This post comes from my client Liz, who has overcome so much! Read on to learn about her struggles with antidepressants, weight loss, and challenging life circumstances. Liz proves that determination, time, hard work, and self-love can create radical transformation. I am so proud of her!
I was a sturdy kid and a curvy teenager. Looking back, I can see that while I was never slender, I was never overweight either. I developed early (got my period a month before I turned 9) and was immediately hit with raging hormones and depression. I never received any counseling, but by the time I was 19, I had been through three pretty significant depressions. I finally worked up the confidence to ask my primary care doctor about it and he put me on Prozac. It worked immediately and I felt so much better. I was able to go off it within a few months.
I graduated from college and got pregnant (surprise!) within a week. I had a successful pregnancy, but gained 50 lbs. I was able to drop the weight very quickly and was back in my pre-pregnancy size 8 jeans within 3 months. I met and married my husband by the time my son was 18 months.
I went back on Prozac for a short stretch prior to my next pregnancy with less of a positive effect. In fact, I felt guilty for my depression—things were going so well—and noticed a weight gain when I was on the Prozac. I had two more babies in the next three years. Each time gaining about 50 lbs, each time losing a little less. By 2003, I had three kids under 5, a husband, a mortgage, and a full-time job. I weighed 180-185 lbs.
I was still experiencing depression—and still feeling guilty. I was prescribed a variety of psych meds over the next 12 years. I took Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil, Effexor, then Nuvigil, Lamictal, Cymbalta, and I’m sure others that I forgot. I was diagnosed with bipolar and shift-work related sleep issues. I started to be anxious about everything.
At this point, none of the medications seemed to be working. I was exhausted all the time, my body ached, I didn’t experience normal emotions—I was either numb or sad. I had debilitating migraines a couple of times per week. I also had two surgeries for embedded kidney stones. I’m sure my diet of Diet Coke, fast food, and Tums didn’t help.
My highest weight was about 265 lbs. I might have been higher, but I hated to get on the scale. I was embarrassed to see friends, embarrassed for my kids that their mother was so fat, and sad for my husband that I wasn’t a fully engaged partner in our relationship.
Losing weight after antidepressants can be difficult, but Liz has shed over 100 pounds.
Everything about my life felt out of control. I hated my job. The house was a mess. The kids had so much energy and I couldn’t keep up. We had $30,000 in medical debt (despite having health insurance). We were underwater on our mortgage and ended up selling our house in a short sale just after the recession, and we were forced to move in with my aging in-laws.
The one thing I decided during this very difficult time was that I would join a local gym. To be honest, I thought, “If this marriage doesn’t survive, I’ll be out on my own, and who’s going to want a fat, 40-year-old woman with depression and anxiety?”
I joined an amazing gym (shoutout to EarthFIT NF!) that offered group training and recommended the Whole30. I did my first Whole30 in 2015. My migraines were the first thing to go. Then breast tenderness, PMS, and cramps during my period (all big issues for me in the past). I also noticed a connection between gluten and my mood. When I did my first reintroduction, I realized it didn’t take much for me to go right back into a depression.
I decided to stay on a slightly modified Whole30 with occasional resets and lost about 85 lbs, putting me at 175-180 lbs. My doctor was thrilled with my weight loss and lab results, although I was still technically overweight. I felt so much better that I decided to wean off all my psych meds. For the first time in years, I had energy and a full range of emotions. I was able to keep the weight off for the next two and a half years.
Liz has completely transformed her life, inside and out.
BUT I still wanted to lose about 30 pounds, and without psych meds, I noticed that I was angry. A lot. This surprised me, since so many other things had improved.
This is where Holly came in. I found Holly through the Whole30 website. I was drawn to her because of her candidness regarding mental health issues, psych medication, nutrition, and exercise. I loved her voice as she discussed her own struggles and the way she helps her clients. She has just the right mix of kindness and tough love/cut-the-b.s. for me.
Holly immediately identified ways that I could tweak my diet, for example: boost protein at meals to eliminate snacks, cut out Whole30-compliant bars, and pay closer attention to what was happening in the reintroduction phase. I noticed the scale begin to change right away.
Liz noticed significant changes in one month with simple dietary changes and supplementation.
She also helped me with a mindset shift. She guided me from a victim mentality (and anger) to a sense of empowerment and optimism. She radically changed the way I look at my life and what is possible by introducing me to various tools, podcasts, bloggers, and authors. These resources gave me insight into how my mindset was impacting my well-being. I cannot overstate what a game-changer this has been! Along the way, Holly was able to provide me with exactly the right resource at exactly the right time.
My original goal to lose weight is on track. I’m currently 158.3, and have just over 8 pounds to go. I’ve also put a lot of energy into de-cluttering my house, setting a timeline for work-related changes, developing personal boundaries in relationships, and getting my financial house in order. Holly gave me great (and sometimes unexpected) ideas and solutions, for example: when working on my finances and struggling to gain an organizational foothold, she recommended not a new app or budgeting software, but a desk.
The changes to my mindset and mental outlook have been dramatic. I feel like a new person, but also like the person I always knew I could be. I can’t ever imagine going back to my old thoughts and behaviors. I wake up with plenty of energy AND a sense of optimism for the future that I could never have predicted and now can’t imagine life without.
Holly is a coach, a guide, and an accountability partner. I can’t thank her enough!
—Liz S., New Fairfield, Connecticut