Woman loses 170LBS after weight doubled during pregnancy

A mother-of-two has revealed how she transformed her body after piling on the pounds following two pregnancies within two years and an addiction to sugary snacks.

Peggy Lindsay, 33, from Costa Mesa, California, said she was left shocked after finally stepping on the scales following the birth of her children and tipping the scales at 300lbs, having previously weighed in at 130lbs.

Speaking to Jam Press, the part-time preschool teacher explained, ‘I started gaining weight with my first pregnancy in 2014 and gained 75lbs and then, 18 months later, I got pregnant again and continued to gain another 50lbs.’

Transformation: Mother-of-two Peggy Lindsay shed a whopping 170lbs after her weight more than doubled following the birth of her two children 

Moving on: Having weighed 130lbs when she fell pregnant with her first child, a son, Peggy quickly started piling on the pounds, thanks in large part to an unhealthy diet of fast food

Bad habits: Peggy would start the day off with a sugary breakfast at home, before getting a second breakfast at McDonald’s. She then ate lunch at Taco Bell or Chick-fil-A

Turning over a new leaf: By the time her daughter turned one, Peggy tipped the scales at 300lbs and realized she needed to get healthy for the sake of her kids 

‘I took the phrase “eating for two” a little too seriously. After my daughter was born I continued to eat poorly and kept gaining until I had gained a little over 150lbs. After gaining the initial baby weight I did a lot of stress eating and kept gaining. 

‘My daughter had health issues her first year of life and I turned to food for comfort during that time.’

Peggy said that after stepping on the scales, she felt motivated to lose weight for the sake of her children, adding, ‘I knew I had to get healthy and live a long life for them.’

Before embarking on her weight loss journey, Peggy admits her unhealthy diet consisted of fast food, cookies and sweet tea and says she would typically start off her day with pancakes covered with peanut butter and syrup.

‘Then I would eat a second breakfast at McDonald’s and get a sausage and egg muffin with a large sweet tea. Lunch would be more fast food; either Taco Bell, McDonald’s or Chick-fil-A,’ she said.

Motivation: ‘I knew I had to get healthy and live a long life for [my kids],’ Peggy explained

Fit and healthy: She also began hitting the gym six times a week, doing a variety of group workout classes to keep herself motivated 

‘After lunch, I would get my kids down for a nap and then for several hours while they napped I would just watch TV and mindlessly snacked on chips, cookies, or whatever junk I was craving that day,’ she added.

Dinner was typically pizza or takeout, and Peggy admits she could easily devour an entire large pizza to herself, followed by entire packet of chocolate chip cookies, and yet another sweet tea.

After finally finding motivation, Peggy began working out at her local gym six days a week, doing group exercise classes like boot camp, spin, yoga, TRX (total resistance exercises) and barre. The gym also provided her with a low-carb meal plan and she lost a whopping 24lbs within the first six weeks alone.

‘I continued on with the low carb meal plan they had provided but tweaked it slightly to fit my needs and busy mom lifestyle,’ she explained. 

‘My diet consisted of Greek yogurt, fruit, dark green veggies, almonds, avocado, peanut butter, turkey, chicken, protein bars and shakes, as well as eggs, sweet potatoes, brown rice, and black beans.’

Plan: The gym also provided Peggy, pictured left during her second pregnancy, with a low-carb meal plan and she lost a whopping 24lbs within the first six weeks alone

Pride and joy: Peggy’s main motivation was her children, whom she wants to live a long and healthy life with  

Peggy said she only drank water and unsweetened tea and eventually began counting calories with the My Fitness Pal app and eating ‘clean’.

The mom-of-two credits her incredible weight loss in part to a positive mind set too, noting that she developed a competitive approach to it and began setting herself little goals to reach along the way, rewarding herself for every 25lbs she lost.

Peggy also launched her own Instagram page as a way of keeping herself ‘accountable’ along her weight loss journey.

‘I dreamed of being able to show off amazing before and after pics and encourage other women in the same boat as me,’ she said, adding that the support she has received on her page has been ‘nothing but amazing.’

Thanks to her hard work and dedication, she lost the first 100lbs within eight months, and continued to shed the stones at a healthy pace until eventually, by January of this year, she had lost a whopping 170lbs.

Sharing: The proud mom started to document her weight loss journey on Instagram in order to keep herself ‘accountable’ 

Support: Peggy was lucky enough to have support on social media and at home from her husband, family and friends 

Proud: ‘I dreamed of being able to show off amazing before and after pics and encourage other women in the same boat as me,’ Peggy said of her Instagram account

She now continues to eat a healthy ‘clean’ diet and works out regularly to maintain her weight, although she admits that she does give into ‘really strong cravings’ and doesn’t deprive herself.

‘I just had my 33rd birthday and had been craving carrot cake for the longest time so my husband, John, got me the most amazing carrot cake for my birthday,’ she explained.

Peggy said losing the weight made her feel ‘at peace,’ and like she was finally the woman she had always wanted to be.

‘I felt energetic and just really really happy,’ she said, adding, ‘it felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.’

As for those who are looking to shed the weight, Peggy has some words of advice, noting that consistency is key.

‘Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start today. You are worthy regardless of your size but its OK to want to be healthier,’ she said. 

‘Start a food journal or download my fitness pal, move your body everyday, drink a minimum of 64 oz of water a day and stay consistent!’