I have struggled with my weight since high school due to hormonal imbalances, unlucky genetics, and a love for carbs. I was able to manage my weight until I began working full time as a nurse and often would go all day without eating due to patient care. By the time I would get home, I would be starving and grab whatever was quick and easy. I also started having musculoskeletal issues from being on my feet at work, so exercise became harder. In 2020, I enrolled in my PhD program and found myself behind a computer all day. As work and school became all encompassing, my weight started to creep up, and I found myself in restrictive eating patterns.
I spent the summer of 2023 in Knoxville and didn’t bring my scale with me. When I went back home three months later, I got on my scale and literally convinced myself that it had to have been broken because there was no way I had gained that much weight. I freaked out, called my endocrinologist and told him that something had to be wrong. He did my labs and politely told me that I was fine and needed to get it together. I had seen Betsy on social media and heard about her through mutual friends, so I called her the same day.
Betsy sat me down and helped me reset, learn how to eat again, keep my blood sugar at a steady level, and how to improve my relationship with food. Instead of restricting myself and feeling guilty every time I ate something, she taught me how to see food as fuel. She was the support and accountability I needed, my angel on my shoulder helping me be intentional in my food choices throughout my day.
Three weeks after I started with Betsy, I got engaged and knew I wanted to look and feel my best on my wedding day. Nine months later, I was my lowest weight that I had been in years, 27 pounds down.
Betsy has never judged me or made me feel like a failure, but she isn’t afraid to tell me when I need to put my big girl panties on and deal with it. I’m so grateful for what she has done for me. I’m still working towards my healthiest self, but I know I couldn’t have done it without her.
