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Name: Courtney Dyer
Age: 39
Height: 5'6"
Before Weight: 246 pounds
How I Gained It: I have been overweight most of my adult life. I started gaining weight after the birth of my son. By the time I hit the age of 20, I weighed more than 200 pounds. I ate mostly fatty foods and drank about two two-liter bottles of soda a day. I would wear big sweat pants in an attempt to cover up my large body. Over the years, my weight kept climbing until I hit my all time high of 263 pounds. I was shocked that I had gained so much weight.
Breaking Point: In 2012, I started cutting back on how much soda I was drinking, and I lost some weight by accident. I was down to 246 pounds. It felt so great that I decided I would get healthy.
How I Lost It: The first thing I did was stop drinking soda. I stopped eating fast food, too, and stopped buying junk snack food. If I wanted a treat I’d get a one-serving size bag of chips or a single ice cream instead of buying a family-size bag or a whole carton.
Then I started eating small meals of vegetables and lean meat, and added protein bars and shakes and complex carbs to my diet. I started drinking a lot of water, too. I eat four small meals a day now on a small plate. That way I don’t fill a big plate with more food than I need. I weigh myself once a week and keep a journal of my weight each week.
I joined Planet Fitness. It was hard at first, but I made myself do it everyday. I started walking three miles a day on a three-inch incline, which would take me an hour. Then I would strength train four days a week. Now I walk 30 minutes on the treadmill on a seven-inch incline and strength train four days a week, with fewer reps.
I have lots of energy, my mood has improved and I live a healthy lifestyle for the first time in my adult life. I have learned to enjoy exercise now. I am way more active. I feel like I am really living life for the first time in years.
After Weight: 139 pounds
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