Obesity Made Me Lose My Vision - So I Lost 134lbs | BRAND NEW ME
CHRISTINA Jordan, 40, from Arizona, lost 134lbs naturally after being 271lbs for as long as she could remember. Her obesity made her lose her vision whilst she was carrying her baby down the stairs, causing the child to fall. It made her realise that losing weight “wasn't looking a certain way or weighing a certain magic number, it’s really life or death”. After this incident, she decided to change her life to be healthier for her children. Christina went to nutrition school to try and learn why she couldn’t lose weight after six different doctors couldn’t figure it out. She is now a Master Nutritionist and helps people lose weight by fixing their relationship with food.
Transcript
00:00I was definitely the largest kid in elementary school.
00:03I was the largest kid when I went to high school.
00:05I was definitely addicted to food.
00:07I would sneak away and eat an entire bag of bagels in my car.
00:12I fell down the stairs carrying our baby.
00:15That's when I knew I had to change.
00:16I used to be over 271 pounds.
00:20And I've lost 134 pounds.
00:23I was always the heaviest child in the classroom.
00:32By the time I graduated high school, I was already over 200 pounds.
00:37I was raised by two awesome coach parents
00:40who always encouraged me to be very active and physically fit,
00:44but they didn't know nutrition.
00:46I would eat whatever I wanted.
00:48I would find myself sitting on the floor
00:50binging on Twinkies and cupcakes and cookies.
00:54I hated water.
00:56Dinner was something from a fast food drive-thru window.
00:59There was no fruits, no vegetables.
01:01In fact, I didn't even like hamburgers because it had vegetables on it.
01:06I missed a lot of opportunities because people judged my work ethic
01:11based on what I looked like on the outside.
01:14People that didn't want to be friends with me because of the way I looked.
01:18I definitely felt left out at times.
01:22At our wedding, I was shy.
01:24I was quiet.
01:25I was nervous.
01:26I didn't like the way I looked in my dress.
01:29I was over 100 pounds heavier than him.
01:32Whenever I was at my heaviest,
01:34it was just after the birth of our second son, Axton.
01:38And during that pregnancy, I had gained over 90 pounds.
01:43And I developed gestational diabetes.
01:45And I'll never forget that day whenever I was walking down the stairs
01:49and my vision completely went black.
01:52When I fell down the stairs with the baby,
01:55it made me really realize that losing this weight
01:59isn't about looking a certain way or weighing a certain magic number.
02:03It's really life or death.
02:05That's when I found out that I had type 2 diabetes
02:08and I was having diabetic episodes.
02:11That day, I had a lot of remorse.
02:14I had a lot of regrets.
02:16With my journey, Derek and I actually grew closer.
02:22Hey, you want to make a smoothie?
02:23Yeah.
02:24Well, we both get to make our own.
02:25I know you like vanilla, and I'm going to do chocolate.
02:28So I'm going to be using the vegan protein,
02:31and I'm going to add in some spinach in mine.
02:33What do you want in yours?
02:35Yeah, definitely some apple and strawberries.
02:37Okay, apples and strawberries.
02:40Nothing worked until I changed my nutrition.
02:43Not diets, not fasting, not starving myself,
02:47not exercising myself to death with a personal trainer.
02:50Nothing worked.
02:51It just felt like we were stuck,
02:53and that's when you suggested I should go back to school.
02:56I was definitely hurt.
02:58I was sad to see you upset and so upset and so broken.
03:03You were at a low place.
03:05I'm big on education and reading and studying.
03:08Get the knowledge, get the wisdom in a sense
03:10to learn how to transform your body
03:14through nutrition and health and wellness.
03:17You definitely empowered me to take action.
03:19I actually went back to school and became a master nutritionist.
03:22Going to school for nutrition transformed my whole life.
03:26I used to think you had to starve yourself
03:28when in fact you actually need to eat more real foods.
03:32I used to think that you had to work yourself to the bone.
03:36You had to kill yourself in the gym
03:38when actually just 30 to 45 minutes a day is enough,
03:42and it can be fun.
03:43It can be things like bike riding or, you know,
03:46dancing or Zumba or kickboxing.
03:48It can be fun.
03:53I love exercising because it helps me feel better.
03:56It lets me bond with my family.
03:58I used to be over 271 pounds,
04:01and I've lost 134 pounds.
04:04It transformed my life,
04:05and that's why I wanted to be able to have my whole family
04:09get involved.
04:10It's amazing to see them in here training with me,
04:12working out with me, lifting weights,
04:14and just really improving their lives.
04:21We are out here by the pool every single day.
04:24Wearing a two-piece is a combination
04:26of being very exhilarating and also nervous
04:30because, again, I've had three children,
04:33lost 134 pounds.
04:38There was a time before I lost the weight
04:40that I would literally cringe
04:42if we were invited to a pool party
04:44or my husband said, let's go to the beach
04:46or going on vacation,
04:48and now I feel like our vacations
04:50and our fun outings are so much more enjoyable for me
04:54because I can actually participate
04:56and I can actually join in on the fun.
04:59I started out my journey as a size 24W,
05:02and today I wear a size 4.
05:05To get to this point where I'm at today,
05:07it's taken me 10 years.
05:09I would never change it.
05:10I would do it again in a heartbeat.
05:12I would do it again tomorrow.
05:14This life is a gift,
05:16and that if I truly appreciate this life,
05:19I'll take care of myself.
05:20I'll take care of my life.
05:22I'll take care of my body,
05:23and I'll learn to love myself.
05:25I'll take care of my life.
05:26I'll take care of my body,
05:27and I'll learn to love myself,
05:28and loving myself means treating myself good.