Diary of a Pudgy Gym Rat...

stephanielynn76
stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
edited September 26 in Success Stories
Hi! I'm Stephanie. I am a self-professed gym rat and have been for the last 12 years. Now I'm also the poster child for "EXERCISE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH!" I have been weight training and doing cardio for most of my adult life but in spite of all that work... I still hated my body. I was strong and had muscle but didn't look very muscular because of all the padding I had. My diet was pretty bad. I was consuming large portions of regular foods followed by sweets after every meal... yep... I was a sweet-a-holic too. I managed to exercise consistently through two pregnancies and get back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (which was 135lbs) each time, but I was still somewhat soft and curvier than I wanted to be. I really wanted to have that athletic figure. I wanted a hard body and was doing all the right training to have it... but look at my before picture... not hard at all!

Then life got busy and I got older and what I was doing wasn't even keeping me at my "usual weight" anymore. One morning I woke up completely fed up. I got on my mom's scale... I weighed 144lbs. I was in tears. That was in January of this year. I hated my body and I felt like I deserved a better body for all the work I have invested in it. "Why am I even doing this!!!???" I asked myself, "I should just skip the gym and head for the Dairy Queen instead." I was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision. I was either going to give up all the training or I was going to have to face the other side of the fitness equation... the more important side... the diet! I did a search and found this app on my IPhone... I have be hooked ever since!!!

It didn't take long for me to lose the weight. It melted off actually. I was already in great shape cardiovascularly and I had great muscle tone I just needed to be more lean. I didn't change up my weight training any. I've always lifted heavy and I still do. The only thing I did differently from before was started counting calories and added a little extra cardio. That's it. The change in my diet made the biggest change in my body.

The before picture was taken January 10th...
5658427247_4aa209f335_z.jpg

... and my back
5658474505_f5c195d8c2_z.jpg

... and my abs
5658474559_9878903f42.jpg

Sorry about the crappy IPhone pictures... they're all I have right now. I'm eventually gonna get one of my photog friends to do some better shots of me but haven't had time.

So... learn from my years of mistakes. Vigorous exercise is great and beneficial but exercise alone will not be enough to get you the body you want... you have to eat right!! :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • frenchfri87
    frenchfri87 Posts: 196 Member
    You look soooo amazing!! You are such a huge inspiration to me! :flowerforyou:
  • rhirvo
    rhirvo Posts: 162 Member
    That is fantastic you are definately a great motivator and inspiration. I need to know though do you eat certain foods (less carbs) or do you just strictly stick to a calorie count and eat whatever you want?
  • jennyb31
    jennyb31 Posts: 166 Member
    You are by far my favorite sucess story. Your body is beautiful! I love seeing an athletic figure instead of sickly skinny!! Your shoulder caps are what Im working towards! Keep up the awesome work! P.S. Have you ever thought of doing a competition?
  • biellas
    biellas Posts: 39
    You really are an inspiration Stephanie! Congratulations on all your hard work and smart eating. You look amazing!!!
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
    That is fantastic you are definately a great motivator and inspiration. I need to know though do you eat certain foods (less carbs) or do you just strictly stick to a calorie count and eat whatever you want?

    I don't cut carbs... I still eat rice and pasta and I eat bread every day. For me it's more about calories in verses calories out. I do try to get a lot of protein though... because of all the weight training. I stay away from sweets altogether except for my daily dose of peanut butter!
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
    You are by far my favorite sucess story. Your body is beautiful! I love seeing an athletic figure instead of sickly skinny!! Your shoulder caps are what Im working towards! Keep up the awesome work! P.S. Have you ever thought of doing a competition?

    Awwww... what a sweet thing to say!!!

    As far as doing a competition... I've thought about it... but I wouldn't even know where to begin honestly. I would need a trainer or something for that probably. It would be a great goal to work towards though... something to strive for :)
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
    Thanks everyone!!! Yall are too sweet! :flowerforyou:
  • jennyb31
    jennyb31 Posts: 166 Member
    You def should think about it (a figure comp), if you have a fb page go to Jamie eason and post your transformation. She shares sucess stories all the time!!
  • claire_b79
    claire_b79 Posts: 101 Member
    I say this all the time but I will say it again..you are my hero! You inspired me to start my journey and continue to motivate me to stick with it. You look stunning and should be so so proud of yourself!
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    I see you often on the forums. Your look awesome! The other day I almost PM'd you to ask if you had "before pics" because I was so curious where you started. Amazing work in a short amount of time. You work hard and it shows. Very inspirational. Thanks for posting.
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
    You def should think about it (a figure comp), if you have a fb page go to Jamie eason and post your transformation. She shares sucess stories all the time!!

    I will check that out!!

    and THANK YOU Claire-bear... you are such a sweetie!!! :)
  • charityateet
    charityateet Posts: 574 Member
    You look amazing! Awesome job, thanks for the inspiration!
  • jenomaha
    jenomaha Posts: 631 Member
    Wow!!!! You have made a drastic, fantastic transformation in such a short amount of time! You are the prime example of what the proper nutrition can do for one's compostion. Fabulous work!!! So inspiring and motivating :) Congratulations!
  • kelbel76
    kelbel76 Posts: 148 Member
    Wow, you look amazing! Truly an inspiration!
  • Paigealicious77
    Paigealicious77 Posts: 22 Member
    You are amazing Stephanie!! I am so glad I found you! Your story is truely unbelievable! You have no idea how much you motivate me! And I totally agree with all the peeps you should totally compete and you should definitely start blogging. I believe you could definitely start a third job and be a trainer! I have always wanted that athletic body as well ;) I hope one day I get close to your transformation!!
  • tlaltman
    tlaltman Posts: 32
    Awesome! You are exactly where I want to be. I have been weight training and I want to get rid of the cushion and get more defined. You are an inspiration!
  • rippedin12
    rippedin12 Posts: 30
    DAMN!! You look great and congratulations. I'm the same way, where I eat like crap but workout regularly. I started MFP mid Fed 2011 and am already seeing results! Counting calories counts! I cut back on all the bad foods I used to eat, except I party a little too much on the weekends, everyone has a vice or 10. I agree on the increasing the carb intake the only thing with me was I had to increase the carb intake and decrease the protein intake. I'm trying to stick to 50, 30, 20.

    Again you look great and congratulations!
  • Bob_Sugar
    Bob_Sugar Posts: 61
    Steph you look amazing! All that dedication and hard work really paid off. Thanks for sharing.
  • Gabby215
    Gabby215 Posts: 69
    OMG, you look amazing!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I am currently a pudgy gym rat and I often think of giving up but now I'm just going to work harder! It's also nice to hear that you still eat pasta and bread. While I am trying not to overdo the carbs, every time I have cut them way down or out, I am miserable and can't keep it up long term. You are proof that if you make smart choices you don't have to give them up! Thanks again for posting :)
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Wow wow wow you look fantastic!!!!
  • mollie6986
    mollie6986 Posts: 63 Member
    Wow that's incredible!! Congrats!
  • lizzil0
    lizzil0 Posts: 181 Member
    I look very similar to your before picture so this was super motivating to me- thank you! You look incredible! I don't know if I could ever look as fantastic and muscular as you do now though, it seems like a fantasy- it must really take a lot of dedication. Can I ask your gym routine, how many days a week, and for how long?
  • 1FitMomof4Girls
    1FitMomof4Girls Posts: 202 Member
    This is exactly where I am at right now. I have about 12- 15 pounds to lose, and I workout daily. I know all to well that this involves my diet. Thank you for the inspiration.
  • Czymom
    Czymom Posts: 12
    First of all, you looked great in the before pictures, but WOW do you look awesome. I have heard before that "abs are made in the kitchen" and you are tangible proof. Keep up the good work.
  • remaho80
    remaho80 Posts: 126 Member
    You look AMAZING!
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
    OMG! will I ever have a stomach like yours *faint*
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Thanks for sharing your success! I feel like I look similar to your 'before' pic, so this was really motivating for me. I have been slowly making changes, and this was just what I needed to see! Congratulations on your transformation.
  • rachel_can
    rachel_can Posts: 10 Member
    That is truly inspirational for all of us pudgy gym rats...thank you for sharing!!
  • mmellor
    mmellor Posts: 146
    Thank you for sharing! Your story is very motivating to stay focused on the calories...many times I've wanted to give up and go for Dairy Queen (it's so much easier, isn't it?) I feel like I'm committed this time - counting calories and exercising daily, but the results are so slow coming that I wonder if it's all worth it. Then I read a story like yours and it reminds me it is worth it!! Thank you!
  • jtndle
    jtndle Posts: 54 Member
    Wow, what an inspirational story! A great reminder not to settle and to strive for the best. Would love to know more about your lifting routine. Amazing transformation - great job!
This discussion has been closed.

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