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I Lost 130 Pounds And Gained Strength Confidence And Freedom Without Relying On Any Fad Diets

I Lost 130 Pounds And Gained Strength Confidence And Freedom Without Relying On Any Fad Diets

Up until I was about six years old, I was just a normal, petite little girl. I was active, happy, healthy. Then everything shifted when my dad was diagnosed with ALS. That diagnosis changed the entire rhythm of my life. My mom and I both leaned on food to cope with the stress. I still remember ordering pizza at age seven and nearly eating the whole thing by myself. The weight piled on quickly, and before long I was the “fat kid.”

little girl standing by a railing posing
Courtesy of Whitney King

At school, I wasn’t only known as the girl whose dad was dying, but also as the overweight one. I had no friends. Kids made fun of me every day. I felt like an outcast, like I didn’t belong anywhere. By the time I was going into fifth grade, the loneliness hit me so hard that I decided I had to change. Not because I wanted to be healthier or for myself, but simply out of fear that I would never have friends if I didn’t lose the weight.

That summer, at just ten years old, I lost nearly 50 pounds. It was massive. And when I went back to school, suddenly I was “popular.” People wanted to sit with me. People wanted to be my friend. Looking back, it’s heartbreaking that society teaches us so young that being thin equals being worthy of love and attention.

little girl doing the charlie's angel pose
Courtesy of Whitney King

I kept the weight off for a while, but when my dad passed away when I was twelve, I spiraled in a different way. Instead of gaining it back, I lost even more. I dropped down to 97 pounds, and at 5’8”, that was not healthy. I was obsessed with losing weight, but I didn’t know how to do it the right way. I only ate fat-free or low-fat foods, lived off plain rice, and did hours of cardio. I wasn’t counting calories or thinking about nutrition I just had no guidance.

woman sitting outside in a chair
Courtesy of Whitney King

By the time I turned fifteen, things changed again. Out of nowhere, I started gaining weight really fast, even though I hadn’t changed my routine. In one year, I put on nearly 80 pounds. I remember overhearing one of my boyfriend’s friends ask if I was pregnant because of how big I had gotten. That moment crushed me. I went to the doctor, and that’s when I learned I had PCOS polycystic ovarian syndrome. It explained everything: the sudden weight gain, the acne, the hair, the hormone problems. I was terrified when the doctor told me it might mean I’d struggle to ever have children.

woman on her wedding day smiling and happy
Courtesy of Whitney King

He said losing weight would help manage symptoms and improve my chances of getting pregnant someday, but at sixteen, kids were the last thing on my mind. All I cared about was how I looked, and honestly, I just didn’t have the willpower to fight it. I avoided doctor’s offices altogether because I didn’t want to face another lecture or see the number on the scale.

woman holding a baby on her chest
Courtesy of Whitney King

After high school, I got a job at a call center. I worked crazy long shifts sitting at a computer all day, eating takeout during breaks. My lifestyle was awful. Sitting nonstop, no activity, constant pizza, Chinese food, and sandwiches. I was the heaviest I had ever been, and yet I still didn’t have enough fire in me to change. I even wore maternity pants to work because nothing else would fit.

Then came a turning point. At 21, I met the man who is now my husband. We worked together, and at first, I couldn’t understand why he liked me. His ex-wife was petite and beautiful the opposite of me. I kept thinking he must have downgraded, and those feelings ate at me every single day. But he loved me as I was. We fell pregnant just a few months into dating, but at 19 weeks, I lost the baby a little boy. That loss broke me in ways I can’t describe. I felt like my weight, my unhealthy body, was to blame. The depression afterward made me gain even more.

woman dressed up for a special occasion
Courtesy of Whitney King

Eventually, I knew I had to make a real change. I joined a doctor-supervised program called Ideal Protein basically a no-carb, high-protein diet with weekly weigh-ins. It was brutal. I was miserable, cranky, exhausted, but I did lose 30 pounds in six weeks. It wasn’t sustainable though, and I quit. I felt like I had failed again.

woman smiling by palm trees
Courtesy of Whitney King

Months later, after my husband and I got married, we decided to try for a baby again. The doctors said to take a break and then try later. During that break, to my shock, I got pregnant naturally. And this time it stuck. In April 2014, I gave birth to my son. Despite all the complications during pregnancy gestational diabetes, hypertension, endless ultrasounds he came out perfectly healthy. He became my reason, my “why.” I knew I had to get serious about my health because I couldn’t let him grow up the way I had, losing a parent too soon.

woman showing off her muscles
Courtesy of Whitney King

When he was three months old, I went all in. I started small just walking with him in the stroller every day, three miles no matter the weather. I hated it at first. I wanted to quit constantly. But every time I looked down at his little face, I pushed harder. Slowly, I added at-home workouts, since we lived in rural Montana and the gym wasn’t an option. Bit by bit, I built habits. Within eight months, I had lost 80 pounds.

woman with her husband after losing weight
Courtesy of Whitney King

By then, my husband and I decided to try for another baby, thinking it might take time. My son was only nine months old, but we got pregnant right away. That pregnancy was completely different normal, healthy, complication-free. I knew my health and weight loss had made that possible.

woman in the gym working out
Courtesy of Whitney King

By 2015, I had two kids under two, and later, in 2017, I had my daughter. Three kids under three. My husband worked out of state most of the month, so I was basically holding down the fort alone. The exhaustion was brutal, and the weight crept back on. But I gave myself grace. My body had been through so much.

woman after losing weight in a bikini on a bach
Courtesy of Whitney King

Eventually, I realized that working out wasn’t just about weight. It was about my sanity. That one hour a day where I moved my body, ate well, and focused on myself was the best antidepressant I could ever find. No medication had ever made me feel that way.

woman showing off her muscles
Courtesy of Whitney King

In 2019, I got serious again. I started lifting heavy, doing cardio, meal prepping, and committing fully. In one year, I dropped 125 pounds total. I thought I would be overjoyed but instead, I was miserable. The loose skin was overwhelming. I felt like no matter how far I had come, the old me was still staring back at me in the mirror. It crushed my confidence. I avoided intimacy, avoided even looking at myself.

The only option was surgery. In December 2020 and again in July 2021, I had skin removal surgeries. They were painful and tough to recover from, but absolutely life-changing. For the first time, I felt free.

Now, health and fitness aren’t just things I do they’re who I am. I work out every day, create healthy recipes, and most importantly, I set an example for my kids. I want them to see balance, strength, and self-respect.

woman in a skirt posing in a mirror
Courtesy of Whitney King

People often tell me, “I wish I had your motivation.” Or, “I could never do what you’ve done.” But the truth is, you can. You just have to find your why. Mine was my kids. Yours might be different. But once you find it, you hold onto it and you don’t let go.

As of today, I’m down 130 pounds. My goal isn’t to lose more it’s to live this lifestyle for the rest of my life. I plan to compete in a fitness competition next year, something I never would have dreamed of a decade ago.

woman taking a mirror selfie
Courtesy of Whitney King

If my story proves anything, it’s that change is possible. No matter how far gone you think you are, no matter what your past looks like you can rewrite your future.

And I’ll say it to you the same way I remind myself every day: find your strength, find your why, and never stop showing up for yourself.