‘I Lost 140 Pounds Without Ever Stepping Foot In A Gym’

From Women's Health

I was 5 years old the first time I realized I was overweight, and that my body made me different than other kids.

My parents loved me deeply, but they showed that love through food (mostly fast food or anything loaded with cheese and carbs), not realizing how much harm they were actually doing.

Still, it wasn't something I thought about a lot until one day in fifth grade during a year-end talent show. One of my classmates was doing a rendition of "Miami" by Will Smith and was looking for girls to be his backup dancers. When I volunteered, he said, “Not to be mean but you’re too big. I’m looking for pretty girls.” I was wrecked.

But over the next decade, I tried everything to lose weight but nothing stuck-I'd give up each diet after just a few weeks. I just tried one fad after another, feeling like a failure when I couldn't make them work.

When I threw my back out at 24, I knew I couldn't treat my body this way anymore.

It happened when I went to pick something up off the floor-I couldn't believe that such a tiny movement could cause so much pain, but it was so bad that I had to go to the hospital.

There, I suffered a different kind of pain-the kind that came from being so heavy that it took many nurses and staff to get me into and out of the wheelchair, bed, and bathroom. After I got home from the hospital, I had to sleep downstairs because my husband was unable to help me up and down the stairs. As I laid on the couch that night, 287 pounds and reeling from pain and embarrassment, I knew I had to make a real change.

In that moment, I came up with a to-do list to completely change my lifestyle.

I vowed to start counting my calories, measuring my portion sizes, cooking more at home, and cutting out all drinks but water, tea, and coffee-but I didn't cut anything else out completely (I wanted to keep a good balance of nutrients in my diet).

I also used the free app, My Fitness Pal, every single day to keep me on track and get a visual of exactly what types of food I was eating.

It was incredibly hard at first but I stuck with it this time because failing would mean I had totally given up on myself. I also tried to be as gentle as possible with myself-I knew it would take time to retrain my mind and my relationship with food.

Before I knew it, cooking became my hobby-I learned the art of quick, easy, simple cooking so the act didn't become overwhelming. Here's what I typically eat in a day:

• Breakfast: Fage 0% Greek yogurt with honey, cinnamon, and a small banana

• Snack #1: one serving of unsalted almonds

• Lunch: a lean ground turkey burger on a 100-calorie sandwich thin, topped with lettuce, tomato, and mustard; and carrots and hummus on the side.

• Snack #2: low-fat cottage cheese with mixed berries

• Dinner: grilled chicken breast and sautéed zucchini

I lost 140 pounds in 14 months-but it was really only through changes to my diet.

I wasn't sedentary during that time-I took every opportunity to walk, window shop, and play outside with my daughter-but I didn't step foot into a gym. Still, the positive changes I saw in the mirror and compliments and encouragement I got from others kept me motivated.

Once I reached my goal weight of 145 pounds, though, I encountered a whole new challenge: maintaining my weight loss. This has been, by far, the hardest part of my journey. Once the euphoria of losing the weight wore off and I no longer had a big goal I was working towards, I found myself a bit lost.

That's where Instagram came into play-I decided to start an account as a new way to stay accountable, stick to my healthy changes, and inspire others. I've found such a great, supportive community there and they've helped me find a new purpose. Now that I've lost the weight, I've shifted my focus to just continuing to live healthy.

Right now I’m currently focusing on my mental health.

It's too easy to get sucked into doing "healthy" things for unhealthy reasons and I want to make sure I avoid that trap.

One way I do this is to focus on all the positive things losing weight has given me. I am now able to run, jump, and play with my daughter without being in constant pain. I am able to do so much more work with much less effort. I can walk up stairs no problem. A lot of people focus on how hard losing weight is-and that's true sometimes!-but I have to say that everything about my day-to-day life has become so much easier.

Now when other people ask me for advice on losing weight, I tell them there really is no secret-just eat healthy, watch your portions, and stick with it every single day. It isn't easy, but it really is that simple.

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