How Annette Dropped 165 Lbs and Transformed Her Life

Annette Svendsen lost a massive 75 kg (165 lbs) transforming her life and opening up her future.

 

Here are her top tips for succeeding on your health journey:

1. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t or that it isn’t possible, you can.
2. Enjoy what you eat and what you do.
3. Don’t try and walk in other’s footsteps. Find the way that works for you, stick to it even when it get’s bumpy, and trust yourself, no-one knows you better than you do.

Read her story below.

Coming from a family that suffered from diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and cancer; morbidly obese Annette thought her life was deemed to follow the same cycle, and having been overweight since early childhood, the odds weren’t exactly stacked in her favor.

Then one night 3 years ago, a benign heart pain got her attention and was the push she needed to make a change.

“At first I was settled on having a Gastric Bypass, but it fell through,” says Annette, “I’d lost the weight necessary to get my doctor to send out the application, but I still wasn’t fulfilling the requirements necessary to get the surgery. I felt defeated.”

This was the turning point.

“At first, I was hopeless all over again. How was I going to shift all that weight on my own? But then I thought about it. I’d already crossed the first hurdle of 11 kg (24 lbs) and because I’d been using Lifesum instead of following a strict diet, I was also learning. Now I knew about portion sizes, nutritional values, the calorie intake I needed, and the calorie content in all my favorite foods. I’d also learned how to make all my favorite meals, cakes and snacks in a healthy way and I was still enjoying them. All I had to do was continue.”

So she did. “I decided to show everyone, including myself, that I could do this thing. No more excuses, no more letting anyone tell me it could not be done or I was not worthy. For the first time in my life I really wanted something and I wanted it for myself. I was going to be healthy and have a future, no matter what.”

Annette lost a total of 75 kg (165 lbs) over the course of a year and a half, and her BMI dropped from 49.5 to 20.9, but it wasn’t an easy process.

“I struggled the most with goal-setting. I kept thinking about the end goal instead of the journey. I got frustrated when I thought about how many kilos I still had left to lose – it felt impossible. I found a solution: focusing on the enjoyment I was getting out of life – the good food I got to eat, the fact that I had more energy and could move around more. This became the key to my success, shifting my mindset from weight loss to  lifestyle, no longer relying on the scale as a sign of progress, but instead enjoying all that a healthier lifestyle had to offer.”

“The best thing about this journey is the the life I have now. At the end of the day [kilos] are just numbers on a scale. Now I have better mobility, I’m more active, I’m not afraid of being outside or people yelling insults in the street. My self-confidence has grown and I’m getting more out of life than I ever was before.”

Annette, we’re so glad that Lifesum helped you take control of your life and make the changes necessary to achieve a healthier, happier and more confident lifestyle. Well done!

You can follow Annette on Instagram at: @asbeanie

If you’d like to share a story on how you got healthier, lost weight or gained weight, send your story to: contact@lifesum.com