Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Dawson
Hi Alisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always had a passion for helping others. I started in the beauty industry as a cosmetologist, then switched gears and went into health care as a nurse. After I had kids I struggled with post-partum depression that turned into major depression. I struggled to see my own worth and quit taking care of myself as I was caring for a baby and a toddler. With that came a lot of weight gain. When the pandemic hit, my mental health spiraled and I my weight got out of control. I was exhausted all the time and never wanted to exercise. I thought my exhaustion was normal since I was a mom of young kids. My health was declining, I noticed that I would get fatigued while grocery shopping and that’s when I knew it was time to change.
Fast forward to 2023. I decided to go to my PCP. I had been on a depression medication for 3 years and didn’t feel like it was helping. Come to find out one of the side effects of this medication was tiredness/fatigue. I told him I wanted to lose weight and he put me on an anti-depression medication that doesn’t have the tiredness side effects and also told me with the amount of weight I wanted to loose (over 150 lbs) weightloss surgery would probably be my only option. I’m a stubborn one and I left that office thinking I’d show him! Well, changing my meds completely changed my life. Within the first couple of weeks, I had the energy to start working on getting back to a healthier state, including losing weight and my mindset was starting to change and see the worth I have no matter the weight I am.
A few months into my weight loss journey, I had been following several people on Instagram that had extreme weightloss. I was looking specifically for those that had lost more than 100 lbs without requiring surgery. I decided I would start my own account and help show others that you can have extreme weightloss, and though weightloss surgery is amazing and has helped so many people, there are those of us who have been able to acheive weightloss without requiring surgery to do it.
To date, I have lost over 130 lbs with eating better and walking! I do use the Weight Watchers app and track my food intake. I have a desk job and got a walking pad. I started just trying to get 1,000 more steps per day than the month before. I track my steps on my phone. I literally started with doing only about couple thousand steps per day.
Now, I am 1 1/2 years into my weightloss journey. I walk more than 10,000 steps daily, I countinue to track my food in my app. I have been working with small companies, including local, to keep my instagram account going. I share recipes and things that I have learned along the way that have helped me with my weightloss. I’ve had people send me messages or tell me how much they love the recipes I have posted, or that seeing my account has made them realize they can also get back to a healthier lifestyle. And for that, it made the vulnerability of sharing my journey worth everything.
At my last PCP Dr. appointment, he was proud of how far I’ve come, especially without needing bariatric surgery to lose a large amount of weight.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Anyone who has struggled with their weight and has tried to lose weight knows it is not easy. I don’t care if you are on weight loss meds, get bariatric surgery, or diet and exercise, all of these methods are hard. All of them still require a lifestyle change to be successful, otherwise the weight will come right back when you finish. I struggle with a bad sweet tooth, which is why I share so many sweet recipes on my Instagram. I use them almost daily to curb my cravings.
I’ve also hit a big plateau with my weight earlier this year. I’ve been in a calorie deficit for a year and a half and that takes a lot of time, thought, stress, you name it. I have finally decided to get some extra help and started a GLP-1 semaglutide medication to help with the last 50 lbs I want to lose. There is a lot of stigma around weightloss meds, but it still requires a healthy lifestyle and calorie deficit to lose the weight, and those healthy habits will be what helps maintain a healthy weight once I am able to get off of the medication.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been a nurse for over 13 years. I worked in the OR for half of that time and now I get to work remote doing insurance. I absolutely love that I get to do this and it provides the best work- life balance that I could ask for as a full-time working mom. I literally thank God every day that I get to do what I do as a nurse.
During my lunch break, while the kids are at school, is when I can create different recipes, or try different products and I share that on my instagram. I’ve loved working with the companies that I have. I also started working with Oliveda Skincare as a consultant and getting back to my roots of being in the beauty industry. Now that I feel amazing on the inside, from continuing to get healthier over this last year and a half, I want to make sure the outside reflects that. I’ve already noticed amazing things happening to my skin.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
The biggest thing that I have learned during this weight loss journey is that a person’s worth doesn’t depend on their weight. No matter what you have been taught growing up, how others treat you, how you view yourself is what matters. The most important thing I did for myself is believe that I am worth the time and effort to improve my life. Those that want to watch me do it are welcome to do so with what I decide to share. But there’s no longer space for negativity in my life. Whether that’s is letting go of relationships that no longer (or never did) serve me, or blocking trolls on social media, or stopping myself from negative self talk. And trust me, weight loss does not all of a sudden make your mental health better. It’s a daily struggle to tell myself I’m worth the work!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://us.olivetreepeople.com/pages/join-us?referral=Alisaeatsa
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisaeats_a
