I lost 200 lbs. — my exact diet swaps, there was no ‘magic pill,’

A once-XXXXXL mom who had to have a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of cancer lost over 200 lbs. so she could have breast reconstruction surgery.

Tori Phillips, 39, long used food as comfort due to a tough upbringing and already weighed about 180 lbs. by the time she was 11.

Over the years she tried diets and exercise programs, but she would always put the weight on again.

But a health scare in her late 30s was the push she needed to throw herself into losing weight, and she’s halved her body weight following a gastric sleeve, dieting, and surgery to remove excess skin.

Phillips’ difficult childhood left her using food as a coping mechanism from a young age. She would sneak treats into the bathroom and gobble them when nobody was watching.

“I think my weight was noticeable from as young as seven,” she said. “I was gifted a Barbie exercise video tape for my eighth birthday!

At school she was the largest in her class and got no interest from boys. By 18, she weight 350 lbs.

The worse her mental health got, the more she would rely on food to comfort her — and her diet featured huge portions of pizza, burritos and “whole pints of ice cream.”

At 21 she was 420 lbs. and a size XXXXXL — her heaviest weight — but she couldn’t keep it off whenever she lost weight.

“I would overexercise and under-eat. I once even blacked out in a grocery store. And I never maintained the weight loss,” she said.

But in 2014, Phillips learned she has the BRCA1 gene, putting her at risk of breast cancer. Due to the nature and family history of breast cancer, doctors told her she would need a double mastectomy before her 39th birthday.

In the meantime, she met her husband and welcomed her daughter Caitlin, now 3. But she knew as soon as she gave birth that she couldn’t put off her weight loss any more — because doctors told her she wouldn’t be able to have reconstructive surgery after her double mastectomy if she didn’t slim down.

In February 2022, she decided to pursue bariatric surgery and in September 2022, she had went under the knife for a gastric sleeve.

In the year following, she worked out “hardcore” with weight training and a Peloton, and also changed her tied.

“I knew bariatric surgery isn’t a magic pill — it was a mental game. But it also helped me mentally prepare for my mastectomy journey.”

Phillips had got her weight down to 244 lbs. by the time she had her double mastectomy in January 2024, and had booked herself in for skin removal surgery in August 2024.

She went under the knife and had over 28 lbs. of skin removed from her stomach and arms, bringing her down to 210 lbs., and a slender size L.

“The final step after my weight loss was having the excess skin from my abdomen and arms, and it was life-changing. I had never seen my upper body without my large arms, or with a flat stomach!” she said.

“It was mind-blowing — I had never been able to wear fitted jackets because of my arms. Having my ‘wings clipped,’ as I called it, was life-changing for me. And I had never not had squish on my tummy!”

Because of her hard work shedding the pounds, Phillips could go ahead with a double breast reconstruction in November — and is still in awe of her new body.

“Now I’ve had my final chest reconstruction surgery, my weight is halved and I can enjoy what my new body is capable of.”

In addition, she was told that due to the double mastectomy, her risk of cancer had dropped to as low as general population level.

“Now I can start living my life without worrying,” she said.

“When I was large, I worried that when Caitlin started to walk and run, I’d never be able to keep up with her. Now I can chase her around and I love it. I can sit with my knees bent which I could never do before either!”

Reflecting on a weight loss journey spanning more than two decades, Phillips said she has learnt to have “compassion” for her body and mind.

“When people talk about my weight loss, it’s not just about what I ate,” Phillips said. “I don’t struggle to keep the weight off now because I’m healing mentally too. I’ve learned to view food differently now.

“I’ve put the years into this, and I can enjoy life now in a way I couldn’t before.”

Phillips’ diet at her heaviest weight

• BREAKFAST: Large coffee with lots of creamer and Splenda. Large breakfast burrito (eggs, cheese, potatoes, meat) or two breakfast sandwiches and large hash browns.
• LUNCH: Large sandwich with chips, large diet soda, and cookie orbrownie.
• DINNER: Four slices of pizza, diet soda, and breadsticks. Large serving of spaghetti with garlic bread.
• SNACKS: cereal and nonfat milk. Whole pints of ice cream in one setting. Nachos or large portions of potato chips and dip.
• DRINKS: Lots of diet soda.

Phillips’ diet now

• BREAKFAST: Protein coffee OR eggs and avocado toast with homemade protein bread. Or a breakfast salad of arugula, air fried sweet potato cubes, onions, avocado, and two eggs.
• LUNCH: Protein pasta with garlic infused olive oil, Italian seasoning, green onions, and parmesan.
• DINNER: Salad with crunchy chicken nuggets chopped up.
• SNACKS: Protein bar. Air fried low carb tortilla strips with a homemade cottage cheese dip. Apples with peanut butter. Mixed nuts. Cool whip with sugar free pudding mix.
• DRINKS: Sugar free drink mixed in water. Protein coffee.