Everyone loves a good transformation story. All you have to do is turn on the TV or go on social media.
The airways are full of weight loss transformation stories, house flipping stories, restaurant, bar, hotel and business rescue stories.
We all love a good story that goes from down and out to being at the top of our game.
Weight loss transformations are the ultimate “rock bottom” to “top of your game” transformation, especially when a person loses a lot of weight.
What does it take to transform yourself? Small changes can work. As long as you lose one to two pounds a week, you will be 50 to 100 pounds lighter at the end of 12 months.
This may sound like a huge task, but all it really takes is reducing your net calories by 500 per day to achieve the 50 pounds per year. Giving up a few carb servings each day and moving 30 – 60 minutes each day can get you there.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our policies for more details.
Sometimes all a person needs is to be inspired by another person’s accomplishments.
Just seeing what someone else accomplished can motivate you to do the same. If you are trying to embark on a weight loss journey and are struggling, check out how these 10 people went from fat to fit.
Sue’s Story
|
Sue tells MyFitnessPal how she lost 200 pounds and became an athlete. And if you think you cannot lose weight over the age of 50, Sue is here to show you that it can be done.
She worked at a high level, high-stress position and as it grew, so did her waistline. After several years of cookies and readily available junk food, she tipped the scales at 335 pounds.
After not being able to fit into restaurant booths, airplane seats and buckle seat belts, Sue decided to lose weight for the last time.
And she did it using a whole food diet plan. No more restricting. She used MyFitnessPal to plan here meals a day ahead.
Nothing like planning your day for weight loss success. Read more about Sue’s weight loss transformation here.
Bob’s Transformation
Sometimes it just takes a dose of reality. When Bob maxed out his scale and saw a picture of himself, that was the turning point that started his weight loss transformation.
A person that has an addictive personality will often replace one addiction with another.
A person may give up alcohol and turn to food. Bariatric patients may go from food to alcohol or drugs. Bob was in that category.
Bob took the initiative to break the bonds of addiction.
Bob’s plan was a 2,000 calorie a day diet with exercise. Nothing exotic, but it was a process for Bob.
He adapted and adjusted until he found the perfect health plan for him. Eight years after he started, Bob was at his goal and had lost more than 175 pounds.
Read more about Bob’s transformation here.
And Then There Was Mary
A wedding can be a huge motivator when it comes to weight loss. Everyone wants to look perfect for that special day and Mary was no different.
Mary had been heavy most of her life and now she had a boyfriend that thought it was okay to eat whatever you want as long as you were active.
It was a recipe for obesity. Ultimately, it was pictures that did it for Mary as well. After seeing herself on social media she and her future husband developed a plan for getting healthy.
They downloaded the LoseIt! app and never looked back. It allows you to set goals, count calories, log exercise and monitor progress.
Mary did not want to have to buy a plus size wedding. Plus size clothing items just cost more than items that are of average size.
Today Mary is 135 pounds lighter. Read more about Mary here.
Kevin’s Story
I find it interesting that something can be killing you, but you can’t stop. This is truly what addiction is and that was what Kevin called his out of control eating.
He weighed 306 pounds and suffered from high blood pressure, hypertension, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease, and sleep apnea, among other things.
And he knew it was all a result of his eating habits. And that is not all…Kevin was a doctor trying to get others to change their unhealthy habits.
After watching family members have their lives taken away all too soon, Kevin decided it was time for the physical and mental suffering to stop.
He turned to a whole foods plan of eating and used MyFitnessPal for tracking and monitoring progress. When Kevin’s weight loss plateaued he turned to intermittent fasting.
After losing his sister at the age of 32, Kevin knew he had to make changes so he could be there for her children. One hundred twenty five pounds lighter he hopes others are inspired by his weight loss journey. You can read about it here.
Joan’s Journey
Deaths and relationships are two of the biggest stressors a person will deal with in their lives.
Joan is an example of a person that ate during a stressful time in her marriage. She tipped the scales at 198 pounds and wore a size 22.
With several obesity-related health issues, Joan’s daughter encouraged her to join her annual transformation program.
She also learned to use apps on her iPhone that helped her track and monitor her progress.
Just one year later Joan is 55 pounds lighter and no longer needs the medications she was taking prior to her weight loss.
And by the way, Joan was over 50 when she made all these changes. Check out Joan’s journey here.
Emily’s Life
Emily had been overweight all her life weighing in at 285 pounds at the age of 14. She yo-yo dieted for the next five years losing 85 pounds just to regain it and then some putting her at 385 pounds.
At the age of 19 Emily opted for gastric bypass surgery followed by a weight loss of 154 pounds.
But as Emily found out, gastric bypass surgery is a tool. You still have to create healthy habits.
Fast forward 10 years and she was back at 305 pounds. It was at this time, Emily made the decision to lose the weight once and for all.
She was treated for binge-eating disorder, depression, and anxiety. She implemented a 1200 calorie a day diet and exercised 45 minutes a day.
Two years later she was down 190 pounds. It can be done. Read about Emily’s life here.
Stacy’s Story
Stacy’s story starts like many binge eaters with periods of weight gain and weight loss as well as times of binge eating mixed with periods of calorie restriction.
At the age of 28, she tipped the scales at 352 and measured 5 feet 1 inches in height.
Stacy was in pain and was taking medication for blood pressure. Her asthma was getting worse and she was miserable.
All of these things added up to Stacy’s “why” for making the decision to change her life. She was determined to save her life.
Her first step was to log everything in MyFitnessPal. She eventually settled with the keto diet as her weight loss plan.
Stacy ended up losing 220 pounds with very little exercise (she was injured rock climbing). It is not about what diet you choose.
It is about choosing one and following through. Read how Stacy lost the weight here.
How Chuck Did It
Chuck’s turning point was an ER visit. He weighed in at 360 pounds and the excruciating pain that took him to the ER was diagnosed as pancreatitis.
It took 3 days for the enzymes causing the pain to subside.
After leaving the hospital, he went on a bland diet of bananas, unsweetened applesauce and broth.
He gave up soda completely and eventually transitioned to a food plan that consisted of salads, vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats. Chuck also started a workout program with cardio and weights.
After a plateau, Chuck finally followed a friend’s advice and started using MyFitnessPal for tracking food, exercise and weight loss progress.
These steps resulted in a 120-pound weight loss. He is well on his way to a goal weight of 200 pounds. Read about how Chuck did it here.
Milla’s Transformation
If you have never seen My 600 lb Life, it is a reality show that follows the life of a 600 lb individual through a year of their life.
The intention is that they lose weight and qualify for bariatric surgery to lose even more weight.
The success rate of a person that large losing weight and keeping it off is less than 5%.
It really takes a very special person to be on the winning side of that statistic. One of the biggest success stories from this show is Milla.
Milla had always struggled with her weight and topped the scale at 751 when she started down her weight loss journey.
Over the course of a few years, with diet, exercise and weight loss surgery, Milla lost 274 pounds. See Milla’s transformation here.
Susan’s Weight Loss Journey
Susan’s story starts out similar to many others. She struggled with her weight from a young age. She did lose weight at times but gained it back.
After taking a trip to the doctor and weighing over 300 pounds, it was suggested that she have gastric bypass surgery.
She knew that unless she changed her habits, gastric bypass surgery would not be a permanent solution.
Rather than opt for surgery, she chose to lose the weight without surgery. Her first move was to join a healthy community called OPTAVIA.
Over the next year and a half, Sue lost 137 pounds. She adopted a healthy eating lifestyle and added an exercise routine to her daily schedule.
Sue changed her life one healthy habit at a time. You can read about her transformation here.
Final Thoughts About Weight Loss Transformations
Transformations are not only motivating, but they are also empowering especially if you are the one that has had the transformation.
When you are challenged to make changes, one of the best guides is to see how someone else accomplished the change.
If you are thinking about losing weight, these 10 transformations can get you started down the path to a successful transformation.
