This Mom Lost 90 Pounds In 10 Months By Counting Calories And Doing Strength Workouts
My name is Jessica Pilcher (fattofit_jpilch), and I am 31 years old. I live in North Texas, and I am an esthetics instructor and makeup artist. After gaining weight during my two pregnancies and keeping it on after, I counted calories to stay in a calorie deficit and got hooked on upper-body workouts after overcoming my fear of lifting weights at the gym.
Growing up, I was always super active, so my weight wasn’t really an issue. I had my first child at 21, and during that pregnancy I gained 101 pounds. I struggled with depression and body image for about two years after giving birth.
Then I started crash dieting and doing at-home workouts. I lost about 75 pounds, then got pregnant with my second. With him, I only gained 65 pounds, but I was right back where I started and felt defeated.
Over the next six years I just continued to gain. My weight reached 278 pounds. Last November, after seeing a picture of myself, I decided enough was enough. I couldn’t believe it was me. I needed to take back control of my life and I knew immediately I needed to make a change.
I decided to start counting calories and stay in a calorie deficit.
I landed on the concept of calorie counting from TikTok. I would constantly hear “calorie deficit” on health and fitness personalities’ pages, so I looked up what that meant, and how to calculate mine. Simply counting calories works for me because it’s flexible. I’m not restricting myself, so I don’t feel guilty if I have something that’s not necessarily nutritious as long as it’s within my calorie goal.
I used calculator.net to figure out how many calories I actually burn in a day, so I could make sure I eat fewer to be in a deficit for weight loss, then I downloaded the Lose It! app to track my food intake. I just started counting everything. I got a ton of great low-cal food ideas from Pinterest and TikTok and I started drinking a gallon of water every day. We also stopped eating out as often.
Here’s what I eat in a day now.
Breakfast: Two Kodiak Cakes waffles or egg whites with bacon, ham, cheese and salsa.
Lunch: I’m too busy to meal prep, so I typically do a Lean Cuisine or one of the other healthy brand frozen meals for lunch.
Snacks: I really like Alani Nu bars, Quest chips, and Twin Peaks jalape?o cheddar protein puffs.
Dinner: Some sort of meat and vegetables.
Dessert: A mini ice cream sandwich.
I started working out right away, but I had no idea what I was doing.
I would typically get on the elliptical for an hour while I watched an episode of whatever show I was watching at that time, then do all the arm and leg machines on alternating days. I was so afraid to use the free weights around other gym goers, so I didn’t go over to that area of the gym for about four to five months into my journey. But eventually I did.
Right now Tuesdays and Thursdays are rest days, Wednesday is full body, Friday is a pull day, Saturday is glutes and hamstrings, Sunday is another push day, and Monday is quads. I really like upper body work now. I love how strong I feel!
These three changes have led to my weight loss success.
I changed my view on food. I stopped viewing food as just pleasure. I also started seeing it as fuel for my body. I stopped thinking food was either a punishment or reward. Food is fuel, period. Do I still enjoy it? Absolutely! But that’s not its main purpose for my anymore.
I bought a gym membership. I have a bad habit of giving up when I don’t see results immediately, but I’m also super cheap. Because I was under contract after purchasing a membership and paying money, I got my butt up and went. I definitely got my money's worth!
I stopped wanting to be skinny and started thinking about being strong and healthy. When I started, I just wanted to be thin so badly. I no longer have that want in my heart. I’m smaller of course, but I want to be strong. My muscles have curves and my body is healthy. That’s what I want.
I’ve been working out consistently for 10 months and I’m down 90 pounds.
The number of people who have reached out to me and told me that I motivated them to start is genuinely one of the most amazing things ever. It’s been amazing to be able to show my kids and people around me that if you really want something, you can achieve it if you put in the work! This journey has changed my life in the best of ways.
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