Woman reveals how miscarriage motivated her to lose 155lbs

A mother-of-two has revealed how suffering a miscarriage inspired her to transform her life and lose a whopping 155lbs.

Francesca Lara, 31, from Texas, weighed 368lbs when she suffered a miscarriage in November 2016.

‘After that, I felt an extreme sense of guilt. I couldn’t help but think that the miscarriage was related to my size or health,’ she told Popsugar.  

After: Francesca now weighs 213lbs, pictured in December 2017

Transformation: Francesca Lara, 31, from Texas, has revealed how a miscarriage inspired her to lose 155lbs, pictured left in January 2017 and right in December 2017

Mighty mom: The mom-of-two said she felt guilty that her weight was also preventing her from being the mom she wanted to be, pictured here with her daughters ages seven and five

Mighty mom: The mom-of-two said she felt guilty that her weight was also preventing her from being the mom she wanted to be, pictured here with her daughters ages seven and five

Slow and steady: Francesca revealed how she set herself a monthly goal each month

Numbers game: Francesca lost between 15 to 20lbs per month, losing 100lbs in the first six months

Slow and steady: Francesca revealed how she set herself a monthly goal each month, losing 100lbs in the first six months 

The mother-of-two explained that she was hospitalized during most of her second pregnancy, and she thought her third pregnancy was bound to be worse because she was larger and older. 

After her miscarriage, she started to think about all the ways her weight was causing her to fail as a mother, and she made a New Year’s resolution to get healthy once and for all. 

Francesca told her family on New Year’s Eve 2016 that she was going to embark on a weight loss journey and would need their help and encouragement to see her transformation through.

”I’ll never forget that night my dad asked me what was my goal weight,’ she recalled. ‘I told him 199lbs. ‘He laughed! That hurt — not because he didn’t believe me, but because of how many times I failed at weight loss. 

‘I told myself, “This is it, Franie. You’re going to do this and you will prove yourself right!”‘

After consulting her doctor, who informed her that she was borderline diabetic and had high blood pressure, Francesca started a high-protein, low-carb diet. 

This consisted of three meals and two snacks per day, with sugar-free Jello for dessert.

New woman: Francesca, pictured with her husband and children on Christmas Day 2016 took progress pictures throughout her weight loss

Key to success: Pictured on Christmas Day 2017, Francesca says her family have helped keep her motivated

New woman: Francesca, pictured with her husband and children on Christmas Day 2016 (left) and 2017 (right) took progress pictures throughout her weight loss 

Home cook: After consulting her doctor, Francesca embarked on a low-carb, high-protein diet 

Home cook: After consulting her doctor, Francesca embarked on a low-carb, high-protein diet 

Working it: Francesca also combined exercise with her new healthy eating plan and started off by walking three to five miles daily, pictured in January 2017

Gym bunny: She's now a fan of weigh training in the gym, pictured in November 2017

Working it: Francesca also combined exercise with her new healthy eating plan and started off by walking three to five miles daily, pictured left in January 2017 and right in November 2017

Portion control: She also used intermittent fasting as a tool to kick start weight loss if the numbers on the scale plateau 

Portion control: She also used intermittent fasting as a tool to kick start weight loss if the numbers on the scale plateau 

For the first three months, she had protein shakes for breakfast and lunch to help with portion control and a regular dinner. Her daily snacks included cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, apples, oranges or a Pure Protein bar.

After this period, she transitioned to eating three regular meals and a couple of snacks, usually made up of five ounces of protein and one cup of vegetables.

She combined her healthy diet with walking three to five miles per day and working out with weights at the gym. She also used MyFitnessPal to track her calories and progress in the beginning, but she doesn’t rely on the app anymore. 

Francesca steadily lost between 15 to 20lbs per month, and after six months she had hit her goal of losing 100lbs. 

When her weight started to plateau, she began intermittent fasting, waiting until lunch to have her first meal of the day. Any time her weight stalls, she does this for two weeks at a time.

Now 155lbs lighter, Francesca credits her monthly goals and progress pictures as the keys to her success. 

Francesca’s seven-year-old daughter was usually the one to take the pictures, and she promised her eldest child when she started that she would one day be able to hug her all the way around. 

She noted that the day her daughter was able to do it was an ‘amazing day,’ and eventually her five-year-old daughter was able to wrap her arms entirely around her as well.

Francesca also tracks her progress on Instagram, and on New Year’s Day, she shared a collage of all of her progress pictures.   

‘When your 100 per cent serious about a “New Year, New Me” the beginning is always hard but then you start to fall in love with the journey,’ she wrote. ‘For me it was about being the Mom my weight wouldn’t allow me to be.’



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