This Woman Looks Like a Whole Other Person After 7 Months of Counting Calories

Photo: shwinkies via Reddit

Though the practice of counting calories has been around a long time, many people are turned off by the idea of having to track everything that goes into their mouths. This may be bothersome, but the fact is that it can work. Nobody knows that better than Shona Cartwright, an Australian woman who reached out to the Reddit community to share her amazing transformation. “My anxiety is almost non existent now. […] I’m not afraid of meeting people or looking people in the eye,” says Cartwright in her Reddit post. Readers showered her with support while many of them asked her for advice with their own weight loss struggles.

Her Advice

Watch What You Eat

Cartwright follows a 1,200-calories-a-day program and encourages people to follow the Reddit subgroup  1200 is plenty. The sub offers tips for eating healthy while still implementing your 1,200-calorie-a-day goals. It also asks that anyone who is considering limiting their caloric intake to speak to a physician first. Some people, such as athletes, breastfeeding mothers and teenagers, need a higher calorie intake. The group has a zero-tolerance policy for any comments made encouraging eating disorders as well.

Cut Back on the Carbs

One problem many people voiced to her in regard to limiting their calorie intake was that they constantly feel hungry. Cartwright replied, “I do low carb which eventually you stop feeling hungry. Spacing your meals out helps too.” If you want to cut back on your carb intake, try these low carb recipes.

Did She Exercise?

Another obstacle that was brought up was exercise. Many people were anxious to know if she had implemented a exercise regimen in addition to cutting back on the calories. Her answer: no. Aside from walking up and down the platform steps while waiting for her train, she had not made any other changes.

“I work an office job and I catch public transport to and from work, the only difference I really made was that instead of sitting and waiting for the train I would walk up and down the platform and boom I had done a 10 minute walk and burned a boring wait. Outside of that I haven’t exercised.”

Is It Healthy?

Simply put— it depends. The concept behind the diet is completely logical: Burn more calories than you consume in one day and your body can begin burning through its fat stores. However, this can be harmful to come people who really need those extra calories and nutrients. Of course, before you consider doing any kind of new diet program, you should consult your physician.

Liz Weinandy, M.P.H., R.D., L.D., from the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, said to healthline.com, “It is not recommended that a person go under 1,200 calories a day, since it is very hard to get enough nutrients like calcium, protein, and magnesium on [that] calorie level.”

But truly getting healthy is not just about a number on a scale. You have to work to create a healthy lifestyle for yourself, inside and out, so that you remain healthy and do not “fall off the wagon,” an unfortunate outcome for many dieters.

Cartwright reports that she is continuing the “1200 is plenty” idea and would like to lose another 20kg (that’s about 45 lbs.) before moving on to maintenance. We applaud the work she has done and are right up front, cheering her on throughout her journey.