How this mother-of-two lost 135lbs without stepping into a gym

28-year-old hairstylist Ali Bruch from Milwaukee has lost an incredible 135lbs without stepping foot into the gym. The mother of two was previously classed as morbidly obese at 270lbs, and struggled to keep up with her kids. 

Battling with binge eating, Ali would consume over 6,000 to 7,000 calories at a time. She told Truly: “I was an anxious eater, whether it was happy or sad, I was binge eating and I didn’t have control over it.” The turning point came on a shopping trip with her cousin, when a rude shop assistant pointed out to Ali she wouldn’t fit a regular dress size and instead should look at the plus size section. 

“I knew that I was overweight, but having somebody else, a complete stranger, also speak on it was like ‘Holy smokes’, she made me feel terrible, it broke my heart,” Ali explained. 

Inspired by an Instagram post Ali started a ketogenic diet, based on high fats and low carbs which resulted in her losing half of her bodyweight.

But losing so much weight in a short period of time, meant Ali was left with excess skin: “I had a ton of skin on my abdomen that I could physically pull inches away from my body, I did so much work to get here and now I’m left with this?” 

Four months ago, Ali had a tummy tuck and breast augmentation, finally feeling like she’s got the body she worked so hard for to achieve. “I don’t need to hide in pictures, I don’t need to hide from social events, I just feel so much more confident,” Ali added.

Ali began the ketogenic diet, a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet designed to induce ketosis: a state when your body begins to rely on fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. That means shying away from high-carbohydrate supplements and upping your protein intake, making good use of the best protein powder for weight loss.

Harvard University (opens in new tab) found the keto diet generated an increased satiety, or feeling of fullness, which lead to less food cravings, alongside an increased calorie expenditure, accounting for Ali's dramatic transformation. 

Keto can take a bit of adjustment to do sustainably and healthily: you need to make sure all your micronutrients are accounted for, as you're cutting food groups out of your diet. Check the list of the best vitamins for women over 50 and best supplements for joints to check if you're missing any of these in your daily keto diet.