Real life weight loss: This woman lost 200lbs after her mom feared for her life

Kahlil Doucette, 27, from Canada, lost over 200lbs after being overweight her whole life. Her highest weight was 420lbs and she decided to have gastric sleeve surgery after her mom cried when she came home for the holidays. She since began using a sustainable, high-protein, low-calorie diet, along with a workout routine involving kettlebells, deadlifts and the best rowing machines in the gym, to keep the weight off. 

Kahlil told our sibling YouTube channel Truly: "I was told I wasn't going to live past 40. I was probably eating around 4,000-6,000 calories a day. I really wasn’t paying attention to what I was eating. I would diet at such a young age, and that’s when my binge eating disorder started to kick in."

Unsustainable, restrictive diets can be useful in terms of short term weight loss, but it can also develop problematic relationships with eating, as some studies have found a link with strict diets and “yo-yo dieting”, the process of losing, then putting weight back on again.  She had to drastically change her lifestyle. The content creator took control of her life and changed her eating habits and decided to join a gym. 

 Watch Kahlil’s weight loss journey here: 

After consulting her doctor, she embarked on gastric sleeve surgery after waiting three years for the procedure. 

“It took me two years to lose around 200lbs, and I’ve maintained my weight since then,” said Kahlil. 

“What I eat now is very protein-forward, with low carbohydrates and lots of vegetables. I try not to be too restrictive, as that’s when my binge-eating starts to come out, so I try and eat everything in moderation.“

Protein can help increase feelings of satiety in food, in addition to building up your muscles after a tough workout. If you’re looking to try something more filling rather than snacking on sugary treats, try a mid-afternoon shake with the best protein powder for weight loss. Coupled with regular exercise and a generally healthy diet, you should start to see improvements as Kahlil did.