Woman Drops 238 Pounds and Inspires Others to Lose Weight as a Motivational Speaker

Coleman began losing weight on her own naturally, even though her doctor told her that she couldn't lose over 200 pounds without surgery. Coleman replied to her doctor, "Oh, I will do it," and she did.
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Coleman before and after. Before her weight loss, she weighed 438 pounds and believes she weighed even more at one point but her doctor didn't have a scale capable of weighing her.

Her Motivation

At more than 400 pounds, Natasha Monique Coleman of Panama City, Florida was forced to disembark a plane and purchase an additional airline ticket because she couldn't fit in her first class seat. That was the initial catalyst that launched Coleman on her dramatic weight loss journey.

"It was the way the people on the plane looked at me in disgust that hurt me the most," said Coleman. "I won those plane tickets and the stewardess sat with my husband in first class instead of me, while I sat in the two flight attendants' seats because that was the only place that I could fit."

She also lost the weight for her son who was getting teased at school because his mother was obese. "It was not his fault but I saw that I was affecting him, his life and his future."

I recently interviewed Coleman on SpeakUp World on Blab.im. To hear her story of how she lost the weight and to get weight loss tips, watch the video.

How She Did It

Coleman began losing weight on her own naturally, even though her doctor told her that she couldn't lose over 200 pounds without surgery. Coleman replied to her doctor, "Oh, I will do it," and she did. Coleman started by parking her car at the far end of the parking lot and walking the distance to her office building where she worked. She then cut out process sugars and lost over 40 pounds in the first few weeks. That inspired her to keep losing weight. To date, Coleman has lost a total of 238 pounds and she continues her journey by helping others to lose weight and to be fit. In 2014, celebrity Marlo Thomas included Coleman's story in her new book, It Ain't Over... 'Til It's Over: Reinventing Your Life and Realizing Your Dreams -- Anytime at Any Age, and that changed Coleman's life.

Her New-Found Career

Since then, Coleman has been written about in numerous magazines, including a substantial feature article in the magazine, Dr. Oz The Good Life, and seen on Katie Couric's talk show, Katie, and on The Dr. Oz Show and the Steve Harvey Show. She's been in demand to speak to groups all over the United States and she often does more than just speak. "I will meet with your group, share my story, talk to them about nutrition and we will workout too," said Coleman. One recent event in Orlando hired Coleman to workout with attendees each morning during the entire conference week. "Yes, we were up at 6 a.m. in our workout gear. Ready to go," said Coleman. "What better way to get energized before being rejuvenated by a conference session?" Today, on average Coleman facilitates five fitness classes each week, and speaks to more than 20 groups a year. She inspires them all to live a healthier lifestyle based on her own example.

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Coleman now inspires others to live a healthier lifestyle and to lose weight. One of her mottos is, "I am fitness!"

Looking Forward to Her Future

Coleman's next step is to raise funds to remove a substantial amount of loose skin on her body, which adds several pounds to her current weight. "I have a lot of loose skin and unfortunately the surgery to remove all of it is very expensive." Her future goals include having her own fitness program. "I'm not saying that I want to be Jenny Craig, but I think that I would like to teach people the true meaning of a healthy lifestyle by changing our relationship with food." Coleman was recently accepted to Emory University to become a master trainer and will train fitness facilitators to help others live healthier lives.

Coleman is currently represented by WeSpeak Worldwide speakers bureau. To hire Coleman to speak to your group or to host workout sessions for your conference or convention, contact WeSpeakWorldwide.com.

To find out more about Coleman's story, watch this brief video.

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