How Amy Moyta's wedding motivated her to lose 100 pounds: 'I did not want to be a size-22 bride'

Weight-Loss Win is an original Yahoo series that shares the inspiring stories of people who have shed pounds healthfully.

Amy Moyta is 29 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, and currently weighs 135 pounds. In 2016, as her wedding was approaching, she had a sudden realization that she didn’t want to be overweight anymore. This is her weight-loss story.

The Turning Point

Ever since I was young, I was overweight. My mother says she can recall the day I started gaining. I was in first grade and got sick, and after recovering I refused to eat until I had a chocolate-covered doughnut. From that time on, she says, I just continued to grow.

After high school in 2007, my weight skyrocketed from 175 pounds to nearly 250 pounds in almost a year. I never kept track of what I ate and was too afraid to keep a scale in my house. I was going through a really rough time and ate and drank in excess to comfort myself.

There were times when I would make progress trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, but I struggled with mental health issues that made it difficult. In 2016, I was still suffering from anxiety and depression. One day as I got out of the shower, I took a look at myself in the mirror. I saw my bloated face, the rolls, the “bat wings,” as they call them. Something inside of me snapped. I would be getting married in about five months and I did not want to be a size 22 bride. I was tired of hating myself, I was sick of living in fear of my anxiety. I was sick and tired of being fat and eating myself to death. That day was the day I decided to change.

The Changes

I started by getting a fast-food burger and taking off half of the bun. As I was looking to see how many calories I was saving without the bun, I came across the ketogenic website ruled.me. I read more into the keto diet (high fat, moderate protein, low carb) and thought, All the meat and cheese I want! No calorie counting! None of the things that caused me to fail in past diets! I cleared my house of carbs with the support of my fiancé. I started slow. Being a fast-food addict, my diet initially involved a lot of burgers without buns. Then I moved on to learning how to cook. When your main foods are meat and cheese, it’s pretty easy to learn! By the time my wedding rolled around, in May 2017, I had dropped almost 45 pounds using just the keto diet and no exercise. I went from a size 22 to a 16.

After my wedding, I decided I wanted to try to start running. I hated it at first. I would walk for two minutes, then run for 30 seconds, but I felt accomplished. I started going back to the gym. At first I ran super slowly but I learned to pick up speed and distance.

I used a Fitbit to track my exercise and food intake. I logged everything. I also bought myself a food scale so that I could weigh all of my food as well. After a couple days of doing this, I noticed I was not making progress. I did some research and decided to add healthy carbs back into my diet. I started using a CICO (calories in, calories out) approach instead of keto, and that’s where the Reddit community of r/loseit came in. They helped me along my journey and since then, I have lost the remainder of my weight through running, CICO, and recently, watching my macros as well. I am now working with a personal trainer to build muscle mass and help tighten up loose skin. She offers me great nutritional advice and I see so much improvement!

What kept me motivated was seeing the results and watching my clothing size shrink. I also saw my anxiety start to fade away. I felt happier. I enjoyed what I was eating, and it didn’t feel like a chore. I made sure to find healthy swaps for all my favorite foods and treats so that I didn’t feel like I was missing out — things like Quest bars, Cake Bites, and Healthy Life bread. I was on a journey of loving myself for the first time. My husband’s support through all of this has also kept me motivated. He is my biggest cheerleader.

The After

With the weight gone, I am a new person. My knees no longer hurt, I am not out of breath, I am no longer sleeping too much. I run 5Ks with ease, take over 15,000 steps a day, and love being active. I work out six days a week. I ran my first 5K race with my father a couple months ago and finished in under 29 minutes! I watch TV for maybe an hour or so a day.

I never knew I could be so happy. My anxiety is gone! No more medication, no more being kept in prison in my own home. I look forward to making plans, or being spontaneous. I have down days like anyone else, but my depression has drastically improved as well. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I am living. My husband convinced me to start a blog to help inspire others, as well as to keep me accountable.

The Maintenance

These days I am still working on finding a comfortable maintenance area while gaining muscle mass. I still eat low carb, using healthy swaps like cauliflower rice, Healthy Life bread, Flapjacked protein pancakes. I cook 90 percent of my meals and focus on macros more than anything else to help me reach my fitness goals. I still weigh all my foods and log everything I eat. I like to wake up each morning and map out everything I am going to eat for the day. It makes it easier to tell someone, “Sorry this just doesn’t fit in my budget for the day.” I pack my gym bag the night before. There are no excuses if everything is ready to go.

I practice weight lifting six days a week for 30-45 minutes followed by 20-25 minutes of running. On Sundays, I do distance running (running was my first exercise love). I take one day off a week, but since I am now so active I find it hard to sit still. I will usually use that day as a recovery stretching/yoga day.

I love feeling free from my anxiety. I like the way I look and feel. The gym has become my happy place. I want to keep feeling the way I do right now. I don’t want to go back to the depressed, anxiety-ridden, constantly tired me. I am kept motivated knowing I am healthy and have control of my life.

The Struggles

Every now and then I struggle with letting myself enjoy foods. It’s OK to go out to eat once a month or so and get the chicken basket. I have the right tools to get me back on track the next day. I have my husband here to remind me to enjoy a treat once in a while. I used to struggle with binge eating because I was depriving myself of things. Now I use healthy swaps so I don’t feel the need to get $50 worth of Chinese food.

Advice and Encouragement

You can do it. We all start somewhere. Take the bun off the fast-food burger. Get a food scale. Weigh and log everything. MyFitnessPal is a free app to get you started with logging. Don’t do everything at once and crash diet. Instead, start with getting your eating habits in order then consider some low-impact exercise. Weight loss is 80 percent nutrition and 20 percent everything else. We all fall off the wagon now and then. I have binged, but I went back to weighing and logging everything the next day. Don’t beat yourself up too much. Take progress pictures. Measure yourself. When I feel discouraged, I can look at my measurements and go, “Wow! I lost 24 inches in my hips alone!” It is not a race. It’s about creating healthy habits to last a lifetime.

Need more inspiration? Read about our other weight-loss winners!

Weight-Loss Win is authored by Andie Mitchell, who underwent a transformative, 135-pound weight loss of her own.

Have a weight-loss win to share? We want to hear it! Tell us at [email protected].

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