'I Lost 96 Lbs. When I Figured Out My Daily Net Carbs And Did A 16:8 Fasting Diet'

From Women's Health

My name is Glori Boyd (@losing_glori), and I'm 37 years old. I have lived in northwest Georgia my whole life, and I currently work as a deputy tax commissioner. I do 16:8 intermittent fasting, eat within my net carbs, and walk 10,000 steps a day. I've now lost 96 pounds.

I have always struggled with my weight, even in my elementary school days. I remember having to wear sweatpants with elastic waists because my mother couldn’t find jeans or cute little girl pants that fit me.

I continued to have issues with my weight into my adolescent and teen years and beyond. I made fun of myself and made light of my weight to my friends before they had a chance to poke fun at me. And even in my adult life, my weight has gone up and down. Whenever I lost weight, it always went right back up, and even higher than before. At 27 years old, I found myself at the heaviest I had ever been, at 324 pounds.

The thing was, I had no problems with my health despite my weight issues. That was the case until I was about 28. At that point, I was married and had a son who was almost 4, and my husband and I decided we wanted to try for one more child. But I discovered that I dealt with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), which can cause weight gain and also lead to fertility issues.

My husband and I tried for a year and a half to have another child with no luck.

My doctors told me if I could lose weight, it would increase my chances of conceiving.

I didn't listen to the doctor's orders at the time. But through a lot of prayers, tears, and patience, I finally conceived twins in 2012. While pregnant, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Thankfully, I listened to my doctor’s orders that time around and was able to overcome it with diet changes at their guidance. I lost 50 pounds while pregnant with the twins, and they were born healthy. However, trying to get back to my normal lifestyle with two newborns and a 5 year-old, I gained all my weight back, plus some.

My final straw with my weight was in September 2019, when my husband and I went on a mission trip to Kenya.

My husband was to preach a weekend revival, and I was to host a women’s conference. The three plane rides to get there, countless hours of layovers, and the four-hour car ride to the mission field were excruciating. At that point, I weighed 294 pounds. My body just couldn’t go anymore. My feet and legs were swollen and numb and I was out of breath. When we returned, my legs, up to my knees, felt numb for days. I knew I had to make a change.

While in Kenya, I lost my first 11 pounds due to the difference in what I was eating there and all of the physical activity we were doing. This jump-started my motivation, and I just kept going on this journey.

When I returned home from Kenya, I kicked my weight loss efforts into high gear. I started to eat a low-carb diet with lots of green, fresh veggies, plenty of protein, and I drank lots and lots of water. I started an Instagram account for accountability, and I began to learn about lots of new eating methods and tweaks like intermittent fasting (IF).

In July 2020, I started incorporating IF into my life, and the inches started to fall off.

The 16:8 fasting schedule works best for me. I fast for 16 hours (7 p.m. to 11 a.m.), only drinking water during my fasting period and the occasional black coffee. I eat during an eight-hour window (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and I try to maintain a 1,500 calorie goal.

I also calculated a healthy amount of net carbs for my lifestyle and goals, and I do my best not to exceed 70 to 80 net carbs per day. I still treat myself to pizza, cake, chips, pasta, bread, and fries occasionally. I do not deprive myself from the foods I love—I am just more mindful of my choices and portion control.

Here’s what I eat in a day.

• Breakfast: I like to have a low-carb wrap with egg whites, real bacon bits, and shredded cheese.

• Lunch: I love a good batch of chicken salad for lunch alongside a small garden salad with light ranch dressing.

• Snacks: If I’m trying to stay away from carbs during snack time, then I lean towards mini peppers with cream cheese, sprinkled with Everything But The Bagel seasoning. I also like turkey pepperonis with cream cheese or shredded mozzarella.

• Dinner: Lean protein, veggies, and a carb. Something like seasoned baked chicken breast over a bed of brown rice and a side of broccoli, green beans, asparagus, or zucchini. I love coming up with different variations for dinner.

Dessert: I enjoy Halo Top ice cream. I also love sugar-free Cool Whip with sugar-free chocolate morsels. Fiber One bars never fail me when I’m having a sweet tooth craving either.

I have not started a regular workout routine yet, but I try to walk 10,000 steps per day. When I move more, I can definitely see huge differences in my results and how I feel.

These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight loss results.

• I started drinking plenty of water. WATER! WATER! WATER! It’s the key to my success when trying to live a healthy lifestyle and lose weight. The more water I drink, the less fluid build up my body has. Water keeps everything flowing and moving on a regular basis for me.

• I made sure I was eating *enough.* I can't stress this enough! For me personally, I stay within a 1,500 calorie goal each day. If you aren’t eating enough each day, your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every bit of energy (food) you put into it, I learned. Even if I'm doing intermittent fasting, I still make sure I’m consuming *all* my daily calories during my eating window. If I’m not intermittent fasting, then I eat about five times throughout the whole day, including snacks and meals.

• I started moving my body. It is so important to keep moving. I strive to reach my step goals each day. The more I move, the more successful I am in this journey. Even if it is walking circles in my kitchen, living room, or dining room, I just keep moving!

I also looked to my faith to help me on this journey, since my journey started while doing mission work. I started researching scriptures to help me, and my favorite is found in Corinthians 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

I have lost 96 pounds and counting.

I have energy that I didn’t have before. I play with my kids and I go on walks with my husband. I used to worry if I’d fit on amusement park rides, and I don’t have that fear anymore. There is so much freedom in living a healthy lifestyle and getting your weight under control.

At first, the thought of how much weight you need to lose may be daunting, but just take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and one pound at a time. Set small goals for yourself along the way. You will look back on your journey and be amazed at what you have accomplished. I speak from experience: I am so proud of my journey, both the struggles and the triumphs.

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