By Scott Thompson
THIS WOMAN would EAT UNTIL SHE COULDN’T BREATHE until a physical examination revealed she weighed the same as TWO FULLY GROWN MEN and shocked her into halving her body weight – which led to friends accusing her of PURGING.
Banking executive, Adrianna Styer (23) from Orlando, Florida, USA was always obese. Even as a five-year-old she weighed 7st 2lb and would stuff her face with food at every turn.
Her father tried to limit what she ate, and she longed for him to leave the house so she could binge on fruit, juice and cookies.
Sitting at the dinner table Adrianna prayed others couldn’t eat their dinner so she could finish theirs as well as her own.  She was teased at school for her weight but managed to scrape through by intentionally being the funny one.
In June 2017Â she needed an examination for her health insurance and when she struggled her way up onto the scales, they tipped at 25st 13lb and she was a 30. Adrianna was brought to tears and knew she had to change her life.
First, she cut out sugary drinks and limited what she ate. She lost 3st 8lb in just a month which encouraged her to keep going and she started to eat much better foods which she made at home like eggs, lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbs. Next, Adrianna included an exercise regime of lifting weights and cardio four times a week.
By April 2018Â her hard work paid off and for the first time in her life she had her weight under control having more than halved her body weight at 12st 2lb and a UK size 12.
“I’ve been obese for my whole life. When I was only five, I weighed 7st 2lb,” said Adrianna.
“I was completely addicted to food and it was always in the back of my mind. I would always crave my next meal. My father tried to limit what I ate but my mother was a bit more lenient and would let me eat junk food. I remember waiting for my father to leave the house so I could binge on cookies.
“Every night when we sat for dinner I would finish my food before anyone else and I’d sit there hoping and praying for someone to be unable to eat theirs so I could finish it for them.
“Because of my size I was teased at school and called chubby, fat-ass, lard, piggy, oink and people used to snort at me. There were countless other insults too. To get through those days I used to purposefully be the funny one.
“When I left home, I was finally able to follow a strict meal plan which consisted of eating anything and everything I ever wanted. I would say I ate about 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day.
“I ate at every turn, constantly, in fact I ate until I couldn’t breathe. I even ate foods I didn’t like. You name it, I ate it. For breakfast I’d have two sandwiches from McDonalds and two hash browns, lunch would be an XL value meal from different fast food restaurants, dinner was Mexican or Steakhouse with chips and salsa and the biggest options on the menu.
“Although I was a little active at school doing basketball and playing the marching band, when I left school exercise was non-existent.
“In May 2017 I needed to have a physical examination for my health insurance. When I got on the scales and saw the reading of 25st 13lb I was absolutely shocked and disgusted in myself. I couldn’t believe it. I weighed the same as two fully grown men and was there wearing old granny style clothing because nothing else would fit me. I was a dress size 30. I couldn’t even look myself in the mirror, I wasn’t happy and did I already mention I was almost 26st.
“I broke down in tears and from that point on, I knew that I had to make some big changes in my life.
“I started by cutting out sugary drinks and limiting what I ate. I lost 3st 8lb in the first month. Next I started to eat extremely healthy. I’d eat things like eggs, lean turkey bacon, and lots of veggies to fill me up. I now eat about 1,200 calories a day.
“I didn’t really go to the gym in those first six months and I truly believe that 90 per cent of your success starts in the kitchen.”
Although most people were amazed at her progress and incredibly supportive, Adrianna was also accused of purging to lose weight and failed to convince them that she was losing weight in a healthy and natural fashion.
“It’s been a hard journey. One friend accused me of purging because I was losing so much weight and I tried hard to explain to her that I was losing my weight naturally and healthily,” she said.
“When I was at my largest, I’d started dating this guy. He was worried about me losing weight and getting male attention. He used to make me feel small and tell me I was skinny, and frail looking to try and stop my progress. I guess I carried on seeing him because I’d never really had love before.
“I now have James in my life, and he’s been incredibly supportive throughout this journey.
“Thankfully most people applaud me and praise my hard work. Many people don’t even recognise me anymore. People come to me for advice and tips on how they can lose weight too.
“Though I’m having the last laugh now. I’ve lost so much weight. I can fit into normal size clothing, I can sit in a chair without worrying it might break, I can go on rides, I am healthy, my blood pressure is down, I can walk upstairs. Nothing is holding me back anymore. I am finally alive, and I have so much energy.”
Adrianna offers advice to others on how they can lose weight too.
“You’ve got to start small. Believe me, those small changes add up to big results. Start by cutting out something you know is bad for you. Then incorporate another change,” she said.
“You can’t cut cold turkey, or it will never work. Remember that this is a journey and not a race. If those scales aren’t moving as fast as you’d like, please be patient.
“Make sure you take lots of progress pictures along the way so you can see your results. Make friends with like-minded people because having support is important too.
“Most importantly do this for yourself. Don’t lose weight for anyone else. You can do this and by the way, being healthy feels so amazing.”
Here is a link to the contributor’s Instagram.
