‘I Quit Yo-Yo Dieting And Lost 200 Pounds. Here’s How I Did It.’
My very first memory at a doctor’s office was hearing the word “obese.” At 12 years old, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a complex endocrine disorder caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones, which contributed to my weight and difficulty losing it. I was always larger than my friends and I hated sports because I felt awkward in my body. At the time, vegetables made me gag and I ate fast food three times a day, every day. I lived on chicken nuggets, French fries, cheeseburgers, and grilled cheese. I went to various dietitians throughout my childhood and young adult life who tried to encourage a more balanced diet, but I craved fast food and continued the same habits. My weight steadily crept up.
I married my middle school sweetheart at 17. He was in the military, so I moved away from home and suddenly became an “adult.” I continued to gain weight, but being part of a military family, I had access to new doctors and information about healthy eating. I knew something needed to change, so I decided to try the keto diet. After three days, I cried to my husband begging him for a hot dog or macaroni and cheese. The diet was extremely jarring, and I felt horrible.
From there, I blew through every fad diet under the sun. I was miserable, but yo-yo dieting did bring some weight loss success. Sometimes, I’d lose as much as 50 pounds. But being part of a military family who was constantly moving, it was hard to stay consistent. With each move, I would resort to old habits and gain all the weight back, plus some.
When I turned 20, my doctor recommended weight loss surgery.
But I didn’t even want to entertain the idea. I was young and felt confident I could lose weight on my own, so I hired a personal trainer and continued trying various diets. It was the same vicious cycle, and I gained more and more weight. Walking up the stairs left me breathless, I could barely squat down to play with my dogs, and tying my shoes was a marathon. My body felt like a prison. At my heaviest, I weighed 371 pounds.
My doctors continued to recommend weight loss surgery over the next four years, until one day, something finally clicked: I realized my doctors knew more than I did. My methods weren’t working, and surgery was my best bet at saving my health.
Before I could officially commit to weight loss surgery, I needed to change my lifestyle, so I buckled down in the gym and started working out two days a week with a personal trainer. We started with bodyweight movements and I worked my way up to free weight exercises like biceps curls, shoulder presses, and barbell squats. As I built strength and endurance, I increased to four training sessions a week.
I also hired a nutritionist. Crash diets clearly weren’t doing the trick, so my new dietitian recommended I gradually cut down on processed foods. Instead of drinking two liters of Coke a day, I mixed Coke with Coke Zero. And instead of eating fast food for every meal, I ate it for two. Slowly but surely, I eased my way into new habits, and within six months, I lost 50 pounds. I officially felt confident in my routine and was ready for surgery.
In November 2021, at 25 years old, I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy.
During the procedure, doctors essentially removed about 80 percent of my stomach, only leaving a small portion roughly the size and shape of a banana. The surgery is minimally invasive, but the goal was to reduce the size of my stomach as a way to restrict the amount of food I could eat and decrease my overall appetite.
Physically, my recovery was smooth and complication-free, and I was back in the gym within two weeks. At first, I stuck to walking on the treadmill and lifting light weights, but once I built strength and got the greenlight from my doctor, I worked my way up to heavier resistance training. I also committed to 20 to 30 minutes of cardio four to five times a week, whether that was walking my dogs, climbing the stairs, or using an elliptical. In the first two months post-operation, I lost another 50 pounds.
The mental aspect of my surgery, however, was much more challenging. Rapid weight loss can do a serious number on your ghrelin and leptin hormones, which influence mood and appetite, and I experienced severe mood swings and depression. The psychological stress of adapting to a new lifestyle post-surgery is also an emotional rollercoaster, on top of the fact that I was getting used to my “new” body. I didn’t feel like myself, so my doctor prescribed me antidepressants and I started going to therapy (which was life-changing in itself).
Not only did therapy help me regulate my post-surgery emotions, but it also helped identify and untangle underlying mental health issues that I experienced most of my life due to my weight. Fortunately, with the support of a great therapist, I realized that in addition to taking care of myself physically, I also had to take care of myself mentally. I committed to regular therapy sessions, which allowed me to grapple with the major life change. It also helped me deconstruct and come to terms with some of my insecurities.
Yes, I was recovering from a major physical change, but I discovered that I couldn't just focus on my physical health to be “healthy.”
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After surgery, I also had to retrain my brain to eat healthy.
I still loved fast food, but after surgery, I learned from a dietitian and did my own research to learn how food could actually fuel my body. Instead of feeling guilty about my choices, I wanted to find foods that were both enjoyable and nutritious.
From the start, I decided to keep my meals simple. Counting macros wasn’t the best fit for me, but I made protein my number one priority. Chicken, eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, and protein shakes are my go-to, but I also love Ezekiel Bread, broccoli, avocado, sweet potato, and Halo Top ice cream for dessert. I do my best to eat intuitively and follow the 80/20 mindset, which involves eating healthy, whole foods 80 percent of the time and being flexible 20 percent of the time. Nothing is off limits and I’ve learned that everything is on the table in moderation.
After another six months of consistently working out and focusing on a balanced diet, I lost another 50 pounds. Walking up the stairs was now a simple task, playing with my dogs was enjoyable, and I could tie my shoes with ease. I was confident and finally felt good.
It took two more years for me to drop another 50 pounds, but as of recently, I’ve lost a total of 200 pounds. And while the number on the scale is definitely rewarding, I've also learned to embrace non-scale victories like hitting new PRs in the gym, traveling with my husband, building an online community (@sarahinallsizes), and starting my own personal training business.
Weight is no longer the sole measure of my progress and the number on the scale does not define me.
Today, I happily work out four to five times a week and treat food as a way to nourish my body. I also have my sights set on competing in a bodybuilding competition next summer, and look forward to the discipline, commitment, and self-love that comes with pushing myself to new limits.
My body has gotten me through life this far, and now, at 29, it’s my turn to give back. Nothing about my weight loss journey was easy, but that’s the thing. Weight loss isn’t a race, it’s a journey.
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