My entire life I was over weight. I remember my parents telling me at my child exams the doctor would tell them I was over weight and needed to be put on a diet as a young child. I have always been what feels like addicted to food. I grew up in a loving home with my parents & my brothers. I never really seen my weight as an issue until my early teens. Going to school and being bullied can really open your eyes. Although I had plenty of friends that cared about me those words from mean kids really got to me. Eating was a comfort for me. Entering high school I was always bigger then the rest of my classmates usually. I always “wished” I could lose the weight.
NAME : Brittney
BEFORE WEIGHT : 320
AFTER WEIGHT : 265
POUNDS LOST : 65
HOW DID YOUR WEIGHT AFFECT ANY ASPECT(S) OF YOUR LIFE? My weight has always held me back. I blamed being shy or not my entire self around people that weren’t my close friends or family in fear of judgment. I didn’t want people to think bad things about me due to my weight. I wish I could go back and tell myself that other people’s opinions do not matter.
WHAT WAS THE “TURNING POINT” THAT GOT YOU STARTED ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY? My turning point was when I tried to get help. I went to see a Doctor and he made me feel so belittled. Hurt my feelings so bad. I’ll never forget how sad I felt leaving that office. He was no help and referred me to a specialist. She put me on a 1200 calorie diet & I felt miserable. I was 320 pounds and eating the bare minimum. I had headaches from the lack of food. I completely fell off and went right back into my habit of eating food for comfort. That was until I really WANTED to lose weight. I pushed myself so hard. I found ways to eat the food I love & stick to my diet.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED? Finding foods I loved was the biggest step to my health journey. Instead of only eating chicken, rice, and vegetables everyday I made my favorite “unhealthy” meals healthier. Although eating healthy is great most of the time, we all get cravings. I went on daily walks outside. I also joined the gym and started lifting weights and found a love for it. I was falling in love with the journey.
HOW LONG AFTER YOU STARTED DID YOU BEGIN TO SEE RESULTS OF YOUR WEIGHT LOSS EFFORTS? About 2-3 weeks after I was very consistent I saw progress. My biggest suggestion is to always take before pictures no matter how bad you don’t want to. Comparing your body side-by-side was my biggest inspiration. Seeing the changes is what fueled my fire. My biggest suggestion is to always take before pictures no matter how bad you don’t want to. Comparing your body side-by-side was my biggest inspiration. Seeing the changes is what fueled my fire!
WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART? The biggest challenge was actually myself! Everyone in my life was very supportive. Your mindset is the biggest key to a successful weight loss.
DID YOU EVER WANT TO GIVE UP? WHAT KEPT YOU GOING? Yes, I had many times I wanted to throw in the towel. I knew that if I did that all my hard work would have been for nothing. What kept me motivated is knowing that I want children one day and that my cravings and old habits were not worth it. Mindset is everything.
DID YOU HIT ANY WEIGHT LOSS PLATEAUS? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM? I did hit a plateau. I actually gained about 15 pounds back in 2020. I worked my tail off and lost it again and now I am back at my lowest weight. I’m working on myself every day to lose more weight. It can be very discouraging to see the scale go up or not move but just stay consistent and you will see changes.
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO LOSE MOST OF THE WEIGHT? Year and a half!
DID YOU HAVE ANY NON-SCALE VICTORIES? Not needing an airplane seat belt extender. Being able to sit in most outdoor chairs. I always struggled with my legs not fitting in the seat very well because that’s where I will most of my weight. Being able to shop in the nonplus size section. Best feeling ever!
WHAT DOES YOUR DAILY DIET LOOK LIKE COMPARED TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? Prior to my weight loss I LOVED junk food and eating out. Fast food and sweets were my go to. I always over ate too. Even when I wasn’t eating terrible food I just ate to much of it. I never realized how much I over ate until I started keeping track of my food intake.
HOW DOES YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY COMPARE TO WHEN YOU WERE HEAVIER? I started working out right away. It was very hard at my heaviest, but as time went on it got easier and easier. I usually do cardio on the treadmill.
HOW DID YOUR EATING HABITS CHANGE? I started off by counting calories. I was eating about 1500-1600 calories a day. I decided after a few months that I wanted to give weight watchers another chance. I did it years prior with my grandma & lost 20 pounds but gave up. I joined back up in 2019 and lost a majority of my weight with the blue program. I would plan my week out every Sunday. I would and still plan what we are going to have for dinner Monday-Sunday for the week ahead. I also plan my lunch. It helped me be successful everyday!
ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE, SERVICES, BOOKS – EVEN QUOTES, THAT UNKNOWINGLY HELPED YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY?
I follow tunes of inspirational instagram pages. I truly feel like Instagram helped me so much more then I realized it could. I documented my entire process over on my instagram (@simply.brittneyy) Finding people who motivated me and fuel my fire really helped. Feliciafitnesshealth & Getfitwjessica really helped me.
WHAT DID THIS JOURNEY TEACH YOU ABOUT YOURSELF?
My Journey taught me that you can really do anything you put your mind to. It teaches you that you are stronger than your weaknesses! Along my journey I feel like I really feel myself and really started to love myself again.
MY WEIGHT LOSS TIPS & TRICKS
- Drink plenty of water. I always aim for 80-120 oz a day.
- Stay consistent! You have to keep trying and be very consistent to see results.
- Take before photos! Progress photos is what helped me stay strong when I felt like giving up when the scale wouldn’t move.
- Make food that you actually like and crave, but healthier. But reduce cheese over real. Use sugar free creamer instead of regular. Use spray butter over real butter. Little changes make the biggest difference!
- Get plenty of sleep and take rest days. Your body needs sleep to recover. Along with rest days from the gym to recover your muscles.
