![\"TaVona](\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/TaVona-collage.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhen did your weight struggles begin.<\/strong>\u00a0As early as age 10, I remember begging my mom to buy me a thigh master. Throughout high school I kept my weight in check with physical activity, like cheer leading, volleyball and more, but once I entered an intensive physical therapy program in college, the weight crept back on.<\/p>\n What habits specifically led you to gain weight?<\/strong>\u00a0I did not know how to eat properly. My solution was to eat what college kids ate and when the weight escalated, I would diet down to what I thought was an appropriate weight only to gain it back once I stopped dieting.<\/p>\n What prompted the change?<\/strong>\u00a0I\u00a0stepped on the scale one day and it said 224 pounds. At that point I had become so sick of dieting I couldn’t do it one more time so I said to myself, “I have to learn how to eat real food, and still enjoy myself.”<\/p>\n How did you lose the weight?<\/strong>\u00a0With my mother’s encouragement, I decided to join a commercial weight loss program. With the support of the ladies in my group and my mentor, I was able to get to my goal of 155 pounds. After a while, counting points and managing my weight through exercise only got me so far. I oscillated, then got stuck and eventually saw the weight starting to come back on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What exercise methods did you employ?<\/strong>\u00a0I started with dancing initially, because that was the only thing that I could comfortably do, and then I graduated to Beach Body videos. Eventually I was introduced to the world of cycling, and it opened up a whole new world of opportunities to me.<\/p>\n Never in a million years would I have thought I could ride 25 miles on a bike when my car was fully functioning! Now that is an easy weekday ride for me. I have completed several 100-mile bike rides and I’ve even competed in some duathlons where you run, ride, then run again. I also started a social fitness group for women where I take them to experience alternative fitness workouts like trampoline, aerobics, pole, aerial yoga and aerial dance.<\/span><\/p>\n Did you have any “ah ha” moments along the way?<\/strong> To truly make peace with food I had to give up my quest for perfection-the all or nothing mentality. I had to focus on the fact that movement feels good to my body, that it makes me more alert, more patient and less stressed. I started paying attention to how foods affect my body, and started giving myself permission to eat foods that I wanted, within reason, without being subconsciously fearful that I would never get to eat it again because it was a “bad food.”<\/p>\n Current\/future goals?<\/strong>\u00a0I am currently training for my first half marathon in December and when I finish that I’ll make up my mind whether a half Ironman might be in my future.<\/span><\/p>\n Advice you’d give to other people struggling to lose weight?\u00a0<\/strong>Know that it’s a journey, a process. You don’t have to be perfect to make progress. If you don’t quit, you WILL get there.<\/p>\n Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n Samantha Hillis Lost 80 Pounds – “Your Body Is Amazing. It Can Adapt to Any Lifestyle.”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Kevin Smith Unrecognizable After Weight Loss. Inspired by Fed Up<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n With a 90 Pound Weight Loss, Brigette Underwood is About to Hit Onederland<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" TaVona Boggs spent most of her adult life on a diet. When she wasn’t on one, she was thinking she probably should be. Finally, she learned how to make peace with food and gave up on what she calls the, … Continue reading ![\"TaVona](\"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/TaVona-bicycle.jpg\")
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