Name: DeAnna Taylor
Age: 29
Height: 5'4"
Before Weight: 230 pounds
How I Gained It: I was heavy as a child and into adulthood from poor eating habits. The crazy thing is I was very active with sports. But we only ate fast food in my house. I ballooned in college after going through a bad breakup and becoming depressed and turning to food and no physical activity.
Breaking Point: I was always in denial about my weight. I attributed it to being "top heavy", so I sought to have a breast augmentation. When I went in for the consultation, the doctor told me I was considered morbidly obese and would need to lose at least 70 pounds to be considered for the procedure. Initially I was mad, but once I really listened to what she said about being morbidly obese, I knew it was time.
How I Lost It: It was early 2010, and I had received a WiFi game console the previous Christmas. I decided to purchase the EA Sports Active game, which is a personal training type game. I started the 30-day challenge but slacked off due to law school time constraints. The summer that I studied for the bar, I wrote exercise into my schedule. I walked 30 minutes a day while listening to my review tapes. By the end of that summer, someone stopped me and said, "Your clothes are falling off of you." I hadn't even noticed. Sure enough, that summer alone I lost around 25 to 30 pounds. From there, I never looked back. I purchased a membership to my local YMCA, started taking various classes and incorporating strength training. I ran a 5K without stopping, when before it was an accomplishment just to run three minutes!
Now, I eat a pretty clean diet, meaning I eat foods in as close to their natural state as possible. I prep meals Sunday evenings, and I've found it to be very convenient.
People see me now and see my before pictures and are amazed. They tell me how much it inspires them as well, and that makes me feel great. There are times when I'm still not 100 percent comfortable with my body or the attention, but I've learned to embrace and love it all!
After Weight: 143 pounds
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As told to Sarah Klein