I Lost 100 Pounds After Going Low-Carb and Learning to Meal Prep
I grew up active but overweight. I was on the swim team from elementary school through high school, and while I'd swim for hours a day, I was still the biggest person in my class.
My weight was largely due to my diet: After swim practice, I'd come home feeling so hungry that I'd drink three or four of my mom's meal-replacement shakes, along with a few servings of macaroni and cheese or a couple of frozen dinners.
I became more aware of what I ate as a teenager-and how it might be contributing to my health-when I noticed that a lot of my friends and family could seemingly eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight. I felt really jealous and I thought that if I just became thin, then I would be happy.
That's how my my eating disorder first started: I wanted to eat the food my friends and family ate and not gain weight.
Unfortunately, I let bulimia take over my life. At one point, I was bingeing and purging up to 20 times a day. But at 18, I put myself into treatment-and it turned out to be the best thing I ever did.
Still, even after completing treatment for bulimia, I wasn't making healthy decisions about food, nor did I work out much. I was also in a mentally abusive relationship at the time. My self-worth was shot, I was depressed, and I gained 100 pounds in just three years after I received treatment. At that point, I weighed 269 pounds.
My turning point came when someone asked if I was pregnant one day-and I wasn't.
I was at a nail salon in a maxi dress, and the nail technician was trying to make small talk. She asked me when my baby was due. It felt like my heart actually stopped and I got up and left. It was a real wake-up call for me.
My first step: I got out of the abusive relationship and got a place of my own. Since I was in charge for the first time, I completely banned processed foods from my home-that meant no more macaroni and cheese. I also gave up most carbs-bread, pasta, potatoes-since they made me feel very bloated. In place of those things, I added more veggies to my diet, and increased my protein intake with lean meats.
I wanted a way to hold myself accountable, too, so I downloaded a food-tracking app and learned all I could about meal prepping. I actually learned to cook for the first time in my life. I'd spend hours looking up new recipes to try. Here's what I typically eat in a day now:
Breakfast: 1 cup celery juice, 2 eggs, 1/4 avocado.
Lunch: 4 lettuce wraps (romaine lettuce, 4 ounces chicken breast lunch meat, 1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, basil, drizzle of balsamic glaze on each).
Snacks: Protein shake (2 cups almond milk, 1/2 frozen banana, ice, pea protein or brown rice protein, 1 Tbsp cocoa, Monk Zero sweetener to taste, 3 Tbsp peanut butter powder).
Dinner: 6-ounce chicken breast, 3 cups steamed broccoli.
Dessert: I don’t eat dessert that often, but when I want something sweet, I’ll have a few pieces of dark chocolate.
I also started an exercise plan, but I was too self-conscious to go to the gym at first.
Instead, I looked up workout videos on YouTube. I would do them by myself in my living room of my little apartment. They were mostly cardio with some bodyweight training worked in.
Eventually, when the workout videos got easier, I signed up for the gym, despite my nerves. My first workout class was the worst hour of my life; it felt like the room was spinning afterwards.
I made some trainer-suggested modifications (not using weights and going my own pace). After a few months of doing my own workouts, I added weights into my routine and was doing the workout class two times a week. I was finally able to master it and leave the room feeling great, not exhausted or sick.
Just as I started to feel like my health was in order, I got diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
I had all the warning signs of PCOS before-difficulty losing weight, facial hair, acne, horrible periods-but I still didn't know I had it until I went to a routine doctor's visit.
My doctor decided to perform a few tests and found that I had extremely high testosterone levels. I was also insulin-resistant and had ovarian cysts. I was devastated, but glad to finally have an answer.
To be honest, PCOS is still something I'm learning about today. I've seen different doctors and tried different medications to manage my symptoms, so I'm still finding the perfect combination of what works best for me. But just knowing that my difficulty losing weight wasn't all in my head is reassuring.
Since starting my weight-loss journey, I’ve lost a total of 100 pounds in about two years.
When I was younger, I had the mindset that losing weight would make my problems go away, but after losing 100 pounds, I can say that weight has nothing to do with happiness. Sure, I feel better and healthier, but weight loss will not fix your self-confidence. That’s one thing I learned in eating disorder treatment that I will never forget: Self-care is the best coping mechanism.
I also want to urge women to check in with their doctor if they notice something feels off. Don't be afraid to talk to them. It's going to be hard, but it's worth it.
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