Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Buchanan-Thompson.
Andrea, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
As a mother of three growing boys, I cook for an army a day that includes my husband Don Thompson Jr., my father Ollie Buchanan and my three teenage boys D’Andre (17), Ronie (16) and Sean (14). I have been caught up in the “I’m a full-time employee going into the office 8 to 5 while being a full-time student online and in person while being the football mom to all three of your boys on different levels and still finding time to socialize with my BFF’s, go to church, host parties at the house monthly and never leave my house in disarray, life”. Wait, is that normal or is that just me being extra? Just kidding. This journey truly started when I realized after living that lifestyle and at the age of 31 years old, 5’3.5 (yes give me my .5) 238lbs and out of breath from walking up three flights of stairs. I realized I had gotten out of shape and I could no longer use my baby weight as an excuse anymore. I began to look into quick fixes like most of us do. I realized that the quick fixes were either short term or too expensive. I would do body wraps to make me sweat off 4lbs a session; just to gain it back the same day after eating. I’d take over the counter dietary supplements and avoid any physical activity possible.
I joined Weight Watchers for one year and lost 48 lbs. I was so happy, you couldn’t tell me anything. When I had guests at my house, we would play XBox 360 games with the children like Just Dance and my favorite Fruit Ninja on the Wii. Well, when you have kids that are young, athletic and all boys; you have to feed an army with their friends and cousins over. So I slipped right back into my old ways and gained all my weight back and then some additional pounds to that 238. They say if you take it off too fast, it will come back worse and I believed this now. It made me depressed and not love myself one bit. How did I get like this? “What caused me to get this fat and why didn’t anyone tell me I was fat?” I began to have anxiety attacks feeling overwhelmed with what was going on with me and my weight. I would sit on the couch and drink a pitcher of margarita’s by myself. But never missed a meal at the same time. It was not until my 33rd birthday party when I saw a photo of myself and I was devastated with what I saw. I am a very visual person and what I saw was not me. I instantly began to cry, I was hurt and disappointed in myself. I promised myself on September 4, 2015 that I did not want to be overweight ever again.
So I changed for “MYSELF”. I had to mentally detox all the personal emotions I had regarding many things that I’ve failed at in life. I had to look within myself and see why was I hurting and why was I treating myself this way. I then began to learn my body, what I could and could not eat. I began to track what I ate daily using the S-Health app on my phone. I set weigh in days for myself and most of all I began to walk. My Aunt Beverly always says, “To live a healthy life, the secret is to keep moving”. At this point on my journey, the weight started to melt off once I became active and was changing my eating habits. But one thing I never put down still til this day is my one glass of red wine a day. So over a 1 year time frame, I lost 83lbs and guess what, I would not change any part of my journey that has gotten me to this day. The days, weeks and months it took me to get me to where I am now, was worth every bit of sacrifice. The blood, sweat, tears, sprains, muscle cramps, early morning workouts, late night workouts, constant snacking and drinking a minimum of 64 ounces of water a day, walking the football field while the boys practice, doing stairs and squats on the bleachers while the other moms look at me like I’m crazy, was worth it all. Because I am a better me for me.
Has it been a smooth road?
This was and is by far this most difficult road I have ever traveled. I remember when I began walking and I told myself I was going to get lost in the neighborhood to force myself to walk. Well that backfired on me the first day. I had to call Don to come and pick me up because my legs were on fire. They were itching so bad I had welts from my calves to my upper thighs. This was due to the muscles that have not been worked in forever coming back to life and proper blood flow getting through to them. I was scratching so bad I had to take an antihistamine and relax in the bath tub. I didn’t let that stop me, I got out there day after day after day and called Don whenever I needed him and couldn’t take the itch anymore. I remember telling myself that I would join the gym if I could do Zumba Core on the Xbox for 1 hour straight so that I would not be embarrassed when I joined the gym and took a Zumba class. Is that crazy or what? Like pre-washing dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. “Guilty”. So one of my BFF’s Tori (she was also on a weight-loss journey) helped me create a playlist of 12 songs, which was more than an hour. So I began to dance and walk while also tracking my food daily. With my job being mobile and on the go, I still had struggles with eating correctly. I had to come up with a plan to eat better. Everything frozen has too much salt but low in calories and I found that out when I began to retain water from the sodium intake. I now have to watch my sodium and currently take a water pill daily because over the years, I did not drink water.
So I learned that my body soaked up what it wasn’t used to getting. I had to start cutting out a lot of foods and did not want to go out to eat anymore because I was not controlling the seasoning myself. Just when I thought I had no clue what to do and how to get the right nutrition in, my older cousin was diagnosed with CHF. He moved into my home and was on a strict diet. I had to cook for him daily and began to prepare his meals in advance so he could grab it and go. One day I said to myself Now wait, I am pre-planning and cooking for his heart health, making him walk daily and he is getting better. Why not do this for myself?” So I began to prepare my own meals along with his. Sundays were my slowest days of the week after church, so those are the days I choose to cook multiple meals. It was a struggle to cook without my normal seasoning and I had to start learning different foods than what I was raised on as a kid. Veggies, fruits, whole wheat pasta, low sodium this and that seasoning that actually had no salt in it. This was a new world for me and as much as I love to cook, it opened up a new outlook on the kitchen and much more fun to be had while cooking! So as far as struggles there were many, but I didn’t allow them to make me lose focus of my goal. The main struggle til this day is my sodium intake because I love Cajun and Tex-Mex food, so mentally, I know when I eat like that for one meal, the scale will jump up 2 to 4 pounds. The struggle will continue but I am in it to win it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Wifi Mom’s Kitchen – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Wifi Mom’s Kitchen started out all about meal prepping for myself and cousin while teaching my boys how to cook for themselves. I have now included meal prepping for others, sharing as many recipes that I can via my blog and stashing some away so that the boys can have my recipes in the future. My business foundation began based on me learning how to cook for a healthier me while raising my boys and feeding my husband as well. The “Wifi” comes from my boy’s heights in which they stood when I began my business. They resembled a wifi signal that was very strong from tallest to shortest and called themselves the Wifi Boys. So I became Wifi Mom and I tossed “Kitchen” behind it because that’s where I stay and they hover, waiting on their meals. I specialize in portion control and helping my clients obtain their goal – whether it is weight loss, to gain or maintain current weight. Everyone has their own weight loss story and each person’s journey is different. But the one thing that everyone has in common is nutrition and that plays a major part in our health journey.
When I meet a new client, I discuss their current health issues or concerns first. Then I address their personal goal that they want to obtain and their activity level. Most of all, we discuss the foods that they like and dislike and if they are allergic to anything. All this information helps build a plan for their success together. One thing I do specialize in is building your personal plan “with” you and not for you; because you know your own body. I understand paying someone weekly for your meals can be costly so I offer to come to you and can show you how to meal prep. I am known for my consistency and follow up to ensure that everyone enjoys their meals and obtaining feedback. I take pride and ownership in my meals. Did I say that I deliver within a certain mile radius? That’s a huge plus for my clients. I am always searching for a spin on an unhealthy meal to turn into a healthier option and never turn down a new recipe regardless of the difficulty.
My favorite lines that I have heard til this day is that “My food taste like it’s been cooked with love”. Well yeah, it’s kind of my passion and “Who’s grandmother made this food?” This lets me know that I not only cook with passion, but I also cook with my soul. I cook as if I were eating the meal myself. I am proud of the foundation of my company. It is all based on wanting to be a better me for me and I encourage others to want to be a better them for them. Motivation can be taught, it can be explained, you can see a therapist about loving you and talk about it until your blue in the face. But not until you as an individual realize that you need to have self-motivation, you will never achieve your goal. It takes mental strength because your body can do anything you put your mind to and I put my mind to meal prepping with an open, genuine heart and it has flourished into a business that has influenced many.
Whether it be silently via my ongoing blog or my actual meal prepping service. What sets me apart from others according to my youngest child is the word “Wifi” and the meaning. It stands for the strength that my children have given me to pursue a healthier lifestyle not only for them but for myself. And wifi is known globally and I want to share my passion, journey and desire for others to succeed with their health, their fitness goals, or for whatever reason they may have. The focus is a shared vision of nutrition and a better “YOU”. So my children set me apart and what they stand for in my life, they have proven to be natural leaders and motivators. I hope that they carry the torch and continue this tiny legacy of mine.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
When going into the gym, it can be very intimidating for a first timer. I remember my first Zumba class I was on the back row and it was super crowded. It was hard to see and from what I can tell the instructor was wonderful. Saturday after Saturday, I would attend class and I would leave everything from that week on the dance floor. So if you were next to me you would definitely feel my vibe and hear me shouting, “Aye, Hey, Sexy and any positive energy that I could share.” I loved every second of my gym time. Thinking of the beginning of my journey contributes my future business plans. I want to expand my business into the fitness world. While on my journey to better health, I became certified with different dance fitness formats that includes MixxedFit, U-Jam and my personal favorite “ZUMBA”. I want to work within my community and provide dance fitness to others that are unable to afford a gym membership. I will need to partner with a facility that is willing to give back to the community like I am.
This way, I can share my love for dance fitness with others and hope that my small imprint will help them to motivated others. When I began the physical part of my journey, as I stated before, in my living room dancing until I could complete 12 songs straight, was to ensure that I was not judged because I had zero endurance. I want everyone to know that environments do exist that are non-judgment and encourage you to take breaks when needed, just do not give up. An environment where you can move your hips, pop your fingers, body roll, smile and laugh throughout the entire class. And guess what, you can mess up too because we all have two left feet sometimes. When we get older, we tend to just want to sit down, relax and sip our wine and forget that we need to obtain 10,000 steps or more per day to ensure our heart health. I want to help others obtain those 10,000 steps with ease, in a fun atmosphere. I have never liked personal trainers so I in turn do not want to come off as a personal trainer. I want to just be that beacon of “its the weekend baby.” One motto that I have adopted while meal prepping for myself and others is, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”- Ghandi and myself I have found and it feels amazing!
Pricing:
- Grocery fees are 100% charged per client
- Meal prep dishes range from $5-$7 each
- In home meal prep training $20 a hour (not including groceries)
- $5 Delivery fee (with in a 25 miles radius)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wifimomskitchen.com
- Phone: 713-679-4165
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wifimomskitchen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wifimomskitchen
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wifimomskitchen
Image Credit:
Calvin Pennick Jr. Photography Selfless Images + Designs by Latroya Brooks
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