A woman whose weight spiraled out of control after she broke up with her high school boyfriend has shed 155lbs after a doctor warned her that she wouldn’t live to see 30 if she continued to pile on the pounds.
Kenzi Groft, 21, of Lexington, Kentucky, opened up about her weight loss journey in an essay published by Love What Matters, explaining that she tipped the scales at 305lbs when she was just 18 years old.
After losing half her body weight, Kenzi is a healthy 150lbs, but she recounted how turning to food for comfort led to numerous weigh-related surgeries and nearly ruined her life.
Then and wow! Kenzi Groft, 21, of Lexington, Kentucky, went from 305lbs (L) to 150lbs (R) by following a healthy diet and working out with a personal trainer
Happier than ever: Kenzi had 20lbs of excess skin removed from her stomach and thighs
Kenzi was a high school athlete who dreamed of playing softball in college, but she started emotionally eating her sophomore year to deal with the pain of breaking up with her longtime boyfriend.
Although she was a healthy weight up until that point, she started to pack on the pounds, and before she knew it, she had gained more than 100lbs.
‘My last two years of high school were awful,’ she admitted. ‘I had lost my love of softball because at nearly 300lbs I could hardly go up the stairs, let alone run a mile or pitch a full game.
‘I got made fun of; I had no friends. I was depressed and took all my anger and sadness out on food.’
Kenzi weighed 285lbs when she graduated from high school, and she continued to struggle with her self-esteem.
Heartache: Kenzi started gaining weight her sophomore year of high school after she broke up with her longtime boyfriend
Out of control: Although she was a healthy weight before, Kenzi’s emotional eating led her to gain more than 100lbs. She weighed 285lbs (pictured) when she graduated from high school
When she started college at Morehead State University, she failed to make friends, which only fueled her unhealthy relationship with food.
In addition to eating nearly 4,000 calories a day, Kenzi started smoking cigarettes to deal with the stress she was under. She ended up dropping out of college after just 16 weeks.
At 18 years old, Kenzi weighed 305lbs and had a myriad of health issues due to her increasing weight. A doctor told her she was a risk for blood clots, and she had to have her gallbladder removed. She had kidney stones, ovarian cysts, and acid reflux.
‘[The doctor] basically told me at the rate that I was going that I was going to die before I turned 30,’ she explained.
Health concern: When she weighed 305lbs, she was at risk for blood clots and had to have her gallbladder removed. She had kidney stones, ovarian cysts, and acid reflux
Struggles: At her heaviest, Kenzi had trouble fitting into her car, and she wouldn’t even go swimming because she feared people would stare at her
Eye-opening moment: Kenzi realized she needed to lose weight after a doctor told her she would die before she turned 30 at the rate she was going
Kenzi has had almost 16 surgeries in her lifetime, and most of them stemmed from complications associated with obesity.
Her weight also had a negative impact on her mental health. At 305lbs, she could barely fit inside her car. She couldn’t walk up the stairs without losing her breath, and she stopped visiting amusement parks because she couldn’t fit into the seats.
She was even afraid to go swimming because she feared that people would stare at her because she was obese.
When she first tried to lose weight, Kenzi made small changes to her diet and started incorporating exercise into her life again, but she admitted that she was allowing herself too many ‘cheat days.’
It wasn’t until she got sick with a stomach ulcer that nearly killed her that she realized she wasn’t working hard enough to lose weight.
Before and after: Kenzi put herself on a strict diet of protein and vegetables, and she started working out with a personal trainer four days a week
All smiles: Kenzi now weighs 150lbs, and she insists that she has ‘never been happier’
While recovering from her stomach ulcer, Kenzi was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and lost close to 30lbs, which motivated her to lose even more.
Kenzi put herself on a strict diet of protein and vegetables, and she started working out with a personal trainer four days a week. She also joined a slow pitch softball team to keep herself motivated.
She eventually got down to 180lbs, but she noticed that her dramatic weight loss left her with excess skin on her stomach, thighs, arms and butt.
Kenzi said she ‘felt disgusting’ when she looked in the mirror, and she opted to have 20lbs of excess skin surgically removed from her stomach and sides.
She now weighs 150lbs, and she insists that she has ‘never been happier.’
‘Not only am I happier with the way I look, but I feel 100 per cent better,’ she wrote. ‘I don’t think its about being larger, I think its about being healthy and loving yourself for who you are. I didn’t love myself then, but I definitely do now.’