A Taylor Swift concert turned out to be the tipping point for Lori Jerisha. The 47-year-old mother of two was in Chicago to see the pop star perform last summer and recalls “needing a break when I was walking from the parking lot to the stadium and up the stairs. I got so tired of asking [my daughter] to wait for me.
” A combination of a sedentary lifestyle and poor eating habits led to steady weight gain for Jerisha, who tipped the scales at 210 pounds in 2023. “I knew I needed to make a complete change in lifestyle,” she told TODAY.com this week.
In addition to feeling physically limited and dissatisfied with her appearance, Jerisha suffered from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Her weight caused acid reflux and sleep apnea, the latter of which required a CPAP machine . Earlier in her nursing career, Jerisha was active, but 12 years ago, she pivoted to a work-from-home position for an insurance company, “I went from moving around to sitting in front of a computer, typing and using digital electronic records.
” Admittedly, Jerisha has never loved working out. “I’ve definitely tried to exercise in the past, but I didn’t like sweating or having to go to a gym and sit stationary and do something,” she explained to TODAY.com.
“I don’t know how to swim, so that was out. I don’t like lifting weights. I don’t like running, but I always enjoyed walking.
I just never really took the time to do it for myself.” Faced with an empty nest last fall, Je.