I Shed 99 Pounds Naturally With These 4 Changes

Andrea Bold is a TikTok and Instagram weight loss and travel influencer who inspires her followers with everything from her unbelievable health journey to her solo traveling adventures. After being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and other health conditions, Bold started a pivotal health and lifestyle journey and ended up losing 99 pounds "naturally." Along the way she went through a divorce, became a single mother, lost her job, and started a thriving company. Here is what you need to know about her inspiring story. 

"Sometimes I'm in disbelief at how far I've come," she wrote in one of her viral Instagram posts, adding that she started her weight loss journey in December 2014, "after being diagnosed with Lupus." The "Easiest way to describe Lupus is instead of my body fighting off illnesses like yours does, my body fights itself & targets my tissues & organs," she writes. "Lupus is extremely painful. I live everyday of my life in pain but Ive learned to cope with it." 

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lupus is a "chronic autoimmune disease that affects many different parts of the body and is often difficult to diagnose. "An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself because it cannot tell the difference between healthy tissue and foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses," they say. The most common type is Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and symptoms include fatigue or extreme exhaustion no matter how much they sleep, muscle and joint pain or swelling, skin rashes (in particular a butterfly-shaped face rash across the cheeks and nose), fever, hair loss, and recurring mouth sores. Additional symptoms or conditions can include lung problems, chest pain when deep breathing, fingers or toes turning blue or white or feeling numb, heart problems, and kidney problems.

Andrea adds that she also battles PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome, hypothyroidism, and hashimoto's disease. 

@andreaboldbodytravels Replying to @Sarah Glaser Weight loss doesnt have to be complicated #weightlosstransformation #weightlosstipsforbeginner #lost100lbs #autoimmunedisease ♬ original sound – Andrea BoldBody | Solo Travel

However, she didn't let her health complications get in the way of her weight loss goals. "Ive lost 99 lbs naturally through counting macros, lifting weights, HIIT & intermittent fasting," she says in the post. 

The Diet Diva, Tara Collingwood, MS, RDN, CSSD, LD/N, ACSM-CPT, a Board Certified Sports Dietitian, explains that protein, fat, and carbs are what make up total calories. "Alcohol is the only other thing that has calories," she says. "So when you watch/count your macros, you are watching your total calories." Basically, you lose weight when your calories are less than calories out. "Looking at the distribution of the 3 Macros can make a big difference in satiety, energy level, and overall nutritional quality as well," she says. 

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The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn at rest, explains Collingwood. "Muscle is metabolically active, so when you lift weights and that results in gaining muscle, you can burn more calories on a daily basis."

There is lots of research backing up the benefits of HIIT workouts, including body fat reduction, improved cardiovascular function, and mental health. It is also time effective. "HIIT exercise pushes caloric burn and increases the amount of calories that are burned even after exercise is finished," says Collingwood. 

Intermittent fasting works by "prolonging the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal and begins burning fat," explains Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Intermittent fasting reduces the eating window for a lot of people so they tend to eat fewer calories overall for the day resulting in weight loss," adds Collingwood. 

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Since she started her journey she has "gone through a painful divorce," "become a single mom to 2 boys," and "been laid off from my corporate job after turning my boss in for sexual harassment." But she also built her company, Bold Body Fitness, and pursued her "passion in creating content." 

"I lost count of the number of times I cried myself to sleep, asked why me, wanted to give up, doubted my potential, felt alone/misunderstood," she writes. "But I didnt stay in that head space, despite whatever was going on in my life at the time. I got back up. One thing is for certain, we are guaranteed to face challenges. All of us. It is how we respond to those challenges that make us who we are," she concludes. "You are not your circumstances; you are your possibilities 💛 Believe that all things are possible & believe in yourself."

💪🔥Body Booster: Yes, muscle does weight more than fact, but building muscle is a key component of weight loss. The more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn at rest.