wanted to feel during this process.

I learned to take pride in the transformation and the time it took me to get there.

Enjoy your body at every single point. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else’s journey! You have no idea where they started or what they’ve had to go through. At the start of January 2019, I'd lost about 15 pounds and was down to was 205. I am currently 142 pounds, but with so much more muscle and strength, and I've honestly stopped weighing myself (the only reason I know my weight is because of doctors appointments).

I rely on pictures and measurements. Some people may call it vain, but I take a picture every time I workout. And I mean every time. It’s not because of social media; it’s because sometimes I forget how far I’ve come until I put a side-by-side comparison together and I can see my hard work coming to life. So to anyone else trying to get fit, don’t worry about who sees you, take your picture. You completed that workout, not the person eyeing you. You earned it.

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