I’m Jake Lamb, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in Davis County, Utah. I lost 110 pounds and have kept most of it off for 10 years, and I became a dietitian so I could be the person I wish I’d had on my side. Today I offer virtual nutrition counseling to clients in Utah and 11 other states. This is my story.
Where it started
In high school I worked at a fast food restaurant, and my breaks usually meant a quadruple cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. On days off it was a package of Oreos and hours of video games. I weighed about 165 pounds in 6th grade, 180 in 7th, and saw 240 on the scale sometime in high school. The heavier I got, the less comfortable I felt in my body, and food became the way I coped. It was a cycle: eating for pleasure led to feeling bad, which led to more eating.
By the time I started at Utah State University, I weighed around 280 pounds. With an all-you-can-eat meal plan, seconds and thirds were normal. I had never been on a date, I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror, and I knew I wasn’t who I wanted to be.
The turning point
At the start of my second semester, I decided to change. I went back to the gym with the friends who had invited me, and this time I stayed. A few weeks in, I stepped on the scale for the first time in a long while: 293.6 pounds.
I had tried before. I would do a very restrictive diet for a day or two, or start a workout program and quit within a week. This time I decided I was becoming a new person. I ran on the treadmill before my friends arrived, lifted weights with them, and made simple changes to how I ate: less chocolate milk, one plate instead of three, more water.
People noticed. The scale kept dropping, and I got hooked on how much better I felt. By the end of the semester I was down to 265 pounds.
Keeping it going
I served a two-year mission for my church in Georgia. Surrounded by southern comfort food, I still managed to keep losing. I ate and tried all kinds of foods, but I controlled what I could: the meals I prepared and my portions. When I came home I weighed 180 to 185 pounds, about 110 pounds down. My grandmother and aunt didn’t recognize me when I returned home.
I slept better, moved more easily, and no longer had back pain or middle-of-the-night leg cramps. I had more energy and confidence, and I enjoyed life more.
Why I became a dietitian
I started college planning to be an electrical engineer, but calculus changed my plans. While I was looking for a new major, I took an intro nutrition class. On the first day, the teacher asked us to list the bad things about blueberries, then the good things about Oreos. Her point was that foods aren’t “good” or “bad.” Every food has its place.
That made sense of my own history. When I failed at losing weight, I cut out all the “bad” foods, lasted a few days, then ate them and felt like a bad person for it. When I finally succeeded, I paid attention to portions and mostly ate foods I considered healthy, but I still let myself have cake and ice cream. Moderation worked because I wasn’t punishing myself.
I did all of it without a professional, just determination. I know I would have done better with someone beside me who could help me understand what I was doing and apply it. I became a dietitian to be that person for others.
What I’ve learned since
My weight hasn’t been a straight line. I lost 110 pounds in total and am currently about 70 pounds below my heaviest weight. I’ve had stretches where I was down even further, and times when I gained some back and had to work to lose it again. I tell you this because I want you to know I’ve been where you are. I understand how hard it is, and if I can do it, so can you.
It has been said that people who succeed at long-term weight loss feel they need to create a new identity. I completely believe that. To lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off, you have to become a newer, updated version of yourself. My job is to walk alongside you while you become the version of you who can lose weight and keep it off.
Below are some pictures of my before and after.
