Growing up, Annie Foster was overweight for most of her life until a trip to the beach led her to make a life-changing decision of losing weight. Within 10 months, she shed almost half her body weight and now couldn’t be happier with her amazing new self.
Foster, an esthetician and a mom to one daughter, from Spartanburg of South Carolina, resorted to eating foods such as pies, cakes, or fried food to comfort herself during stressful situations; she thought that eating wouldn’t harm her.
Being a size 30 and weighing 430 pounds (approx. 195 kg), Foster was unhappy with herself. However, she would hide her real feelings with a smile when she was hanging out with her friends or in public.
Foster’s turning point in life came in June 2017 when she decided she had had enough. Foster had gone on a trip with her friends to the beach, but she was unable to enjoy herself.
“I had to take six different medications,” Foster said. “I was miserable and at that point I said, ‘no more, this cannot be my life.’”
Foster knew she had to make a change in her lifestyle. She started off by doing exercises, such as running or walking, and adjusting her eating habits. Instead of eating anything she liked, Foster would only have protein for breakfast and eat fruits during the day. For her lunch and dinner, it would again consist of protein, together with vegetables.
In June 2018, Foster went for a gastric bypass.
After much persistent effort, Foster’s weight dropped to 226 pounds (approx. 103 kg) in 10 months, and she became a size 12. Foster was extremely pleased with herself.
“Losing weight has given me a new life, I never imagined life being and feeling this way,” she said. “I can now do things that I was afraid to do like ride a roller coaster.”
Being healthier now, Foster is able to play more actively with her young daughter, Katelynn. In August 2019, Foster boarded her first flight. “I felt I was too big to fly before,” Foster said.
It was no easy feat for Foster to lose those extra pounds. However, despite people coming up to compliment her on how amazing Foster looked after her weight loss, there are times when she still sees her old self when she looks in the mirror.
“The hardest thing about my journey has been the mind,” she said. “The reason why I say this is because your body loses weight so fast that your mind does not have time to catch up.”
Having achieved her fitness goal through hard work and perseverance, Foster now advises others who want to lose weight to first get their minds ready for the journey and not to give up so soon.
“Once you start, keep pushing,” Foster said. “Some days will be better than others but don't let that one bad day make you fail, you got this, we got this. Also stay around people who are going to help motivate you.”
