Amanda lost 68 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Amanda lost 68 pounds. Depression, anxiety and stomach problems led to emotional eating and lots of medication for this Canadian mom of 3 children who have autism. Seeking greater health and wellness, she decided to try plant based eating and an at home workout program. Her life has changed dramatically and now she is sharing her story.

My name is Amanda B. and I’m from Canada. I’m 35 years old and a mother of 3 children, all with Autism. Started my journey 3 years ago, when I was suffering from severe depression, anxiety and stomach issues. I was using food as comfort and had to take four different medications just to function. When I couldn’t go to work anymore, and felt nothing but despair, I knew my life had to change.

After starting going to counseling, I was inspired to start changing my diet. I went vegetarian, to see if that would help with my depression as well as other physical ailments, and weight issues. I also have a family history of cardiac disease that I want to avoid. I switched to a vegetarian diet and felt better, but I was still eating too much and eating a lot of the wrong foods. (i.e. vegan junk food)

After a few months, I watched “forks over knives” and was further inspired to go completely to a plant based diet. I switched to a vegan diet, in hopes of really shedding the pounds. However, I didn’t see much of a change since I wasn’t exercising and I was still not eating right.

Last June 2015, my friend introduced me to a diet and exercise program that would inspire a real healthy and lasting lifestyle change. The program was Beachboy’s  21 Day Fix/21 Day Fix Extreme. I stepped onto the scale at 260 pounds that month. I continued with my vegan lifestyle, however now I ate a clean, whole food vegan diet that is balanced and portioned to my bodyweight and daily exercise. Now, I eat plant based meals with lots of veggies, beans, whole and grains. I also love having a protein shake in the morning!

I workout 7 days a week, and I do a combination of resistance, cardio, HIIT and yoga. I also have added daily mediation, which I personally believe keeps me focused.

10 months later, I’m 68 pounds lighter! I’m 5’7″ tall and currently weigh 192 pounds. No more stomach issues and no more depression or anxiety. I’m sleeping better and I’m off all of my medications. I still have about another 30 lbs left to go, but I’ll never look back.

What kept me going on this journey was the fact that I felt amazing and I had results that I loved. Today, I feel confident and I’m very proud of my a compliments. My advice to anyone who wants to lose weight would be: “Never give up on yourself! You’re worth it! It is not easy, and there will be days where you don’t want to get up and move, or you just want to give up in general. Don’t! Look at yourself and see that you are worth it.”