My name is Shauné Hayes (@theshaunelife), and I am 46 years old. I live in Maryland and am the owner and lead makeup artist at Red Carpet Ready Makeup. After a health problem that landed me in the emergency room, I started eating a plant-based diet filled with whole foods and walking to lose weight. My wellness journey also led me to become a certified health coach and obtain a certification in plant-based nutrition.
To fall off was a childhood struggle for me. I remember being yelled at and talked about by other kids, family, and even my pediatrician. I didn’t want to be medically overweight or considered unhealthy, but as a child I didn’t understand it and didn’t know how to change that. I joined my first weight-loss program when I was twelve, and it started what felt like a decades-long rollercoaster ride of yo-yo and fad dieting.
I’ve tried multiple weight loss centers, trendy diets, appetite suppressant pills, B12, prepackaged foods, liquid diets, specialty shakes, smoothies… the list went on. In all my attempts to lose weight, I never thought about it durable weight loss. I always wanted to lose weight quickly or around an event, so I put my body through the paces calorie deficit.
It was my childhood dream to get married in my mother’s wedding dress. So when I got married in 2002, that was my goal: to lose 50 pounds so I could wear my mother’s wedding dress. That goal-oriented mentality created a yo-yo effect for me. Once I lost the weight and fit into the dress, there was nothing motivating me to keep the weight off. All my hard work was focused on a certain short-term goal, and after achieving that goal, I fell back into old habits.
My weight also played a role in my infertility issues, which surfaced after I got married and tried to start a family. My husband and I tried to get pregnant for five years and finally had to seek help. I was diagnosed PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a hormonal disorder that affects ovulation. With medical assistance, I gave birth to my daughter in 2007 and twins in 2011.
A medical scare sparked my wellness journey.
I left my journalism career in 2012 to run my makeup business full-time, and this was a dream come true. But after three years of entrepreneurship, I was deeply unhappy, physically exhausted and in poor health. My body literally collapsed and my weight skyrocketed. I continued to feed my exhaustion with food while struggling to stay consistent with exercise – trying to lose weight… to no avail.
In between makeup bookings, I ate fast food and junk food. And when I was cooking, pastas, heavy cream sauces, and fried foods were common. Working on my feet became more difficult at 271 pounds. I was bothered arthritis and chronic knee and low back pain, which worsened. My blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels also rose.
I read somewhere that if you listen to your body’s whisper, you don’t have to hear it scream. I guess you could say I heard the scream days before a celebrity makeup booking and press conference. I woke up with an aching pain in my right arm that worsened to the point where I couldn’t move it. I ended up in the emergency room and discovered that I had a severe flare-up of bursitis in my shoulder, causing inflammation between my joints. Feeling and seeing my body starting to break down was a wake-up call.
After that emergency room visit in February 2017, I knew I had to change – and my weight loss journey began in June 2017.
I was 42, and unlike my many previous weight loss attempts, this time wasn’t dramatic, drastic, extreme, hard, or restrictive. I didn’t have an elaborate agenda of sacrifices that would lead to overwhelm and self-sabotage. In fact, I wasn’t even looking to lose weight initially after my health scare. I just wanted to slow down, breathe, and break away from the routine and busyness that had become my daily activities.
I started to walk. One day. Two days. Three. Breathing. One week. Two weeks. Three weeks. Release. Healing. Feeling. Forgiving. Learn. I love all of me. I experienced a spiritual awakening when I started walking. I started listening to and honoring my unique energy. Walking gave me time to consciously relax. My senses and awareness were heightened. I started to see my life through a different lens. My old identity as a workaholic was no longer viable. My transformation started from within.
Each walk was a step toward healing my whole self and making small changes to move my body and increase my fitness cardio. This ultimately led me to restructure my business and redefine my values and what was really important to me. My health became a top priority.
Three months after my journey began, I started changing my diet.
Working with a health coach taught me what healthy eating really was and how to do it without hardship. I would describe my eating plan as a “real food” plan. Real food is lean food that comes from the field or flows to my table. They are rich in nutrients, fiber-rich and filling foods that kept my blood sugar levels stable, promoted fat burning and contributed to my physical, mental, emotional and brain health.
I eat a lot of “anytime” or “free” foods, meaning fruits and vegetables, but vegetables dominate my plate because, ounce for ounce, they contain fewer calories and more fiber than most other foods. They are also nutritious -dense I became in the first place vegetable in 2021, but before that I mostly ate cold-water, wild-caught fish, and occasionally organic, free-range chicken and eggs. Now that I live a primarily plant-based lifestyle, I get protein from a variety of plants (vegetables, fruits, raw nuts, beans, legumes, whole grains), tofu, tempeh, non-dairy Greek yogurt, and occasionally vegan. protein powder.
Instead of avoiding carbs, I stopped eating the wrong carbs, such as sweetened drinks, white bread, highly sweetened cereals, snacks, fast food, processed foods, and now eat the right carbs: fruits and vegetables, oatmeal, raw nuts , beans and legumes, some soy products and whole grains.
I let go of the bad fats (also called hydrogenated trans fats) and nourish my body with good fats, preferably those from whole foods like avocados, raw nuts, seeds, hummus, coconut milk and whole olives. I live a low-oil lifestyle, so when it comes to oils and nut butters, which are another source of fat, I occasionally use extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, peanut, almond and cashew butters, and tahini.
Water is my favorite drink because it helps my organs function, aids in digestion and weight loss, keeps me full, and even gives me nice skin.
I still allow flexibility for “sometimes” food or what I call “indulgences,” which for me is desserts. I also leave room for holidays and food-focused events and gatherings in my life. I love to bake, so I enjoy indulgences as often as I am willing to prepare them.
I changed from eating the traditional three meals a day and started ‘grazing’, which means eating five to six mini meals throughout the day. This has the great advantage of stabilizing my blood sugar levels and keeping my energy levels up all day long. It also keeps me from going all day and not eating until late in the evening, which I used to do.
This is what I now eat in a day.
- Meal one: Peanut butter-blueberry oats (I cook the oats in high-protein, plant-based milk)
- Meal two: Banana protein smoothie
- Meal three: Loaded mixed green salad with hummus, black beans, corn, olives, tomatoes, walnuts and homemade sweet and spicy dressing
- Meal four: Non-dairy blended Greek berry yogurt with fresh strawberries and blueberries
- Meal five: Just Egg scramble with fried spinach, tomatoes and onions, 1/2 avocado and a whole wheat tortilla
I first started running for exercise, and I did that for two years.
That’s when I knew it was time to change it up because I was starting to hit a plateau and I wanted to start building strength. Bootcamp classes with BNFITDC under the guidance of Byron Nichols, where I began building strength and tone and eventually perfecting a deep push-up. I did boot camp for two years, but once again noticed my body becoming flat. I lost 50 pounds on this trip, and that includes loose skin Real with significant weight loss.
Now I work with a fitness instructor Christine Sagittarius to build more muscle, burn fat and tighten my skin as much as possible before considering excess skin removal surgery. My new training regimen is pushing me physically in new ways strength training.
These three changes led to my weight loss success.
- I had a change in mindset around the word “diet.” For me, dieting always meant fewer options or consuming bland or boring food. But the definition of “diet” is simply the type of food a person usually eats. It’s not hunger; it doesn’t take into account every calorie you eat. It gives your body fuel so that it can perform optimally.
- I made this journey about my lifestyle, not a goal. In all my previous weight loss attempts, I was trying to reach a weight or scale goal and never thought about becoming the healthiest version of myself. There’s nothing wrong with having a goal, except that achieving a goal is only a temporary change. I needed to go on this journey about long-term, sustainable weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. One of my favorite books, Atomic habits by James Clear, helped me realize that I needed to change the habits and system that led to my obesity and look beyond one single achievement.
- I have not set a deadline for my trip. I always put a timeline on how much I wanted to lose and by when. This created a lot of pressure. It also sabotaged my efforts and I missed the deadline every time. This time it wasn’t about a deadline, because it was about me getting healthy and well for the rest of my life.
I have lost 100 kilos in three years.
I want other women to know that this journey has been a gentle, gradual evolution. It was about small changes that compounded over time, building habits and consistency one day, one week, one month at a time.
Getting my health back has helped every aspect of my life. I feel great, and I am more confident and happier. I included my children in the process and was able to show them the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.
Ladies, you can do this. I hope my story inspires and gives you strength. Simply start implementing low-pressure habits so you can move toward the vision you have for yourself. And as Robin Sharma says The 5AM Club“The smallest implementation is always worth more than the largest intentions.”