Losing weight is tough but when you weigh over 300 pounds, whether it be male or female, that fitness journey to shed all that fat can become an arduous and monumental hurdle to overcome. But despite the inherent mental and physical toll that it requires to lose over 150 pounds, Amanda ‘Mandie’ Wood was able to accomplish her goal. It was in the fall of 2015 when she decided to change her life around.
In an interview with Popsugar, Amanda said: ‘there honestly wasn’t any ‘aha’ moment. I just got tired of feeling invisible all the time. One thing that I don’t think a lot of people realize is the larger you are, the more invisible you are to others.’
At the time, Mandie was 35 years old and weighed over 375 pounds. She was a size 28 at the time and more than two years later, and armed with the three tips that her nutritionist gave her, Mandie was able to shed over 150 pounds at 37 years old! Amanda said that a family doctor referred her to a nutritionist and this nutritionist offered her three tips. The first is portion size: determining the appropriate portion size for your needs. The second is: how to lower your caloric intake, and finally the third is to combine those two tips into an adherable and sustainable eating habit.
Amanda said: ‘I follow balanced macros, which for me means that I try to ensure I am getting 35 percent of my calories from carbs, 25 percent of my calories from fat, and 40 percent of my calories from protein.’ Macros simply mean macronutrients and there are four: protein, fat, carbohydrates and alcohol. Amanda said that a typical day of eating for her would involve eggs and oatmeal for breakfast, a protein shake for a midday snack, a chicken caesar salad or turkey meatballs for lunch and some lean protein and veggies for her dinner. She also said that she implements greek yogurts, fruits, and pepperoni sticks as snacks throughout the day sometimes.
In terms of her physical activity, Amanda said: ‘to be honest, I had tried the gym a few times before and just never felt comfortable. I didn’t enjoy working out and felt that everyone was judging me, so I always ended up quitting.’ She admitted that she started taking the gym seriously after losing the initial 60 to 70 pounds and then she hired a personal trainer to help her out.
Amanda said: ‘I ended up hiring a personal trainer, which was a great investment. She was able to show me lots of different bodyweight exercises, teach me proper form for different exercises, and overall just gave me so much more confidence in going to the gym. Now going to the gym is one of my favorite times of the week — I love pushing myself to try new things and heavier weights!’
On her Instagram where Amanda documents her fitness journey she showcases her exercises at the gym, her daily meals and a hearty amount of inspirational and motivational quotes. She said that the tips the nutritionist gave her really helped her build a healthy eating lifestyle. ‘I will go out for drinks with friends or have a grilled cheese for lunch if that’s what I want to do, but I won’t do it every day. I can indulge within reason without throwing my goals completely off track.’
