Marteneque Stotts woke up one day with a different attitude towards her personal health and wellness.
“I literally just woke up and told myself that it was time for a lifestyle change,” says Stotts. “I was tired of how I looked. I was tired of being tired and feeling sluggish all the time.”
Marteneque’s health and wellness awakening occurred in Aug. of 2016 and she has made major progress since starting at 280 pounds. As of Thursday, Marteneque is happy to report that she has lost 113 pounds.
“I had to remind myself and tell myself that I needed to get healthy,” says Stotts. “I have Brayden, my six-year-old son, and I just keep reminding myself that I want to see him grow up. My son tells my I’m the most beautiful person in the world and his love and support has been so special.”
Marteneque started with small steps. She cut out fast food and it was extremely challenging.
“I used to eat fast food at least once or twice a day and I rarely cooked a homemade meal,” says Stotts. “Now, I only eat home cooked meals.”
Even though Marteneque knows how much she has lost, she says she rarely weighs herself.
“I judge my progress based off of pictures and the way my clothes fit. It’s hard for women because a lot of us hate taking pictures but we shouldn’t be afraid of that,” says Stotts. “More women need to empower other women and I hope that my story can encourage other women to set their goals and then actively work on achieving them.”
Stotts says that working out as been a big mental boost for her over the past two years.
“I had been in the gym before but I wasn’t doing the things I needed to,” says Stotts. “I’m so thankful for my boyfriend, Tyler, who prepares my workouts everyday and he even helps me with my meals everyday. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the support of Tyler and my friends and family.”
When it comes to giving advice to others, Marteneque truly believes in self motivation.
“People with a weight loss or fitness goal have to believe in themselves,” says Stotts. “Tell yourself you can do it and listen to positive motivational music to help get yourself in the mood each day. It takes time but it’s so worth it.”
Marteneque used to struggle with things like jogging or running but now she can run outside on trails with ease. She set a goal to be able to do a regular pushup and now she can do more than 30 pushups consecutively. She says it’s all about changing your mindset but she is happy to lend anyone advice.
“I’ve always wanted to put my voice out there to help others,” says Stotts. “Mainly I would love to help women, to empower them to go after their goals with a positive mindset. If I can do it, anyone can.”
By Adam Capps
Assistant Editor
