Inspiring People Interview: Ariana Omipi from Ari Eats

Next in our Inspiring People series is Ariana Omipi who is the blogger behind Ari Eats.  Ari has also undergone an amazing health and fitness journey which has led her to loose over 50 kilos, gained a bucket load of confidence and is treating herself more positively than she has in the past. 

Hi! I’m Ariana, a 19-year-old foodie who runs a food blog which is ketogenic (LCHF) and Paleo influenced called Ari Eats. Over the last year I’ve adopted a Living Well Lifestyle which has happened me to transform my lifestyle and lose over 50 kilos.

Tell us about your lifestyle prior to taking on a healthy lifestyle…
I decided to change my lifestyle in August 2013. Prior to this I was involved in such destructive behaviours which had become habits.

I gained the majority of my weight in 2012 which was my senior year at high school. I was constantly eating junk – Mc Donalds NYC Benedict Bagel was a staple breakfast and sometimes I’d even get a McFlurry and this was right after going to the gym. I spent most of that year with multiple health problems and found myself taking several trips to the hospital. I was in the worst condition my body had even been in.

I reached a peak of 130 kilos mid 2013 – I had a BMI of 46 and was well into what is considered Morbidly Obese. I was unhealthy and unfit.

And your lifestyle now…
My lifestyle is far more balanced. I’m much more aware of what I’m putting into my body and it really does take a toll on me when I’m nourishing my body with the food it needs.

I’ve learnt how to treat myself and eat in moderation without depriving myself of the foods I still love. Best of all, I don’t binge eat when I get in a emotional state which is a really big achievement as it’s something that I just would do.

Oh, and I’ve lost 50 kilos which has had such a positive impact on my everyday life and in all I do. I now can wear sparkly dresses and heels rather than just leggings, an oversized males singlet and a hoddie which was my staple attire. I feel confident which makes me feel really positve about myself and I think that’s really important.

What was it that made you make a change?
A failed relationship put me in a really bad place emotionally and mentally. I put a lot of my energy into changing who I was from the way I spoke, to my name, to my hair colour. I needed to become a completely new person to function again.

I was pretty much at rock bottom and I thought that instead of eating my feelings I’d instead make a change. I wasn’t intending on losing weight, I just wanted to do something different, that was challenging and that put my focus on something other than the way I was feeling.

How did you get so interested in food?
The one thing I couldn’t do prior to taking on a healthy lifestyle was cook. There was about 3 things I could “cook”. One was coooking packet of linguine, mixing cream with a Maggi soup mix, say chicken for example and then adding chicken and mushroom to it to make a pasta. I’d change it up and use a seafood soup mix with seafood too. I thought I was a masterchef with that dish. It’s a little amusing looking back on it.

Aside from that I’ve always been passionate about food – I just ate out a lot. I spent a lot of time in resturants and little eateries on my commutes to Auckland in my senior year at high school and prior that as a family we were dining out at least once a week.

What made you start the page Ari Eats?
Ari Eats was founded once I was close to my 50 kilo weight loss mark. A lot of people around me had noticed a significant change and were interested in what I was doing. I’ve always believed that 80% of my weight loss was due to diet and I wanted to share with people that healthy food doesn’t have to boring or tasteless or difficult to make.

The whole concept of why Ari Eats was created was to empowering eating, especially when wanting to lose weight. It’s such a pet peeve of mine when I’m asked what diet pills I took or if I starved myself. It’s about what we’re eating and how we’re eating it.

What is your favourite form of exercise to do?
I love classes so any weights/resistance class is my favourite. I also enjoy MMA style classes.

What is your most memorable moment on this journey?
Probably when I hit over 50 kilos weight loss. It was such a huge milestone for me to be under 80 kilos.

What is your favourite healthy food/recipe?
Probably my Paleo Chocolate Truffles for a sweet treat to curb cravings or for everyday recipe I love my Bacon & Egg Muffins for a simple and quick meal on the go!

How have you found social media help (or hinder) your progress?
Social media played a huge part in my journey. During the earlier stages of my weight loss journey I really didn’t have that supportive network around me in my home life and that made it really difficult to implement changes. I found an online forum with girls who were on a similar journey to me. We were all around the same weight so it nice to have woman there who understood the issues only larger people could understand. There was a sense of accountability in having these friendships too which was so helpful to my journey.

In saying that social media has also hindered my progress quite a lot. I have a Facebook page that has over 10k followers which I’ve only had for a short period of time (less than a year). There’s an added pressure on having to create content and always be losing weight or eating well or being inspiring and that’s not realistic.

There’s also a lot of bullying that can happen when you put yourself in the spotlight and I’ve found that really difficult to deal with. A lot of the time I’ve found myself doing what I know people want to see rather than what I know is best for me or will make me happy.

What is one piece of workout equipment or tool that you swear by?
I’d say as long as you’ve got a good pair of sneakers and a high-impact sports bra you’re sorted for a good workout.

What is your number one tip for someone wanting to make a change and begin a healthy lifestyle?
First you need to tackle your destructive behaviours. Everyone has them and they bring huge limitations to what you can achieve. If you conquer these and work at changing them you’ll see your entire lifestyle transform which is so much more beneficial in the long run than just partaking in a temporary quick fix diet.

Thank you Ari for sharing your story and being so open about the more negative sides of your journey. I too believe that tackling your destructive behaviours is definitely the key to long term health success as we need to get to the root cause. 

You can find Ari in the following places:
Ari Eats Blog
Ari Eats Facebook Page
Instagram