Woman's secret to losing 80 pounds is deleting social media: 'Best decision I ever made'

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This woman lost 80 pounds on a different kind of elimination diet. She eliminated social media. 

Brenda Finn, 33, a candlemaker from London, told SWNS she had "always been a bit chubby," but starting in 2016 she started to gain a lot of weight, reaching 217 pounds by August 2020. 

It was around then that Finn -- who also suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss -- had a turning point. 

"I remember looking in the mirror and thinking "Oh s**t, how have I got this big?" Finn told SWNS.

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She soon started working out at home but realized she needed to change her diet -- and her social media diet -- as well. 

Brenda Finn, 33, from London, has lost 80 pounds after she deactivated her social media accounts last year. Finn is pictured in February 2020. (SWNS)

"Scrolling down my feed I'd see endless cakes, ice cream, sugary drinks and pizzas," Finn said. "It was constant subliminal messaging telling me to go and have a snack."

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She added: "When I realized how distracting Facebook and Instagram were from my progress, I shut off from it all."

Finn told SWNS she deactivated her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts so she could focus on losing weight.

Finn weighed 217 pounds in August 2020 and realized that she had to change her lifestyle. (SWNS)

"That was a pinnacle point for me - it was hard to say goodbye to my social media but it was the best decision I ever made," Finn said.

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Finn explained that once she deleted her social media accounts, she started seeing results. 

"I'd struggled to lose even a couple of pounds before then but as soon as I ditched [social media], I saw the weight dropping off," she said.

Though she started some at-home workouts, she also realized she had to change her diet, but that social media -- with ads and posts about unhealthy snacks -- was hindering her progress. Finn is pictured in June 2021, when she weighed 156 pounds. (SWNS)

That’s when she decided to deactivate her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. Soon after she deactivated her accounts, she was able to focus on her weight loss. Finn is pictured last month. (SWNS)

According to SWNS, she learned more about calories, improved her diet and bought some indoor exercise equipment

In May of this year, when she reached 154 pounds, she looked in the same mirror where she had first decided to change her lifestyle back in August 2020. 

"That was the first time I really acknowledged the weight loss and what I'd achieved and it felt amazing," Finn said.

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Last month, she reached her goal weight of 140 pounds. Though she reactivated her Instagram account to celebrate, she said she "couldn’t engage with it," she told SWNS.

Today, Finn weighs 136 pounds and is working on losing another 10 pounds, according to SWNS.

Today, Finn weighs 136 pounds, with a goal weight of 126 pounds. Finn is pictured in October 2021. (SWNS)

"I can't believe how good I feel - I'm fitter, I eat a healthy diet and I feel so much more alive," Finn said of her lifestyle change.

"This has totally changed my mindset towards food, exercise and my body," she added. "Now, I wake up every day and I just feel so light and alive - I never realized I felt heavy before but looking back, I feel like a different person."

She continued: "Deleting my social media was the best decision I ever made."