The woman struggled with her weight gain after having children, reaching 227 pounds by 2008. She felt helpless with a new infant and used food as a reward. One night while eating in the kitchen, she realized she needed to make a change for her health and kids. Over three years, she lost 92 pounds through nutrition education, walking, and at-home exercise DVDs. She went from a size 18 to a size 4 without going to a gym. She found determination to sustain her workout routine between caring for her kids and household.

1. A mother’s fight to be fit

2. The transformation
begins
I started struggling with my
weight in my early 20’s. After the
birth of my two children, my
weight spiraled out of control. My
second son was born in May 2008,
and by that July, I was 227 lbs.
Going back to work full time and
dealing with an infant who was up
every 2 hours, put me into a state
of helplessness. I was exhausted,
both mentally and physically.
Food became my reward system
to myself.
The turning point came to me at
2am one night. I had just gotten
the baby back to sleep, so I sat in
the kitchen floor and ate a
cupcake in 2 bites. As I crumpled
up the wrapper, the tears began
to fall. I knew I couldn’t keep
going on like this. I needed to
make a change for my kids, and
for myself.

3. AUGUST 2008 AUGUST 2011

4. August 2009 – 178 lbs
The road was slow, but I was
steadily making progress. I
read anything I could get my
hands on to teach myself
about proper nutrition, what
foods I should be eating, and
proper portion sizes.
Exercise began as walks
around the neighborhood. I
purchased my first at home
exercise dvd and slowly got
the hang of kickboxing.
The look on my son’s face
when I couldn’t chase after
him in the backyard is a look I
will never forget, and a look
that I vowed to not let
happen again.

5.  As my weight was
dropping I discovered
that I was left with
flabby un-toned skin. I
began lifting small
weights, 5 lb dumbells.
As my strength
progressed the
weights got bigger and
I got smaller.

6. JUNE 2008 JUNE 2010

8. OCTOBER 2008 AUGUST 2011

10. An ongoing
journey…
It has been 3 years since I
embarked on this journey.
Since July 2008, I have lost 92
lbs and have gone from a size
18 to a size 4.
I have managed to do this
without stepping one foot in a
gym. My living room is my gym
and my dvd’s are my personal
trainers.
Strength training is done in the
morning, while the kids are still
asleep. I squeak out cardio in
the evenings, after homework
has been checked and the
kitchen has been cleaned.
If I can do this, anyone can.
Find your determination and
willpower, and you will
succeed, I guarantee it.

11.  I am honored to be a
monthly winner in
Beachbody’s
Transformation Challenge.
My goal is to reach out to
as many people as I can, in
hopes of providing
inspiration and motivation.
 Voting for the quarterly
prize ends October 27th. I
would appreciate your
vote. ~ Stephanie M.
 http://www.teambeachbod
y.com/connect/beachbody-
challenge/vote/quarterly