I lost 159 pounds in 2 years without medication or surgery – here’s how I did it

Maria Kirkeland has learned to count on her weight loss method.

The 37-year-old Norwegian woman says she lost 159 kilograms in two years, never feeling hungry thanks to two major attacks.

By 2022, Kirkeland’s decades-long cycle of binges and restrictions had left him heavier than ever.

“I would eat a lot of snacks, ice cream, chocolate, high-calorie foods, and then feel terrible about myself,” she told Business Insider this week. “Then I’d say, ‘I’m on a diet. I won’t eat any ice cream. I will never eat chocolate again. I’m going to lose weight.’ And that lasted about a few days, and then you crack.”

Bullied about her weight since childhood, Kirkeland turned to food as a form of emotional support. And the COVID-19 pandemic only intensified her habits.

“I just kind of lost it. I was very depressed,” she explained. “I became very isolated and I think that led to me having a terrible relationship with food and eating very badly and not leaving the house.”

She decided to change her approach to weight loss by abandoning the starving/grabbing model and implementing two key techniques – counting calories and focusing on protein intake and strength training.

Counting calories

A deep dive into the world of TikTok gave Kirkeland a change in perspective. She learned from weight loss coaches on the platform that she would need a calorie deficit to lose weight, meaning you are burning more calories than you are consuming.

As someone with a history of extreme and restrictive behaviors, Kirkeland was initially apprehensive about counting calories.

“I was very afraid of going back to my previous mindset,” she told Business Insider.

However, in the end she was able to integrate calorie counting as an informative tool rather than an unhealthy obsession.

“Before, when I was trying to lose weight, I made more assumptions and I think that led me to eat less, which would then cause me to crash because I was so hungry,” she said.

With calorie counting, Kirkeland says she wasn’t militant, taking vacations and vacations. Perhaps most importantly, she didn’t eliminate anything from her diet, allowing her to indulge her sweet tooth—in moderation.

Her food choices gradually shifted from processed foods to whole, healthy foods and protein.

Fitness trainer Jenna Rizzo recently echoed the importance of staying in that deficit and supporting healthy weight loss with adequate protein: “You have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, and you have to eat enough protein to make sure the weight is possible”. The new loss is fat, not muscle.”

Protein and strength training

Before embarking on her latest fitness journey, Kirkeland focused primarily on cardio exercises.

She decided to start a strength training program to build muscle and to help those growing muscles grow and recover after exercise, she increased her protein intake.

Starting with weekly bodyweight exercises, she eventually progressed to lifting weights. She is focused on getting strong, lifting and challenging herself.

Strong in body has become synonymous with strong in spirit for Kirkeland.

“As I’ve seen that I’ve been able to push myself, I’ve been able to do things that I previously thought were difficult, it’s given me a joy and a sense of accomplishment,” she told Business Insider.