A determined woman lost an impressive 196 pounds in four years after the breakdown of her engagement prompted her to take control of her life.
Megan Fuschak, 30, started putting on weight when she was seven years old, after a sudden move away from her grandmother and close friends triggered her depression.
The family business manager, who is based in Texas, struggled with grief when her grandmother passed away in 2003, and reached 300 pounds as the result.
Transformation: Megan Fuschak, 30, lost an impressive 196 pounds in four years after the breakdown of her engagement prompted her to take control of her life
Results: After changing her diet and taking up exercise while taking care of her mental health, Megan, who is based in Texas, now weighs 214 pounds and is a US size 10
‘When my grandma passed away, I hit hard depression. She was everything to me,’ Megan said.
‘I was miserable. I had so much self-hate and doubt about who I was. I was unhappy and fell into depression.’
It wasn’t until her relationship broke down in 2011 that Megan, who by then had reached 415 pounds and was a US size 28, resolved to change her habits.
After overhauling her diet and taking up exercise while taking care of her mental health, Megan now weighs 214 pounds and is a US size 10.
‘It was after I got out of my relationship that I decided I needed to take control of myself. My health was declining and I already had four blood clots previously,’ she said adding that ‘something just clicked’ when she embarked on her lifestyle change.
‘I began to eat healthy and included exercise to my routine. I now run daily, try to incorporate a home workout and I have my protein shakes every day,’ Megan added.
‘I went in the opposite direction. I was eating fast food every day, drinking soft drinks, satisfying my late-night cravings and exercise was never part of my routine.
‘Now I’ve started eating healthy, I’ve cut soft drinks out of my life and replaced it with water, while slowly starting working out.’
Habits: ‘I began to eat healthy and included exercise to my routine. I now run daily, try to incorporate a home workout and I have my protein shakes every day,’ Megan said
Past: Megan (pictured front row, left as a child) started putting on weight aged seven, after a move away from her grandmother and close friends triggered her depression
New lifestyle: ‘Now I’ve started eating healthy, I’ve cut soft drinks out of my life and replaced it with water, while slowly starting working out,’ the family business manager said
In addition to the physical benefits, Megan realized she had to go through an internal transformation too.
‘It has changed my life in an amazing way. I still have days where I see who I used to be, but when you go through an extreme weight loss, you have to work on your mental health as well,’ she said.
‘I’ve gained a life back that I never really had before. I’m happy when I wake up in the morning. I love who I am looking at. Every day is a new day and I’ve never been more grateful to see a sunrise.
‘I still have things to work on, but I’ve fought so hard to become this woman and I’m so proud of her.’
While Megan’s persistence has paid off in a big way, she found that the most difficult part of her weight loss journey was finding the motivation to work on tweaking her habits.
Well-being: In addition to the physical benefits, Megan (pictured left before her weight loss) realized she had to go through an internal transformation too
Advice: To those who want to lose weight like she did, Megan recommends patience and paying attention to their mental health
‘The hardest part was motivation at the beginning. Life gets in the way but you have to remember you’re doing this to become a better you,’ she said.
Other people have noticed her transformation, and Megan has gotten used to hearing “Oh my God, you’ve lost so much weight” or “You look so good.”
To those who want to lose weight like she did, she recommends patience and paying attention to their mental well-being.
‘You have to figure out what made you get like this in the first place. You need to truly focus on getting your mind right,’ she said.
‘Start little. You don’t have to sprint. It’s not a race, days will be hard but you must remember that in the waves of change, we find our true direction.’