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I was browsing around one of my favorite sites, bodybuilding.com, and came across this amazing transformation story by Dawn Marie I had to share with you guys.

Check out the before and after photos of Dawn below!




Here's how show did it...

Before Stats:
November 4, 2004
Weight: 282.5 lbs
Size: 26/28W

Current Stats:
February 6, 2007
Weight: 161 lbs
Size: 8

Her story...

"One day right before my 30th birthday, I came across a documentary about morbid obesity and gastric bypass surgery. The longer I watched, the more I identified with the people being interviewed, how they felt and how they looked.

I knew I had put on weight over the past 10 years after getting married, getting a desk job and having 2 children, but at that moment I realized how heavy I actually was and how much I was risking my health.

After years of eating out of boredom or emotions, making excuses not to deal with it and putting other things first, I was now nearing 30 yrs old and I couldn't go up a flight of stairs without getting completely out of breath! I was constantly sick, tired or aching somewhere.

I was missing out on things I used to enjoy and becoming withdrawn and depressed instead of positive and outgoing. I was not being the mom, wife or person I wanted to be and I felt out of control. After sitting there feeling sorry for myself for a while, I got angry. I couldn't believe that I was even contemplating a risky surgery when I knew in my heart that I had never really made the commitment to lose the weight.

If I could give 110% and reach my goals at home or at work without letting anything get in my way, why couldn't I do the same when it came to my health? The honest answer was easy: I chose not to. That simple realization made me feel in control of my weight for the first time and I knew that I was finally ready to make the commitment.

I gave myself just over one year and set a goal that I would do whatever it took to change my lifestyle for good and lose 100 lbs by my 31st birthday... and I did! Since then I have made some additional progress and am still continuing to work toward my goals, but the most important part of my transformation is not visible on the scale or the tape measure.

I FEEL better than I ever have, both physically and mentally, and the benefits of that affect everything I do in a positive way. I have regained aspects of my life and my personality that I thought I'd never get back and I am extremely grateful to my family and every person who has supported, encouraged, and inspired me along the way... and continue to do so!"


How did she do it?

"My strategy was to look at my past failed weight loss attempts and focus on the things I did right and then find solutions to the main obstacles or excuses from the past. I approached it as a marathon instead of a sprint and used "baby steps" to ensure I would keep going longer than a couple weeks and truly change my lifestyle.

Diet had always been a struggle so I went with the path of least resistance and focused on making exercise a habit first while making smaller changes to my diet. Over time I gradually increased the duration, frequency and intensity of my workouts and enhanced the quality of my diet and the amount of tracking I did of both diet and exercise.

I also tracked my progress with weekly weigh-ins, measurements (and eventually body fat %) monthly, and progress pictures whenever I could force myself to take them."

Her Diet:

"My typical diet is to eat at least 6 small meals a day (eating every 2-3 hours), usually consisting of 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20% fats. I try to drink at least 1 gallon of water per day and choose whole foods over processed foods whenever I can. Some frequent food choices include:"

Proteins:
Chicken Breast
Turkey Fillets
Ground Turkey Breast
Top Sirloin
Tilapia

Carbohydrates:
Green Veggies
Oats
Whole Wheat Grains/Pasta
Apples
Grapefruit

Fats:
Almonds
Natural Peanut Butter
Peanuts
Flax Oil
Olive Oil

Training:

I typically do cardio at least 5 days a week for 30 - 60 minutes and weight train anywhere between 4-6 days a week depending on my goals and my schedule. Currently I am training one body part per day on a 6 day split and doing steady state cardio 5-6 days a week.

What's her advice to others?

Set Realistic Plans & Goals - A diet and workout plan can look great on paper but be ineffective if you can't make it work for you. If you are short on time, plan your workouts to fit in the time you have and plan your meals so you can prepare food ahead of time. Make your goals challenging but achievable.

Think Big But Focus On The Small - Visualize your ultimate goal but use smaller ones to motivate yourself day-to-day and allow you to appreciate your progress rather than be overwhelmed by how far you have left to go. Remember that every rep, weight increase, minute of cardio, healthy meal is one step closer!

Always Get Back On The Wagon - If you have a slip up or life gets in the way, avoid "all-or-nothing" thinking and immediately take the next opportunity to get back on track whether it is the next meal, workout or day.

Find A Plan B & Use It -When obstacles come up, be creative! Doing something is better than nothing even if it isn't what you planned. Modifying your diet is better than blowing it completely. Can't get to the gym? A great workout can be done with a pair of dumbbells or even no equipment at all.

Track Your Progress - Recording your stats, taking progress photos, starting a journal (for yourself or online), tracking your diet, and logging your workouts are all great ways to keep you accountable and motivated. You may not see progress one week but when you look back over the previous weeks and months you will see it and it will motivate you to keep going!

Think Positive - Believing you can do it is half the battle. Believe in yourself and surround yourself with people who believe in you.

Just Do It - Don't be afraid to try something new or make a mistake. What works for someone else might not work for you and sometimes the only way you'll know is to give it a try!


Isn't that amazing?! She looks totally different! It just goes to say that with following all of the basic core principles of a healthy lifestyle and staying consistent and committed with it all, you too can experience great success just like Dawn!

The above article and photos are credited to bodybuilding.com.


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