In 2015, Nora Bock hit her breaking point. She was battling depression, she couldn’t find a job and she was at her highest weight, 315 pounds.
“I was crying so much about the life I was leading. I was eating whatever I wanted, drinking every single day. I was so depressed and I didn’t want to be that person,” Bock, 27, told Global News.
Bock, from Welland, Ont., knew she had to turn her life around.
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A year-and-a-half later, Bock is now on her way to completing her exams to be a certified personal trainer.
In an interview with Global News, Bock explains how she lost 130 pounds since then, along with how she works out and eats to maintain her dramatic weight loss.
Global News: What is your height, and your current weight, lowest weight and highest weight?
NB: I’m 5’8 and my current weight is 185 pounds. My lowest weight was back in elementary school – I was always heavy, I was never this low even in high school. I weighed 250 pounds on my wedding day.
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Right now, I’m a comfortable size 12. I used to wear size 26 and I couldn’t even breathe but I was too embarrassed and proud to find a size 28.
My goal weight is 165 pounds. I try to focus on the way I see my body change instead of the number on the scale. I weigh myself once a week to make sure I’m on track.
Global News: How did you feel at your highest weight? How did the weight creep on?
NB: By March 2015, I was at 315 pounds. I was drinking beer, wine, hard liquor. I ate a lot of fast food because I didn’t have the energy to prepare food. I’d have burgers, fries, pizza, tacos.
I felt the most miserable I felt in my life. Everything hurt – I couldn’t go up the stairs, I was unhappy in my head, my knees hurt, I was always out of breath. I was all around miserable.
Global News: What was your strategy for weight loss?
NB: First I had to come clean with my trainer. I started training at Goodlife for my wedding in January 2013 and I lost a good bit of weight but after the wedding I didn’t have a reason anymore.
I just felt bad for lying to my trainer, telling her I was eating healthy and exercising and I didn’t understand what was going on.
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I finally told my trainer everything. She drove into my head that I needed consistency. I started logging everything I ate.
Every single thing that went into my mouth was logged in MyFitnessPal. I still do it every single day and I’m going to do it for the rest of my life.
I started showing up to the gym three times a week with her to make sure I’d go. Even if it was a bad day, I just had to be there, go in and do cardio. It snowballed into strength exercises, and that snowballed to the point where it’s part of my life now.
Global News: How did you work on your eating habits?
NB: It was one thing at a time, it wasn’t a dramatic shift overnight. It was as simple as saying that I’d try to get more vegetables and fruits in, just teeny bits, which led me to making lunches at home during the day. I’d have some veggies at lunch, even if my dinners weren’t that great.
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I told myself I can’t drink the night before I go to the gym. Then I said no drinking at all during the week, and then I said only drink on Fridays and Saturdays. Now it’s just on special occasions.
When it came to cheat meals, I started making them at home. So instead of McDonald’s, I’d make my own burgers.
Every meal is planned. When I go to the grocery store on Tuesday, I think of the whole week and weekend right up until next Tuesday.
Global News: What does a typical day’s meals look like?
NB: I try to start with something higher in protein in the morning, like a protein shake, meat from the previous night’s dinner, or cottage cheese with fruit. Making sure I eat in the morning was the hardest habit to get into.
For lunch, I have tons of vegetables. I usually have bell peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and spinach with hummus. I’ll have a protein shake or a green drink or a banana with peanut butter as a snack.
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We make really good dinners, like vegetables with olive oil and lean meat with a carbohydrate choice like brown rice or quinoa.
In the summer, we love to grill meats or bratwursts. Sometimes I will let myself have chicken wings or something very naughty.
Global News: What was your biggest challenge?
NB: I had to get over using food and alcohol to cope with my emotions. When I had a crummy day, I wanted something bad and thought I’d deserve it. To be honest, I do still struggle.
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I try to remember it would make me feel worse afterwards. After repeating that habit, it’s getting easier. Instead I make my comfort food with better choices. I make my mom’s shepherd’s pie with sweet potatoes and without cheese, or I’ll make quinoa cookies instead of chocolate chip cookies.
Global News: What’s your advice to Canadians who are trying to start their weight loss journey just like you did?
NB: Find someone you trust and someone who is going to be your constant pillar of support and someone who is leading a life in a way you want to be more like. For me, it was my trainer, she helped me every step of the way.
If you need to, find an inspirational story online. I’ve talked to quite a few people who’ve reached out.
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I’m working to be a certified personal trainer because this aspect has been such a big impact on my life. I want to be there for other people.
And if you fall off, start back up again. You have to try again and keep starting over because someday it will stick.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
Follow @Carmen_Chai
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