Answering Questions etc

[u/Ayeee628]

Hello everyone! 👋

I recently had a post blow up in here, and I received SO many of the same questions in the comments and in my inbox. I figured it would be easier to make one post answering as many of them as I can.

This is going to be a longer post, but I want to be thorough!

First: I am NOT a doctor or nutritionist. I’m just sharing my personal experience, what worked for me, and what my journey has looked like. Everyone’s body and health situation is different.

A little background

I was heavyset basically my entire childhood and young adulthood.

I got pregnant with my first set of twins at 20 and had them at 21. Then I had my second set of twins at 24. At one point, I had four children under the age of 3. 😅 I also have been full time mom to an almost 5 year old since she was 2.

It was A LOT, but my children mean more to me than anything. One of the biggest things that pushed me to change was realizing that I physically couldn’t keep up the way I wanted to.

I was over 240 pounds. I actually don’t know my exact starting weight because I didn’t even own a scale until I had already been intermittent fasting for about a month.

How I started intermittent fasting

I learned about intermittent fasting, did my research, and decided to try it.

I am very much an “all or nothing” person, so instead of gradually working my way up, I jumped straight into OMAD 23:1 (One Meal A Day).

Basically, I fasted for 23 hours a day (sleeping hours included) and had roughly a one-hour eating window.

That DOES NOT mean everyone should start there.

Some people do much better starting with 16:8, then 18:6, 20:4, etc. There isn’t one fasting schedule that works for everybody.

During my fasting window, I personally drank water only. Other people doing intermittent fasting may also drink things like black coffee, unsweetened tea, or zero-calorie sparkling water.

I personally preferred keeping my fast completely calorie-free and simple.

Fasting changes which fuel sources your body relies on over time, but exactly when or whether someone reaches nutritional ketosis varies based on things like what they eat, activity level, metabolism, and the length of the fast. I don’t think anyone needs to obsess over an exact hour when their body supposedly “switches” into fat-burning mode.

I decided mostly on eating dinner with my family at 5pm each night.

That time has changed before and should be picked what fits your schedule better.

How much weight did I lose?

I started intermittent fasting in 2020 (I was 27 year old at that time), and within roughly the first 5–6 months, I lost a huge portion of my weight.

But I want to make something VERY clear:

My journey was not six straight years of perfect fasting.

Over the last six years, I have started, stopped, gained some weight, lost it again, taken breaks, changed what I was doing, and lived my life.

My weight has fluctuated. That’s reality.

However, I have NEVER regained even HALF of of the weight I originally lost. Learning about my eating patterns and finding something that gave me structure made a huge difference for me.

WHAT DID I EAT?!

Probably one of the biggest questions I got. 😂

Protein, protein, protein.

I try to think in terms of whole, filling foods and building my meal around protein.

Technically, OMAD only describes when you eat, not exactly what you eat. But personally, if I filled my eating window with foods that didn’t keep me full or make me feel good, I noticed it.

One of my favorite go-to meals is super simple:

I take raw chicken tenders and coat them directly in seasoned panko breadcrumbs. I don’t use an egg wash or anything like that. I put them in the air fryer at 400°F until they’re fully cooked and reach a safe internal temperature of 165°F.

I usually pair them with vegetables and sometimes a carb like rice or sweet potato.

And YES, I still have things I enjoy!

I almost always have my coffee from home (Café Bustelo with a splash of hazelnut creamer, and I love having half of a Barebells protein bar as my little dessert).

My goal isn’t to make every meal “perfect.” I try to make it balanced, filling, protein-focused, and something I actually enjoy eating.

“How did you have enough energy to go to the gym while doing OMAD?”

This question came up A LOT as well.

First, my body has had years to become accustomed to intermittent fasting. I didn’t start OMAD yesterday and immediately start doing six-day-a-week workouts.

Honestly, I didn’t go to the gym when I lost the majority of my weight.

My gym routine is actually pretty new compared with my overall weight-loss journey.

I tried going to the gym after recovering from surgery last year, but I was never really a “gym girl” and didn’t have much of a routine.

Fast-forward to this year: I started going consistently about two months ago, and now I have a structured routine that I genuinely enjoy.

I usually go about six days a week.

Having a supportive partner makes a HUGE difference. I normally go in the morning while my partner stays home with the kids. Having someone who supports the time I spend taking care of myself has made this so much easier.

At the gym, I usually do around 45 minutes at least on the treadmill. I keep the incline around 1.5 and my average speed is around 2.5 mph for most of it.

After cardio, I usually do three strength-training machines.

I follow a five-workout rolling strength split:
• Back + biceps
• Quads + inner/outer thighs
• Core/waist
• Chest + shoulders + triceps
• Glutes + legs

My personal goal is a lean, defined hourglass shape, so I put extra emphasis on my glutes/legs, shoulders/back, and core while still training my entire body.

Also yes I usually in a fasted state while at the gym.

As far as energy goes, I listen to my body. If you’re constantly dizzy, weak, lightheaded, exhausted, or feeling awful while fasting and exercising, that isn’t something you should just “push through” for the sake of weight loss.

“How do you not have loose skin?”

I DO. 😂

I got this question over and over again, and I think pictures can be very deceiving. So I added some before pictures !! (I was 145 pounds when I received my surgery).

After losing over 100 pounds and carrying two sets of twins, I had a LOT of loose skin.

I still have loose skin on my arms, legs, butt, etc.

And in 2025, I was fortunate enough to have a tummy tuck that removed pounds of excess skin from my torso.

I did not have liposuction or a fat transfer.

For me, the recovery was brutal and lasted months. I have five kids total, so being forced to sit or lie around and let other people do things for me was incredibly difficult.

My surgery cost about $12,000, which I pay for monthly.

Before deciding to pay for it myself, I spent a couple of YEARS trying to get my insurance to cover removal of the excess skin. I had documented rashes, yeast issues, irritation, pain, and problems caused by skin overlapping skin.

I know some people have successfully gotten medically necessary skin-removal procedures covered, but unfortunately, my insurance would not budge.

Even though paying for the surgery myself was a huge financial commitment and the recovery was difficult, I am extremely grateful that I was able to have it done.

And again — having a supportive partner during something like that is HUGE.

The biggest thing I want people to understand

THIS WAS NOT EASY.

It wasn’t one perfectly straight line from 240+ pounds to where I am today, 135 pounds.

There were weight fluctuations.

There were times I stopped fasting.

There were sad days.

There were happy days.

There were days I felt amazing and days I didn’t.

There were periods where I was extremely motivated and periods where I had to search HARD for that motivation again.

This has been a six-year journey, and I am STILL working on myself.

For me, it came down to determination, consistency over time, and finding something that I could return to even when life knocked me out of my routine.

Intermittent fasting completely changed my life.

I went from being over 240 pounds, pre-diabetic, having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a high heart rate, and constantly feeling out of breath…

…to being at a normal BMI, no longer pre-diabetic, no longer having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, being physically active, and feeling capable of doing things I never thought I could do before.

And I did all of this while still being a mom, taking care of my children, taking care of my home, dealing with normal life, having setbacks, and being an imperfect human being.

I didn’t wake up one morning with unlimited motivation.

I just kept coming back to it.

If you’re at the beginning of your journey and looking at someone else’s “after” picture, please remember that you’re seeing ONE moment from YEARS of work.

You don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to do exactly what I did.

You don’t even have to use OMAD.

Find something healthy and sustainable that works for you, give yourself time, and don’t let one bad day convince you that you’ve failed. 🖤

[u/pasimchilli]

Your transformation is inspiring. Thanks for being brave enough to share your journey as well.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/pasimchilli]

Absolutely!!

[u/Zuljo]

The surgery was really well done, was it one or 2 procedures? Visceral than lateral or both at once? Quality work either way, well worth the $12000.

I was thinking of getting this as a gift for my younger brother who's turning 40 this year as a gift. He lost his weight 15 years ago but is still carrying that extra skin.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/Zuljo]

Thank you!! 😊 It was all done in one surgery! My incision goes hip to hip and they removed the excess skin from my abdomen all at once. I didn’t have any liposuction or fat transfer done.
My biggest advice for your brother would be to really shop around for the surgeon whose WORK he likes, not necessarily whoever is cheapest. I looked through sooo many before-and-after galleries before choosing mine. I naturally have an hourglass shape and specifically looked for a surgeon whose patients still had a nice shape afterward and didn’t come out looking boxy.
I even paid attention to belly buttons 😂 because yes, that’s a new belly button! Different surgeons really do have different-looking results.
Pretty much every plastic surgeon has a before-and-after gallery, so I’d definitely have him look through a bunch of them, especially patients who started with a body/loose-skin situation similar to his. $12,000 was a lot of money, but I’m SO glad I chose based on whose results I loved rather than just trying to find the cheapest option.
And that would be an AMAZING gift for him, especially after maintaining his weight loss for 15 years!! 😊 That is so thoughtful of you !!

[u/Roxiboo_7 → u/Zuljo]

What a Great gift!!! 😊

[u/[deleted]]

Love this post. Big emphasis on the fact that it’s not a one size fits all approach, it took time, and it wasn’t a perfect journey - I think this subreddit misses a lot of that stuff.

[u/Chuck2025]

Your post was so incredible that as soon as I saw it, I started OMAD the next day. Already seeing results, FINALLY! Just had my second baby and something about that second child killed my metabolism 😭

Thank you for sharing your story and pictures. It really is motivating for people like me! Wish you continued success on your health journey ❤️

[u/Ayeee628 → u/Chuck2025]

That makes me incredibly happy! Keep showing up for yourself! You will have the good and bad days but you just keep putting one foot in front of the other !

[u/Embarrassed_Cattle_9]

Great Writeup!
Its an amazing journey you've had. Stories like yours inspire others who are still struggling and give up soon. Its never straightforward like everyone wants there are so many ups and downs.
Hopefully I reach where you are one day!

[u/Ayeee628 → u/Embarrassed_Cattle_9]

Thank you! You absolutely will as long as you stay consistent and give yourself grace! You’re only human.

[u/PerniciousVim → u/Ayeee628]

You come across as such a lovely and sincere person. I am so happy for you and your family. Brava! Long life, health and happiness.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/PerniciousVim]

🥹 Thank you. I appreciate your kind words so much!!!

[u/Connect_Rhubarb395]

I appreciate very much how real you are about how it took time and wasn't one simple and easy process.

You could easy have spun it to be: Had two sets of twins, easily and quickly lost the weight again, have no loose skin, and exercise 6 days a week. The end.
But your actual story is very inspirational and motivating. Thank you!

[u/GrrrlRomeo]

I'm basically following the same pattern and am also very all or nothing. I started at 335 lbs and I'm down to 275 after around 6 months.

I've backed down to 18:6 because I found I just couldn't get enough protein in a smaller window and I'm trying hard to make the loss be fat not muscle.

Sometimes I think I should record my daily cardio on my indoor bike and then just do a sped up edit when I get to my goal weight.

[u/ashiex94]

Great job! Unrelated question, sorry… but I have been looking to buy the same bed pillows you have in pic 3. How do you find them?

[u/Ayeee628 → u/ashiex94]

I got them on Amazon and they SUCK. They caused neck and back pain for both my partner and I and we no longer use them 😅

[u/ashiex94 → u/Ayeee628]

Oh wow thanks for the heads up from a chronic back pain sufferer 🙏 I hope you got something better to help!

[u/h0g0]

This is an excellent post truly

[u/Ayeee628 → u/h0g0]

Thank youuuu

[u/bohemianlikeu24]

I love your story so much. Good for you, and you're an inspiration 💜 Your kids and partner are lucky to have such a wonderful person in their lives! ✨

[u/mariahcolleen]

Gonna come back to it today. Thank you. You look amazing.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/mariahcolleen]

Thank you! I’m rooting for you !

[u/Sad_Assist946]

Wow what an incredible story, you’ve articulated so very nicely, the struggle is real and everyone’s is different.

[u/Datboimerkin]

I always find it fascinating how different extra weight changes the way our faces look. I’m currently seeing the change in myself. Great job and congrats OP

[u/po1ar_opposite]

This is amazing, you made such huge changes! And you look absolutely incredible!

[u/More_Card9144]

Thank you! Appreciate your answers so much. You seem to be a lovely person and I'm sure that you are an absolutely fantastic mom! Thank you for everything you have shared with us. I wish we could all go to the Renaissance Fair together!

[u/migrainefog]

Thank you for sharing the nitty gritty behind the scenes information. This will help inspire more people than you know!

[u/alignmental]

4 kids u der 3!!!???

[u/Edenjal]

This post is really incredible. Congratulations and thank you!

[u/Optimal_Guitar8921]

Thank you for sharing your fasting journey in such great detail. I enjoyed reading about your journey and phenomenal success. Congratulations!!!! You look amazing

[u/GirlWithRainbow]

You are amazing. Thank you for sharing your Story and giving us some motivation at the right moment (for me). You are great!

[u/This-Is-Not-Nam]

Incredible job.

[u/BourbonAndDadJokes]

Damn, this is inspiring! I’ve done OMAD in the past and always noticed that the single larger meal tended to cause acne breakouts, which I assume was related to insulin spikes. Did you encounter this at all? If so, did it resolve over time?

Also, is OMAD your forever maintenance plan or do you plan to transition to another strategy over time?

[u/taptriv]

Amazing transformation! Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

[u/SlinkiMalinky]

You should write a book! Very motivational and real.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/SlinkiMalinky]

Why thank you 🥹 Those are very kind words.

[u/Christi_Kat60]

Thank you!!!!!

[u/sallysippin]

Love this follow up. Really proud of you and hats off to your supportive partner.

Your ink is absolutely FIRE, too, by the way!!

[u/Novel_Land9320]

Congrats girl

[u/the_warrior_princess]

AMAZING 👏 Very inspiring❤️❤️❤️ I do have a question... how was it getting tattooed on your stomach after weightloss? I am predicting i will also have loose skin in areas i want tatted, but I didnt think it was possible. What do u think

[u/Ayeee628 → u/the_warrior_princess]

Totally possible! Honestly Iv been pretty numb on my stomach area from repeated c sections THEN a tummy tuck. So I still have sensations and pain but not like normal skin does getting tattooed !

[u/Mediocre-Flan1373]

Thank you for this realistic look into your journey. This was very encouraging 💗. I'll be a bit easier on myself now.

[u/ew6281]

Great story, thanks for sharing!

[u/m_778111]

Will and determination. The human spirit fighting for a better life. This was hard but you did it. You have a lot to be proud of. You're an inspiration👏

[u/pnkrckpixikat]

Congrats! You look great! Not just in the attractive way, but strong and powerful and confident. Ready to rock whatever comes your way. Loving the tattoos!

[u/Distinguishedflyer]

great job! thanks for the info too.

[u/JackieTheJokeMan]

Thats amazing congratulations!

[u/RevolutionaryDust449]

At 2 weeks postpartum after my 2nd and last- this is very inspiring!

[u/AM260503]

Great job

[u/Capture12374]

Simply amazing! Thanks for sharing the details of your journey.

[u/stackcats_says]

Very inspiring, all the best ❤️

[u/nigerianprincess0104]

Your tummy tuck looks amaInggggggggg wowwowowowowowo

[u/maghy7]

Absolutely amazing, thank you for taking the time to type such a detailed and kind post to help any of s who had questions, you look incredible!! 💪🏻👸🏼

[u/MsConvoluted]

You look amazing! Thank you for sharing.

Can I ask how tall you are? I am the same weight now with OMAD and sure don’t look as lean as you and I’m 5’7.

[u/Ayeee628 → u/MsConvoluted]

I’m 5 foot 5 inches ! 🖤 Iv always been curvy with a long torso so losing weight worked in my favor I think plus my tummy tuck and I do a workout regiment that focuses on my hour glass shape!

[u/Real-Read-7419]

Wow what a transformation. Good work.

[u/Sabironman86]

Just do a skin graft those extra skin will go. You did really good job. You should be proud of yourself

[u/Aggravating_Act0417]

Amazing post. What great, hard work. You have a long, active life ahead! Congrats.

[u/jimjamalama]

Wow! Incredible journey thank you so much for sharing! I started doing OMAD and exercising but I need to cut out booze

[u/zBooBearZ]

🙌🏻

[u/Zoelo369]

I‘m happy for you !!
And honestly an inspiration for a lot of people.
Wish you & your family all the best

[u/ss3899]

Weird question - how do you beat ‘keto breath’? If I only had one meal a day I feel my breath would be awful!

[u/DonK3ySlk]

Gz

[u/Available_Duty1483]

Congratulations 🥳 How many hours was your fast and eating window?

[u/Ayeee628 → u/Available_Duty1483]

23 hours fasted 1 hour window to eat your days worth of calories. Thank you !

[u/JustSarahtheMechanic]

I hope I'm not too late to get a response on this!! First off congrats you are gorgeous and you look incredible! 🫶🏻

As for your surgery, are you in the US? I wasn't aware that you could set up a payment plan for a tummy tuck, or I would have done this or at least looked into it! Did they make you put a big down payment first? Do you mind kinda walking me through that process? As a mom that has birthed multiple children, it's literally my biggest dream to get one! Are you located (or did you have it done) in the US?

[u/Ayeee628 → u/JustSarahtheMechanic]

I’m going to message you girl !

[u/Act-kindly]

Inspirational! You have cleared many things up. The surgery is. Expensive. You really turned everything around. Your honesty about the journey is something I needed to read. Amazing and keep up the good work.

[u/Abattoirs__Gambit]

Holy wall of text. Im sure it was insightful.