Alexandra Briceno is an expert in healthy eating, studying nutrition and helping others make good food choices to fuel their body. So she was taken aback when she felt her own weight got out of control.

The single mom began gaining weight in graduate school, a process that accelerated when she began a Ph.D. program in dietetics and nutrition in 2020.

Briceno gained 100 pounds as the stress of raising two children, and juggling academics and work left her unable to focus on her well-being or eat a healthy diet. Standing 5 feet tall, she weighed 257 pounds at her heaviest.

“That was scary… It was a big risk for my health at that point,” Briceno, 36, who lives in Miami, Florida, tells TODAY.com.

“Last year, I was practicing in an eating disorder practice, and it was a lot of shame and disappointment in myself because I know better. I know people look up to me because of my expertise.”

A physical exam revealed her A1C — a test for diagnosing Type 2 diabetes — “was through the roof,” her fasting blood sugar was “horrible,” and she had high cholesterol.

Since then, Briceno has lost 100 pounds and her health is back on track after she began working out and changing her diet.

The transformation earned her one of the top spots in the 2025 “Submit Your Fit” contest for the most inspirational fitness journeys among members of EoS Fitness, a chain of gyms.

Overeating at Night

Briceno says she was always active and always paid attention to her health and weight.

But as life became busy to the extreme with her family responsibilities and academic work, she stopped prioritizing herself. Nutrition — so important for everyone else around her — was an afterthought for her own body.

“I would not eat all day, snacking just on the kids’ leftovers — the crust of the peanut butter sandwich, some chicken nuggets that they left,” Briceno recalls.

“But then at the end of the day, I was starving. So when the kids were in bed and I was alone working on my papers, I was eating massive amounts of food because my body was screaming for nourishment that I didn’t get all day.”

The biggest problem was the lack of balanced meals. She remembers sitting down and consuming rows of crackers — stress eating that added up to more than 3,000 calories a day.

“There would be days where I would go without touching a fruit or vegetable and just eat bread, crackers, processed foods, snacky things,” Briceno says.

“(I was) eating like crazy, not moving my body.”

She suffered from brain fog, which she blames for her unhealthy diet, and the feeling that she was dragging through life. Her knees would hurt after walking up the stairs.

“It was like a cloud over my head raining all the time. It was a dark time,” Briceno recalls.

Photos of Meals Provide Clues

She credits her teen daughter — who grew up watching her mom work out — for turning things around by urging her to join the gym.

Starting in January 2024, Briceno gradually resumed regular exercise, which “changed everything,” she says.

She now works out at least four times a week, with a routine that’s a mix of weightlifting and cardio, plus group fitness classes like Zumba and yoga.

“You have to make the decision that you are worth the effort,” Briceno says about motivating herself to exercise.

When it came to her diet, Briceno needed to figure out why overeating had become a pattern.

One simple habit helped her eat less: She started journaling her food but found it was more effective to take photos of everything she was eating — not to post on social media, but to privately analyze what she was doing wrong.

Reviewing the images helped her figure out she wasn’t eating enough to make it a healthy breakfast, for example, or eating scraps she’d never feed her children. No wonder she was overeating at night.

“I just started being mindful through the pictures. And then being gentle with myself,” Briceno says.

“Life is already hard. I’m a single mom. I’m constantly worried. And then on top of that, I’m not going to eat and take care of myself? It became awareness followed by self-compassion.”

Today, she makes sure her body is nourished with balanced meals throughout the day. Half the plate is always fruits and vegetables, the other half includes a protein and carbs.

She doesn’t restrict any food, but eats in moderation. So if her kids are having cookies, she’ll allow herself a cookie and enjoy the moment. It helps her avoid feeling deprived and wondering, “Am I going to eat 100 cookies later?”

Briceno now weighs 151 pounds, has gained muscle and is no longer pre-diabetic. The brain fog has improved, too.

“I’m at a lower risk for so many things now. Heart disease and things like that don’t have to be at the forefront of my mind,” she says.

“Physically, mentally, emotionally, I’m confident now. I feel so comfortable going up the stairs or putting on clothes. It feels good.”