Kenzi Groft has always been an athletic girl.
She was an amazing softball player who hoped to play in college one day. Unfortunately, during her junior year of high school, she experienced some setbacks. She broke her wrist and was unable to pitch for her team anymore.
Her boyfriend also dumped her that year, and she turned to food for comfort.
She said:
“I started emotionally eating, I lost all motivation to do anything. Five pounds up went to 10, then 30, then 100! I was spiraling out of control, but I was so blinded by emotion and food that I never noticed.”
Kenzie continued to eat poorly, and when it came time for graduation two years later, she weighed over 300 pounds. She couldn’t even recognize herself, and her health was also suffering. She could no longer play softball anymore, because she was simply too big to run and slide.
College was even worse. She had almost no self-esteem, and she started smoking cigarettes and eating almost 4,000 calories a day.
She ended up dropping out after only four months of classes. She went home and made an appointment with a doctor. At only 18 years old, she weighed 305 pounds. Her doctor told her she was at risk for serious health problems.
She explained,
“I was at a huge risk for blood clots and I had to get my gallbladder removed. I had kidney stones. He basically told me at the rate that I was going that I was going to die before I turned 30. I had horrible ovarian cysts and my acid reflux kept sending me to the ER. I could hardly fit in my car anymore. I couldn’t go up the stairs without losing my breath … I was extremely obese and very depressed. I wasn’t someone I would ever look up to; I was the exact opposite. I was my own worst nightmare. So, I decided to change it.”
She started to exercise and cut back on calories.
She changed the way she looked at food and found new ways to cope with her emotions. She started to feel better, and the weight started to come right off. She couldn’t believe it.
She said:
“I ramped everything up, I went on a strict diet of proteins and vegetables and actually started TRYING. Soon the weight began melting off of me. I got a personal trainer and began working with her 4 days a week. I joined a slow pitch softball team to make exercising a little more fun and to finally step on the field again. I started watching workout videos and walking my dogs, taking them to the dog park and running and playing with them.”
Kenzi ended up losing 145 pounds. She looks amazing, and her health has also improved.
More importantly, Kenzi is happier than ever. She hopes her story can motivate others and help them lose weight, too.
She said:
“I want people to realize that they can do this as well. It was so hard for me at first, most of the time I could hardly get out of bed let alone go to the gym. The food cravings were almost overwhelming, they distracted my thoughts and haunted my dreams, I thought I could never get over the need for junk food, but I did. I thought I could never lose weight, that I would always be miserable with myself and never change. But I did. And I know that you can do it too.”
Kenzi is ready to take her life back and give college and even dating another try.
She still has her entire life ahead of her, and now that she is happy and healthy, the sky is the limit.
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