86-year-old woman loses 120 lbs by walking around her 1-bedroom apartment

A senior from St. Louis, Missouri, has proven that will power is the most important requisite to lose weight. The 86-year-old woman lost over 120 lbs by walking daily miles – inside of her one bedroom apartment.

Jessica Slaughter, a retired substitute teacher, has become an inspiration for her peers and hopes to encourage other seniors to take care of themselves with her incredible weight loss story.

The joyful woman revealed that she was always fat in her childhood, and her schoolmates and even her twin would make fun of her because of her appearance. "I didn't know how to stop eating. Fried chicken. Bacon and eggs. Desserts, like cakes and pies,” she recalled.

So, she tried to stay away from them as much as possible, usually finding a corner on breaks to eat, read a book and avoid the nasty comments.

The weight stayed for most of her life, and while she was embarrassed by her appearance, going as far as to cover her mirrors to avoid seeing her reflection, she didn’t do anything to change her lifestyle.

THE TURNING POINT

By the time she turned 70, Slaughter was weighing 245lbs and had to walk with a cane. Even after her doctor told her she was pre-diabetic and would need a wheelchair in no time, it took her two more years to finally make the conscious decision of starting to lose weight.

Scared of going out on the street and slipping or tripping, Slaughter started to take walks around her tiny apartment. “I thought, ‘Maybe this will help,’” she told People.

Slaughter, a meat lover, decided to add a diet to her new routine, and she tried the Atkins diet, a low carb program because she knew she would be able to eat all the meat she wanted. She lost 70 lbs. in two years, but she had still a long way to go to reach her goal.

The senior went from wearing a size 22 dress to a 10/12, but she wanted to wear a single-digit size.

PUSHING FORWARD TO REACH HER GOAL

One of her friends suggested Slaughter try veganism, but she refused. “I dismissed it because I wasn’t going to stop eating my meat,” Slaughter said. “But I always admired her because her skin was so clear and she was always so happy.”

So, in 2007, she finally decided to give veganism a try. “And the weight just dropped off,” she said. “I was very surprised. I never dreamed I would be the size that I am now.”

These days, Jessica walks 3000 steps daily without leaving her house. She keeps track of the number with a Fitbit following her granddaughter’s suggestion. She also follows a strict vegan and healthy diet, having fiber-cereal, bananas, oranges, grapes and tomatoes for breakfast, skipping lunch, and eating a salad or a wrap for dinner.

She would also indulge with a vegan cookie or ice-cream from time to time.

Slaughter reached her goal of wearing a single-digit size: she’s been a size 4 for the past ten years of her life.

A SENIOR INSPIRATION

The senior didn’t have to go to the gym or put her body at risk outside, and she hopes her story can inspire others like her to start taking care of themselves and keep living. “You reach a certain age, and they stop moving. They stop going. They start living in house shoes and robes,” she said.

And continued:

“I want seniors to see they don’t have to get out and go anywhere. They don’t have to go to the gym; they don’t have to go run in the park and take a chance at breaking a hip. They can do it in the comfort of their homes.”

ANOTHER INSPIRATIONAL WEIGHT LOSS STORY

Betsy Ayala, a 36-year-old mother from Texas, has been working hard for the last four years to shed some weight.

She had always struggled with her weight as a teenager, and after entering college, she reached 200lbs. And later, after giving birth to her daughter in 2013, Betsy reached 260 lbs.

Ayala felt into post-partum depression, and her husband used to tell her she looked fine, even if she knew that wasn't the case. She later found out he had been cheating on her and she was a joke for the man and his mistress. That was the turning point for Betsy.

She works as a Herbalife coach now, has lost over 105 lbs and she still hasn’t reached her desired goal. But she’s happier these days and always reflecting on her journey as she keeps inspiring other women through social media.