Half way there! Losing the COVID weight!!

TraceyKakes
TraceyKakes Posts: 37 Member
edited October 2021 in Success Stories
Hey! I’m Tracey.
I was a pretty healthy eater and very active pre March of 2020. COVID threw a wrench in all of our lives and I became pretty sedentary overnight and all the alone time really ramped up my binge eating disorder. Between March of 2020 I gained weight very quickly and by May 2021 I was looking at a 40 pound weight gain in just over a year.
I was so beyond horrified at what I’d done to my body and what I had become mentally. I felt like I was in such a deep and dark hole that I created and just couldn’t seem to get out of. I felt completely ashamed because I hardly recognized myself in the mirror and I knew that my rapid weight gain was shocking to friends and family. When you have an eating disorder like binge eating disorder it truly is like wearing your demons and shame on your body for everyone to see. It was a really hard time. I hit rock bottom and my binge eating was out of control… but I couldn’t stop eating. It was extra hard because I truly had felt like I’d beaten the eating disorder a year or two ago and I openly shared with my friends and family the success and freedom I had felt and then knew that I had failed and that it showed. It was horrible mentally.
Between May and August I lost weight very slowly and in the beginning of august something just clicked in my brain. I felt motivated and determined. I signed up for my old gym again and started going 6 days a week (4-5 intense sessions and 1-2 active rest days). I started getting smarter with my eating and was doing a version of intermittent fasting called OMAD (one meal a day) and eating my previous diet. OMAD was a game changer for someone with my disorder. Not sure why but it works perfectly for me. I’ve always been vegan so I think that helped me when it came to picking pretty healthy foods. It’s been a few months now and I’m still about 25 pounds to where I want to be but I’m so happy with my progress. The change was mental. I’m in control of my disorder and my life again. I’m happier and I’m more hopeful. The weight is a symptom of a larger issue in the case of people like me.

I’m writing this incase anyone who suffers from binge eating disorder sees this and I can help at least one person realize that there is hope. You can overcome what your going through. You can. It’s possible and you can do it. Trust me. If I can pick myself up and make progress then you absolutely can.

Good luck to everyone on their personal journey. I’m active on here and open to new friends :)

Replies

  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Congrats on your progress!
  • amioc
    amioc Posts: 175 Member
    You look amazing!!
  • TravisJHunt
    TravisJHunt Posts: 533 Member
    Awesome job. You look amazing!
  • SuzyQ_Canada
    SuzyQ_Canada Posts: 194 Member
    Congrats!!
  • mjglantz
    mjglantz Posts: 508 Member
    Good going! Thanks for sharing.
  • pridesabtch
    pridesabtch Posts: 2,459 Member
    I put on 50 pounds in a little over a year. The change in attitude has also been a game changer for me. Greatest of luck on your continues success!
  • Deanner03
    Deanner03 Posts: 371 Member
    Dandylines wrote: »
    A doctor told there was such a thing as the COVID-19 weight gain. They actually saw people gain about 19 to 20 lbs on the average. Apparently very similar to the weight college freshmen gain. You are certainly not alone and I hope you feel good about your progress.
    I went through similar except my was "helped" through my reaction to my DH's cancer (he is now 100% cancer free). Once he was through treatment and I could use the pool again because restrictions were lifted I started losing it again.

    My NP said the same thing. He advised that I'd lost the weight before, and to just be prepared to do it again. He also said that the was going to try to join me. We'll see where we both landed when I go back in December. I'm down 38.
  • happykangaroo
    happykangaroo Posts: 4 Member
    I can totally relate, I put on about 15kg, both in stress eating and having to suddenly be very sedentary, even though I still tried to get a home workout in most days. But it's really about the mentality and being in a good place emotionally to be able to take control of your life again.
    Many people have put on weight during COVID - it's very normal for people to do this during a stressful time. So I try not to beat myself up about it and just focus on improving little by little.
  • Bluetail6
    Bluetail6 Posts: 2,983 Member
    Awesome job!! I don't have a binge eating disorder; but, I was overweight at the start of COVID-19. I started, 9/1/20, to seriously lose weight and get in the best shape of my adult life. I am now close to goal. You will get there.😊
  • Bentforkx
    Bentforkx Posts: 69 Member
    Awesome job!!!
    Covid affected my health as well, as a medical technician, and the surge at hospitals with Covid patients, I found myself doing 3,4,5 double shifts a week, my regular gym schedule was tossed out the window, my running routine ground to a halt, but worst of all, I found myself eating what I could, when I could.
    Like you, I'm finally taking back control, and I'm about 60% back to where I want to be. So I know the work you've put in.
    Keep it going, you've got this!!
    And Hi from BC as well!!!!
    :)
  • Deanner03
    Deanner03 Posts: 371 Member
    Bentforkx wrote: »
    Awesome job!!!
    Covid affected my health as well, as a medical technician, and the surge at hospitals with Covid patients, I found myself doing 3,4,5 double shifts a week, my regular gym schedule was tossed out the window, my running routine ground to a halt, but worst of all, I found myself eating what I could, when I could.
    Like you, I'm finally taking back control, and I'm about 60% back to where I want to be. So I know the work you've put in.
    Keep it going, you've got this!!
    And Hi from BC as well!!!!
    :)

    I feel this. I left bedside nursing in September to take a full time teaching position, but got sucked back in to per diem when the facility where I worked had a COVID outbreak. For quite a while, it was 16 hour shifts between the two jobs 3-5 times per week, and 12 hours one weekend day. I ate junk, and wasn't exercising (I worked, slept, and tried to see my family sometimes). It was NOT kind to me.
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