But here's the thing—I felt like I'd already tried every diet in the book, all with the same outcome. I'd white knuckle my way through a calorie deficit, feel like I was starving, and inevitably binge. My body and my brain were working against me, and I was so tired of failing.

I'd heard information about GLP-1s, but when I broached the topic with my PCP, she shut me down hard and made me feel like I was looking for the easy way out. Instead of wallowing, I found another provider who actually took me seriously and understood that this was about so much more than simple willpower. 

My Story: From Diet Hopping to Food Freedom 

I was the kid who got put on diets in elementary school. I learned early on that my body wasn't quite right, that it needed fixing, that I needed to be smaller to be acceptable. By sixth grade, I'd figured out that starving myself was the fastest way to get there; that's when the yo-yo'ing really began.

Middle school. High school. College while raising a baby and studying Biotechnology. The same exhausting cycle: restrict, lose 70 pounds, gain it all back. I did it for my wedding in 2010, walked down the aisle lighter, then walked into my first anniversary heavier than I'd ever been.

Then came graduate school. A second baby. Boards. A new nursing career. A move. My child's autism diagnosis. Life kept coming, and food became the one thing I could control...or at least, I thought I could. Food was my dopamine hit, my comfort, and my escape all rolled into one.

I didn't even realize that it had also become my prison.

I remember the moment everything shifted. I had been avoiding doctor's visits because I was so afraid to be weighed. During a routine physical, my blood pressure was extremely high. My labs came back in a way that made it impossible to ignore: if I didn't change something, I was going to lose my life.

I kept thinking about that phrase we throw around as parents: "I'd die for my kids." But would I live for them? Would I actually do the hard, uncomfortable, unglamorous work of staying here?

So I decided that yes; yes I would. 

For the first time in my life, the food noise quieted. My appetite normalized. I could track my food without feeling like I was in a constant battle with my own body. I told myself that I'd initially just focus on eating in a calorie deficit without the overwhelming urge to overeat. 

Then I added walking. 

Then I learned what it actually takes to lose fat while preserving muscle.

Then I learned about protein. Fiber. Progressive overload. Strength training. I fell in love with what my body could do instead of obsessing over what it looked like.

And here's what nobody tells you about losing 155 pounds: the hardest part isn't losing: It's keeping it off. It's transitioning off the medication. It's learning to trust yourself, which is terrifying because I'd never done it before.

In January of 2025, I earned my personal training certification and my nutrition coaching certification. I'm currently completing my Obesity Medicine certification with the Obesity Medicine Association. I'm also in the midst of obtaining my DNP as a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner because I think there is so much psych behind the struggles of food addiction, binging, and obesity.

I've now maintained my weight loss and 14% body fat for over a year. I'm stronger than I've ever been and in better shape than I was before kids. I mentor others through this exact journey, and I created these guides because I don't want anyone else to spend years in the trial-and-error trenches like I did. I now realize what acually works: the protein targets, the training splits, transitioning without panicking, and how to eat at maintenance. These are all the things that no one tells you at the start. 

I've been where you are...and I'm here to help you get where you want to be.

— Jess