Lora lost 187 pounds

Transformation of the Day: Lora lost 187 pounds. She felt like she was suffocating in her own body and wanted to be able to breathe freely again. With the help of a dietitian, she learned  all about nutrition. Healthier eating, eating smaller portions, cut carbs and exercising has transformed her life. Check out her journey.

A year and a half ago, I made a change in my life. I’d done this before… lost weight, stopped and gained it all back, plus more. A year and a half ago, I weighed 430 pounds at 5’11”. My body screamed at me by giving me constant pain and limiting my breathing when walking. That is when I finally cried out and made a change in my life.

I have lost 187 pounds and I’m still going strong, with a few bumps in the road along the way. I am human and I’m not a perfect being, but I’m looking forward to losing 43-64 more pounds. That will put me at 200/180 pounds. That is… if my biggest wish of being pregnant with my first baby doesn’t happen first. (Before I turn the big 40!) My weight loss came from hard work, taking baby steps, kicking my own buns, changing my lifestyle, and having two wonderful dieticians I can talk to when need to. One in Germany and the other here in Turkey.

My motivation was being able to breathe again. Before I started this process, I loved myself so much that I did not care how big I was getting. Talk about self love. However, at the same time I was hurting myself unknowingly. It was awful feeling, like I was being suffocated. I never want to have that feeling again.

I have been on this journey my whole life, as my weight always fluctuated. When I was at my highest weight and experiencing problems, I was living in Germany. I did apply for weight loss surgery while in Germany. I went through the process and filled out the paperwork. Then, I waited patiently for them to deny me. After crying my eyes out, I reached out for help. My husband found a dietician who spoke English in 2015. Every week she taught me something new. She taught me about reading food labels and about hidden sugars. I learned that carbs are in everything and the body does not need a large amount carbs. She taught me what the body needs to function and how lose weight in a healthy way. She allowed me to cry, she taught me to be nice to myself, and showed me how to take baby steps. It began with her help.

I log in my food daily on S Health app and let it count my steps. I try to limit carbs, such as pasta, pizza, rice, flour, bread, wheat products, cereal, potatoes or starches. My diet is basically a high protein/low carbs. Low carb for me is eating a small amount of veggies and fruits. I learned that carbs really slow down the weight loss process. Now, I eat carbs once a month for a treat, because the body can sense that something is missing. I also take a vitamin and eat 90g of protein daily. No more than 30g of protein per meal, as I learned earlier this year that the body can only absorb up to 30g of protein at a time. (more can be stored as fat) I always read food labels and have a daily caloric goal of up to 1500 calories. I eat 6 small meals per day and in between meals I am drinking water or Lipton diet ice tea. I don’t eat after 8pm.

I walk one hour to 8 hours a day no matter whether it is snowing, raining, hot, or etc. I don’t let any excuse get in the way of me getting one hour of walking or 6000 steps per day. I also play in a woman soccer group on Monday nights just to get in some exercise. I go to the gym 5 days per week for the minium of 1.5 hours and dance at home when cooking and cleaning. I take the stairs going up and escalator going down. I don’t use the elevator unless I am going over 5 floors.

I write down all that I do in an excel sheet I made. I believe that keeping a journal is so important. Also, it helps when you use a food scale to weigh your food. Never to eat in front of a TV or on the computer. One needs to focus on how fast they eat. Eating using a baby size bowl, plate, and silverware really helps a lot as well. It is our nature to fill up our plates. This way, when the baby sized plate is full, you know to say “No More”.

I’m wishing every single one of you success! Change does not come quickly, but it does come. Stay strong and be kind to yourself. We all have days we go off track, but the path is still there for us to jump back on when ready.