Dr. Sarah lost 40 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Dr. Sarah lost 40 pounds. She is a 37 year old ER doctor in NYC. She was dealing with a ton of stress and anxiety last year. In addition, she reached her highest weight and found out that she had high blood pressure. She took action by sticking with an eating plan and walking or jogging daily.

SW: 185 pounds
CW: 145 pounds
Height: 5’1″
Age: 37

The picture on the left was taken at the height of the pandemic. I’m an ER doctor in NYC, so you can imagine the level of stress and anxiety I was going through at the time. 

One day at work, I started to feel extremely short of breath and was convinced that I’d caught coronavirus, so I registered to get tested after working my shift. At triage, I found out that my blood pressure was high (it never usually is), and my heart rate was through the roof. When my test result came back negative, I knew that the symptoms I was experiencing were because I’d reached my highest weight and needed to do something about it right away. I was not going to live a life where I took care of others at the expense of my own health. So I went home and joined Weight Watchers that very same day.

The first 15 pounds flew off by sticking to my eating plan as well as walking and jogging daily. (5K Runner by fitness22 is an EXCELLENT app for those of us who aren’t runners).

The next 25lbs came off once I started incorporating my Peloton workouts (#SuperScoopzMD is my leaderboard name) and strength training weekly.

How often did you work out?
When I initially started my weight loss journey, I worked out every single day. Now that I’m in maintenance mode, I work out 4-6 days a week.

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight?
My starting weight was 185 pounds, and my current weight is 145 pounds. 

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far?
The biggest lesson that I learned is that Discipline can take you where Motivation can’t. There were plenty of days when I wasn’t motivated to work out or stick to my nutrition plan, but I stayed disciplined enough to do it anyway. That made all of the difference toward my success.

What advice would you like to share with women who want to lose weight?
My advice to women who want to lose weight is to ditch the deadlines! Once you get rid of the pressure of losing a certain amount within a certain time, you’re able to really give yourself grace and truly embrace the process. 

Instagram: @dr.sarah_jam