Sumter mother loses over 120 pounds amid pandemic, credits keto diet and exercise
SUMTER COUNTY, SC (WACH) — At the start of the pandemic last March, Whitney Lucas says she was at her heaviest and unhappiest, weighing almost 320 pounds.
“You get in this little hole and you live there. That becomes your happy place,” said Lucas. “Probably a lot of it was depression from all the things that I went through with the pregnancies.”
She suffered through four miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy, which she believes was all due to her weight. In November, a night out with her son changed everything.
“I went to the fair with my son and I didn’t fit in one of the rides. So that’s where it started, when I had to get off the ride in front of a whole group of people,” said Lucas.
She then headed to Workout Anytime gym in Sumter. At a time when coronavirus shut everything down, she fit in squats and cardio, working her way up to six days a week of exercise. She also put herself on the keto diet.
Robert Wilson, who manages Workout Anytime Sumter, trained with Lucas consistently.
“Even though it was kind of hard starting off, she pushed herself as much as she could through everything,” said Wilson. “I was actually pretty impressed with her from the beginning.”
Today, Lucas weighs 196 pounds. It’s a more than 120 lb. weight loss that she hopes inspires others.
“Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t do it. You can. It has to come from you. And if you can push yourself, you can do it all,” said Lucas.
Amid the pandemic, trainers say the keys to those weight loss results are consistency and self-control.
“As long as you’re able to control your portions, stay away from eating out, do more cooking at home, fresh meats, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, you’ll see big changes,” Wilson added.
Lucas is living proof of that. Furthering her passion for fitness, she has set a goal of losing sixteen more pounds in the weeks ahead. She is also taking classes to be a fitness and nutrition coach.
“I love powerlifting. I like doing deadlifts, and rack pulls, and bench presses and all of that.” Lucas went on to say. “I’ve learned that even if I think I can’t do it – just to put myself out there and try. And you find out you can do a whole lot more than what you think.”
Nancy Bahn has been a journalist for Kowari since 2020. Nancy grew up in Plymouth, Indiana and later moved to Dallas, Texas for university. Before joinging the Kowari team, Nancy worked as both a freelance journalist and copywriter. She covers health stories.
