Mother, 33, drops nearly 50kgs in one year after ditching unhealthy eating habits
A mother who was drinking up to two litres of sugary soft drinks every day dropped nearly 50kgs in one year after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
Mum-of-two Katie Gourlay, 33, from South Gippsland, decided to embark on a healthier lifestyle after reaching her heaviest weight of 102kgs in early March 2021.
Having tried countless diets in the past, Katie decided to undergo weight loss surgery and found that making healthier choices was far easier following the procedure.
After cutting back on carbs, ditching her sugary drink addiction and controlling her emotional eating, Katie managed to drop from a size 24 to size 8 in just one year, now weighing 53kgs.
Support worker Katie Gourlay, 33, from South Gippsland, admitted that she was ‘addicted’ to soft drinks and feels better than ever after losing half her body weight and ditching high-sugar beverages
Mum-of-two Katie Gourlay, 33, from South Gippsland, Australia, felt sluggish after reaching her heaviest weight of 102kgs in early March 2021
After cutting back on carbs, ditching her sugary drink addiction and controlling her emotional eating, Katie managed to drop from a size 24 to size 8 in just one year, now weighing 53kgs
Support worker Katie, who is mum to boys Riley, 11, and Xavier, 17, admitted that she was ‘addicted’ to soft drinks and feels better than ever after ditching high-sugar beverages.
‘I was addicted to Coca-Cola, and I would drink 1.5L to 2L a day. I can’t imagine what that would have done to my stomach if I had kept going’, she said.
‘I’m an emotional eater so if I was bored, I would eat, if I was happy, I’d eat, if I was sad, I would eat. I just got lazy and was eating when I was stressed and bored and with every emotion.
‘Literally all day I would snack on chips, chocolate, cakes, whatever I could get my hands on.
Katie says that at her heaviest weight, she would drink 1.5L to 2L of sugary soda a day and would eat carb-heavy foods when she was feeling emotional, rather than when she was hungry. She is now more confident than ever after managing to drop from a size 24 to size 8 in just one year, now weighing 53kgs (right)
The mum says that at her heaviest weight of 102kgs the family were eating pasta for dinner four nights a week and would often go back for seconds
Having tried countless diets in the past, Katie decided to undergo weight loss surgery and found that making healthier choices was far easier following the procedure
‘For dinner I used to eat a lot of pasta, we were having pasta meals four nights a week. And my meals were as big as my husband’s and I would go back for seconds.
‘Now, I don’t really eat a lot of pasta or bread anymore, I only eat it once a fortnight or once a month. It was such a bad lifestyle. I still am an emotional eater, but I just choose what I eat.
‘And I now drink Pepsi-Max which is zero calories, but I only have a can a day.’
Katie, who is mum to boys Riley, 11, and Xavier, 17, says she would cook her family carb-heavy means and that she and her husband would go back for seconds
Before undertaking her weight loss journey, Katie would often feel embarrassed and shy away from social events – but now a slender size eight at 53kgs Katie feels more confident than ever and loves going out
Before undertaking her weight loss journey, Katie would often feel embarrassed and shy away from social events.
She said: ‘I didn’t even want to go outside; I didn’t want to go to birthdays or events or even out to dinner with family or friends.
‘I didn’t want people to look at me. I didn’t feel comfortable, I didn’t like myself, so I thought that no one else would like me if I don’t like me.
‘I just didn’t want to be out. I was not living my life at all I was just existing at the point.
‘I now want to go out, and my husband calls me a social butterfly.’
After attempting a plethora of diets, Katie found herself in a cycle of weight gain, deciding to undergo gastric sleeve surgery in March of 2021.
To keep her motivation high, Katie began an Instagram account which has gained over 4K followers throughout her journey.
She said: ‘Once I told my GP that I was thinking of the gastric sleeve surgery, she said straight away, ‘that’s a fantastic idea, here’s your referral’.
‘She was really on board, I think she was happy that I said I wanted it, and it was just time to take that stand.
‘I had tried so many diets, diets after diets, and they worked but then as soon as I stopped, I gained weight again
‘If I didn’t go down the surgery path, I could just see a future with health problems or early death.
‘When I see before and after photos now, I’m just shocked but am so proud.
‘My motivation comes from trying to be a good role model on my Instagram for others but also showing that it’s not always going to be perfect.
‘Now that I’ve lost the weight, I feel much healthier, I have a heap more energy.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk