By Scott Thompson
THIS WOMAN didnât care about being overweight until she had her first child and realised she couldnât keep up with her â so in a bid to be a BETTER MUM she lost over SEVEN STONE.
Hairstylist, makeup artist and mother of two, Ali Bruch (27) from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA has always been overweight. Even when she was in middle school, she was obese and would binge eat.
Ali was confident growing up and didnât let her weight bother her. It wasnât until she saw photos of herself that she was shocked at how large she actually was.
But, at the time, Ali wasnât prepared for the hard work that comes with losing weight.
Ali and her husband Jacob Bruch (30) have two children Myra (5) and Mackston (1). With her first born, because Ali was 19st 4lb and a dress size 22, she was unable to physically keep up with her daughter.
By 2017 Ali decided she had to make big changes and drop the pounds so she could be active with her child.
Ali adopted a keto diet which means she mostly eats fat and protein and keeps her carbohydrate intake under 20g per day as a way for her body to burn fat at an exceled rate.
She also incorporated intermittent fasting, so she only eats her meals between 12:00 and 18:00.
After 15 months she managed to bring her weight down to 12st 1lb and a dress size eight.
âI just really didnât care about my weight. I was even overweight as a child,â Ali said.
âI was always pretty confident, even back then and it didnât really make me think until I saw pictures of myself. I would say, âHmm is that really what I look like?â.
âBut I knew weight loss was hard and I wasnât ready to confront it so I just got on with life and carried on eating the same as before.
âIâd always binge on over 3,000 calories worth of pizzas, burgers, crisps and sweets and never think twice about it.
âWhen I had my first child I realised I couldnât keep up with her. I was always out of breath running around after her and playing with her. I just had no energy and I knew I had to change. I wanted to be the best self I could be for my daughter.
âI decided to change my diet and follow a keto diet. I now keep my carbohydrates below 20g a day and I eat about 1,400 calories a day.
âI do eat a dirty keto diet though and my foods consist of things like eggs, bacon, sausage, loaded veg, taco salads, ham and pickles, whipped cream with berries, lunch meats, chicken wrapped in bacon, burgers with mayo and cheese but no buns and low carb chocolate bars.
âI also intermittent fast so I only eat my meals between 12:00 and 18:00.
âI donât exercise apart from being active running around after my two children, but Iâve still managed to get right down to 12st 1lb and only want to lose about another 1st 6lb.â
Although Ali has had a few negative remarks from others telling her sheâd look better if she was thinner, she feels very lucky to have a partner who loved her even when she was bigger and he has supported her journey the entire way.
âBack when I was on the dating scene men would tell me Iâd be so pretty if I lost weight,â Ali continued.
âMy husband has been fantastic. He liked me even when I was bigger and met me at my heaviest. Heâs been my biggest supporter and advocate and heâs even lost 1st 11lb himself.
âLosing the weight has changed my life so much. I can run around with my children and keep up with them. Iâm not tired all the time. I have a newfound motivation that I never had before.
âIâve also learnt a lot about myself. I have learnt that I am so much stronger than I believed and Iâm so proud that Iâve managed to bring myself back down to the weight I was in seventh grade!
âWhen people see me now they say things like âoh my god you look amazing! What have you been doing?â
âYou need to make sure youâre starting out with the right mind set and that you are really ready to give this your 110%.
âWeight loss is hard, we all know this, thatâs why people fail. Be sure you have a really good support network around you because they can really lift you up or tear you down. But also remember to figure out what works best for you as it might not be the same as what worked for someone else.
âDonât forget to treat yourself, weight loss is about balance, make sure youâre still enjoying life while on your journey. Donât look at this as a diet, look at it as a lifestyle change.
âFinally donât focus on weight, focus on how you feel.â
Follow Ali on Instagram.
