In February, 2020, Roxanne Mullenberg weighed 358 pounds.
An assistant vice president and project manager at a bank in Fargo, North Dakota, she’d long settled into a busy life that didn’t seem to allow time for exercise, according to Today.
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Mullenberg says she has always been heavier, and as happens, as she aged she gained weight. On top of that her doctor diagnosed her with an under-active thyroid that can also make it harder to lose weight. And it took time to figure out the correct medication and dosage for Mullenberg.
When the COVID lockdowns began, Mullenberg was working from home and helping her son, Ryan, 11, with home school.
While the common assumption has been that we all sat around and got heavier during the pandemic, the fact is many used it as a chance to start up simple exercise routines that a busier pre-pandemic life did not seem to afford.
And Mullenberg was one of them. She started up on a simple step challenge -- try to go for more walks.
At first, it offered her a chance to simply reflect, but going out for long walks soon turned into a more obvious physical advantage.
“The walks became such a good mental break and stress release,” she said. “It became both a physical and mental benefit when I would do the walks, which was great. Then I’d bring my child out and obviously we’d both have these fun adventures roaming around parks.”
She soon went from from 2 to 4 miles, but she wasn’t immediately losing weight, and figured she needed to look at her diet too.
She signed up for Profile by Sanford, an eating program that, as Today reports, starts with replacement shakes for some meals and focuses on adding in lean protein, vegetables, then fruit, and some starches.
Mullenberg was skeptical, but a few of her friends had tried it and lost weight.
“The ultimate goal is to get you back to eating all grocery foods, just changing your habits over time,” Mullenberg explained.
She lost 11 pounds in one week.
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At first it was mostly shakes for breakfast and lunch, but the plan allows for adding in foods. “I’m adding fruits now that I can have at breakfast time,” she explained, “and in the evening I added starches at lunch and dinner as well.”
She’s continued on her walks, going 40 minutes at lunch and again after dinner. Since last year, she has lost 149.5 pounds.
“I feel more like myself. I have more energy and I’m getting confidence in myself again and overall feel like me,” she said.
Mullenberg has even developed a simple list to follow:
Do something for yourself.
While most look at exercise as a chore, Mullenberg reminds you to stop in your busy life and show yourself some self-love -- and exercise is one way to do that.
Change your mindset.
Be creative and open with new ideas when changing your eating habits. Don’t get overwhelmed.
Set goals that make sense to you.
Don’t focus on the scale so much, and make simple personal goals you can stick to. “I said, ‘My goal is to drop a couple of sizes and just feel better about myself,’” she states.
And listen to your body.
“For me, it’s just figuring out where my body wants to go,” she said. “If my body would plateau where I’m at right now, I would be perfectly happy with it, too.”
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