Pandemic Serves as Catalyst for 85-Pound Weight Loss

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Name: Louise Ebbert
Age: 69
Occupation: Clinical Research in Oncology
Meal Plan: Balance, 1,200 calories per day
Favorite Meal: Teriyaki Chicken
Start Date: April 11, 2021
Height: 5’8”
Starting Weight: 272
Goal Weight: 140-150
Pounds Lost: 85
Activity Level: Walking 4-5 miles Saturday and Sunday, biking
When I get a craving, my go-to trick is: I love chocolate, so I’d eat some dark chocolate.
My favorite app for tracking weight loss is: Fitbit and Weight Guru

When the COVID pandemic forced the world into isolation, it also led to a sedentary lifestyle that resulted in many people gaining weight. That was certainly the case for 69-year-old Louise Ebbert, who had to trade in her active, traveling lifestyle for one that involved staying home all day. Louise works in clinical research and often traveled and moved around for her job.

“Before we really buckled down under COVID, I used to get out of cabs, walk around hotels, get in and out of airplanes, etc.,” she said. “At certain ages, you don’t get rid of it like you did before. So, I knew I had to do something.”

The pandemic and her health care background were also the catalysts that Louise used to start on a journey that ultimately led to her losing 85 pounds in less than a year.

“Being overweight was a target for this virus,” Louise said. “I thought, ‘That’s one thing I don’t need.’ And that was the catalyst. … I didn’t want to get [COVID]. I needed to lose weight.”

Louise said she started to really notice her weight gain in December 2020.

“I had gained a ton. I was eating a ton and was really inactive,” she said. “I kept saying, ‘I need to get my act together.’”

The day finally came on April 11, 2021.

“I remember getting up, getting on the scale, and seeing I was 272 pounds,” she said.

Louise said she sat down that day and ordered Diet-to-Go. Several years ago, she’d lost 65 pounds on the program and had remembered that the food was always fresh and delicious.

“I’ve never gotten a bad meal from Diet-to-Go,” she said. “Everything comes very fresh, very nicely done, good flair. One of the nicest things about Diet-to-Go is that you do all the work for me.”

Louise, with her Type A, assertive personality, said she likes Diet-to-Go because it’s exactly what she needed to get herself on track.

“I set my target and keep going,” she said. “I don’t reach out to people. I’d rather do it on my own because I can focus. I set my targets, and then go get them done systematically. I do my research.”

That mindset served her well. She shed 10-12 pounds a month for the first several months and continues to lose 1-2 pounds a week. Her goal weight is 140-150 pounds, something she plans to reach within the next nine months.

“I had my annual physical recently and the physician said, ‘Wow you did a great job!’” she said. “I told him, ‘It wasn’t even hard! I just ate what they gave me!’”

Louise said working from home has made it difficult for people to see her success, which she likens to a candle.

“I have a muscular build underneath, it goes on me very evenly,” she said. “It’s sort of like dipping a candle in wax. It goes on evenly. And then you dip it again, and it goes on evenly again. You dip it enough, and it’s a fat candle! But, it went on evenly and it came off evenly.”

In the last year, Louise has purchased clothes three different times.

“I didn’t set out to do that; I just wanted to feel better. It was too much weight,” she said. “I was up to 3X. Then I bought 2X. Then I bought 1X. And now I’m on to mediums!”

In her free time, Louise likes to take photos of nature and go on long bike rides on metro Washington D.C.’s many trails. She said she plans on staying with the program even after she reaches her goal weight.

“I notice that sometimes when I am traveling and I stop Diet-to-Go for a week or so, I realize I go back to bad habits,” she said. “So, I think I’ll stick with it. …That way, I can keep my accountability there.”

“Being single, it makes it so easy for you,” she added. “Diet-to-Go does everything so fresh, so well. And they do such a great job with shipping. It comes on time consistently, it’s totally chilled with no issues.”

Louise said she recommends Diet-to-Go to anyone who expresses interest in losing weight.

“Diet-to-Go has different plans that people can choose from —diabetic, keto, regular,” she said. “You can switch around. And since you don’t have to worry about the taste, it’s all about taste preference. People are always waiting until tomorrow. You have to just make the decision and start now.”
 

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