How He Did It
As I reflect back on my childhood, I acknowledge that I never had a healthy relationship with food. This is a result of a lack of focus on healthy eating and exercise in my family and environment. My weight started to become a huge issue when I was a freshman in college. During the end of that year, I gained upward of 100 pounds. I was also suffering from depression because of a number of things that were going on in my personal life. I wanted to lose weight, but could never seem to find a program that worked for me. My turning point was realizing that no one was going to help me but me. At some point, you have to pick yourself up by your bootstraps and figure out a way to make things happen.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: How She Lost Over 200-Pounds And Was Able To Keep It Off
In order to lose weight, I first had to make the decision to change my life. Making that decision seems like it would be the easiest thing to do, but it in fact was the most difficult thing to do. I worked with a medical professional to develop a diet program that would work for me — one that focused on changing the types of foods that I ate and reducing calories, along with taking some nutritional supplements.
One Step At A Time
In changing how many calories I ate, I went from consuming high-fat, high-sugar, and high-carbohydrate foods to a diet high in protein and low in carbohydrates. I used what many call a low-calorie diet or very low calorie diet, which is not for the faint of heart and must be done in conjunction with a medical professional. I also incorporated some exercise, but most of my increase in exercise came a bit later — once I started to lose weight and could actually engage in physical activity. As an obese individual, it was difficult for me to walk, let alone run, so I was not able to start running a marathon like some individuals are able to do. One thing I had to learn was…… that everything takes time. I did not gain the weight overnight, so I was aware that I was not going to be able to lose the weight overnight.
However, as the weight started to come off, I started enjoying things that I always liked to do when I was a young child. For example, as a child, I loved to rollerblade and used to do it all around my neighborhood. As I gained weight, my knees and legs were not able to support 375 pounds. When I lost the first 100 pounds, I started to rollerblade on a daily basis, often rollerblading 15 to 20 miles at a time. I also enjoyed running when I was younger, but as an obese person, I was not able to run for more than 15 seconds. As I got lighter, I was able to start running outside and on a treadmill. I never thought I would be able to run on a treadmill, so I’m still amazed — even now — every time I do it.
Moving Forward
When I saw results, that was all I needed. I enjoy my life a lot more knowing that I can go into any store and buy clothes and not have to worry about something not coming in my size.
In the past, I dealt with low self-esteem and depression. But after losing the weight, I felt like I finally became visible, that people finally saw the real me that was always there from the beginning. My outside finally matched my inside. I definitely like myself more and feel more confident now.