At nearly 500 pounds and struggling with constant pain and anxiety, Jeanine Raine knew she needed a change.
Unforgiving comments from teachers, nutritionists, family and friends about her body prevented her from fully expressing herself.
Raine told Today, “The world was kind of mean to me, so I just kept to myself. But I’m a super nice, positive and upbeat person, but I always felt like my voice was quieter because I was older.”
Raine also felt anxious and ashamed of her body’s limitations, looking for seat belt extenders on airplanes and looking at photos of restaurants to see if she could fit in the chair.
After an initial attempt to lose weight at age 18, a cycle of restriction and bingeing at the gym left her heavier than ever; By the time she graduated from college, she weighed 470 pounds.
Her career as a special education teacher was personally rewarding but physically punishing. “Children are my passion, but the attitude to teach (was difficult). I had back pain and knee problems. Everything was hurting every day.”
The physical discomfort proved to be great enough to spur him into action, “That’s when I decided I had to take this into my own hands.”
She consulted her primary care physician, whose response was discouraging at best, telling her, in his professional opinion, that she had too much weight to lose and wouldn’t be able to. he did this naturally.
“I see, you know, I (was) almost 500 pounds,” Raine says. “I ate fast food every day, several times a day. But I knew that if I made the changes and did what I had to do, I believed I could at least make some kind of difference.”
Looking for actionable advice rather than a discouraging opinion, Raine sought out another provider who helped facilitate a change in her eating habits and incorporate exercise into her daily routine.
Her new doctor taught Raine to adjust the type and intensity of her exercise and to find low-calorie substitutes for the foods she craved. “It was the little advice she was giving me that was so positive and so nice about not getting me down and just saying no right away.”
To really understand and take control of her calorie intake, Raine committed to cooking all her meals at home. Accustomed to soda, fast food and sugary sweets, her cravings were hard to beat.
In an effort to manage them, she swapped soda for soda, ice cream for frozen yogurt, large candy for snack size, and a sleeve of single-serving cookies.
Over time, her cravings subsided and she was able to prioritize foods that nourished her body. “The food I put in my body now doesn’t make me feel sluggish. I have energy. I don’t wake up tired. I no longer have high blood pressure.”
While Raine says she had “tremendous anxiety” about going to the gym, she was determined to change the way her body looked and felt.
“The first day I went to the gym, I couldn’t even do five minutes on the treadmill. My back was hurting, but I said, ‘You know what? I made it. I got to the gym.’ And I said, “Even if I do five minutes today, maybe tomorrow I can do seven.”
Committed to endurance, she showed up to train every day and was able to gradually increase her productivity. “Eventually, the weight started to come off and eating became easier… Before I knew it, I was down 70 pounds.”
In the two years since making the choice to change, Raine has lost an astonishing 210 pounds.
Raine has been documenting her fitness journey on TikTok and Instagram to inspire others. Among those encouraged by her transformation is Raine’s own mother, who recently lost 90 kilograms following in her daughter’s footsteps.
As her strength grew, Raine integrated other types of exercise. In addition to the treadmill, she began lifting weights and walking, and picked up a joyous tool from childhood: a jump rope.
On her first jump rope attempt, she couldn’t get her body off the ground, but with an absolute spinning stance, she vowed to keep it up. She constantly improved, incorporating tricks and sharing her videos with her social media community.
A post of her rope has gone viral with 43 million views and counting. When followers comment on how happy she looks, Raine says the feeling is as real as it is earned, “In my videos, when I smile and do my tricks, it’s literally because I spent four months trying to get fraud. “
From disabled by pain to alive with joy, Raine’s progress is remarkable. Yet when she looks back on where and who she was, it’s always through the lens of compassion: “If I could hug my old me, I would.”
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Image Source : nypost.com