When I was a young girl, I turned to food for everything. My parents had gotten a divorce and food was the only thing in my life that I felt I could control. I turned to food to help me celebrate, aid in heartbreaks and curb boredom.
NAME : Brittney
BEFORE WEIGHT : 312
AFTER WEIGHT : 169
POUNDS LOST : 140+
HOW DID YOUR WEIGHT AFFECT ANY ASPECT(S) OF YOUR LIFE? I was always the fat, funny girl in my group of friends. I pretended to be happy and confident, but deep down inside I was unhappy, miserable and lacked such self-esteem!
WHAT WAS THE “TURNING POINT” THAT GOT YOU STARTED ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY? When I saw 312lbs on the scale that was it. I had let myself go. I was headed for a cluster of diseases, and possibly even an early death. But I was still so young. I had my whole life ahead of me. I wanted (and still do) kids. I want to be around and healthy for my future family so I needed to get my act together and fix it once and for all.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? I went to the gym! I started making healthier choices, but I also knew I needed more.
HOW LONG AFTER YOU STARTED DID YOU BEGIN TO SEE RESULTS OF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS? With surgery you see results rather quickly. Surgery isn’t the option for everyone, but it worked for me. I’m still watching my body change and form in ways I never thought possible
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART? None really.
DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP? WHAT KEPT YOU GOING? YES. WHO DOESN’T?! We’re human. Giving up is a natural reaction when things get hard. But you have to practice discipline and consistency in order to teach your goals! You need to be your own motivation. Be better than you were the day before
DID YOU HIT ANY WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAUS? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM? Yes! They are SO common in any weightloss journey. Our bodies because complacent and expect the workouts and nutrition we are putting into it so we need to shock the system. For me that looked like doing less cardio or increasing carbs for a few days in order to get my body jump started again and over that plateau
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO LOSE MOST OF THE WEIGHT? About a year
DID YOU HAVE ANY NON-SCALE VICTORIES? RUNNING MY FIRDT HALF MARATHON. If you would have told me I’d run a half marathon even a year ago I would have laughed in your face.
WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY DIET LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? Terrible, absolutely terrible. I struggled with binge eating disorder and bulimia. I would go on straight binges of junk food, snacks and fast food then throw it all up. I had the worst relationship with food.
HOW DOES YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPARE TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? I was always playing sports and had a ‘bigger my athletic build, and I always loved the gym but I wasn’t consistent with it. But after surgery, and with my increased energy levels and a lot less weight I became so passionate about fitness again
MY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS & TRICKS
- Meal prep! Super important for the week. If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail!
- Back your gym bag the night before!
- Drink at least a gallon of water every day!
- TAKE A REST DAY! Your body needs rest just as much as it needs the workout
