Body Transformation for Women | Before and After Weight Loss

When Jenna first began working with me as her body transformation coach, she was 6 weeks postpartum and had just received her doctors approval to exercise.  She still needed to avoid high impact plyometrics and movements that strained her abdominal muscles but desperately wanted to make a body transformation.  She was able to workout on a limited basis and needed motivation and accountability with a diet that would help her lose abdominal fat in particular.  Her long term fitness goals?

Lose 30 pounds, build her booty and shed bodyfat, especially in her abdomen.  She needed the accountability and motivation to get back on track and back to her pre-pregnancy weight.  Of course, she wanted to be able to show other women that it was possible with her before and after weight loss pictures, but it was way more than a surface desire.   Jenna wanted to have more energy and to feel amazing inside and out.

Her Before and After Weight Loss Results?  In just 6 months, Jenna was able to lose 70 lbs and get rid of her 'fat pants' for good!

What motivated her the most? Her kids!  She wanted to be a good example for her kids and to show other moms that this kind of body transformation is possible.

Her secret weapon?   Aside from working hard, Jenna has a few tips for women that want to make this kind of body transformation:

1.  Get support.  Jenna was blessed to have a husband that fully supported her transformation goals and family there to help her with the babies when she need it.
2. Mix things up.  Nothing is more boring than doing the same exercises day after day, month after month.  We mixed up Jenna's workouts frequently to keep her excited about training and to keep her body responding.  Same with nutrition!  Variety is key and having an awesome protein powder helped.
3. Write it down.  Tracking your goals is sooo important.  Jenna made a point of keeping close track of her fitness goals and kept a journal to log both her food and her workouts.

This is such an incredible story... I think you need to hear it directly from her.  Let me introduce incredible fit mom and one of the most compelling before and after weight loss stories ever because the transformation is really from the inside out.  Take it away Alison!

Well, let's start at the beginning.  I was not an athlete or in any sports growing up, so I didn’t have any training in nutrition or exercise.  Never did I think I would have amazing before and after weight loss pictures!  I was always the “thick” girl until high school when I developed an Eating Disorder.  

I went through college battling it and then somehow overcame it for several years.  It would creep back up once in a while with a binge here and there.  I continued to yo-yo diet and always had a plan to start again on “Monday”.  I always thought the less I ate the better off I was.  So somedays it was 500 calories, but then I’d follow it with a day of 3000 calories because I was deprived or emotionally struggling.  So my metabolism was shot. I was very discouraged, convinced I could never make a female body transformation and had no direction.

I weighed myself every single day and that number either tanked my mood or made my day.  I was very good about working out though, I lifted weights, went to lots of classes at the gym, read every magazine article on the market, looked at all the before and after weight loss pictures, and I even ran 6 marathons so everyone has always thought that I’m healthy.  

I had a baby 2 years ago and gained about 60 lbs.  I was 185 lbs at 5’2″.  I was determined to get the weight back off so I did that mostly by not eating much.  Then, my Eating Disorder reared it’s ugly head again!

This past year we had a service at church that talked about the power of confession.  I decided to confess to a trusted friend that I was struggling with this, she prayed with me and immediately I felt healed.  Shortly after that confession, I realized that this was not just a female body transformation, it was going to be a Healing Journey.  I needed to retrain my mind and body how to eat and workout as a healthy lifestyle and not a “diet” mindset.

That is when I reached out to Body Transformation Coach, Julie Lohre and began my own journey to my FITBODY Body Transformation!  I knew that I needed knowledge, compassion, strength and support.  I’ve found the strength in God to look my struggles in the face and deal with them – the root of them.  Asking Julie to walk on this journey with me and teach me was one of the best decisions I’ve made.  

We need systems and people in our lives to give us guidance and help us along the journey of life.  I’m so thankful for her. After being on her FITBODY program for 8 weeks – I can say now that I have not skipped a meal, I have not binged, I have had very little processed food, I haven’t missed a workout.  I’m not married to the scale or it’s numbers anymore, my emotions are not a roller coaster anymore, I have crazy amounts of energy, sleep very well, I feel whole and healed!  I am a new person…from the inside out!

Over the last 6 months working with my transformation coach,  I have continued this journey and have changed so much!  I’ve lost a total of 16 inches. What’s been amazing is that the parts of my body that I struggled with the most – my hips and booty finally changed!  They are a different shape – it’s amazing the power of the right food and working out have over your body.  I love my body… I love my life!

I am a 49-year-old woman with a great husband, kids, and parents, and work. You know, high stress and busy schedules. I am also in the best shape of my life. I feel great inside and out and I am able to give my best to my family and others. But it wasn’t always that way. It has been a journey and I’ve found balance along the way. 

“Congratulations, you’re having another  girl!” I was 38 and pregnant for the second time in a few short years. Having babies in my late thirties was such a blessing. My husband, Andy, and I were thrilled and could barely contain our excitement!  However, with a one-year-old daughter at home, I was exhausted and overwhelmed.   How was I going to handle it all? How was I going to successfully raise two girls to become faith-filled, happy, healthy, secure women without losing “me” in the process?

Through my sleep-deprived haze, I took a good look at myself. The reality was my own body image wasn’t so hot and confidence was lacking. Back-to-back pregnancies, sleepless nights with a toddler, morning sickness, and overall fatigue had taken a toll!

All the normal questions crossed my mind.  Would I ever get back into shape?  Did I have the discipline to live a sustained, healthy lifestyle?  How could I help prevent our girls from suffering body image issues that plague so many women?   How was I going to model a healthy lifestyle and positive body image?  How could I effectively keep my priorities in line:  God, Andy, our children and others?

Confronting reality was the first step in my fitness journey.  I had always been athletic.  Loved sports of all kinds. But I lacked muscle, flexibility and the discipline to consistently eat healthy. My metabolism had also been shot from years of excessive cardio and lack of appropriate calories and nutrition.  Things needed to change.  I needed to be healthy…physically, spiritually and mentally.  For me. For my family. I had no option….

A wonderful in person trainer came into my life after our second daughter was born in 2008. She helped me believe I could do it…eat healthy, gain muscle, lean out, sleep well and have energy.  She told me I would one day simply pull a pair of small pants off a rack and buy them without trying them on first.  This seemed absolutely crazy at the time. But, I followed her lead, took it day by day, learned my way around the gym and things began to change.  Yes, my body transformed. But the real change took place inside. I was free….free from doubt, fear and body image issues that had quietly gripped me for a long time. I was committed to doing everything I could to prevent my girls from feeling those insecurities.

Then another hurdle.  The demanding schedule of a busy family was making it harder to get to the gym at a specific time  I needed flexibility in my schedule.  Seeking other options, I found Julie Lohre and I started working with her as my Online Body Transformation Coach. My goal was to continue to get stronger, more flexible, and make consistent, sustained progress.  I loved the fact Julie would do all the “thinking” and I simply needed to execute the plan.  I could go to the gym around my family’s schedule and she was only an email away.   Julie quickly identified my body’s need for more calories through a wide variety of “good” fats, proteins, complex carbs, vegetables and fruits.  Her workouts were designed to help me build muscle and get rid of unwanted fat.  I found working with Julie made being in shape easy!  I have been working with Julie now for several years and love the results!

Now through the eyes of our 10 and 12 year old daughters, I am healthy, physically, spiritually and mentally. They know I have goals and by doing my best every day I will reach them.  They experience my discipline, but not obsessiveness.  My girls don’t watch me step on a scale every day, because I only do so twice a month.   They know Mom eats healthy but we also enjoy many meals out and weekly trips for ice cream. We celebrate a happy, healthy lifestyle.

The crazy thing about being physically fit is your self-esteem soars and it shows!  The feeling is contagious and the impact reaches beyond my own family.  Just as women have inspired me, I’m showing others it is possible at any age.   If I can do it, they can too.  All it takes is a first step and that can happen now!

My weight loss transformation story starts back a few years. During that time, I was in a toxic relationship and having trouble following any fitness program and meal plan. I was struggling with leaving my boyfriend who wasn’t supportive of my health and fitness goals. From the stress of not being happy in my relationship and binge eating, I knew something had to change and that I needed a really good body transformation coach. I reached out to Julie Lohre after doing extensive research. I was still with my boyfriend, but really wanted to get my health and fitness under control.

I will be totally honest by saying as soon as I talked to Julie, I knew I was in good hands and that she could help me make the weight loss transformation I wanted. I was even more impressed with the level of detail with the meal plans and workouts that she created for me. Unfortunately, my mind was not ready. I didn’t have my head in the right place to do my programs and was more focused on the relationship I needed to leave. I never even completed a 2 week check in during this time.

It took me awhile, but I left my boyfriend that November. For several months after that, I went out every weekend with friends eating and drinking, none of which was healthy. In January, one of my friends told me it was time for me to come back to the gym and get my head straight. I knew that it was time, but wasn’t sure how “ready” I was to go back.

My weight was 184 and I was hiding behind clothes all the time. I didn’t even want people at my gym to see me, I was so ashamed of all the weight I put on. For several months after that, I was consistent with my workouts and food and lost weight. This weight loss transformation was a slow process, but I saw changes. My mind was in the right place again and I was enjoying working out, eating right, and being around people that supported me.

My friend and trainer that I was working out with took a different job and was no longer going to be around for our weekly workouts. I was feeling so good about myself during this time that I wanted to keep getting better. I knew in order to keep getting better, I had to keep being accountable and following a structured program. I reached out to Julie again in March. I remember when I emailed her, I felt embarrassed because I couldn’t even make it 2 weeks the last time I tried online body transformation coaching. The difference this time was I put myself first and my mind was focused on the right things. I was 100% dedicated to my programs and ready to keep moving forward. I can’t believe how I look now compared to 2 years ago. I haven’t missed a check in or work out!