Tabitha's 100-Pound Weight Loss All Started With This 1 Simple Diet Change

Growing up, home-cooked meals were a regular thing in Tabitha's house, but they weren't healthy, and soda was always stocked in the fridge. "Although not really overweight as a teen, I lacked confidence and already began to struggle with body image," she told POPSUGAR.

Tabitha said when she went to college, "the 'freshman 15' became a real thing for me. From there, my weight kept going up, and I continued to become more self-conscious."

After college, Tabitha had three children within five years (a single child followed by twins), and in 2013, she hit her heaviest weight at 26 years old. At 5'1", she was 220 pounds. Takeout, as well as quick and easy boxed or frozen meals, became her go-to.

Tabitha said that negative body image and poor self-esteem were at an all-time low, but she was also dealing with other issues. She suffered from constant headaches, bad anxiety, terrible bruising, trouble sleeping, and arthritis in her knees. "This was my breaking point! The pain was so bad, I could barely walk at times," she said. "I just kept thinking about how bad things would keep getting if I was to continue down this path. Would I even be able to run, play, and keep up with my kids as they grow older?"

By the time Tabitha was 27, she couldn't take it anymore and began looking for ways to lose the weight and regain better health. She tried Zumba through her Xbox, bought and began using a stationary bike, and tried jogging. She even signed up for a gym membership and did cardio every day, even though she struggled to enjoy it.

"I did lose about 20 pounds throughout these times of trial and error, but my efforts were all short-lived as I lacked motivation and enjoyment from these changes, and felt too restricted to continue on successfully," Tabitha said.

After she reached out to friends on Facebook for weight-loss help, a friend invited Tabitha to a Facebook group about counting macros. "I was completely oblivious to what a macro was," she said, and she slowly began to learn how to count her protein, carbs, and fats.

She calculated her macros to see what she should be eating in order to reach her goals. She then began by weighing and tracking her normal prediet intake. "I realized I was overeating fats and carbs while undereating protein, but was continuously eating too many calories in total," Tabitha explained.

Knowing what needed to change, Tabitha was able to start tweaking recipes with healthier and lower-calorie ingredients, and changing up what she ate for sides and snacks. She cut out fatty meats and focused on lean meat such as turkey and chicken. She began incorporating a lot more veggies and replacing previous processed side dishes that she used to make.

"The air fryer became my best friend because I could still enjoy crispy, crunchy foods, but with a lot less fat!" Her nightly snacks went from full-fat ice cream, milkshakes, and cookies, to enjoying a serving of Greek yogurt for the added protein. "Finally, I was able to learn how to enjoy meals, feel full, and become healthier while doing so," Tabitha said.

Here's a typical day of eating for Tabitha:

Breakfast: Egg white omelet made with three large egg whites, three links of turkey sausage, peppers, and onions, and one-eighth cup of mozzarella cheese with air-fried potatoes, wheat toast with light butter, and coffee with five grams of sugar and 60 milliliters of one-percent milk
Lunch: Caesar salad with romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, onions, mushrooms, croutons, extra virgin olive oil, and Caesar salad vinaigrette, topped with four ounces of grilled chicken
Dinner: Salsa fresca chicken (Pinterest recipe!): six ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast with pico de gallo, some cheddar cheese, and green onions on top, with half a cup of rice, and one cup of steamed green beans with half a teaspoon of light butter
Snacks: Post-workout protein shake: three-quarters cup nonfat Greek yogurt with one teaspoon strawberry preserves and one teaspoon mini chocolate chips

Tabitha admits that she was clueless about exercise and had no interest in it. In September 2016, through the Facebook group that introduced her to macros, she saw people posting these amazing transformation photos of women who were doing CrossFit. Although the cost deterred her, now at 200 pounds, she decided to do a trial class just to check it out.

"After my first class, I left with so many emotions. I was completely out of shape, sore, and tired, but I also felt so accomplished. I took a huge step and decided to join," Tabitha said.

At 200 pounds, she said she lacked any form of athletic ability, but was able to scale the workouts to her level. "All the coaches there constantly encouraged me and helped to keep me accountable both at the gym and with my nutrition," Tabitha said. "Between the coaches and community that rallied behind me during CrossFit classes and my eagerness to succeed, I began pushing myself harder than ever."

The coaches helped tweak her macros and as she continued to stay on track with her nutrition and workouts, she began to see the weight come off. On average, she was losing two pounds per week and Tabitha was feeling better with each day, both mentally and physically. "I started feeling strong for the first time ever, which was empowering. With each day that passed, I could do more physically than when I started and continued to see amazing progress," she said.

Tabitha committed to going to CrossFit four days a week. The other athletes in class totally inspired her with all they could do and she said, "It lit a fire under me. I wanted to do better! I was paying a hefty price for CrossFit, so it was important that I took this seriously." So she began going five to six days a week. Once she moved to Buffalo, she was even staying after class to work on extra skills.

Through eating well and exercise, Tabitha's health improved greatly. She was able to keep up with her kids, both at home and while playing outside.

About six months into her journey, and 50 pounds down, life took a drastic turn and she decided to move across the state. Determined not to let the extra stress and chaos affect her progress, Tabitha did her best to continue managing her nutrition and to get to the gym. She began going to CrossFit Buffalo, and this change of environment had her even more focused and ready to attack the rest of her weight. Tabitha said, "I had a goal set of 130, so I had 20 pounds left to go!"

Over the next five months, Tabitha was able to lose 30 more pounds. "For the first time in my life, I was a size 0, my headaches were almost nonexistent, my knees felt so much better, the crazy bruising I would have was gone, and my anxiety had decreased significantly," Tabitha said. "I never felt better and I knew it could only get better from there, as long as I kept working hard."

Since then, her goals have changed a lot. Tabitha continues to focus on better health, but she's also learned that she has the capability to change her mentality about her body image. "My body isn't just about a number on the scale," she said.

A little over a year into Tabitha's transformation, her goals changed. "I was no longer chasing fat loss, but instead building muscle," she said. Since then, the next year and a half were spent continuously learning how to improve her nutrition even more, become a better athlete, and keep reaching goals that she's continued to set for herself.

Here are just a few nonscale victories Tabitha experienced:

Tabitha's best advice is to find something you love doing physically. It doesn't have to be CrossFit, just get up and move more! As far as the nutrition goes, she says she knows counting macros isn't for everyone, "but I encourage those to make healthier food choices and slowly change their habits over time so that they may find continued success and sustainability!"

"I'm very thankful that I found what works for me," Tabitha said. "I'm 31 years old, happier and healthier than ever, and more confident in who I am — inside and out — than I ever have been."