This is the natural weight loss transformation of Tracie Boyle who was able to lose weight naturally by doing it the nutrient rich way, after years of hopping from one nutrient poor diet to another.
We met Tracie at the North Jersey Nutritarian Meet Up at The Lifestyle Coaching Center in Livingston NJ, were we socialize around eating nutrient rich, nutrient dense foods and have a lot of fun. It was there that Tracie shared her story of natural weight loss transformation by eating a nutrient rich diet.
She tells her story below; she shares what inspired her and the book that really started it all for her, and has even provided her cooking blog where Tracie Cooks Stuff, and you can see what foods she’s eating.
Here’s her story:
Most people don’t know the day their life changed, but I do: May 17, 2008.
Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal protection organization, was having their annual gala and since there was going to be some celebrities in attendance, which we liked, my friends and I decided to go and check them out on the red carpet.
Little did I know that the events of that day would change my life forever.
A little history: Sometime between the ages of 10 and 11, I began to gain weight and continued to gain (and lose) for most of my teenage and adult years. My weight never prevented me from enjoying my high school years; I had great friends, participated in the high school band, plays and other activities but it did prevent me from stepping out of my comfort zone, taking chances and continued to do so even after I graduated.
Throughout my 20’s, I had a good group of friends but there were so many things that I had wanted to do but didn’t because of my weight; it was holding me back from who I could be. Over the years, I had tried a bunch of different diets but none worked long term. Most of my family is overweight, so eventually I figured that it was part of my biology and that there wasn’t anything that could be done about it.
By the time I hit 30, in January 2008, I weighed around 210lbs (I’m 5’7″) and was going through a really rough patch. I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what that ‘something’ was.
Then I went to the gala.
Shortly after arriving, we met up with two other people that were also there for the gala, and spent the afternoon hanging out together. At one point, one of the guys mentioned a book called “Skinny Bitch”. I remember laughing at the name and thinking “Who would name a book that?” but the name stuck with me and mentally filed it away for later.
A few hours later, the gala let out and one of attendees randomly handed me his goodie bag which was a Matt & Nat shopping bag filled with tons of vegan goodies: cookies, a water bottle, VegNews, snacks, shirt, chocolate and lots of other stuff.
We had a great time and wound up meeting some awesome celebrities, but due to some poor planning, found ourselves stuck overnight in New York City until 5am the next morning. I spent the rest of the night, at Port Authority, immersing myself in VegNews and checking out the other items in the bag.
I was inspired.
The next day, I went to the bookstore and bought “Skinny Bitch“. I finished reading it in about a day and it made me want more – more information, more out of life – just more. I don’t jump into anything blind, so I spent the next two weeks doing my own research on veganism, weight loss, general health and nutrition and figured out a plan that I thought would work for me. I made the decision to stop dieting and change my life by changing my lifestyle.
I started to pay attention to what I was putting into my body, ate normal portion sizes, began to choose healthier options (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and other plant based foods) and made a bunch of other little changes that wound up adding up to something bigger. {she transitioned to a nutrient rich diet and improved her lifestyle}
I didn’t go into this expecting to lose weight – I just wanted to be healthy – but one year later, I was down 70 lbs and everything changed. I was truly, genuinely happy for the first time in my life. My weight no longer was holding me back, I was getting out there and trying new things, discovered a love of clothes shopping and had become more conscious of the things going on around me and what I was putting into my body. I never felt like I was giving anything up or depriving myself.
Now, well into my 2nd year, I’ve maintained that weight loss and have continued my quest for knowledge by reading whatever new and old information I can about health, nutrition and overall well-being.
My mission is now to help people to change their lives by changing the way they think about food. I didn’t have a personal trainer or dietitian. I didn’t deprive myself or go on a fad diet. I just learned how to eat. Food is fuel and in order for our bodies to run efficiently, we have to put in the best ‘fuel’ that we possibly can. If we put crappy foods with empty calories into our bodies, how can we expect for it to run efficiently? You’re going to feel sluggish and depressed. But if you put good foods, full of nutrients into it, you’re going to feel energized and happy.
I often wonder where I’d be now if I hadn’t gone to that gala or been told about Skinny Bitch or the random stranger hadn’t given me bag or I hadn’t been stuck in NYC overnight but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and those events set me on my current path and I couldn’t be happier. I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds and continuing on this path, one step at a time.