A woman’s journey of forgiveness, healing, and wellness. Plus loving wisdom tips that may change your life.

In this story you will read about Andrea Nagel. A woman that endured sexual assault, a broken back, and ridicule for obesity. In her story she loses 175 pounds. Yet, I don’t want you to read this as a weight loss journey, I want you to look for her spirit. How did her overall wellness improve? What changed in her emotions and her outlook? Where did she find the strength to persevere? And most importantly how did self-love inspire such amazing healing?

Andrea was born to an Italian family in Long Island, New York. At two years old she already weighed 50 pounds! Bread and pasta were her food of choice and weight became her constant focus. Even when she dieted, she perceived herself as fat. Andrea describes the “mean people” that would pick on her and feeling uncomfortable with what she now knows are her beautiful curves. Food was both her friend and her enemy. Andrea ate to celebrate, to entertain, and also to soothe her emotions.

Speaking to Andrea, you hear the underlying power in her voice that would save her life in the coming years.

While in college a man followed her home and raped her at knifepoint. She spoke to me about the horror, about disappearing from her body. Of the fog that followed. “Is everyone staring at me? Does everyone know?” She escaped with her life and knew that she couldn’t allow the attacker to take her spirit. Andrea tells me. “I wasn’t sleeping. I would start sweating with PTSD before leaving the house”. Her therapist recommended she write a letter to her attacker. “I wrote for myself”, she said. “It was as if a light switch was turned on and the healing began”.

“Talk about it. It helps”.

Andrea began moving forward in her life yet describes “eating and eating through all of this because food was comfort”. She gained more and more weight and talked about the extreme prejudice directed at overweight people. Andrea describes “people staring”. If she ordered a salad at a restaurant people would assume she must have been hiding what she usually ate. If she decided to have dessert the response was “no wonder she is fat”. Despite the ridicule, she never allowed people to see her pain. She would dress up and choose to look her best. “At least they couldn’t judge me for what I was wearing”, Andrea said describing the hurt she endured from the criticism.

As Andrea was getting her life together with a great job in New York City and a seemingly lovely path in front of her, she was in a skiing accident and broke bones in her back. “Thank goodness I twisted or it would have been my spine”. After a weeklong hospital stay and three months of therapy her back began to heal but her spirit did not. The old wounds surfaced. She began to eat more and more. She describes feeling like a “constant contradiction”. She knew she was “lucky” yet was also very depressed so the yo-yo dieting continued.

Two weeks before her second son was born, tragedy again struck. Andrea’s mom suddenly died of undiagnosed stage four-breast cancer. Andrea fell into a life altering depression. For the next two year she took care of everyone but herself. Her weight ballooned to 300 pounds. Andrea’s knees were in constant pain. She developed thyroid symptoms. The more weight she gained, the more out of control she felt. One day the moment came when she knew things had to change. Andrea was doing laundry in the basement and couldn’t walk up the stairs. She realized she had to become okay with herself first so she could be healthy for her boys. In other words, she began to understand that loving starts with self. She didn’t know what that meant for her life or how she was going to accomplish true healing, yet she knew a step had to be made.

Andrea shifted her diet and began to exercise. Being the incredibly tenacious person she has always been, Andrea had heard that a friend was running a half marathon and decided to do the same! At 288 pounds she got on the treadmill and started running. (LoveSelf Note: Check with your body. Running worked for Andrea. Maybe a stroll or swimming will be what calls to you). Andrea’s friend offered her advice that is a great metaphor for all of life, “If you can run a mile you can run a marathon”. At 250 pounds she ran her first marathon. Andrea was so energized by her accomplishment that she chose to do an obstacle course race. At the last hurdle, she couldn’t get over the soapy wall and recalls someone grabbing her hand and pulling her over. “You never know who is going to be in your life to help you.”

Andrea had learned the love of exercise yet still was in a battle with food. She continued to diet but didn’t want the burden of constant sacrifice when once again a friend came along with inspiration. Andrea was introduced to the Paleo lifestyle and began learning about clean eating, not calories. She stopped dieting and started real food. (LoveSelf Note: Every BODY is different. Choose the clean eating program that is right for you. Food is medicine and the fuel that heals).

Andrea has lost 175 pounds and kept it off. Her spirit is healed. She knows her power. She cooks with her boys who don’t recall their mom ever being overweight. Andrea has begun teaching people about healthy eating and even started her own healing blog, www.theenlightenedculinist.com. Most importantly Andrea has learned that she is here for a reason. She beautifully describes that the pain of her life has made her stronger.  We talked about moments change lives and that life is a lesson. And that always, always we must be happy with ourselves first.

Andrea knows that “Your body is beautiful. Every scar is a victory mark”.

Here are some beautiful wisdom tips to incorporate into your own life.

Believe in yourself.

What happens to you doesn’t define you.

There is always a way out of depression to authentic joy.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Andrea created for you a heathy decadent Twice Baked Sweet Potato with Creamy Avocado Dressing. Check out the recipe. Yum!

Rachel Kahn

Founder at LoveSelf

Rachel Kahn is the founder of LoveSelf, a gluten free paleo wellness magazine dedicated to helping you discover your Happy Belly, Loving Heart, and Inspired Life. Rachel began studying holistic health and nutrition over a decade ago and attributes her own healing to lessons in body nurturing choices. Rachel is highlighting inspiring people healing with the power of real food and self-love.