A woman who weighed 400lbs and felt like every step “was a burden” has shared how a trip to Disneyland helped her shed more than half her body weight.
Leah Hope Mancuso, 35, often turned to junk food and unhealthy snacks as a way to feel full while getting on with her busy lifestyle.
As her eating intensified, she piled on the weight and stopped moving around so much.
At her heaviest, she tipped the scales at 28.5 stone.
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But Leah didn’t realise the full extent of the weight gain until she went on holiday to Disneyland with her sister and family.
“It was the heaviest I had ever been trying to enjoy a day at a theme park,” the photographer, from Scottsdale, Arizona, told What’s The Jam.
“Being an aunt has been one of the greatest joys of my life, and I didn’t want to miss out on this experience with my nephew, so I went knowing it would be difficult for me.
“Within a few hours, I had a migraine, my feet hurt, my back hurt and I was profusely sweating.
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“I took breaks as often as I could, but I ended up having to spend the last part of the day by myself, sitting at a table with my eyes closed to manage the migraine.
“That night I felt foolish for thinking I would be able to handle it and knew I couldn’t continue down the path I was on.
“I didn’t want to live a life where a day at the supposed ‘happiest place on earth’ was actually the most miserable for me.”
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When she got home from the trip in March 2022, she knew something had to change.
She said: “I lived a life where I started to move as little as possible because every step felt like a burden.
“I was becoming more uncomfortable in my body and realised how hard it was just to get through my daily life at my size.
“On most days the only time I left the house was to pick up whatever food I was craving that day.
“I usually had Starbucks most mornings – a Venti Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel drizzle, a blueberry muffin and a danish.
“I would often pick up another meal for lunch or dinner, something like an In-N-Out burger, where I’d get two orders of fries so I could eat one with my burger and save one for a snack.
“I also ate frozen food pretty often when I ate at home, easy things I could heat up like taquitos or burritos.”
Leah weighed 398 pounds, (28.4 stone) when she began her journey.
She said: “I started being mindful of what I was eating by writing it down in a food journal.
“After practising mindfulness, I decided to take a little more control over my results and after about six weeks began tracking my calorie intake.
“I also started walking 10 minutes a day because that was about all I could do at one time.
“But as I built up my endurance I was able to go from 10 minutes to 15, then 20, then 30.
“Then I added swimming to the mix and eventually strength training, playing pickleball and hiking as well.
“About a year into my journey, I hired a personal trainer who I’ve worked with regularly since.”
Leah currently weighs 185 lbs, (13.2 stone).
She said: “Daily eating now looks like scrambled eggs with cheese mixed in and fruit or poached eggs on a piece of sourdough bread with butter along with coffee with collagen, cream and sugar for breakfast.
“Lunch is a cottage cheese bowl, with maple syrup to sweeten, granola and fruit.
“Another lunch I often have is an open sandwich with ham or tuna on sourdough.
“For dinner, I typically have chicken and potatoes or pasta with chicken sausage and a vegetable like broccoli or bell peppers.
“A snack will typically be a protein bar or shake.
“I still love to have something sweet like a popsicle or berries with whipped cream and chocolate chips to end the day!”
Leah claims she now feels good, healthy and capable in her new body.
She said: “I was living such a limited life before because my size and abilities held me back in so many ways.
“I thought my life was easier before, that’s why I continued with the unhealthy patterns I created for myself.
“But it wasn’t easier, it was just less.
“Life is so much better now. Not because I’m closer to society’s standard of beauty, but because I have so much more of the things that truly matter.”
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