Before I used to meaning?

Question

I recently heard this:

Before I used to do something, all I cared about was something else.

And she meant that she still does something and before starting it, all she cared about was something else.

And this meaning is not what used to means.

Because it's supposed to mean that she was doing something in the past but not now.

I couldn't find any grammars that explains this before + used to. Can anyone explain?

Used to means she did it in the past, not now. Both things happened in the past, one before the other. — Yosef Baskin, Oct 27 '20 at 21:58
It used to be that a pogo stick was used to get kids used to doing acrobatics. — Hot Licks, Oct 27 '20 at 22:19
'Used to' is past in itself. Thus, 'before' may be avoided, if not for emphasis. — Ram Pillai, Oct 28 '20 at 05:44

Anton · Answer 1 · 2020-11-26T23:22:29.443

"I used to run marathons" means that during a period (or periods) earlier than now I ran marathons.

"Before I used to run marathons" refers to a period before the start of the period of marathon running.

"Before I used to run marathons, I was lazy and inactive".

Similarly:

"I used to be a lawyer" means that during a period (or periods) earlier than now I was a lawyer.

"Before I used to be a lawyer, I was a builder" may be part of a narrative such as "Before I used to be a lawyer, I was a builder. Now I am retired." In this case too, the lawyer period follows the builder period and the lawyer period ended before now.

Finally:

If the lawyer period continued until now, it would be more usual to omit the used to and to say something like "Before I became a lawyer, I was a builder"

Before I used to meaning?

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