From women’s health
My name is Kari (@ aspire.rise.achieve), and I’m 32 years old. I live in Nova Scotia, Canada, and I work as a support worker for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. I struggled with my weight all my life until I decided to start eating nutrient-dense foods, keep calorie deficient, and exercise with Les Mills BodyCombat and BodyPump classes.
Before my weight loss journey began, I was overweight all my childhood and adolescence. I remember starting teasing from the age of 6, and it was a struggle. I knew I looked different and was not happy with my weight, but I did not understand how to make a change.
When I was old enough to walk to the nearby store after school to buy a snack, the unhealthy choices became more frequent and accessible. That was when my weight problem got worse. I always felt like my weight was holding me back from trying new things or meeting new people. I absolutely dreaded the gym class. I could not find clothes in my partner anywhere, except in specialty department stores, which only wore adult clothing – not what a teenager wants to wear to school.
I was about 16 years old, and I could not believe I saw 300 pounds on the scale. I knew it was a big problem, but I got stuck. I just thought this is what my life is going to look like. I did not believe I could change because I had never known anything else.
I also started getting health problems. I had blood done showing signs of pre-diabetes, elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower HDL (good) cholesterol, as well as a hormone imbalance. I wanted to do something about my weight, so would try to eat more nutritious food, but never stayed steady.
I continued my bad habits until I was at the end of my first year of study when I was almost 20 years old.
At that point, my knees always hurt and I made grinding noises as I walked up the stairs. I had no energy and was mostly unhappy.
I have made many attempts to lose weight without being successful, but I knew this time was different. I am going to make a lasting change and lose weight. I researched and learned the basics of good nutrition, balance between calories and energy and exercise.
On May 18, 2008, I started applying the things I learned to my lifestyle.
I finally chose a way of eating that I knew would be realistic and sustainable.
As a college student, I was able to do that too without it costing me a lot of money. I did not want an instant solution or a fad diet that would lead to the recovery of weight. Therefore, I focused on having calorie deficiencies, learning to read nutrition labels and becoming more aware of my consumption. I focused as much as possible on eating nutritious foods, but still allowed flexibility as holidays and food-oriented events and gatherings will always be a part of life.
Here’s what I’m eating one day now.
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Breakfast: Two scrambled eggs, a slice of shredded cereal toast with butter, diced avocado, tomato and coffee with unsweetened almond milk and Stevia.
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Lunch: Turkey or lean meat pie on a small wholemeal sandwich with sugar-free tomato sauce and mustard. Raw vegetables or salad on the side.
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Snacks: A protein smoothie, or one to two plain rice cakes with natural peanut butter.
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Dinner: Homemade sesame ginger chicken breast or tofu, 1/2 cup rice, and broccoli, all topped with green onion and sesame seeds.
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Dessert: A few cubes of 80 percent dark chocolate mixed with raw almonds.
I initially started no formal exercise other than using a skipping rope in my bedroom. I was embarrassed to go to the gym at the beginning of my trip.
After I started my second year of study, I learned that students have free membership of the gym at the campus fitness center. I had never exercised in a gym in my life, but I was very intrigued and joined. I started every morning, Monday to Friday at 6am, before my full day of classes and evening work. After graduation, I joined another gym and have been there for the past twelve years.
I was long in love with strength training and running, but in 2012 I discovered my fitness passion: Les Mills BodyCombat.
It’s a group fitness class inspired by mixed martial arts. After I had my first baby in 2015, the group fitness instructor reached out and encouraged me to consider taking instructor training. I taught classes at my gym for about a year. I still do Les Mills BodyCombat and BodyPump workouts to this day, along with running and weight lifting four days a week.
These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight loss results.
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I stayed realistic. I approach weight loss with a view to sustainability and find healthy foods that I enjoy. I try to make nutritious choices most of the time and occasionally make less nutritious foods that fit into my body’s calorie needs. This method prevents me from feeling limited or missed on special occasions, occasions, etc. This is even more important now as a busy working mother of two young children.
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I changed the way I view fitness. I have learned that exercise improves my mindset and overall feelings of well-being, making the weight loss and maintenance journey more enjoyable and positive. I like to challenge myself and see what my body can do now that it could not do before my weight loss.
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I found liability. I found an online weight loss community and forum. People were there for accountability, as well as to support each other. I later switched to MyFitnessPal’s community. I have now found an entire health and fitness community that is full of inspiration to explore on Instagram. Having people with similar goals and support is a very useful tool for staying inspired and driven.
Overall, I lost 100 pounds and kept it for 12 years. Now I’m about 75 pounds lower.
By getting married and having two babies, I remain proud of how much my lifestyle has changed permanently. After I had my first baby, I lost the weight after giving birth within the first year. However, my second child had serious health problems, and after giving birth in 2018, I am now losing weight from the pregnancy again.
I strive for sustainable weight loss methods because if I did not put the focus on nutrition education and my body, I might not have been able to maintain it through so many life changes. Now that things are in order, I finally take care of myself again. I hope my story will help others to believe in themselves as well.
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Originally published