The Small Changes I Made to Lose 80 Pounds

Before: 206 pounds
After: 126 pounds

The Lifestyle
In the fifth grade, my dad died, so I turned to food to cope. I can remember my exact McDonald’s order to this day: a double cheeseburger (ketchup only), supersize fries, a giant soda, and a cinnamon melt. I ate so much that between the seventh and eighth grade, I gained 50 pounds. Employees at McDonald’s used to greet me with, “We’re so that. College is where my weight boomed. I used to dance and play tennis back in high school but quit both, which only caused my weight to spike. Plus, I worked in college admissions. My job forced me to travel for three months, and I ate terribly. If I didn’t get to eat during the day (which was a common occurrence), I’d stop at Steak ‘n Shake, order enough food for two meals, then go straight to bed.

The Change
Around the time of my grandfather’s 95th birthday, I was shopping for a dress and couldn’t find anything in stores and had to order something online. I was embarrassed.

My twin sister and I are very competitive, so when she said she wanted to run a St. Jude marathon, I wanted to join—if she could do it, I could do it. I started following the training plan in Marathon Training for Dummies around Christmas time 2009 to prep myself for an April 2010 Nashville Country Music Marathon. It was really hard to get started—I had to walk for most of the workouts. Unfortuantely, the race course got flooded, so we were only able to complete a half marathon—but I still did it!

Downloading MyFitnessPal onto my phone was huge. Not only did I see my calorie intake, but I also realized that I was eating mostly carbs and no protein, complex carbs, or healthy fats. I thought I could just eat low-calorie foods, but that was not the answer to my problem. I dropped down to about 155 pounds by cleaning up my diet and training for this half marathon.

But then my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in late fall 2010, and I had to stop focusing on me to take care of her. My weight jumped right back up close to 200 pounds. Then one day, I started missing how eating right and exercising made me feel healthy. Almost everybody in my family has had cancer, and I wanted to take preventative measures against the disease. I only have one body, and this was the best thing I could do for it.

I made myself go to the gym—like, I bought really bright workout clothes that inspired me to go at 5 a.m. It pulled me out of bed. My best friend Timothy was also trying to lose weight, so he motivated me to get up and out every day. We held each other accountable because losing weight is a really tough thing to do alone. I prefer to run outside—the treadmill gets monotonous—but I like doing interval workouts changing up the speed. I love hip-hop dance classes and weight lifting, too.

Taking care of my mother was a big responsibility, so I could only eat two large meals a day—not anymore. I spread out my portions and eat six meals—including snacks—every day. I keep almonds ready at my desk and cheese in our office fridge. Because I’m always busy and rarely have time for a sit-down lunch, I always keep the ingredients for easy-to-make meals on-hand, such as a tuna sandwich, grilled chicken breast, or soup. I roast veggies every weekend, heat them up, and eat them when I need to. People tease me because I love of Brussels sprouts.

The Reward
I’ve never been a fan of clothes that zip or that button down completely because I could never wear them—the button would pop off, or there’d be an awkward bulge. It sounds silly, but it makes such a big difference. I also ran my first (and only) full marathon (at least so far!) in 2011. I sleep better, my skin looks great, and my car seatbelt doesn’t squeeze my body when I buckle it anymore.

Beverly’s Tips
Don’t fear weights. You won’t bulk up. Strength training is what made me smaller and stronger.
Always have food handy. I never know what’s going to be available at a party, dinner, or event. I keep almonds in my car, desk, and purse at all times so I always have a healthy option.
Find a friend for help. Timothy has lost probably 90 pounds in the last few months. We’re really good at keeping each other motivated—like walking 10,000 steps every day. My family keeps a Facebook group message to track what everyone is doing and help us do our best.

–
Beverly Brooks, 28, is 5’2? and works as a college counselor in Memphis.

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