32 Incredible Weight-Loss Success Stories That Will Motivate You (2024)

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"I used to eat a lot of fast food, and I had no discipline with portions (I'd down a bag of potato chips while watching a movie)," Susie says. "My confidence was gone, and my energy was at an all-time low. One day in the spring of 2015, I looked in the mirror and said, 'I have to do something.'"

Committing to themselves and ditching the guilt helped this mother and daughtersucceed."My weight was up and down for 10 years, and I could never find a permanent solution," Sarah says. "It felt like a roller coaster."

These sisters were inspired to make a change together. "One day in January 2016, I saw a picture of myself from a family gathering and thought,What has happened here?Rosalyn had steadily gained weight after our grandmother passed away in 2013, so we both came to the realization that it was time to change," Rhonda says.

I ate five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, cut out fried foods, and switched from eating refined carbohydrates like white bread to complex carbs like whole-wheat bread.I promised myself that after one year of living healthfully, I'd treat myself to fast-food fries (an old favorite), but I couldn't finish them. Now my cholesterol is in a healthy range, and I still walk 30 to60 minutes four or five days a week.

I wasn't athletic at all, but I knew I was able to walk, so I thought I'd try that for two weeks to see if I liked it. I went walking for three miles around my office building with friends on my lunch break and enjoyed it, so I kept at it. My legs got stronger and over time, I could keep up with the group.All of my blood work is now normal, and I have more energy for my 12-year-old daughter. The personality that I had inside has finally come out. I used to feel invisible, but now, when I put on my suit and heels, I think, I can command this room.

Walking felt like the easiest change to make, so I started going out near my home for just 10 minutes a day on a local trail along a river. Being in nature was key. Gradually, I increased from 10 minutes to 2 hours a day and added hilly hikes on the weekends. While I strolled, I listened to podcasts and soaked up the scenery.My cholesterol and blood pressure are nowin healthy ranges—without medication. It's wild how much I've changed, not just physically but emotionallytoo. I remember trying to hike when I was heavy—my knees hurt and I could barely breathe. I thought,I'll just look at nature; I don't have to walk in it. I can't believe the limited mindset I had. What was I thinking? I feel so much more confident and capable now.

"At 25, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and prediabetes, but I figured that was the norm because my family has a history of heart disease. Then one day I was sitting on the couch watching my 2-year-old daughter play. I realized that if I continued down that path, she would follow in my footsteps. Right then and there I decided to create a healthy new family legacy."

"In 2012 I went to the doctor because I was having bad headaches. Turned out, my blood pressure was 160 over 100, which is dangerously high. I started taking medication and promised myself that I'd stop turning to food every time I was sad, bored or upset. I knew I should start exercising, too, but I needed something that was realistic."

"I weighed 200 pounds when I had to get a hysterectomy in 2011 to undo damage caused by an infection. Afterward, I was lethargic and gained 53 pounds. I was put on two different medications for high blood pressure and another one for acid reflux, plus I had high cholesterol and was prediabetic. I was also having heart palpitations, so I went to a cardiologist and was diagnosed with sleep apnea and put on an oxygen tank at night. My family doctor told me that my sleep apnea would probably go away if I lost weight."

"A doctor's visit in February 2014 was my wakeup call. I was 242 pounds, prediabetic, and my blood pressure was sky-high. I knew it was serious, and I had to focus on getting healthy. The problem: I'm a working mom of four kids ranging in age from 14 to 22, so I have limited time."