When Becky Hoover was 16 years old, her mother died. That’s when Hoover began turning to food as comfort: “As a teenage girl, I needed my mom. If I had a bad day, I turned to food.
If I was missing my mom, I turned to food.” And that wasn’t the only major loss Hoover suffered. Over the years, her father and brother also passed away, and another brother had died in childhood.
“I turned to food as comfort a lot, and the weight kept piling on,” she tells TODAY.com. “It’s not an excuse, but nobody gains that much weight without a reason.
” Her weight climbed to 348 pounds, and it was affecting her health: A family member’s blunt statement in 2019 motivated her to make some changes. This person told her point-blank that she was heading toward . “I didn’t know what to say.
I was shocked that someone would just come out and say that. It really upset me,” she says. “But I used that as motivation.
The next day I cleared off my treadmill and . And I’ve been walking ever since. I think I’m on my third treadmill.
” Despite some setbacks (more on that later) Hoover has lost 160 pounds. Her , her health markers have all improved, she doesn’t need to take any medication, she has tons of energy, she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow and she’s . Hoover recently turned 40.
“It is a really good feeling, going into your 40s and being healthy,” she says. Here’s what worked for her. At first, walking was all Hoover could do.
As her fitness i.
