Tiny Goals I Set That Helped Me Drop 40 Pounds—And Deadlift 255 Pounds!

The summer after my sophomore year of college, I finally felt like enough was enough.  I'd been hitting the gym a couple of times a week and trying to go for healthy meals, like turkey sandwiches and salads, when I could. But I knew I needed to make a serious change.

I came across a 21-Day Challenge on Twitter that suggested cutting out pastries, donuts, cookies, chips, and soda for 3 weeks, and I decided to try it out. After a month, I lost about 10 pounds. That's when the motivation to change my lifestyle really kicked in.

When I first started cranking my fitness game up a notch, I focused on building my running endurance. In the beginning, I could only run about a mile at a time. As I got better, I signed up for a few 5Ks and eventually found running to be fun—not torturous. 

I lifted weights with some friends, but never felt fully comfortable strength training until I started working with a trainer (about 2 years into my fitness journey). He taught me about proper form, how to use different kinds of equipment, like kettlebells, and how to plan out my workouts. I totally fell in love with lifting and even learned a few power-lifting moves.

The gym became a place of empowerment, instead of a place of intimidation.

My body felt so good after kicking refined carbs and sweets to the curb. Adios, bloating! 

I started cooking for myself and finding ways to get more veggies into my diet. I ate zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti, and even nixed burger buns for portabella mushrooms.

After years of not eating breakfast, I realized that eating five or six smaller meals throughout the day kept me feeling satisfied. I made sure each of my meals had lean protein like chicken or turkey, and I pumped up the green veggies, too.

One of the toughest changes was cutting back on alcohol as much as possible, saving it only for special occasions.

After 3 years, I've lost 40 pounds and transformed my entire outlook on life. I was always an energetic and loud person, but worried that people saw me as the funny fat kid. On top of that, I never had the confidence to wear a two-piece bathing suit growing up, but I bought my first bikini last summer!

Now I push myself to be better every day and reach the goals I set. I feel physically and mentally stronger than ever. I can even deadlift 255 pounds!

You don't have to try crazy diets and cleanses to feel better and fitter. Just try to cut one type of junk food at a time. It's a slow process, but it's OK to take it one step at a time. Your body and your life won't change overnight.

It's taken me 3 years to come this far, and there's no stopping me now.