Trapped in an abusive relationship, severely depressed, and binge eating to numb the pain, Lydia Dzuibanek felt worthless. She resolved to take her own life, but didn’t want her three young boys to think they were the cause of her despair. So, she devised a plan to make her death look like an accident by driving off a cliff. While en route to her final destination, she took a mysterious and unexplainable detour and ended up at an Anytime Fitness asking for help.
Working with an Anytime Fitness personal trainer, she lost over 100 pounds, going from a size 22 to a size 6. Instead of feeling humiliated and powerless, she is now strong and fearless. She left the relationship that was the source of so much pain, quit smoking and is off anti-depressants for the first time in years.
Lets hear Lydia’s incredible journey from the start.
Women Fitness: What was the exact time when you realized that you needed to lose weight?
Lydia Dzuibanek: The exact time I realized I needed to lose weight was the moment I decided not to commit suicide. I had been suffering from extreme depression and anxiety for a long time. I felt trapped in a marriage that was emotionally abusive. I had become so overwhelmed with shame for staying that I had told no one of what I was going through in my relationship. I had been holding up a mask, pretending to my family and friends I was fine. Only my three boys knew the truth and I felt so guilty for not being strong enough to leave for them. I was at my heaviest weight, 250 pounds. It got to a point that I couldn’t bear the depression and anxiety anymore. I left my house with the intention of committing suicide by driving off a cliff. Somehow on the drive, I made my way to the local Anytime Fitness, instead. I remember thinking as I stood in the gym that I had to ask for help, I had to make some huge changes and I had to do it right away.
Women Fitness: How has your weight loss journey been? What were the milestones that you had to overcome?
Lydia Dzuibanek: My weight loss journey has been a battle! I have had to learn how to fight my food addictions, my impulse for comfort food when I am upset, sad, angry, scared or depressed. I have had to fight to learn that exercise is the best tool for me to combat my anxiety and depression. Therefore, I have trained myself to hit the gym regularly to maintain my mental health, but to also resort to physical activity when waves of depression are stronger or life is more challenging than on a normal day. I have had to train myself to meal prep religiously so I am prepared every day with healthy food choices. My journey has not been easy. I have just gotten stronger. Two years after I started my fitness journey, I was down 94 pounds and a size 4 (156 pounds). I felt amazing. Then in April 2016, I started taking a birth control shot which I had a horrible reaction to and for the next three months, I gained weight rapidly. Over those three months I gained 35 pounds back. I was still going to gym 5-6 days a week, but my food choices were off because I was struggling so much with the weight gain. By Christmas 2016, I was back up to 190. I remembered how far I had come and fought to get my head back in the game. Since December, I have lost 20 pounds and am determined to continue to fight. I am currently 170 pounds and a size 6.
Milestones I have overcome outside the gym include leaving my husband and getting divorced, living on my own with my three boys, earning my Master’s degree, finishing four Spartan Races, publicly speaking about my journey in front of 3,000 people and writing a physical education curriculum for grades 1 – 5.
Women Fitness: What was your fitness regime like during this period?
Lydia Dzuibanek: My fitness regime during this time has had many variations, but one staple is Anytime Fitness and my trainer Mike Rike. Since the night I first walked into the gym instead of taking my own life, we have trained together. We train either 2-3 times a week, depending on my available funds. Besides training with Mike every week, I go to Anytime Fitness and do weights and cardio workouts four additional days a week. I also attend Spin class at Anytime Fitness at 5 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and afternoon classes on Monday and Wednesday every week. Additionally, I love to throw in some variety with hiking or by taking HIIT style classes. All in all, I work out five days a week, either every day or twice a day. I schedule in rest days when my body calls for them.
Women Fitness: In a typical day, what was your diet like?
Lydia Dzuibanek: I meal prep consistently and I am the type of person who can eat the same thing every day. I have a cheat meal planned every week that I look forward to, so as long as I stick to my meal prep, I will eat anything on the cheat day. I make a protein powder with a spinach and kale fruit smoothie every morning after I get back from gym, and I include my multi-vitamin powder. I eat oatmeal around 7 a.m. I eat two hardboiled eggs and yogurt as a morning snack. For lunch every day, I eat ground turkey with green peas, slivers of carrot and celery on a bed of spinach. I drink another shake or eat a protein bar after lunch. For dinner, I have chicken fajitas with sweet peppers and onion on a bed of kale blended with a few cranberries and seeds. I change up my lunch and dinners every few weeks with fish and veggies and a veggie sausage with sweet peppers and onions. I drink a gallon of water every day with BCAAs.
Women Fitness: Who/What do you consider the greatest motivation behind your healthy weight loss journey?
Lydia Dzuibanek: Without a doubt, who I consider my greatest motivation behind my weight loss journey is my trainer Mike Rike from Anytime Fitness. He was the first person I asked for help and when he agreed, I felt hope for the first time. With his help, I was able to grab on to that hope and climb out of my suicidal depression. I was able to fight to become strong mentally and physically. He never let me down, is always brutally honest, never failed in creating the perfect workout plan to allow me to achieve my fitness goals, never allowed me to slack, whine, complain or feel sorry for myself. He is very much like a big brother to me; I want to impress him and not let him down, and I respect and love him.
What I consider my greatest motivation to weight loss is having finally found an outlet that works to fight my depression. This allows me to actively fight for my quality of life and my boys but also to show others who suffer from depression that there is hope. My greatest desire and motivation is to inspire and help others. That is what drives and motivates me every day to stay focused and strong on my fitness journey, to keep making new goals and to continue to push myself past my comfort zone to achieve new things.
Women Fitness: How do you plan to maintain your healthy weight & body?
Lydia Dzuibanek: To me, maintain sounds like a destination. My health is a journey. I am not at the ideal weight and body shape I desire. In order to maintain my healthy mind and body, I intend to continue to do as I have been by eating clean, working out daily, training with Mike at Anytime Fitness and fighting my depression. I will always be on this journey. I will always have goals and will always be focused on smashing the goals that are in front of me.
I also intend on making positive change connected to fitness and health, not only in the lives of those who are suffering from depression, but also with kids. I have created a PE curriculum for elementary schools and hope to be able to get kids excited about a lifetime love of fitness. If I can inspire kids at a young age to love fitness, that will follow them into their adult lives and benefit them in a big way.