How Lauren Lost 83 lbs and Changed her Lifestyle for Good!
Meet Lauren…
I was always a fat kid, raised in a fat family. I didn’t know what a healthy weight, diet, or lifestyle was until I left home. When I was 250lbs, I hated my life. I hated my body, I hated myself. I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t want anyone to see me, and I never wanted anyone to take my picture because I couldn’t stand to look at myself. I was trapped under layers of fat but I didn’t know how to get out. I ate to comfort myself.
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was at my heaviest weight. I struggle with my self confidence because of the excessive hair because of it. I struggle with the damage I’ve done to my body, especially the stretchmarks all over my body.
My passions now include: baking and cooking, running, hiking, video games, reading, and my school work. I’m studying forensic psychology and I hope to be a psychologist for a police department when I graduate.
What was your lifestyle like prior to your transformation?
I didn’t have a life. I never did anything, I never went anywhere. I hated the way I looked, and I was too afraid of being the “fat girl” doing embarrassing things, so I never tried anything new. I sat around at home moping around about my weight. Nothing really made me happy and no amount of food could change that.
Where does your motivation come from?
At first it came from the desire to look good for my boyfriend, as stupid as that sounds. I didn’t think I deserved him, so I started dipping my toes into weight loss. Now I do it for myself, so I can be comfortable with who I am, who I’ve become, and who I’m going to be.
What does your daily diet look like?
Pretty normal, I guess. I eat bacon and eggs with coffee (milk and creamer, thank you very much) basically every single day, maybe some oatmeal every so often.
Lunch is infrequent, but when I do have it I keep it simple. Salads are my gotos, or a plate of raw veggies (celery, carrots, cucumbers) with some light ranch. Maybe a turkey sandwich, or if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll make some chicken and rice.
Dinners usually consist of chicken with rice and a veggie, pasta, chili, steak, potatoes, fish (tilapia for the win!), etc. I don’t eliminate anything from my diet, but I do weigh and log everything that goes into my body. Every splash of oil is considered, every dollop of sour cream gets logged. I measure out 1-2 servings and eat only that.
I do have dessert very often, but it consists of strawberry yogurt with banana slices, or maybe a piece of light toast with orange blossom honey on it, or sometimes I make my own chocolate spread to put on top. So good!
What workout routine has worked best for you?
I didn’t really start working out until January 8th. I started with a cycling class at my university every Tuesday and Thursday, and about a week or 2 later, I started a C25K. Just a few months ago I couldn’t run for 3 minutes without wanting to keel over, and now I regularly run 25 minutes! I’m currently working on getting to 5k in 30 minutes, and my goal is to get there in the next few weeks.
I’m eagerly awaiting for the weather to warm up so I can start going out on the trails around my city! I want to be one of “those” people! 🙂
How has your life changed since the transformation? Any noticeable difference in the quality of your life?
Honestly, I don’t know. I feel better about myself, I have more self-confidence, I notice I get a lot more male attention, and I’m a lot more outgoing, but I feel like I’m still generally the same person I was before, only better. I go out more, I don’t worry nearly as much about how people see me. I just like myself so much more.
Favorite Quote: “If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything.” -Marva Collins