A Canadian woman who was an athlete all throughout high school and college but began gaining weight after her sports career ended has revealed how she lost 60lbs after turning over a healthy new leaf.
Logistician Leah Saar, 27, of British Columbia grew up as an extremely athletic student all the way through high school and college and even played baseball and volleyball professionally.
But after she graduated from college, Leah found it difficult to continue her sports career describing it as a ‘drastic and hard lifestyle’ to come to terms with, and admitting that she started to feel ‘depressed’ and out of sorts.
Before and after: Leah posed in front of the mirror to flaunt her new figure after losing 60lbs
Back to her old ways: After doing Kayla Itsines bikini body guide eating healthy and has limited her calorie intake by 1,000
She ended up feeling depressed, not exercising and binge-eating on junk food, which led her to reach 220lbs and a size 12.
‘Once I graduated from college and sports ended, it was a drastic and hard lifestyle change for me and I struggled to adjust,’ Leah said.
‘I can remember nights coming home from work and eating a whole bag of chips, pizza, and all kinds of other junk food.’
‘I gained about 40 to 45lbs in the first year and a half after graduating. I felt very depressed and didn’t exercise much, while binge-eating a lot.’
‘I didn’t take care of my body, I didn’t treat it well. After some time, I knew something had to change.’
One day, sick of feeling terrible about herself, she decided enough was enough, and made a pledge to turn her life around, a promise which led her to try Kayla Itsines bikini body guide.
Depressed after college: Leah said she found it hard to maintain her sporty lifestyle after she graduated
Sick of feeling terrible: Leah said that one day, she had enough and decided to take control of her life
Leah managed to shrink to a trim 160lbs, a size four and cut back on her calorie intake going from 3,000 to 3,500 calories a day to 2,000 to 2,500.
‘I felt terrible about myself, hated my body and how I looked and I didn’t feel like myself. I felt depressed and struggled a lot with anxiety,’ Leah said.
‘I reached a point where I was tired of waking up every morning and feeling so negative about myself. I had so many dreams and goals of whom I wanted to be and they always felt so far.’
‘I just got to a place where I said to myself that I have to start this now. I know it will be hard but I want to be proud of myself and I don’t want to feel like this anymore.’
‘Within one-month, six-months, two-years, I want to be able to thank myself for starting now. I want to love myself again and it has to start somewhere – no matter how small the step.’
With a new healthy perspective on her lifestyle, Leah has added many more activities to her to-do list, including mountain hiking every weekend.
Leah now eats gluten and dairy-free food, clean, organic, whole foods and focuses on consuming mainly fish and eggs and the occasional meat.
Something had to change: Leah knew she wasn’t taking care of her body and wanted to take steps to correct that
Clean eating: Leah now eats gluten and dairy-free food, clean, organic and whole foods
‘Looking back now, I can see that my head wasn’t in the right place in the beginning,’ Leah said.
‘I became very obsessive about how much and what I ate and I restricted myself in terms of food. All I focused on was my weight and how many calories I was eating each day.’
‘This wasn’t healthy and it led to self-destructive thinking. I’m very thankful I found a wonderful therapist to help me see myself in a better light and learn to appreciate my body.’
‘I realized that I have a very sensitive stomach, and gluten and dairy especially make me react. I’ve removed both gluten and dairy from my diet and I try to stay away from added sugars.’
‘I incorporate outdoor activities into my exercise routine because I love spending time outdoors, it’s therapeutic for me. I go on hikes and walks as much as I can.’
Leah said that the hardest part about getting back in shape was the ‘mental roller coaster’ because it’s hard not to learn to love yourself and not compare yourself to others.
A mental roller coaster: Leah said that the hardest part about getting back in shape was learning to love yourself
A healthy perspective: With a new lifestyle, Leah has added many more activities to her to-do list such as mountain hiking
‘Sometimes, it takes a while to see yourself in a new light, but once you do, you realize how silly it is to see yourself in any other light, Leah said.
‘There are so many wonderful people out there. I’m so thankful for my friends and family because they’ve been so supportive.’
‘What has stuck me most was a comment from a high school friend who said I’m ‘back to my old self’ – this hit a spot in me and I just felt overwhelmed with emotions.’
Lead admits that sometimes it feels impossible to make a lifestyle change but trusts that every little step does count and encourages people to set small goals and celebrate them.
‘Remember you’re not stuck where you are, your body can do anything you want it to. It’s your mind you must convince,’ Leah said.
‘Losing weight has drastically changed my life and it’s not the weight that I’ve lost, it’s all that I’ve learned along the way.’
‘I feel the healthiest and strongest I ever have. I have much more energy, and an appreciation for exercise and taking care of my body and I look forward to going to the gym and pushing myself as hard as I can.’