‘After Developing Scary Headaches And Vertigo, I Lost 80 Pounds By Calorie Counting And Walking’
My name is Opal Stacie (@opalstaciewellnfit), and I am 32 years old. I live in Miami, Florida, where I’m a mom to three boys, as well as a content creator and influencer.
I’d been overweight my entire life. I always struggled with being in a larger body than all the other little girls. My biggest struggle was food, and I had the hardest time controlling my appetite.
At 27, my weight had topped 277 pounds, and I started having headaches for a little over three months that would not go away.
That turned into the sound of my pulse in my ear (pulsatile tinnitus), vertigo, and pressure behind my eyes. It felt like my brain was being squeezed on all sides. The pressure created a whistling noise in my head that was nearly unbearable. I felt like I wanted to die. And I had just given birth to my third child—that thought felt like the saddest thing ever.
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One night in August 2017, when all of my health issues were at a peak, I had a conversation with God and begged for my issues to quiet down. I specifically asked Him, “Give me silence”—and communicated that I’d never take my health for granted again.
The next day I Googled around for more information and solutions to my health symptoms, and I tweaked my diet based on some of the information I found. Within a week my symptoms decreased drastically. I wanted to make good on that promise I made.
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I knew I needed the healthy changes I would make to be as easy and stress-free as possible in order to maintain them long term, so I started counting calories.
Counting my calories works for me because I don’t let counting calories stop me from eating well. I try to include vegetables in each meal. And I am not ditching carbs for anybody! Counting calories allows me to eat well and still lose weight.
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Here’s what I eat in a day.
- Breakfast: Protein oatmeal with 60 grams of sliced banana and hot coffee with 4 grams coconut sugar and sugar-free creamer; or three fried eggs, 75 grams of plantain, and cubed butternut squash
- Lunch: Vegetable stir fry with optional protein (I would choose either 6-8 oz. of shrimp or 6 oz. of salmon),1/2 cup brown rice (dry), vegetables like cabbage, sweet peas, corn, snow peas, etc.
- Snacks: Two or three boiled eggs; plain Greek yogurt parfait with granola, blackberries, blueberries, and diced mango; spicy tuna on sliced cucumbers
- Dinner: 6 oz. salmon, garlic/butter asparagus, sweet potato mash or slaw made with red/green cabbage, shredded carrots, onions, garlic, red/green bell peppers, and 4-6 oz. ground turkey cooked together
- Dessert: Protein smoothie (1 tbsp almond butter, 1 date, two scoops protein powder, 1 cup almond milk, 2 tbsp ground flax, MCT oil). Very sweet, very tasty!
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I also started exercising right away, but did nothing strenuous.
A typical week for me in the very beginning was a walk either around my neighborhood or the park. Now, I’m still doing the park but I’ve increased it to over 60 minutes.
I’m also now incorporating 30 minutes of strength training three times a week. I’ve never had a problem with exercise—it’s a release for me and it feels really good when I’m moving.
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These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight-loss results.
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I have lost 80 pounds since starting in 2017, and I’ve been moving towards losing another 40 to 50 pounds in the next year or so.
Losing weight has changed the way that I think about what is within my reach. Losing weight has given me courage and confidence in myself, and what I believe I can achieve. All things are possible because I’ve been able to overcome something I’ve struggled with my entire life. Regardless of how much weight is still left to go, the possibilities for what I can do have become visible—endless even.
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