I'm excited to go shopping just to see what size clothes I'll have to purchase to fit my new shape

Weight loss story from @drkmarie

After graduating Kimberly wanted to make a change with her weight despite trying previously losing weight and putting it back on. Through the use of a personal trainer and dedication Kimberly was able able to lose over 40lbs with more to go and is now a fitness competitor.

Growing up I was always extremely active, borderline tomboy to be honest. I remember vividly hating the moment I hit puberty because it was then that my body began to change despite how active or athletic I was. Fast forward throughout high school I still maintained a rather active lifestyle which included activities such as Track/Field, Marching Band, and Cheerleading. However, I still remained the girl suffering with serious body image issues. In other words I always felt there was weight to be lost, and no matter how much I worked out or cut back on food, it was never quite enough. I made it to college pretty confident in myself, at least on the outside looking in, as I managed to continue battling with this vicious cycle of excessively working out and crash diets.

It wasn’t until I graduated from college and moved back to my hometown that I realized I had to make a serious change. I couldn’t keep this self sabotage of losing and gaining the same 10-20lbs over and over. So once I got settled I decided to hire a personal trainer for the first time in my life. This was such a game changer for me, and I was motivated finally like never before. I now had someone to hold me accountable and to push me harder than I’d ever push myself. I remember that being the start of what I like to call my fitness journey which was around 2009, weighing in at around 181lbs on my 5’5″ frame. I was disgusted with allowing myself to get anywhere near 200lbs, but there was no time for self pity, I had to change my work ethic and get healthier. For the next few years following that I changed gyms, trainers, and fell off and on the wagon a few times, and before I knew it I had gotten to my heaviest weight ever by 2014 sitting miserably at 195lbs and in complete denial that I had let myself go like this. Especially when I had lost the weight in years past just to gain it all back and then some. I was officially what one would call a “yo-yo”‘dieter and I wasn’t proud of it.

So finally one day I had to face myself and hold myself accountable for mistreating my body and my overall health, which was beginning to suffer because of my poor choices. I got back with a trainer that had previously helped me drop 30lbs in a year and re-started my fitness journey at the end of 2014, never quitting again from then on. Now I still have ups and downs, most certainly, however this time it was different. I had something to prove to myself and those around me. Those that once mistook me for being pregnant, and those that tried to convince me that being lean or fit went against my genetics. I was officially all in, and before I knew it I was on stage in my first fitness competition in 2016 at 140lbs, a weigh-in which I hadn’t seen since high school. It was life changing. Not only did I accomplish the unthinkable, but I also slowly began to inspire others around me that had witnessed my struggles and my journey along the way.

I began to change my way of working out completely. I focused less on endless hours of cardio, and more on serious weight lifting and strength training at least 3-4 times a week accompanied with more HIIT based cardio routines opposed to the long steady state cardio I was accustomed to torturing myself with. As I began to see my body composition change with the proper nutrition and not starving myself I became addicted to the results. Changing my eating habits wasn’t easy by any means. It took months of trial and error before I realized I couldn’t cheat the system and could not outwork a bad diet. I had to be consistent with my nutrition in order to see the results. I learned how to prepare my meals for days at a time as not to be tempted to make poor choices by being unprepared. I began tracking my macro nutrient intake and using tools like the MyFitness Pal app to assist me. It took a lot of practice for me to see the results, but it was worth the wait.

This fitness journey is a marathon, not a sprint. My fitness journey is still going as we speak and will have no end because it is now a lifestyle for me. It’s taken me over 5 years to get to a place that I feel in control of, and I’m still such a work in progress. I’ve lost over 40lbs along my fitness journey and I couldn’t be happier with the lifestyle change I decided to make. To have once been almost 200lbs at 5’5″ and now anywhere from 145-150lbs is the best feeling in the world to me. Furthermore, I’m no longer a slave to the scale because bodybuilding has completely changed my body composition. At my heaviest weight I wore a size 12, and now even in the mid to upper 150’s I wear a size 4-6. I’m amazed every time I go shopping just to see what size clothes I’ll have to purchase to fit my new shape. I love being a woman with muscles, yet still feminine and powerful. I do this because I love it, but I also still balance life as well, because it’s necessary. On any week I make it a point to have rest days, and by rest days I mean “active” rest days. Those are days where I do something fun that doesn’t feel like a traditional workout whether it be hiking, bowling, or taking a walk at a park.

It’s essential to have that balance not only for yourself, but for your loved ones also. It’s really easy to become obsessed with the fit lifestyle and begin to lose sight of everything or everyone along the way. So to prevent that I make it a point to set aside time for loved ones and encourage them to make healthier choices as well so we can all do this together too! My family and friends have been so supportive and it’s really important you have good trainers, and individuals around you that have your best interest at heart.

It will get tough, and there will be days you want to give up, because at the end of the day there is no quick fix, magic pill, wrap, or anything you can do to rush this process. You have to be patient, and anyone looking to start their fit journey needs to understand that this lifestyle change requires PATIENCE! If you’re looking for instant gratification, then you’re not truly ready to change. I’m so excited for the next phase of my journey because it’s far from complete, and I’m so glad that I took that leap doing what many won’t do and just simply got started!