Going from a size 28 to a size 12 is a pretty amazing feat. Not only does it take extreme dedication, but also time and patience, and a lot of both.
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For Simone Pretscherer, the decision to make a change came about when she stepped on the scale and realized she weighed 372 pounds. The 23-year-old New Zealand resident had become extremely recluse due to her weight, often opting to spend days on end at home instead of living the life of a young 20-something. Her weight impacted her, but it wasn’t until she saw the number on the scale staring back at her that she knew she had to do something about it.
She had already done her fair share of dieting and weight-loss pills and supplements, and this time around, she wanted to not only lose the weight for good, but she also wanted to document her weight-loss journey for the world to see.
Prescherer started documenting her efforts on Facebook on August 29, 2014. And, in one year, she managed to lose more than half her size, going from a 28 to a 12 (she did have weight-loss surgery to help her and then later additional surgery to remove her loose skin). Here’s what she credits to her success.
1. Starting small
Prescherer knew that exercise was important to her weight-loss success and says she started with daily walks or swims and trying to get in as much as she could in one hour.
2. Eliminate anything processed
She also says she changed what she ate and cut out processed foods and anything that came from a packet. Her typical daily diet consists of a protein shake for breakfast, a protein bar for a snack, an omelet or sushi for lunch and protein with vegetables for dinner.
3. Roll with the changes
After drastically changing her diet, Prescherer says regular food didin’t taste as fun as her previous high-sugar diet. It took her three months to retrain her body to learn what clean food tasted like.
4. Get motivated
Turning to social media to document her entire transformation, Prescherer says on the days when she couldn’t be bothered to go the gym, seeing a message of inspiration on Facebook or Instagram would push her to get her going. Even when the scale wouldn’t move, she would turn to social media for encouragement.
5. Set goals
Rather than focusing on how much weight she needed to lose, she bought a pair of size 16 jeans and looked at them every day. It was a big moment for her when she could finally put them on.
