I come from a very unhealthy family, and we were all overweight because our diet consisted of processed, sugary foods. At age nine, the doctors diagnosed me with type 1 diabetes, and I spent most of my life battling health issues because of it. One of the side effects of insulin dependency is sight loss; by age 30, I was almost completely blind. Additionally, at 266lbs moving around and living a normal life was extremely difficult. I hadn’t bothered going on a diet because I used the excuse that my weight gain was due to insulin making me hungry all the time. Since I needed insulin to survive, I believed I had no choice but to keep eating junk food. 

But when my doctor told me he was considering putting me forward for a gastric bypass because my weight would kill me if I didn’t lose it soon, I started desperately looking for solutions because I didn’t want surgery. My friend was using Weight Watchers at the time, and she encouraged me to go with her. I didn’t have anything to lose, and I needed to try something, so I went. I didn’t have high hopes because when I think of the word ‘diet,’ I think of a bowl of salad and a glass of water. I love food, and I didn’t want to starve myself. 

But what Weight Watchers teaches you is that successful weight loss depends upon portion size and moderation. I had to add more fruits and vegetables to my diet, swap white carbs for whole wheat, and eliminate processed and junk foods. I also started drinking more water and moving more. I can say with honesty that this was a very difficult process. I would get frustrated when I was putting in so much work but not seeing any results. These were the times when I wanted to give up because I just thought, what’s the point? But my husband would remind me that I’ve been overweight my entire life, and losing it would take a while. Additionally, the Weight Watchers community is very supportive. 

With perseverance and determination, I have lost over 98lbs. But I’m even more excited that my insulin dependence has gone down from 150 units a day to 55 units. I have given up my mobility scooter and walk two to three miles a day with my dog. 

Weight Watchers literally saved my life. My health problems were getting so bad I doubt I would be here today if it weren’t for them. Weight Watchers isn’t a diet; it’s a lifestyle choice. They teach you how to eat healthy and nutritious meals that will give you the energy and motivation required to live a productive life. I don’t miss junk or processed foods at all; in fact, I hate them, they were almost the death of me, and my only regret is that I didn’t take action sooner. No matter how overweight you are or what state your health is in, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.

On July 10, 2014, I knew my life had to change, or I wouldn’t be alive for much longer. I suffered from sleep apnea and had some complications, so I made an appointment to see my doctor. We went through the usual routine, and then I was asked to step on the scale. I knew I was overweight, but I had avoided weighing myself, and now I was confronted with the scary reality that I was 423lbs. At that moment, I decided it was time to make some drastic changes to my lifestyle. 

I had no one to blame for my weight except myself. From as young as I can remember, junk food has been my passion. I loved chips, candy, burgers, and soda; I often ate myself to sleep. I would wake up surrounded by food wrappers and continue eating. The first and most difficult step I took was to modify my diet. After doing a lot of research, I decided to try Dr. Jim Stoppani’s dieting 101. There was no way I would succeed on a traditional diet. I needed something realistic and sustainable that would allow me to continue eating but in a way that would benefit me. Dr. Stoppani put together a meal plan for six weeks so I knew exactly what I was eating for breakfast lunch and dinner. A typical day of eating included:

• Breakfast: Eggs, turkey, low fat cheese, whole wheat English muffin 
• Lunch: Shrimp salad
• Dinner: Chicken breast, zucchini
• Snacks: Walnuts, peanut butter in yogurt, roasted flax seeds

A good friend had just started Dr. Jim’s six-week Super-Man program and asked me to join him. It took me a while to say yes because I was so embarrassed about my weight. Although I had shed a few pounds, I was still extremely heavy, and the thought of going to the gym terrified me. I knew I would get laughed at, but at the same time, I knew I had to build muscle to compliment the weight loss. So I bit the bullet and joined the program. It was the most difficult thing I had ever done in my life, but I got through it. However, I still wasn’t happy with my weight. 

I set a goal to be at or below seven percent body fat by September 18, 2016. To begin with, I got really discouraged because people were telling me it wasn’t possible. I was hurt and disappointed that those closest to me didn’t believe in me. They thought I’d lost enough weight and didn’t need to lose anymore. But the more they told me I couldn’t do it, the more determined I became to do it, and that’s exactly what I did. I reached my goal by the date I set, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy. 

Losing weight has transformed my life. I can’t believe I wasted so many years just existing. Now I am truly living and fulfilling my purpose. I want to inspire as many people as possible with my story because eight years ago, I weighed 423lbs; today, at 250lbs, I’ve lost almost half my body weight. It seemed like an impossible task at the beginning, but I chose not to quit. It doesn’t matter how far you think you’ve let yourself go; you can do it too.

At the age of 11, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, a condition that causes spinal abnormalities. A part of my healing process was wearing a brace for 22 hours a day. The doctors also advised me not to exercise, which caused weight gain. I’m not very tall, and at only 4 ft. 11”, I weighed over 200lbs, and by my late teens, I was clinically obese. I didn’t live a normal life; because of my condition, I was home-schooled, and food became my friend. I hated going out because I was so big, and I just felt miserable. Social media didn’t help, I spent most of my spare time scrolling through images of perfect-looking women, and I became really insecure. 

In November 2020, I decided enough was enough. I was tired of feeling sorry for myself, and I was tired of hating the way I looked. No one was going to do this for me. I had to find the strength of mind and the courage to become the person I knew I was destined to be. I got together with a friend, and we devised a diet plan that focused on eating less calories than I burned. I also corrected my metabolism by switching to a high-carb, high-protein diet. I ate 1600 calories per day and stuck to the same meals. A typical day of eating for me included:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with protein powder, peanut butter, and blueberries
• Lunch: Chicken, rice, vegetables
• Dinner: Salmon, rice, asparagus
• Snacks: Protein shake, rice cake with peanut butter 

To stay motivated, I took a photo of myself wearing the same bikini every single day for six months. Once I had lost 35lbs, I turned the photos into a 30-second video of my transformation, and it got over 12 million views and 1.7 million likes on TikTok. I was so overwhelmed by how many people I had inspired. The reaction literally blew my mind. The viral video led to several TV, radio, and magazine interviews. 

Working out and healthy eating had become a lifestyle for me, but with the amount of traction my video received, I knew what I had achieved was bigger than me. I am now living the life of my dreams, and I had no idea posting one video on social media would lead to this. I was doing okay as a personal trainer before my video went viral, but now my business has really taken off, and I couldn’t be happier. I always ask my clients why they hired me, and the main response I get is that I can relate to their weight loss struggles. 

A lot of fitness gurus entice people by promising to help them lose unrealistic amounts of weight in a short space of time. It took me six months to lose 35lbs. But during the process, I developed a love for healthy eating and an even greater love for exercise. It’s how I live my life, and that should be the same for everyone. Working out should be as natural as brushing your teeth every morning. As well as helping people achieve their weight loss goals, what I want for them more than anything is to help them achieve a healthy lifestyle.

A few years back, a hit-and-run accident paralyzed my husband. The trauma had a major impact on our family, and I sunk into a severe depression. My coping mechanism was food and alcohol, and I started eating large portions and drinking several times a day. Before I knew it, I was 266lbs. I didn’t realize how big I was getting until my cousin posted a picture of me on social media, and I was so embarrassed. I had a cigarette in my hand, and my stomach was so huge it hung over my trousers. That picture was all the motivation I needed, and I started looking into how I could lose weight. 

I didn’t want to go on a diet; instead, I evaluated my life and the bad habits that led me to this point. It didn’t take long to realize that smoking, drinking alcohol, overeating, and not exercising were the main culprits. Although it was hard, I cut these things out immediately and started exercising. There was no way I was going to the gym. I didn’t feel comfortable. So I searched online for home workouts and started doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) five times a week. HIIT was a total game changer for me because it immediately improved my mental health. The better I felt emotionally, the more motivation I had to lose weight. Once I regained my confidence, I started going to the gym to lift weights because I wanted to incorporate strength training into my workout routine. 

I didn’t have a specific weight loss goal in mind. I just knew I didn’t want to be overweight anymore. But I loved how working out and healthy eating made me feel, and so it became a part of my lifestyle. As the weight dropped off, my friends and family kept telling me how good I looked, which motivated me even more to keep going. Within three years, I had lost 98lbs. Today, I own a fitness company, and I help people achieve their weight loss goals. I give my clients three main pieces of advice:

1. Show up every day: Don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t feel like going all out every day. Consistency is better than intensity, show up and do something small, even if it’s a ten-minute workout. 
2. Get other people involved: Getting my family involved was a true blessing. We all motivated each other and kept each other accountable. If you’re family or friends aren’t interested, join an online support group. You will find plenty of them on platforms like Reddit and Facebook. 

Embrace the journey: It took me three years to lose 98lbs, and I didn’t see any difference for the first few weeks. But I felt better within, and that’s where it starts. Looking for immediate results is the quickest way to failure. Instead, embrace the journey and get excited about who you are becoming as you work on transforming your mind and body.

I was raised in Lebanon until the age of eight and ate a healthy diet, but when I moved to America, I discovered fast food, and it was downhill from there. I was 220lbs in high school and got bullied by the other kids. Not just because I was fat, but because I was so big I could only wear my dad’s shirts. I was the laughingstock of the school. Food became comforting to me, I was so depressed because of the bullying, and the only thing that made me feel better was knowing I was going home to a stash of candy and chips under my bed. Although I hated how I looked, I felt so much better when I ate. 

I was embarrassed to leave the house, and I made every excuse to stay inside apart from going to school. If my parents wanted me to go shopping with them, I either had a headache or a stomach ache, or I pretended to be asleep. I just couldn’t deal with people staring at me all the time because I knew exactly what they were thinking. 

My wake-up call came during a doctor’s appointment. I was 405lbs, suffering from high cholesterol and liver failure. After running some tests, my doctor told me that if I didn’t lose weight, I wouldn’t have long to live and that he was surprised I hadn’t fallen into a diabetic coma by now. He gave me a load of prescription medications and sent me on my way. 

When I got in the car, I just sat there and cried. I felt like a failure. If I died, my daughter would never know her dad. The thought of letting her down was all I needed to get started; I just didn’t know how I was going to do it. As providence would have it, that night, I watched a documentary about two men who lost large amounts of weight eating red meat. That sounded perfect. I could eat as much meat as I wanted and lose weight! I decided to give it a go, and when I lost 20lbs in the first week, I knew I was on to something. 

Within 12 months, I had lost 235lbs, and all my health problems disappeared with the weight. My doctor couldn’t believe it when I went to see him. I started exercising a year after I changed my diet and got into powerlifting. I couldn’t afford a trainer but would watch other people in the gym and copy what they were doing. I told myself when I got strong enough, I’d deadlift my former weight of 405lbs. I trained really hard to achieve this and ended up lifting 425lbs. 

My advice to anyone wanting to lose weight is to start by changing one meal and move on to two and then three when you feel comfortable. Invest time in researching the best diets and do what works best for you. But remember, the only way to lose weight permanently is to make healthy eating a lifestyle.

My earliest childhood memories were of me being depressed because of my weight. As soon as I had more control over my body, I developed the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia. In my late teens, food became an addiction, and I gained a lot of weight. At my heaviest, I was 322lbs. In July 2019, I hit rock bottom and booked an appointment with a therapist to overcome my food addiction. It was the best decision I ever made, and I joined BodySlims in January 2020 to lose weight. 

I chose BodySlims for several reasons, namely because they don’t only focus on diet. They teach that the most important aspect of your weight loss journey is mind set and how you see yourself. Also, I didn’t want to go on a diet feeling deprived, hungry, and miserable all the time. Although the focus is on healthy eating, it’s not restrictive. They gave me a ten-week diet plan, so I had plenty of meals to choose from. A typical day of eating included:

• Breakfast: Eggs and avocado on whole wheat toast  
• Lunch: Baked potato and beans 
• Dinner: Chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and gravy
• Snacks: Low-fat yogurt, rice cakes, unsalted Brazil nuts, fruit

The program is ten weeks long; during this time, I learned about nutrition, how to control my habits, the biology of weight loss, self-mastery, and much more. BodySlims also gave me some really great tips to help me stay on track and accelerate the weight loss process. 

Water intake: Drinking two liters of water a day had me running to the bathroom every ten minutes, but it flushes out toxins and resets your system. It also gave me plenty of energy and kept me full, so I didn’t eat as much. 

Avoid refined carbs: We all love white bread and pasta, but they’re processed and high in sugar. Instead, opt for whole carbohydrates such as brown rice, potatoes, and quinoa. They will keep you full for longer and increase your energy levels. 

Meal prep: After a hard day’s work, the last thing you want to do is come home and cook, which is why it’s so much easier to pull in at a drive-through or order a takeaway. Unfortunately, processed foods are full of sugars, salts, and hidden chemicals which are terrible for your health. The most effective way to beat the temptation is to meal prep on Sundays. Cook everything you’re going to eat during the week and freeze it. All you need to do is take your meal out of the freezer the night before to warm up and eat the next day. 

Balance: Fill your plate with a healthy balance of carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, and plenty of vegetables for every meal. 

I kept this up for 14 months and lost 140lbs. My life has been completely transformed. I no longer worry about buying clothes, sitting next to people on public transport, and walking down the street. I’m free, and I’ll never go back to the person I used to be.

After living in the Netherlands for several years, the military moved my family and I back to the United States. We were delighted to return home and get back to everything familiar to us. However, our health suffered because we had to find a place to live and get re-established. We spent almost a year eating take-outs and restaurant food, and the weight just kept piling on. I started to notice that my clothes weren’t fitting me properly, and I looked terrible in pictures. So I stopped going out because I looked awful, and I stopped taking photos with my kids because I was ashamed of the amount of weight I had put on. 

At my heaviest, I was 203lbs, and I couldn’t believe I had let myself go like that. It was at this point that I made up my mind to lose weight, and I started researching diets that would help me. However, I didn’t want to go on a fad diet. I wanted to change my eating habits for life and keep the weight off for good. I eventually found the Cooking Light Diet, and it teaches you how to eat the right foods to fuel your body without depriving yourself of the foods you love. The main strategy was to:

• Limit my calorie intake

• Eat more fruits and vegetables

• Cut out processed foods 

I noticed a difference in how I felt and my weight within the first couple of weeks. Within five months, I had lost 50lbs, and everyone asked me how I did it. One of the principles taught on the Cooking Light Diet is that weight loss starts with a mindset shift first. If you’re going to lose weight, you’ve got to change the way you think about food. It’s not about eating smaller portions and being hungry all the time. It’s about eating the right foods in abundance, so you’re never hungry. But the problem is that people don’t want to eat the right foods. Junk food is an addiction, and it often takes a major health scare before any action is taken. 

My family and I eat the most delicious and healthy foods daily. The Cooking Light Diet plan provides nutritionist-approved recipes, meal plans, and shopping lists so that I am never at a loss for what to eat. They also teach on the importance of meal prepping to ensure there’s always healthy food in the house. One of the reasons I ate so much fast food was because there were no cooking ingredients, and it was easier to order stuff. Now I have six months’ worth of cooked frozen meals in the freezer. We also keep an abundance of guilt-free healthy snacks. Additionally, we eat out once a month, so we don’t feel like we’re depriving ourselves. 

My advice to anyone wanting to lose weight is don’t go on a temporary diet. Change your eating habits permanently, and you’ll never worry about piling on unwanted pounds again.

I’ve always lived a sedentary lifestyle, and exercise just wasn’t on my agenda. My diet was okay, but I ate a lot, and because I wasn’t moving my body, the weight crept up on me. Every so often, I’d go on a diet, but I wanted to shed the pounds by putting in the least amount of effort possible, and I soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. I plodded along through life insecure and unhappy, and at 231lbs, I was at my heaviest. That was just before my fortieth birthday, and I thought to myself, it’s now or never. 

In August 2019, I joined a gym and signed up for ten lessons with a personal trainer. My first session was awful because it highlighted how terribly unfit I was. I didn’t think I could do it. The next day,  my muscles were sore, and I was so depressed I was ready to give up and accept that I would be overweight for the rest of my life. But my work colleagues convinced me to keep going, and so I did. I had two sessions a week, and I started enjoying my workouts. I was getting stronger, and I was really excited about it. I booked another fifty sessions with my personal trainer, and my hour-long workouts focused on building strength with rows, deadlifts, and squats. For cardio, I started off with 10,000 steps a day and worked my way up to 15,000 steps a day. My diet didn’t change much, and I used a fitness app to make sure I was eating the right amount of calories.

By my 40th birthday, I’d lost 48lbs, and I was so happy. I was no longer depressed and insecure. I was confident and excited for the future. Two years after starting my fitness journey, I lost 231lbs, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself. The greatest lessons I’ve learned from this are:

• Start small so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Ten sessions were perfect for getting my momentum going. Once I saw the progress, I was motivated to continue. 
• If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer. There is no way I could have done this on my own. I needed someone to guide me through it and push me to my limits. I had no idea I was so strong; it had to be pulled out of me. 
• Don’t get obsessed with diet. You definitely need to make sure you’re eating healthy but don’t go overboard, it will demotivate you. I learned that many years ago when I used to go on fad diets. Healthy eating is a lifestyle, not something you do twice a year. 
• Surround yourself with the right people; if it weren’t for my work colleagues, I would have given up. 

You’ll never know what you’re capable of until you try. I didn’t set out to lose 231lbs, I wanted to get fit and healthy, and the weight loss was a bonus.