The 3 Simple Things This Woman Did to Lose 150 Pounds

From Good Housekeeping

Pictures are worth a thousand words - and Emily Puglielli, 38, learned that the hard way. Five years ago, Puglielli caught a glimpse of her 300-pound self in a photo from a friend's wedding. What she saw shocked her: "Oh, my God, I was really heavy," Puglielli told TODAY. "That was my 'OK, I've got to do something' moment."

Like many women, Puglielli struggled with losing pregnancy weight. On top of that, she used food as crutch, which prompted a bad habit of emotional eating.

When she made the conscious decision to change her ways, carbs were the first to go. "I have a lot of problems with sugars and bread," she said. "I cut all of that out of my diet: sugar, bread, chips, most carbs - and that worked for me."

By following a low-carb diet, meal prepping and walking regularly, Puglielli dropped 102 pounds in the first year. She continued to stick to this healthier lifestyle and her weight leveled off around the 200 pound mark. But Puglielli wasn't satisfied. She amped up her exercise routine by starting a couch-to-5K program and attending spin classes.

Then she hit a bump in the road. After feeling weird sensations in her legs, Puglielli learned that she broke a vertebra in her back which was subsequently pinching a nerve. The treatment? Spinal fusion surgery.

The following six months were excruciating for Puglielli. She struggled to walk which caused her weight to plateau at 195 pounds - roughly 50 pounds shy of her overall goal. But Puglielli wasn't going to call it quits so instead, she hired a personal trainer to regain strength. "It wasn't about losing weight … It was about walking, going up the stairs, tying my shoes, and going back to work," she said in an interview with TODAY.

And by July 2017, she finally hit her goal of 150 pounds - and learned an important lesson about herself. "I'm a lot stronger that I thought I was," Puglielli told TODAY.

Before Puglielli started her weight loss journey, she couldn't imagine doing squats - or let alone, running. "When I weighed in at over 300 pounds, I used to have dreams that I was running, and now with my weight loss journey, I can! I love entering 5Ks," Puglielli told POPSUGAR.

Now, Puglielli is stronger - and healthier - than she was before.

(h/t TODAY)

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