Ariana Omipi has always suffered from a toxic relationship with food, making weight loss challenging for the young blogger. Photo / Instagram
Ariana Omipi has always suffered from a toxic relationship with food, making weight loss challenging for the young blogger. Photo / Instagram
Ariana Omipi always suffered from a toxic relationship with food, making losing weight incredibly challenging for the young blogger.
At her heaviest, the 24-year-old weighed 130kgs, but as of 11 months ago she'd lost an incredible 68kgs.
However Ariana, who lives in Auckland, New Zealand said her yoyo weight loss hasn't been an easy ride, describing it as one of the toughest experiences of her life.
"My portion sizes were just out of control. It wasn't that I was eating bad food β I was eating relatively healthy food β but my consumption was just too much," she told news.com.au
Ariana Omipi, 24, from New Zealand, lost 50kgs only to put it back on again. Photo / Instagram
"I would have three servings of breakfasts a day with plates full of scrambled eggs and bacon so I wasn't necessarily eating high in sugar foods or fat, but it was just too much."
In 2014, the digital marketing director and Instagram influencer had shed an incredible 50kgs by following a keto and low carb diet.
She began documenting her weight loss journey on social media and gained an army of loyal followers who were inspired by her story, but by 2018 she had put the weight back on.
She attempted two more times to trim down but couldn't sustain the diet.
"It wasn't sustainable for me because I still had a huge appetite which was an underlying cause for me to keep regaining," she said.
She had several failed attempts at keeping the weight off due to her toxic relationship with food. Photo / Instagram
She stopped sharing photos about fitness and exercise with her then 75,000 followers, instead posting pictures food.
"I couldn't do normal, day-to-day tasks anymore. I'd get so tired doing the simplest things, even going out with friends and socialising became a chore because I would get so hot and sweaty and wouldn't be able to walk as far as my friends β I just wasn't having a comfortable life anymore."
She said she had never seen herself as being obese and it wasn't until she had lost the weight again recently when she realised how it was affecting her life.
"A bunch of my friends and I went on a trip to Rotorua and due to my weight I couldn't do a lot of the activities and that was confronting. It hit me hard that I couldn't physically go any of the activities because it was unsafe as I weighed so much to the point it would harm me."
Hesitantly, she decided to undergo gastric sleeve surgery in a bid to shed the weight once more.
"If you had asked me over a year ago if I were to do it, I would have said 'oh no, I don't need to I lost it on my own before, I can do it again, I have to keep trying' β but when I realised it was an option that worked so well on others, I thought why not."
She underwent the surgery in March last year that removed 90 per cent of her stomach through keyhole surgery.
She explained that while it resulted in resounding success, having removed the hunger hormonal Ghrelin, it was important she kept consistent with her training and exercising.
"You can't solely rely on it β you really need to utilise it by building a healthy routine as that's what's going to be sustainable long-term," she told news.com.au
Before the surgery, she also had issues with her knee and sweat would make her break out in a rash, which led to her despising exercise. Now she works out twice a week for 45 minutes with a personal trainer and switches between cardio and weights.
"I feel great. I'm really living my life now which is one of the most rewarding things to have come from this whole journey."
Ariana said she now has control over her food consumption which mainly consists of a vegetarian-based diet.
"I have transformed far beyond physical appearance and weight loss this year and I am so immensely happy that I am excited about my life and what is to come for my future again."
In August this year Ariana will also undergo cosmetic surgery for a tummy tuck and breast augmentation.
