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When Joan Henning, 43, was living in California, she lost 120 pounds with a low-carb diet and exercise classes. She expected to keep the weight off. But after a move to Austin, Texas, a few traumatic life events sent her weight climbing.
First, she needed to have her gallbladder removed in 2012, and, like many people who have that surgery, her weight started to inch up afterward.
Then, in 2013, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and treating it meant removing her thyroid. “Having no thyroid slows down your metabolism, and the weight started creeping on even more,” she says. “My body was not adjusting. It took almost two years to get my medicine adjusted properly.”
Once her doctors found the right medication to treat her thyroid deficiency, she felt better, and she started walking and going to the gym.
But in 2017, she faced more setbacks. A friend who she considered a brother, her aunt and other friends and family members all passed away within a short time. It was a lot for her to handle at once. “When grief and depression hit, weight starts coming back on,” she says.
Her weight climbed to 346 pounds, and she regained the 120 pounds she had lost earlier.
But 2018 was a turning point for her. That’s when her doctor prescribed metformin for diabetes, and she was diagnosed with high blood pressure. “I didn’t like the way metformin made me feel. That’s when I started taking control of my weight,” she says.
Through a combination of lifestyle changes, she lost 131 pounds. Here’s how she did it.
She took steps to improve her mental health
After her close friend passed away, Henning saw a counselor to help with grief and depression. She also went to a grief support…
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