How One Woman Lost 88 Pounds

Growing up, 26-year-old KenDrea Mayes rarely weighed herself. She was always on the heavier side, but felt confident in her own skin, and preferred to base things off how her clothes fit. When her jeans or tops felt tight, she'd eat a little healthier to balance things out. But when a work health program gave her access to a free digital scale, she realized she had gained nearly 60 pounds since high school. A college diet of cheap fast food, all-nighters that led to excessive snacking, and drinks mixed with sugary sodas and juices on nights out had caught up to her. With a family history of diabetes, Mayes knew she it was time to change her eating habits, and in February 2017, she overhauled her diet and exercise routine. A bet with another coworker who was trying to get healthy served as extra motivation, and Mayes started researching the differences between a low-calorie and low-carb diet.

Mayes saw several success stories online from people who tried a low-carb approach, and decided to try Atkins. She was able to find all the information she needed to get started online, saving low-carb recipes and tracking her weight on her phone. Around the same time, she moved into her own apartment, which made it easier to get into the habit of cooking meals at home. Now, Mayes relies on Crock-Pot meals to get her through the week, and loves making gumbo, zucchini-noodle lasagna, and chili. She usually sticks to eggs and bacon for breakfast and chicken or fish with lots of veggies for dinner. As for snacks, she still eats guacamole, one of her favorites, but switched out chips for sliced bell peppers and celery. Along with cooking, exercise was a huge part of her lifestyle change, Mayes says, and her routine actually sounds pretty doable. She started by walking for an hour on her lunch break, and used her apartment gym to run on the elliptical for 30 minutes a few times a week. Within the first few weeks of changing her diet, Mayes saw the scale move. That was all the motivation she needed to keep going. Since February 2017, Mayes has lost 88 pounds, and is 12 pounds away from her goal weight. She's no longer pre-diabetic, and her cholesterol has gone down to a healthy level. She's also upped her exercise game — "I can't believe I'm a jogger now!" she jokes. Sure, there are days when Mayes misses bread, but she's gotten used to the low-carb life. And while she gets lots of comments on how different she looks, Mayes' confidence has remained the same. She encourages others who are losing weight to focus on the mental aspect as much as the physical, too.

Carve chicken and serve with the salad. Also good served cold. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on a large serving plate. Scatter over the red onion, sprinkle with half of the cracked black pepper and season with salt to taste. Heat a splash of oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Season the steaks with salt and the remaining cracked pepper and place them in the hot pan. Add the butter and let it brown and colour the steaks well. This will take 4-5 minutes. Flip the steaks over, add the lemon juice and cook, basting the meat with the lemony butter, for 1-2 minutes. Lift the steaks out of the frying pan on to a warm plate and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Drain off any liquid from the tomato plate. Scatter the mozzarella, basil leaves, sun-dried tomatoes and chilli over the tomatoes. Slice the beef against the grain and arrange it over the tomato salad. Pour over any juices that have accumulated on the steak plate too. Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil together and drizzle all over the salad. Grate over the Parmesan just before serving. Bavette, sometimes called skirt steak, has a fantastic flavour and is great value for money. But it can be tough if you overcook it, so make sure you keep it nice and pink. Of course, you can swap the bavette for sirloin or rib eye if you prefer. Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet (Absolute Press, £20, hardback).

Hi, i've been on the diet for two days now. Amazing how much I crave carbs! I can't believe all the fluid that is dumping off of my body. I'm thirsty all the time. If I wasn't on a diet I would swear I have the symptoms of diabeties! Makes me wonder if I have been so over loaded with carbs that maybe I have stored fluid for years now. Since I am a vegetarian I have modified a bit. I eat morningstar garden veggie patties and grillers. I looked for the highest protein and lowest carbs in each product.I did eat a slice of healthnut bread today and some pistachios so I'm hoping I can try to stay on track. This diet reminds me of the South Beach or Atkins diet. The difference I see is the fruit and probiotics. I've been very tired and thirsty but I'm also a flight attendant so that goes with the job!