How Angela Lost 30 Pounds & Won 3rd Place In Her First Figure Contest

April 10, 2015

I first met Angela back in the Fall of 2013 when she was selected to be a part of a test trial of a woman’s program I was putting together. My wife worked with Angela and several other women but I got to see Angela’s incredible transformation and journey towards health and fitness. Angela recently reached out to my wife to show her how she had continued her fitness journey and went on to achieve even more INCREDIBLE RESULTS!

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Tell us a little about yourself, Angela. What did your diet and exercise look like before you got serious about your fitness journey?

I am a 45 year old, married, mother of five beautiful children four daughters and a 4 year old son. I work full time as a court reporter. Fitness has been a part of my life ever since I was in high school. When I had my fourth daughter I began Tae Kwon Do. At first, I was uninterested and just went along with my sister for extra curriculum but then I ended up falling in love with the sport, and found my true passion for training and staying fit.

I trained and went on to become a Third degree black belt. My eating habits changed after I started Tae Kwon Do. I was not eating clean but I did cut out foods like pop, chips and bread from my diet and limited them to only once a week. Over the course of the year, I would change my diet and lose weight and then gain the weight right back again.

I was eating take-out food that contained a lot of extra calories which caused me to gain excessive weight over the past four years. I was exercising maybe two or three days but I was not consistent every week.

What dietary and exercise changes helped make you successful?

I made the change to start eating clean when I signed up for my very first fitness challenge. It was a two month challenge with the Hard Body 8 group to test a nutrition/exercise program that Todd and his wife Allison were putting together. I was very thankful when I was chosen to be a part of this challenge. This was really the first time that I started watching what I was eating and learned how to eat right, I also made numerous life changes. Screen Shot 2015-04-09 at 4.44.24 PM

I learned how to count my macro-nutrients and what were good carbs to eat and which ones to avoid. I learned how drinking water was essential and beneficial to my overall health. I learned the importance of eating 5-6 meals a day to speed up my metabolism for weight loss. Before Hard Body 8, I was unaware that eating protein and veggies in one meal without carbs could help your diet and healthy lifestyle. Cutting out carbs was one of the hardest things I had to do I remember thinking to myself there is no way I can go without having any carbs with a meal… LOL! But I was so wrong. 🙂

At first changing my dietary habits were hard I must admit…..

I think it’s because I was in a routine of eating certain foods at random times. I also would only eat three meals that were all big portions until I made a healthy change.

What change was the hardest?

The hardest thing for me was changing my eating habits and then to stick with it for more than just a week or two. In addition, there were times when I was tired of cooking and preparing my meals for two and three days at a time.

Cooking for the family and then cooking for myself was a big challenge and at times became very exhausting. Training and working full-time and having to pick up my son from day care were all things that I had to deal with. There were times when I had to ask for help from my husband and my daughters. It took a lot of work preparing extra meals for myself each day to ensure I kept my diet clean.

How did you stay motivated when you felt like quitting?

I enjoyed the Hard Body challenge and before I knew it… two months had come and gone. I did this challenge at home by myself and I had to physically push myself each day through the workouts because they were not easy. But with the help of Allison and the other ladies and their words of encouragement and prayer I was able to get through it. 🙂

Although relieved by the end of the challenge… it was also bitter sweet. I came in 2nd place, I was ecstatic and surprised. This challenge helped me gain discipline and confidence which then pushed me to continue to challenge myself by competing in a figure competition something I wanted to do my since I was younger.

I continued to stay motivated by looking at fitness magazines and reading online articles of women that competed in fitness shows, particularly the ladies that competed for the first time. This inspired me to stay focused while being determined to challenged myself.

My mental state of mind was 100 percent! I just told myself each day you can do this because I had a goal that l wanted to achieve.

There were days when I was discouraged and times that I felt that I couldn’t push through. My family would even question me with “why are you doing this to yourself?” making it even harder for me to stay focused. But with my goals in arms reach… quitting was not an option! My family would encourage me. But there were times that they had their doubts. I don’t think they thought I was going to stay on course, but they supported me and were proud of me. My transformation surprised not only myself but everyone around me. 🙂

How did you track your progress?

I tracked my progress by looking at my body changes in the mirror and taking pictures. I believe my best indicator was seeing my clothes month after month get too big for me to wear. 🙂

How many total inches and pounds have you lost?

I lost a total of 30 pounds. In my calves I lost 13 inches, hips – 34 inches, thighs – 19 inches, waist – 27 inches, arms- 10 inches, chest – 32 inches. My pant size was a 9-10 and I now wear a size 3!

What’s been the best thing you have enjoyed since your transformation?

The best thing for me since my transformation is competing in my first figure fitness show I came in third place. I gained confidence that l never knew I had, I was very proud of myself and felt that l deserved to be on stage after all the hard work I put in. Also, I had such a great time and gained experiences that I will never forget.

What does your diet and exercise look like now?

Presently water is my favorite drink also black coffee. Here is an example of what my meals look like.

Meal 1- egg, oatmeal – multivitamin

Meal 2 – apple & peanut butter

Meal 3- salmon, sweet potatoes & broccoli

Meal 4- nuts

Meal 5 – chicken, spinach, with olive oil

I try and eat protein with every meal. I learned not to have dairy with certain foods. I no longer consume dairy products like I did before when I was not eating healthy.

My training consists of weights and cardio. I train 4-5 days a week. I train for 30-45mins doing light weights and 45mins of cardio using the treadmill or the bicycle. I do abs every other day for 10 minutes in the morning.

Is there anything else you would like to share with our audience specifically those who are just starting their own fitness journey?

I want to encourage everyone to take a personal challenge at fitness. Set out a goal for yourself and just take it one day at a time. Yes, there will be days when you feel like throwing in the towel but remember to have a positive mind set and keep moving forward. If you mess up on your meal one day that’s ok just get back on track the next day.

Before you know it, the finish line is in front of you. But most importantly have fun and do whatever it takes to keep you going. For example, listen to music , if possible train with friends and be around others who support and encourage your fitness journey.

I promise you – when you’re done, you will be so proud of yourself. Your heath overall will be much better with “eating clean”.

Lastly, there is no age too young or too old to start getting fit. Always remember once you set your mind on doing something you can achieve it if you believe. Age is just a number…don’t let it stop you from reaching your goals because it does not define who we are or what we can do. We deserve all that we put our mind too and much more. 🙂

Hope and Faith are two of the greatest things we can have.

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Thanks so much Angela! You have worked hard and seen incredible results! You are an inspiration to all of us! Keep up the great work!