Taylor Lost 70 Pounds in Less Than 7 Months — It All Began With These 30-Minute Workouts

Taylor has battled with her weight for as long as she can remember. "I've always been an emotional eater, so I use food to help me deal with sadness or stress but also when I'm happy and want to celebrate." Taylor added, "I also just love to eat, so overconsumption and portion size were always problems for me."

When Taylor was in high school, she became really self-conscious about her weight. She tried different programs, but they were so restrictive that she'd end up giving up after one week and gaining back everything she lost plus more. In college, she put on even more weight — more than the average freshman 15.

As a sophomore, Taylor decided she was going to get on a diet and fitness routine and stick to it. "Unfortunately, I was so set on losing the weight that I went from one extreme (overconsumption and using food to cope with my problems) to another (restricting my eating, overexercising, and skipping meals altogether). It worked — I lost 70 pounds but developed disordered eating along the way," Taylor shared.

"I started binge-eating about six months into this diet," Taylor explained. "It was really scary because I didn't understand what was happening to me. What a lot of people don't realize about BED [binge-eating disorder] is that it is different from overeating. When I was having a binge episode, I would completely lose control and eat anything; it didn't matter what it was. Most of the time, it was 4,000 to 6,000 calories in one sitting, so as you can imagine, at times I would get physically sick afterwards." Taylor added, "To make matters worse, after binging, I would overexercise to try to fix what I had done or restrict my calories the following day to under 1,000, which at the time I didn't realize is what would cause me to binge again."

Taylor battled with BED for almost a year after losing the weight, and it had some severe repercussions. She gained weight quickly, lost muscle mass, and eventually had to get her gallbladder removed because her body couldn't process fat. She ended up returning to her old ways of overconsumption and avoided exercising as she recovered, which led her to gain back 90 pounds throughout the remainder of college and into her career.

When Taylor graduated from college, she started a career in a stressful field and continued to use food to cope. She didn't exercise either and justified it with her busy schedule.

She began thinking about trying to lose weight again when she started experiencing health scares. "My blood pressure was really high, and I would get completely winded climbing a small flight of stairs at the office or even by just walking. I was only 25," Taylor shared.

The breaking point was when she took a trip to Greece with her best friends in the Summer of 2018. She couldn't keep up with them when walking and struggled with airplane seating. Taylor told POPSUGAR, "When I got home, I knew I had to make a change but was scared to go down the same path as last time."

Taylor's highest weight was 300 pounds, but when she started her weight-loss journey on Aug. 17, 2018, she was 295. In just under seven months, she was able to lose 73 pounds. Here's how she did it.

Taylor didn't follow a specific diet because she found removing or restricting things from her diet triggered old habits. What she did (and still does) instead is opt for healthier options, making sure it fits within her daily calories. For example, she'll order a burger but with a side salad vs. fries and a soda. "The only thing I try to follow diet-wise is making sure what I'm eating will keep me full, so lots of protein and healthy fats with filling carbs," Taylor said.

One of the biggest takeaways she wants to share about diet is to make sure you're eating enough for your size. "When I tried to lose weight the first time, I was 270 pounds and eating around 1,200 to 1,300 calories a day. I was eating at a dangerously low caloric deficit every day for six months, so my body essentially thought it was starving," Taylor shared. For comparison, now that Taylor is at 223 pounds, she eats around 2,200 calories to lose weight. "When I lose 10 pounds, I recalibrate my calories based on my new size. This has helped me prevent binging while making my weight loss sustainable," Taylor said.

Taylor aims to eat mainly high-protein, high- to mid-carbs, and lower-fat, but she doesn't restrict anything. "If I want pizza, I make sure it fits within my calories and enjoy it," Taylor said. Here's a typical day of eating for Taylor:

Breakfast: protein overnight oats with fresh fruit and peanut butter. It's roughly 450 to 550 calories, and her recipe offers 35 grams of protein. On weekends, she sometimes makes protein pancakes, which have roughly the same amount of calories but more protein.

Lunch: open-faced sandwich (usually tuna salad or turkey) with avocado and hot sauce with a side salad or veggies. It's roughly 600 to 750 calories (depending on what dressing she uses for the salad and if she adds croutons or adds mayo to the tuna) and roughly 30 grams of protein.

Dinner: Taylor likes to mix it up. For a quick dinner, she likes making breakfast foods like an omelet with bacon, a ton of veggies, and some cheese. Calories are again around 550 to 600, and the protein is 25 to 30 grams. She also loves making homemade taco bowls with shredded chicken, cheese, rice, lettuce, avocado, salsa, and hot sauce. The calories for this sometimes run a bit higher, depending on the size, about 650 to 750, and protein is 25 to 30 grams.

Snacks: "I love snacks. My go-to is Angie's Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn because it's only 35 calories per cup." She also like yogurts with some almonds (200 calories), FiberOne Brownies (90 calories per brownie), or a few scoops of CoolWay low-calorie ice cream (only 320 calories for the whole tub).

When Taylor first started working out at 295 pounds, she did 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical or treadmill roughly three to four times a week. "I did what I could at the time, and small changes added up." Taylor said that since then, she's increased her workouts to five to six times a week. Her workouts are anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.

"I am constantly trying new things so that I don't get bored," Taylor shared. Some of her favorite workouts are cycling, kickboxing, swimming, and weightlifting. "On days where I don't feel like doing a full workout, I revert back to my 30 minutes on the elliptical. Everything counts," Taylor said.

Here's a list of nonscale victories Taylor has experienced:

Taylor's biggest motivator is her health; having those health scares at 25 really put things into perspective for her. She's also worked to change her relationship with food so she doesn't need to motivate herself to stick to it, adding, "I eat foods that I enjoy so I never feel like I'm just waiting for the diet to be over."

She's also changed her mindset about fitness. "Before, I used exercise to punish myself for what I ate that day. Now, I use it to get fit, sleep better, and improve my stamina."

Taylor does workouts she enjoys and tries to go with friends to make it even more fun. On days when it's hard to feel motivated to work out, she doesn't beat herself up, "because it happens." What she does instead is try to incorporate some form of exercise, like a long walk with a friend or just 15 to 20 minutes of quick movement to get her heart rate up.

What's Taylor's biggest piece of advice? To be nice to yourself. "Life is about more than just being on a diet, so make sure you're not following a program that makes you unhappy because it won't last." Work on creating a lifestyle you can maintain after the weight is gone. Also, don't be afraid of having a few things off plan once in a while. Eat that piece of cake on your birthday and enjoy drinks with your friends. "Don't be scared to live your life," Taylor said. We totally agree!

Taylor wants to continue to work on her relationship with food and fitness. "I still have days where I struggle mentally after eating something higher in calories, so I want to get to a place where I no longer overthink about what I'm eating," Taylor said.

She also has a goal weight in mind. "I'd love to reach 160 pounds, so I still have 63 pounds to lose," Taylor shared. She's documented her entire journey on Instagram (@tayshrinksdown) and will continue to post as she goes.