她只有以前的一半了，从380磅减到有执照的私人教练

Annabelle Jimenez’s knees ached constantly. 她的背也是.

她知道为什么. 长期以来，她一直在努力控制饮食的质量和数量, her weight had ballooned to 380 pounds.

她说:“每走一个街区，我都会感到极度疲劳和痛苦。.

Jimenez grappled with polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal condition that increased her risk of diabetes, 代谢综合征, heart disease and high blood pressure. For years, doctors had urged her to lower her cholesterol level. 但因为他们没有给她吃药，她没有把这件事当回事.

Then she endured a series of wake-up calls, all in a short span.

Her doctor said she was prediabetic. 她儿子的父亲刚刚从心脏骤停和三重搭桥手术中幸存下来. 他患有糖尿病，因此患心脏病的风险更高，这也产生了影响. 她知道她的家族心脏病史是另一个主要的危险因素.

她把这些经历综合起来，得出了一个结论:34岁了，是时候做出一些重大改变了. If not for herself, then at least for her son, Jaylin, who was 9.

2015年8月, after more than a decade of considering gastric bypass surgery, Jimenez underwent the procedure.

手术通过减少胃能消化的食物量来帮助减肥, and how many calories the body absorbs. Lifestyle modifications are needed to ensure its success, and Jimenez devoted herself to making them stick this time.

他们做到了. Through diet and exercise, she’s cut her weight nearly in half, and inspired her son, husband and mother to get healthier. 希门尼斯非常热衷于健身，她已经获得了私人教练的认证. 今年3月，她的努力获得了“为女性选择红色 New York Lifestyle Change Award”的认可.

她说:“我比自己想象的要坚强，我不想回到以前的样子。. “Mindset is important, and you have to believe you can do it.”

After the surgery, Jimenez welcomed exercise into her new lifestyle.

The first year, she sweated to videos at home. In August 2016, she began working with a trainer at a gym.

The bigger adjustment involved her diet.

多年来, she was a single mom who worked full-time, and she fell into the habit of skipping meals during the day, 然后狼吞虎咽地吃快餐或便利店的低质量零食. That continued even after getting married in 2012.

自从做了胃分流手术后，她的饮食计划更有条理了. She now maps out each meal and snacks for an entire week. 她不吃高脂肪和高糖的食物，用苏打水代替含糖饮料.

要充分理解这种改变的困难，请考虑一下她的处境.

Jimenez lives in Queens, New York. 她所在的城市社区到处都是快餐店和便利店，但没有一家杂货店. 最近的一个需要步行10个街区到地铁站，然后坐四站车.

Jimenez lost 100 pounds the first year, then 80 the next year. The changes inspired her loved ones.

Jaylin got off the couch and got moving. He stays active by playing basketball in the backyard.

“I’m teaching him to eat cleaner and healthier,” Jimenez said. 她还确保他了解自己患心脏病的风险，以及“年轻时照顾好自己的健康是多么重要”.”

Her husband, Eddie Roman, was diagnosed with prediabetes in 2016. 在她的帮助下，他的血糖恢复正常，裤子也小了三个尺码.

“Fast food was all I knew, but Annabelle has made me a lot more aware of what I’m eating,罗曼说. “I’m actually reading the labels to check the calories and sugar, and I never thought that would happen.”

希门尼斯说服她的母亲改变她传统的高碳水化合物波多黎各饮食. 结果，她的2型糖尿病十年来第一次得到了控制.

希门尼斯说:“现在她只吃了一部分米饭，而不是一整盘米饭。.

Having overhauled her health and improved her family’s, her next aim is inspiring others to change their lives, 太.

“I feel happier than I have ever been,” Jimenez said. “There is so much enjoyment when you are able to reach your goals. 我真诚地相信，一旦有人认真地想要改变他们的生活，并接受挑战，忍受艰难的道路, success can be achieved.”

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