When Nyla Anderson, 29, was in high school at Albert Lea, she was an athlete who played volleyball. That’s how most people knew her.

In her fifth year of college, she was blessed with a baby girl. As a busy mother, she’d go out to eat often. It became hard to keep that athletic physique.

“McDonald’s is by far the easiest place to go,” she said. “They’re everywhere. Big Macs still make my mouth water. They’re delicious.”

With fast food, midnight snacks and minimal exercise, Nyla weighed 255 pounds.

 

The change

Nyla’s brother and mother started the Candida diet to cut out processed foods. The summer struck, and Nyla, a 10th- through 12th-grade math teacher at Albert Lea, decided she’d take a 10-day vacation and start the diet immediately when she returned.

“I started it that summer,” she said. “Then I decided to walk a lot — three to five miles a day, four days a week.”

Albert Lea has an abundance of parks with lakes and trails. Nyla said her favorite place to exercise is the path around Fountain Lake.

“It’s nice and quiet,” she said.

Exercise and a diet without many processed foods helped Nyla lose 60 pounds.

 

The lifestyle

Because she does not eat out as much, Nyla hits up the grocery store. Hy-Vee in Albert Lea suits her best because it’s between Brookside Education Center and her home in Clarks Grove.

“I always start with the produce section, and I like to get organic food,” she said. “Then I’ll go through the middle sections if I have to.”

Not only does Nyla like the way she looks, she likes the way she feels.

“When I’m having fruits and vegetables and protein, I can tell that I’m less anxious and less jittery,” she said.