Mom says weight-loss drug gave her 'freedom from food' and helped her lose 65 pounds

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Hattie Cronk’s weight has been a challenge throughout her life. “I was born into a whole heap of genetics and predispositions. I come from a long history of people with chronic diseases,” she tells TODAY.com. “That, and a long history of trying fad diets and feeding into the diet culture, have been the biggest barriers for my health.”

Cronk has struggled with being overweight for most of her life, and after having her second child in 2021 she was 65 pounds overweight. She decided it was time to find support and get off the path toward chronic disease and future health risks that plagued others in her family.

Her weight was emotionally challenging for her as well. “As a female, I was always self-conscious about my weight. I struggled with what my body should look like, being happy with it and being fulfilled by what it could do. I can’t remember a time when I was truly satisfied with the way that I looked, or when I wasn’t comparing my body to others,” she says.

Having children motivated Cronk to improve her health. “I have two girls, five and three. I want to be a strong, confident and determined mom for them. I want to be able to keep up with them and to be around for their future” she says.

Now, she’s lost 65 pounds, she’s no longer at risk for being prediabetic and she has reduced her body mass index (BMI) to the normal range. She’s stronger than ever, both physically and mentally.

“This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life. I wake up, and I’m excited because I have so much more energy. I can pick up my kids and carry them downstairs. My body can do incredible things now,” she says. “My relationship with myself, my husband and my kids grows stronger every day. I have always had a great relationship with my family, but now they see a new level of love and confidence in myself. I think everyone around me feels that energy as well.”

Here’s how she got there.

She cut calories and jumped into cardio, but didn’t see any changes

In August 2022, after Cronk was done breastfeeding and her hormones had settled down from pregnancy and childbirth, she rejoined Life Time near her home in Eden Prairie, Minn. But she didn’t see the progress she had hoped for.

“The exercising I was doing was mostly self-guided and focused on cardio. I thought sticking to a strict calorie deficit — eating 1,500 calories a day — was what I needed to do. I had a ‘calories in vs. calories out’ mindset, but from August 1st to December 31st, nothing changed. I was burning myself out. That’s when I decided that I needed some support,” she says.

Taking a GLP-1 changed how she felt about food

Cronk reached out to an obesity doctor who told her she was doing everything right, but she was battling her genetics. “I felt like, for the first time in my life, I was heard,” she says.

She started taking a GLP-1 in early January 2023.  “That’s where my life completely changed for the better,” she says.

“The main thing the medication did was turn off the food noise. It was a freedom from food. There could be cookies or chips in the cabinet, and I just didn’t think about them. Constantly thinking and obsessing about food was no longer an issue, so I could focus on my goals in the kitchen and on nutrition. All of a sudden, I wanted to eat nourishing foods that supported my body and made me feel better,” she says.

Cronk worked with Life Time trainer, Lindsay Ogden, to build a healthy relationship with food. “Food is not the enemy. Food gives me energy. Food nourishes me so I can have better workouts and get stronger,” she says.

She has worked with Ogden to focus on meeting macros that fuel her intense workouts and help her meet her health goals. She focuses on eating high-quality protein and lots of vegetables, fruits and colorful meals. She likes high-protein yogurt and makes her own protein balls.

“But nothing’s off limits. There are no longer ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods.  If I’m at a little kid’s birthday party and there’s cake, I’ll have a small piece. I’m probably not going to eat two servings like I would have in the past. That’s not because cake is ‘bad,’ though. It’s because I’m focused on following my macros and thinking about how I’m going to feel,” she says.

Cronk finds that the medication has also helped her scale back on alcohol, since after she started taking the GLP-1 she didn’t feel great after drinking. And she also finds she doesn’t turn to food or alcohol emotionally like she used to. “I am the happiest I’ve ever been. I don’t need to reach for those things. I feel it from within myself,” she says.

She changed up her fitness routine with strength training and pickleball

At the time Cronk started the medication, she also joined Ogden’s Life Time strength-training class, called Alpha, three times a week. This was a chang from her typical gym time spent doing cardio and running like she had in the past. She also started playing pickleball twice a week.

At first, she was intimidated by the class. Her insecurities and self-consciousness held her back. “I sucked it up one day and signed up,” she says. She was sore and tired in the first few weeks at the gym, but she could see she was getting stronger.

“Now I can deadlift 175 pounds. I’m working toward doing a chin-up. Alpha has given me something I’ve never had in my life, and that is looking forward to being in the gym,” she says.

“It’s challenging, but it created accountability, a fun atmosphere and a community that supported me,” she says. “I value the friendships I’ve made in class as much as my new muscles. That’s a big component: to have people that keep you accountable and keep you coming.”

She started eating to fuel her workouts

Early on, Cronk barely had enough energy to get through her workouts, and Lindsay pointed out that she wasn’t eating enough to fuel her body. “You need to be educated throughout this process,” Cronk says.

She points out that while medication has helped her, it’s only one part of the solution. “I did so many other things to improve my life. I have a year’s worth of videos of me lifting heavy weights, putting in the work, challenging myself, strapping on those shoes when it’s raining outside and going for a run. Medication won’t fix your life. It’s just a tool.”

Prioritizing her health helps her be there for others

Cronk works from home, so she has some flexibility to fit workouts into her day, and her husband is very supportive and involved. “For me, 2023 was the year of me putting on my oxygen mask first, and he supported that 100%,” she says.

When her schedule gets full, she finds opportunities to work in some exercise. “If I’m at an all-day sales meeting or a conference, I’ll look for ways to get more steps in or wake up early to fit in a workout.

The time she spends taking care of herself makes her a good role model for her children. “My children are going to have the strongest, most positive influence in their life. There’s nothing more fun than having my kids come and watch me play pickleball and say, ‘Mommy, you hit that ball really good.’ They’re seeing a strong role model,” she says.

The biggest non-scale victory: She feels like she’s come into her own

“I feel finally, for once in my life, the inside matches the outside. I am not hiding behind jokes or making fun of myself anymore. I’m not hiding behind some persona that I want to be,” she says. “This is the first time in my life, outside of having my two beautiful daughters, that I truly am grateful for my health, for my body, and what my body can do.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com