Vivian McCall, 24, began engaging in extreme comfort eating following the death of both her parents.
Weighing 273lb at her heaviest, Vivian, from Ruidoso, New Mexico, lived on a diet of takeaways and drank eight cans of cola a day.
But when she struggled to fit in an plane seat, the venture capitalist realised she needed to make a dramatic change.
She managed to drop 125lb, nearly half her body weight, in just one year by overhauling her diet and exercising six days a week.
Vivian now weighs a healthy 148lb, never touches fizzy drinks, and guzzles down 2.9 litres of water a day.
Vivian said: ‘I was grief eating hardcore. I don’t even think I drank water.
‘I would skip breakfast every day and by lunch I’d be starving.
‘For lunch I’d get fast food. At McDonald’s I’d order a Big ‘N Tasty with a large order of fries and a large Coke.
‘For dinner it’d be the same thing. I’d get the number two at Taco Bell, which was an extra large double stuffed burrito with an extra taco on the side and some cinnamon balls.
‘For snacks, it’d be barbecue chips. I could eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream very easily in one sitting.’
Vivian made the decision to change her lifestyle in September 2019, after she had difficulty fitting into her airplane seat during a trip to California.
After just one year of intense exercise and a dietary overhaul she dropped to 148 pounds.
‘Now, I go to the gym six days a week with a rest day on Sunday,’ Vivian said.
‘I’m big into weightlifting and I do 30 minutes of cardio every day.
‘I also run three miles on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights outside the gym.’
Vivian’s diet has also changed dramatically – she only eats at set times and has cut out sugary drinks and gluten entirely.
‘I have eight hours of eating, from 10am to 6pm, followed by 16 hours of fasting.
‘I work out every morning at the end of my fast.
‘After working out, I have a fruit smoothie around 10am with mixed berries, almond milk, and protein powder.
‘A snack might be a cheese stick or bit of summer sausage, and dinner is always chicken or steak with some veggies.
‘I also stopped drinking soda.’
Just a few months into Vivian’s routine, she lost 40lb.
While she had a blip around the anniversary of her mum’s death, Vivian didn’t let that faze her and jumped right back into her plan.
She’s now in great shape and hopes to run a half marathon after the pandemic.
‘I’m just trying to make myself better everyday,’ Vivian said.
‘I have a really tiny bit of extra skin around my stomach, but I’m using wheat germ oil and it helps a lot.
‘My skin is tightening. I’ve seen stretch marks disappear.’
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