My Story
I was born in Vienna, Austria. I was born to a Venezuelan/Portuguese father and Guatemalan mother. When I was 15, I weighed 106kg, so my parents decided to take me to a doctor to have my thyroid checked, and everything came out fine. So we went to a nutritionist, which set up an eating plan for me. The program was eating more protein and weighing my food. This method worked. In a year, I weighed 89kg. But sadly, success was short-lived, and I gained 30kg by the I time graduated high school.
I started to get bullied in grade 3 because I was taller and chubbier than everyone else in my class. That was when I became more anxious, but I would only notice that in later years. My weight gain became more noticeable in 8th grade. Some of my classmates called me King Kong because of my weight and arm hair. I survived the bullying, thanks to my supportive friend group and parents.
Since I was in a bad headspace, I decided to leave to move to California and go to university there. Little did I know what it meant moving so far away from my family and my daily routine. Even though I made a lot of friends that I will cherish a lifetime, I decided after a year to come back to Austria and continue to study here. I struggled to leave bed for some days. I didn’t know where I was going in life. So I decided to move out, and my parents helped me get my place. A year later I got a dog, which you all know is Mimi. I can honestly say she helped me overcome my depression. She was my shadow. She made me go outside and be more social. She made me more aware of how to care for her and also for myself. This year in April, I weighed 155kg, so my dad and I decided to see a specialist. We found out that I had a too-small thyroid gland for my weight, and that caused my weight gain and consequently, my depression. I felt relieved to have found out what was contributing to my weight gain and other aspects such as depression. My dad and I decided on a diet according to the doctor’s recommendations and a workout program of 4-5 days a week.
One day I understood, if I wanted to change, it depended on me. And the changes will happen because I make them happen. Today I committed to continue my program for a one year challenge to change my lifestyle. Now I can see that I am making progress.