A woman has lost over 140lbs after she was unable to fit into a plane seat and was so horrified she vowed to change her lifestyle for the better, after years of emotional eating caused her to pack on the kilos.
Renatta Keith, 37, from Hunstville, Alabama struggled with her weight for years due to the grief and pain of losing her mother to a drug addiction, her brother to alcoholism and her father to Parkinson’s Disease.
At her heaviest, she weighed 290lbs and the wake-up call came when she boarded a plane to Los Angeles two years ago, and had to request a seat-belt extender to accommodate her larger frame.
A spinal surgery soon followed, and the mother-of-one decided to take steps towards a healthier lifestyle.
Going on a Ketogenic regime – high-fat, adequate-protein, low-carbohydrate diet – and exercise with a personal trainer thrice a week, she shed 140 lbs to reach a healthier weight of 150lbs.
Renatta Keith, 37, from Hunstville, Alabama struggled with her weight for years while dealing with the pain of losing her parents and brother. At her heaviest, she was 290lbs
After deciding she needed to change her ways, Renatta began following a keto diet, which helped her to shed a staggering 140lbs in just two years (pictured left before and right after)
The mother-of-one, pictured recently, lost her mother to an opioid addiction in 2009 and her father to Parkinson’s disease. Her brother died of asphyxiation from alcohol in 2013
In 2009, Renatta lost her mother to drug addiction, unaware she was using opioids for years until it was too late.
And just four years later, her father, who served a soldier in Iraq, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease upon his return and died not long after. Renatta was the one to find his body.
Having to deal with two tragic deaths, Renatta to turn to emotional eating to cope as she struggled with the extreme grief she was facing.
In series of unfortunate events, Renatta’s brother died of asphyxiation from alcohol just a year later – which caused her to turn to food even more, as she struggled to deal with the pain of suddenly losing her loved ones.
Renatta would consume almost an entire liter of Coke a day, and mainly ate drive-through meals and sugary high-calorie foods throughout the day, causing her weight to peak at 290lbs.
A photo collage of Renatta with her older brother Chad, who passed away in 2013. The pair were close and his death hit her especially hard after the death of both their parents
Renatta’s father (pictured) died of Parkinson’s Disease in 2009. He was a war veteran. Sadly, Renatta was the one to find his body
The super slimmer admitted she used food as a coping mechanism to hide from the pain following the death of her father (pictured with her as a child)
The 37-year-old said: ‘I experienced the sudden loss of my mother out of the blue in 2009.
‘She had been hiding an opioid addiction from the family and it got out of control really quickly. In 2012, my father came home from Iraq and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
After suffering the traumatic losses, Renatta turned to emotional eating to cope and piles on the pounds (pictured now)
‘One day I had found him dead and the imagery was very difficult to deal with and escape from.
‘I began eating to deal with the grief. The very next year my brother died of asphyxiation due to an alcohol binge.
‘He had been dead for several days before we found him and again my grieving process included a lot of food to cover up my pain.
‘I ate the equivalent of a day’s calories and sugar before noon. I ate mostly all my meals from a drive-through and consumed almost a liter of Diet Coke daily.’
But Renatta realized she needed to make a change when she embarked on a trip to Los Angeles two years ago, and booked a standard seat in economy class.
When she boarded the flight Renatta realized she couldn’t fit into her seat, and staff had to provide her with a seat belt extender.
Then 35-year-old, she was horrified at the experience and knew she had taken her eating habits too far.
Renatta credited the amazing success of her diet to her boyfriend Matt (right) who was nothing but supportive
Renatta said: ‘The humiliation and experience made me realize I had to do something about my weight. I needed to treat my body better.’
Not long after, Renatta’s spine became damaged due to the excessive pressure from her weight, causing her to undergo an anterior lumbar interbody fusion surgery.
She realized her weight was causing many problems in her life, and this gave her a much needed wake-up call to change her lifestyle for the better.
‘It all came to a head for me when I had an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, it’s a type of spinal fusion that utilizes an anterior approach to fuse the lumbar spine bones together.
‘The recovery and pain from this made me realize how I had taken granted of my body and had to lose weight to stop further damage to my spine.’
Renatta began tracking her food and sugar intake daily to have a better understanding of what she was putting into her body.
She stopped drinking diet soda which she said helped lessen her cravings for sugary foods, and eventually reduced her carb intake to begin a Ketogenic diet.
Renatta also had a personal trainer and worked out with him three times a week, focusing on a mixture of cardio and strength training.
She said: ‘I started tracking my food and seeing how much sugar I consumed daily.
‘This visual really helped me learn what was in the foods I was eating.
‘I cut out diet soda completely and my taste buds changed. I could taste food again and stopped craving unhealthy foods full of sugar.
‘This helped my joints felt better and I could move my body with less pain.
A before and after picture montage shows Renatta’s progress with her weight loss. She decided enough was enough after requiring a seat belt extender while on a flight to Los Angels two years ago
‘I adapted to a low-carb diet and eventually cut my carbs down to a Ketogenic level. I did this for two years.
‘I worked with a trainer three times a week and he taught me how to workout.’
With a determined and focused mindset, Renatta managed to lose 140lbs over the course of two years.
She kept a photo of her scar from her spinal surgery to keep her going, reminding herself of why she started.
Renatta managed to overcome her grief without having to rely on food to copy anymore, saying she now feels ‘reborn’ and has learnt how to live her life to the fullest.
Renatta said she feels reborn after shedding the weight and reaching a healthier weight goal (pictured now)
Renatta said she quit drinking diet soda, which in turn lessened her cravings for sugary foods (pictured now)
The mother-of-one said she started tracking her food consumption daily to understand what she was putting in her body (before, left and after, right)
The 37-year-old said: ‘Once I started working out and eating well, I had clarity and focus like I never experienced.
‘I kept a photo of my scar from my spinal surgery and it motivated me to keep going.
‘I had been in the place of not being able to bend, walk, sit too long, or stand too long.
‘I knew that pain and never wanted to experience it again. I was determined to do everything I could to help me not need additional surgery.’
‘When I made a mistake instead of giving in to eating whatever I wanted the rest of the day, my next meal would be back on track.
‘I stopped the “Well I made a mistake today; I’ll start back tomorrow or Monday”.
‘I got off this roller coaster and broke this cycle. This realization and the time I spent getting mentally fit was where the magic started happening for me.
‘Working through my grief with a professional was the key for me. I found ways to cope with my heartache besides food and that changed my mentality, which in return changed my life.
Shortly before her weight loss journey began, Renatta went through an anterior lumbar interbody fusion, a type of spinal fusion that utilizes an anterior approach to fuse the lumbar spine bones together (pictured: the scar Renatta got from the surgery, which she used as her weight loss inspiration
Matt and Renatta together. Matt adapted to his girlfriend’s dietary changes in a heart beat to encourage her to lose the weight
‘I feel reborn, funny because that’s what my name means! I feel free. All the energy I spent wanting to lose weight is now used enjoying my life.
‘Instead of being consumed with grief and heartache with the loss of my family, I can now guide others out of pain and offer advice.’
Renatta has since started her Instagram page @renatta_rising, where she posts photos of healthy meals and her incredible weight loss transformation to over 40,600 followers.
She wanted to share her story and motivate people to start their own weight loss journeys, with the hopes of inspiring others to find their path to healing.
The super-slimmer said she cut the excuses and hit the gym in order to attain her weight goal (pictured before and after)
The mother-of-one documented her weight-loss on Instagram and now counts more than 60,400 followers (pictured before and after)
Renatta has since been overwhelmed by the support she has received online, and goes out of her way to help people find resources and get the mental health support they need.
The 37-year-old said: ‘I had an Instagram page for years, but just recently made it public.
‘I got the confidence to share my story and be vulnerable so maybe someone else could find their way to healing.
‘The support online has been amazing. A lot of people talk to me about their grief and weight gain, I try as much as I can to help them find the resources to get mental health help.’
Renatta, who has one 16-year-old daughter, said her biggest support during her weight loss period was her boyfriend Matt, who helped motivate her and accommodate her dietary requirements during her entire journey.
She now continues to keep a low-carb diet but sneaks in an occasional treat here and there to reward herself for her consistent hard work and commitment.
Now happier with her body, Renatta said she was grateful she managed to break her bad eating habits cycle
Before on the left and after on the right. Renatta said she only started to shed the weight when she changed all her behaviors and negative thinking
Renatta keeps herself active with Pilates classes five times a week and enjoys kayaking, walking on nature trails and hiking.
Speaking about her current lifestyle, Renatta said: ‘I still eat low carbs because cutting sugar helps me keep my inflammation down.
‘I do have sushi and a cupcake monthly, because life without those just don’t seem very fun to me!
‘I don’t call these cheat meals, I call them earned meals because I work hard and earn them.
‘Having these earned meals helps me mentally, I know that I can have them and that keeps me focused and on track during the week.’
In a few words of advice to others who are embarking on their own healing and weight loss journeys, Renatta said: ‘Instead of just diving in another weight loss program spend some time working on and nurturing your mental health first, figure out your why. Why did you gain this weight?
‘Why are you overweight? I learned losing weight wasn’t enough until I changed all the behaviors and negative thinking about myself that got me there.
‘There are wonderful doctors out there so never be ashamed of reaching out and getting mentally fit, not just physically fit.’