Who: Lisa A.
Occupation: Occupational Therapist and baker
City: Toronto
Age: 37
By The Numbers: 154 pounds at my heaviest, currently at 131 pounds, for a total weight loss of 27 pounds (between 2012 and 2013). In 2013 to 2015, I lost nine pounds.
The Weight Gain: Growing up as a multiracial child (half Chinese and Spanish), I had a different perception of myself. I recall times when others would comment on my weight, call me chubby, squeeze my arms or stare at my legs and imply that I was "fat." At the time, being skinny was the ideal and I didn't fit in with that picture. It was only after university, that I started to embrace my curvy figure as society's views on body image started to shift. But even then, I was never 100 per cent satisfied with the way I looked.
I was eating unhealthy, stressed and had poor work-life balance. I tried some fad diets, a couple of weight loss pills, and some creams that claimed to help with cellulite and fat burning. I was looking for an easy way out with instant results.
Final Straw: In 2011, my workplace posted a video of me on the hospital website where I was describing the service that I worked in. I remember being shocked and in disbelief when I saw myself in the video. I knew that I had gained weight over the years, but it took this video to wake me up.
"I learned that exercise is just 25 per cent and food is 75 percent of the work."
Story continues below.
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