Jordi Lost 30 Pounds After She Stopped Restricting Calories & Over-Exercising–Here’s What She Did Instead!

Jordan Hardin is certified ACE Personal Trainer and Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and blogger. This is her transformation story as told to SheFinds; read more about her holistic health approach on Jordi B Health And Fitness. 

My weight loss journey is a little unusual to say the least. From birth to about 26, I was always pretty fit. I was the person who could eat 10 meals at a buffet and not gain weight. I was the person who could eat whatever I wanted and still be in great shape. I was in the Army and maintained my physical fitness level.

One day, it all changed. On November 19, 2013 I got out of the Army. I was stationed in Germany and decided to stay there and work as a contractor for the Army. It was an extremely stressful job and things went downhill from there.

I stopped exercising. I ate like crap. I was pulling 70 hour shifts on a regular basis. Before I knew it, I had gained 30 pounds and couldn’t fit in my clothes anymore. Other people could physical tell I had gained weight. I felt horrible and depressed! In June of 2017, I started realizing I needed to make a change. But I didn’t actually start changing until January of 2018.

I remember the day I made the decision to do something about the weight. It was my birthday, January 24, 2018. I was hiking in Antarctica and the short 230 meter trip to the top took forever–must longer than it should have. As I stood at the top, I was out of breath and looked around at my surrounding. I was both disappointed and proud of myself. The hike had been a struggle, but on the other hand, I was alive. I was experiencing life in a way that truly made me grateful. It was time to lose the weight and get back exercising.

From there, my weight loss journey started. I often make the joke: if I can start my weight loss journey in Antarctica, you can do it from anywhere!

Over the next few days, I spent some time in the gym that was on the base. A close buddy of mine, Cameron, taught me about lifting weights. Cameron and I became accountability partners. Working out became a routine. No matter how cold it was outside, we’d be at the little gym together working out.

In the beginning, I was embarrassed. I was starting at the beginning. I could barely do an assisted pull up or run on the treadmill, but I kept going.

I came back to America in April of 2018, and even though I was living in my cramped childhood bedroom for a bit while I got my new life together, I kept going. I found workout videos I could do in that little space.

For the next couple years, I experimented with dieting, working out, lost weight, gained weight, dealt with depression and anxiety, I even had cancer–here’s what I learned.

Changes I made that did work (and that I live by today) including focusing on the quality of carb I eat versus the quantity. I follow an 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I’m eating foods I know are going to fuel my body to function. 20% of the time, I’m eating pizza or a piece of cake. I don’t restrict.

Focusing more weight-lifting instead of cardio also helped. I eat between 1500 to 1800 calories, depending on my fitness workload. Incorporating more self-care into my life has been key as well. I regularly de-stress and allow myself time to unwind.

The changes I made that didn’t work include cutting out carbs altogether, going on a “diet,” exercising 3x a times, not eating enough, and only eating vegetables and lean protein.

Over-exercising did more harm than good, I got Quervain’s tenosynovitis. I learned that for long-term success with training, my body needed to rest and recover!

I wish I had learned how to properly eat much sooner! I was restricting carbs and fat on a 1,200 calorie diet. I learned through trial and error that’s it more important to be knowledgeable about what to eat than to  restrict what you eat.

Focusing on the scale too much was a mistake as well. Weight loss is a byproduct of an overall healthy lifestyle. Heath should be the main focus. It became my focus when I fought thyroid cancer in 2019. It was from that experience that I learned it’s about eating quality foods to fuel my body, rather than restricting my diet to veggies and shakes during the week, then bingeing on weekends.

I was very blessed the type of cancer I had was very low key, But what if it hadn’t been? I need to be healthy for myself, because my body deserves it.

My initial goal was to lose 30 pounds. It took about a year for me to get to a point where I could live sustainably and keep the weight from coming back. To me, it’s not just about reaching the goal, it’s about being able to stay there and not go backwards. It actually took about 3 to 4 months to lose the 30 pounds, but it kept coming back until I learned what worked to keep it off for good (not restricting calories and over-exercising!).

Now I have a new goal. Train and compete on American Ninja Warrior 2022! I’m working hard training and plan to submit my audition video in December.

I became a trainer and coach because I want to help others be the healthiest versions of themselves, too. You can get off medications, lose weight, and reverse diabetes all through the power of food. You can learn from my mistakes.

Don’t focus so much on the scale! The only thing that scale does is measure your relationship with gravity at a given time. Notice how your clothes start fitting better. Track the inches you lose! Pay attention and celebrate those non-scale victories, like feeling better, having more energy, being able to walk to the mailbox without getting out of breath. Any progress, no matter how small, is a victory and something you should be proud of.

Today, there’s a huge market for weight loss. Don’t be in a rush to buy the first weight loss pill or shake you see (especially from an MLM company). Those products are designed to make you become dependent on them, both from maintaining your weight and burning a hole in your wallet every month. Find someone you trust, who’s met the goal you want to achieve, and work with them. Have fun and experiment! Try different kinds of workouts and training styles. Truly see what you enjoy. Experiment with different foods and try new recipes. Above all, do this for your health. Your health is so important. You deserve to be your best self. You deserve to look and feel your best, whatever that is for you! Do it for you.