I Lost 100 Pounds and Overcame My Depression

Before: 236
After: 136

The Lifestyle
I've always been on the heavy side. Though I was active throughout my childhood and teenage years, my weight usually stayed somewhere in the 180- and 190-pound range. Plus, obesity runs in my family. I felt like I had to fight just to be a normal weight. I will never be one of those girls who can eat burgers and fries and not gain weight.

When I was 27, my husband of seven years and I decided to call it quits—and I just stopped caring. I was so depressed that things that used to be important to me—like my health and my self-esteem—didn't matter. Essentially, I was just going through the motions of life without really being present. I got lazy, started eating fast food all the time, and never really cared to see what I looked like. Double cheeseburgers from McDonalds, corndogs, macaroni and cheese, and chips became my go-to's. By 2012, I weighed 236 pounds. 

The Change
Even when I saw photos of myself, I didn't register how big I was. For some reason, it just didn't occur to me. But when my daughter and I moved from Florida to Pennsylvania to live with family for a while, I realized that I needed to get happy and start living life again. Since my separation, everything was just passing me by.

While living with my family, I started getting active by hiking, swimming, rock climbing, and getting in touch with nature. Getting moving again helped me start feeling better about myself and prepared me to make a serious change to my life.

After moving back to Florida, I started reading the Atkins Diet book. It seemed like it was something that was doable for me, and I started following the plan.

The biggest change to my diet was drastically reducing my carb intake. It was such a challenge that I was actually kind of grumpy for the first couple of months. Another huge part was incorporating veggies. I was never a big vegetable eater, but I started making salads and eating veggies as snacks as soon as I committed to the diet. One of my favorite parts of the new routine was drinking a meal replacement shake with my morning coffee. It's so good!

Overall, I became much more cognizant of what I was putting into my body. In fact, I completely quit fast food. I haven't had any in two years.

After losing the first 50 pounds by changing my diet, I felt on top of the world—but I knew I had it in me to lose more. I decided that it was time to start going to the gym.

I started out by easing into a routine that consisted of two to three workouts a week; I would use the elliptical for as long as could and then move to the weight machines. At first, five minutes on the elliptical was all I could do, but as time went on, I made my workouts more challenging. Now, spending an hour at the gym feels like my therapy and my outlet. It's the one time of the day I can just dedicate to myself.  Sometimes, it feels like a drug—in a good way!

Outside of the gym, my daughter and I love rollerblading and playing at the park together. I try to find new ways to be active all the time.

By May 2014, I weighed 136 pounds. 

The Reward
Even though I'm not actively trying to lose weight, I plan on keeping up this lifestyle because it makes me feel so good. It's great that I can get through a long workday and have enough energy to play with my daughter afterward.

My biggest reward is being able to run around with her. I remember the times where I couldn’t spend time with her without sitting down. Before losing the weight, it was such a challenge just trying to keep up. Now, it's no problem at all.

Heather's Tips
Be consistent. The number one thing that's enabled me to lose weight is continuing to make healthy lifestyle choices daily. You've just got to get up and keep going every single day.
Get creative. When it comes to meals and exercise, you have to get creative. There were times when I would get bored and be tempted me to make unhealthy decisions. That's when I switched up my meals by finding new healthy recipes or added some variety to my workouts by getting my daughter involved; we would race on the beach or in the pool.
Keep healthy food on hand. I keep temptation at bay by carrying a meal bar or healthy snack with me all the time. That way, if I'm out and really hungry, I'm not tempted by fast food. 

Heather Baker, 27, is 5' 4" and lives in Clearwater, Florida. 

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