Losing 77 pounds is not easy, but Lainie Messina did it.
A mother of two girls, the 47-year-old health care marketing professional said that a couple of years ago, she found herself needing to "get it together."
"I had a mid-life crisis," Messina told Tech Insider back in October. "I was approaching 45, I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and I was in a stressful, high-pressure job." She wanted to be a good example to her two daughters.
After running her first 5k in March 2013 and still feeling a little sluggish, Messina said unfortunately, she had to succumb to the truth about losing weight and getting fit. Ready? Here it is: You can work out all you want (and she was working out a lot), but if you don't change your diet, you won't see any results. And you definitely won't lose 77 pounds.
We asked Messina to tell us about her eating habits before she started her journey, and what we'll find in her kitchen now.
Before: bagels, burgers, and baked ziti
"I was a bagel freak," Messina admits. "Bagel and lox or whitefish spread was my favorite. And I loved bacon, egg, and cheeses." She also said she loved Dunkin' Donuts muffins. And when she was trying to be "good," she'd skip breakfast entirely — not recommended.
For lunch, Messina used to go for big, fatty, portions of Italian food. "Chicken parm with a side of pasta ... the equivalent of two or three servings and I could bang out the whole thing!" Messina exclaimed.
Other favorites? Tuna melts, burgers, fries, and wine paired with dark chocolate-covered pretzels for a late night snack.
After that first 5k, Messina started to make slow but deliberate changes.
"I started slowly by drinking a ton of water — and cutting out my Diet Peach Snapple," she remembers. She also swapped out her beloved dense and doughy bagels for Thomas’ Bagel Thins which "give me the feeling of having a breakfast sandwich every now and again."
She also took the time to learn about portion control — and started measuring out her food.
Finding replacement meals you actually want to eat
Messina says the key to sticking to a diet is finding food you actually want to eat. Of course, nothing beats a fatty cheeseburger with fries or a big bowl of pasta alfredo, but if you replace every food you enjoy with steamed broccoli? You're going to be miserable.
"The second you tell me I have to cut something out completely, it's all I think about," Messina says of figuring out a meal plan that worked for her. "In the beginning, I chose two or three foods a week and figured out healthier swaps."
She said that helped her gradually settle into her new diet, instead of going 100mph into the land of broiled salmon — and burning out fast.
- Sweet potato wedges instead of french fries
- Turkey burgers instead of cheeseburgers (or if a beef burger is a must-have, drop the bun)
- Messina didn't want to live in a world without macaroni and cheese, so she found Trader Joe’s Reduced Guilt Mac and Cheese. "It's not as rich and creamy as regular," she admits."But it gives me the satisfaction."
- Tuna made with avocado instead of mayo
- No more regular pizza. Now it's mostly thin whole wheat crust, and toppings are chicken and veggies instead of pepperoni and sausage.
- Homemade protein bars coated in 85% dark cacao replaced her beloved sugary candy bars
Another important thing Messina says she had to figure out was what foods she was never going to enjoy, regardless of how healthy they were.
"I tried to like Kashi cereal but it tasted like cardboard to me," she recalls. So for breakfast, which she now eats every single day, Messina turns to egg whites with spinach, mushrooms, and low-fat cheese.
"And I tried to like whole wheat pasta, and tried many brands," she explains. " I never loved it. But found a brown rice penne pasta at Trader Joe's — my savior as I’m a lazy cook — and my whole family will eat that now instead of regular pasta."
She says all of those little changes, repeated consistently, turn into healthy habits that really promote actual change over time, which separates it from fad dieting.
Now, with a 77-pound loss under her (way smaller!) belt, Messina needs to maintain her new life in order to ensure she doesn't slip back to her old one. Her tricks? Holding herself accountable publicly on Facebook and Instagram, where tons of people watch for her updates.
A typical day for Messina looks like this
5:30am: She's at the gym. "I go fasted other than some BCAAs in my water," she tells Tech Insider.
7:00am: "When I get home I make an egg white omelet with chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, low fat shredded Mexican cheese, and a cup of coffee with only 1 serving of pumpkin pie spice creamer." The creamer is one of her must-haves, because she wouldn't enjoy her coffee without it. She says she used to use four servings in her cup.
10:00am: "I might have a mid-morning snack of Greek yogurt with a small amount of granola cereal in it for some crunch and flavor. I prefer the 0% milk fat from Trader Joe’s — not all Greek Yogurt is the same, and many are very high in sugar so watch out!"
1:00pm: "Lunch is usually a salad of some kind. I always add a lot of protein, like hard boiled egg whites, tuna, chicken, salmon, crab, whatever. I use very little dressing and always ask for it on the side if I’m out to eat."
3:00pm: "I'll go for a protein bar, and either one of those Emerald 100 calorie packs of cinnamon roasted almonds or a bag of Trader Joe's Lite Kettle Corn.
6:00pm: Dinner varies, Messina says. She loves BBQ pulled pork or chicken — "A standard in my diet" — and she'll make it in the crock pot. No matter what, she goes heavy on the protein. "I almost NEVER eat pasta anymore!" she tells TI. "I can no longer tolerate the white flour and heavy sauces." For those sugary dessert cravings, Messina tells us she allows herself "a treat if I have been craving something for more than a day or two."
