Carrie Devorah was a vibrant woman with an enviable freelance career through the White House News Photographers Association. She was fit and led an active lifestyle. That was before an unfortunate accident took away her mobility, self-confidence and was ultimately the catalyst for a 50+ pound weight gain. After several surgeries, learning “how” to eat and what exercises she could do safely with a limited range of movement, Carrie has now gone from a size 18 to a size 10.
Her life-changing accident
Although Carrie admits she never had the perfect diet, she was always able to counter poor eating choices with hard work in the gym. Unfortunately, Carrie’s downward spiral occurred during a fluke accident when slipped in a rental apartment and hyperextended her knee. The knee never healed correctly and eventually, she had to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus followed by a hip replacement, all in the same leg. During this time her mobility was greatly decreased and a deep depression settled over her. “I was a vibrant person dying inside an increasingly obese person,” she admitted. “I was struggling in pain while losing a career and my social identity.”
Dark days
Due to the extent of her injuries, Carrie’s recovery lasted years and it was a painful process. First she became a recluse and then made “getting to the coffee shop” her daily mission. While that was good for exercise, it was a hindrance to her diet. “Coffee meant a pastry which meant I could delay struggling to walk back to my apartment,” she said. Early on she met a physical therapist who “got her.” She credits the PT with giving her the information she needed about counting calories but admitted it was tough to stick to noting, the worse the pain got, the less she moved and the more she ate. (more…)
