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While the before-and-after photos flooding your Instagram feed are great, weight-loss success is more than dropping pounds and buying smaller clothes. Sometimes, it can even be an inspiring path to self\-discovery. And that's something that the show Extreme Weight Loss honed in on when it aired.
If you missed out on the series (reruns now air on TLC), here's the scoop: Trainer Chris Powell travels the country to bring his expertise to the men and women who needed to lose more than half their body weight. Each episode focuses on the year-long journey of one person who trains with Powell and his wife and fellow trainer, Heidi (check out the Powell's cool new weight loss tool, the TRANSFORM app).
The result? Ugly cry-worthy stories of real people getting real results through hard work. In case you need a little inspo (or perhaps and ugly cry?), we bring you some of the most incredible stories from this seriously addicting series.
Jacquelyn McCoy
BEFORE: 365 lbs
AFTER: 148 lbs
"In 2010, I was the heaviest and most unhealthy I had ever been. I wanted to change, but the task of losing the weight felt overwhelming and impossible. I had accepted that this was just the way I had to live—until it interfered with my greatest dream of being a mom. When I was accepted on to Extreme Weight Loss, Chris and Heidi Powell helped me make changes to lose weight step by step. It was no easy task, as I was going from couch potato, emotional eater, and sugar addict into an intense exercise regime and an eating program that was a drastic change. After a lot of hard work and dedication, it paid off. And I was not morbidly obese for the first time in over a decade.
"The dream of having children one day was my constant motivation and it is what kept me going through the obstacles. After the show was over, finding balance was very difficult. I went through a lot of trial and error and mental work, but after awhile I found focusing on nutrition and movement (and ignoring the scale) kept me healthy. Almost six years after my year with Extreme Weight Loss, I am still down more than 150 pounds. The greatest part is that I am now a healthy, active mom to a toddler and am seven-months pregnant with my second. I am so grateful to have realized my dream of motherhood."
Related: Exactly What Mama June Ate To Go From 460 Pounds To A Size 4
Sara Murphy
BEFORE: 245 lbs
AFTER: 109 lbs
"I was always disgusted with how I felt and how I looked. I hated to see myself in pictures and hardly ever looked in the mirror. I even did my makeup in my car's rearview mirror because it was the smallest. I knew that if I didn’t do anything about my health, I would end up bedridden or dead. Now, after Extreme Weight Loss, diet and exercise are a regular part of my life. I can definitely tell when I am not eating well or exercising by how my body and my mind feels. Due to food allergies, I eat very clean. I have learned fresh fruits, veggies, and protein are best for me. I used to let the scale own me. But once, I stopped weighing myself daily, I actually began making healthier choices and listening to my body.
"I feel what has helped me stay on track is surrounding myself with like-minded people who have had struggles with weight and strive to stay on track. If I am super-busy, I find doing quick cardio spurts makes me feel good and clears my mind. Also, if I get off track, I can tell how it affects my body. I feel like losing weight has made me more confident overall. I fight for the things I want instead of just staying in the background. I actually feel younger than I did 10 years ago."
Ramp up your weight loss with these 10 strength moves:
Jackie Rodriguez
BEFORE: 266 lbs
AFTER: 144 lbs
"Maintaining a healthy weight is important to me, and though it can be a daily struggle I never give up. I truly believe that forgiveness was the key to my weight loss transformation—it began from the inside out. It wasn't until I stepped outside of my comfort zone and faced my past that I became lighter both physically and emotionally. I am so grateful for the life-changing lessons that set me free and led me to authentic joy and happiness." (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!)
Related: These 'My 600-lb. Life' Success Stories Will Blow Your Mind
Hannah Myers
BEFORE: 310 lbs
AFTER: 149 lbs
"I decided to finally begin my weight-loss journey after my husband and I had a conversation about starting a family. Getting pregnant at my "before weight" was difficult and dangerous. Because parenthood was so important to my husband and me, I made losing weight and getting healthy my number-one priority. The biggest change I made was my nutrition. I went from eating extremely large amounts of unhealthy food twice a day, to five small, healthy meals a day. Never skipping any of those five meals was incredibly important. It kept me from ever getting overly hungry. However, on the rare occasion that my schedule was out of my control, snacking on cucumbers kept me from making impulsive food choices. Losing more than 100 pounds forced my husband and I to get to know each other again. I changed on the outside and transformed mentally. Losing weight had so many positive effects on my life, but it also forced me to revisit some painful memories and emotions. While I'd love to say that losing weight is possible just by eating better and exercising, the truth is that transformations are done from the inside out."
