Tracy Huck was dreading the Christmas get-together.
A mother-of-three, then 52, from Texas, she had put on weight while caring for her own mother, an Alzheimer’s patient. At the time, Huck tipped the scales at 184lbs, nearly putting her into the obese range for her petite 5ft 6in frame.
But in the month before Christmas, she managed to shed 10lbs and look her best for the big day, all without weight-loss drugs or setting foot in the gym.
‘I envisaged myself as I would look 10 years in the future and thought, if I go down this path, I won’t be there for my family. That was a huge determining factor,’ Huck told the Daily Mail.
‘I wanted to set a good example, too. After I went through all that with my mom, they say Alzheimer’s is type 2 diabetes of the brain, I could see myself going down that same route and didn’t want my kids to go through it.’
Huck, now 56 and working as a nutrition coach, had tried intermittent fasting, WeightWatchers, Jenny Craig meals and ‘just about every diet out there,’ but nothing stuck.
Then, in late October 2021, she stumbled upon a plan that finally worked: restricting calories while holding herself accountable by telling her friends and family that she was trying to lose weight.
She lost 10lbs that first month, and stayed on the diet, dropping 40lbs over four months before reaching 134lbs, considered a healthy weight for her height. She has remained at that weight ever since.
Tracy Huck, 56, is shown above before her weight loss (left) and afterward (right). She lost 10lbs in just a month, and 50lbs in five months to get her weight down to 134lbs
To lose 10lbs in just a month, or about 2.5lbs a week, Huck said she stuck to a strict diet where she ate six small meals a day, leaving about two hours between each meal, to ensure she always felt full.
The meals were very small, Huck ate about 1,000 calories daily in total, and they were all protein-focused. They included yogurt with berries, shrimp salad, chicken, cottage cheese and fish. For some meals, she would snack on popcorn.
She also drank 12.5 cups of water, or about six bottles, to stay hydrated and reduce hunger cravings. In some cases, she added electrolytes to the water.
The FDA recommends women should eat between 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight, and warns that a lower amount could lead to nutrient deficiencies. Research organizations recommend that women drink about 11.5 cups of water per day.
Huck also prepared herself mentally – clearing her pantry of sweet treats she enjoyed, such as dark chocolate, and making sure others knew about the plan to keep her accountable.
She did not exercise beyond trying to move more around the house. But, after losing the weight, she has started to walk more and lift weights. She said she is currently doing a plank challenge and can now do the exercise for three minutes and 40 seconds.
‘I had been on blood pressure medications, too, for decades, but I was able to get the pressure low enough to get off the medications,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘I was pretty sure I was insulin resistant, too.’
For the meals, she used OPTAVIA, a $300-per-month low-calorie and low-carb weight loss program, which sent her five of her six daily meals in pre-made packages. However, she said it was possible to make the meals yourself.
Huck shared these pictures online to show that her new diet plan reduced inflammation and changed her face in just one month
Huck is thrilled with her new body, and said she feels happier, more energized and excited for the future.
About 74 percent of adults in the US are overweight or obese, while polls suggest about 55 percent say they would like to lose weight.
Weight-loss drugs have taken the nation by storm, with about 12 percent of adults now having tried them in some form. But amid their hefty price tags and concerns about side effects, many are looking for alternatives.
Ifeomba Babundo has also managed to lose 10lbs in two weeks, helping her look her best for Christmas and her birthday on December 29.
Babundo, 26, weighed 232lbs on November 27 this year, but told the Daily Mail that she is already down to 222lbs after changing her diet and exercise.
‘So, my birthday is coming up, and Christmas is coming. I know there is a tendency to eat way more then, and I would always want to go out with friends,’ she said.
Babundo said her plan is to pause her weight-loss efforts during Christmas and her birthday, and then resume after the season has ended.
For her diet, the Toronto native has been eating only 1,000 calories a day, and avoiding any food that contains added sugar, including ice cream and soda.
She has also stopped adding sugar to her coffee or tea and only uses small portions of olive oil when cooking.
For exercise, Babundo said she has started to work out with a Nintendo Wii, spending about 30 to 45 minutes playing tennis on the device with her husband daily. She has also purchased weights and a yoga mat so that she can exercise more at home.
Babundo is hopeful that she will lose more weight in the run-up to Christmas.
Ifeoma Babundo (pictured), 26, who lives in Toronto, Canada, told the Daily Mail that she had already lost 10lbs in two weeks in the run-up to Christmas. She has done this through diet tweaks and by working out on the Nintendo Wii with her husband
Babundo said she will pause her weight-loss efforts during the holiday season so she can enjoy herself
Dr Mustafa Aydinol, 40, in Turkey, said he lost 22lbs in just a month after he stopped eating past 7pm and began to exercise regularly
Dr Mustafa Aydinol, a plastic surgeon who lives in Turkey, also managed to lose 22lbs in just one month after taking charge of his health. Despite being slim in his youth, he gained weight in his 30s, eventually reaching 201lbs.
‘I was always thinking I should lose weight, but I just couldn’t find the appropriate time frame,’ the 40-year-old told the Daily Mail. ‘And you can always come up with excuses when you feel it is not time yet.’
However, in October, Aydinol changed his habits and stopped eating food after 7pm every evening.
He also started to exercise intensely, playing tennis for two to three hours almost every night at a court near his home. His fitness tracker told him that in each session he burned about 1,200 to 1,300 calories.
He said he much preferred playing tennis as he found lifting weights in the gym boring.
Aydinol is now at his goal weight of 172lbs, and is working on staying at that number.
