Inspiring Transformations

By @liz_zuback, @b.rab.fitness, @ilikemyfitnesstaylored, @deneechanel, @laurenhoperocha, @sabrinawisbiskifit, @lifting_belle, @dallassrae, kaylavashti, @laurachap01, @Christlynnfit, @boricuajenn, @alyssapolisano, @kfen_fit, @jenna_fail

@jenna_fail “No more thigh gap, My phones always safe now! Don’t be afraid to lift ladies! Nothing happens over night but with hard work and consistency you can absolutely build the curves you want! A treadmill doesn’t build curves, weights do! Hop off and grab you some (4 years between pics)” Click here for Jenna's suit. 

@kfen_fit "#transformationtuesday , competition edition. Left was my first show last September. Right was Jr Nationals two weeks ago. 9 months separate these two physiques. 9 months of hard work and consistency with plenty of mistakes, triumphs, tears, and successes mixed in. I have learned so much about this sport and it has only fueled my passion that much more. I love everything about bodybuilding and competing. The struggle and the triumph, Offseason and shreds. It's all part of a beautiful process that has changed how I view myself forever. This sport has turned me into a confident woman who sees her many flaws but continues to believe in herself and others around her. Strong women build each other up." Click here for Kristi's suit.

@alyssapolisano "I remember when I first got into fitness, I had no idea what I was doing. I sat in the corner of golds gym (the female fitness center to be exact) everyday looking up workout videos on YouTube. These workouts were on my plan but I had NO IDEA what each movement actually was. I would be in the gym for hours just trying to finish this workout. I would sit there so frustrated because I couldn't fully understand it every time. But, something drew me to this. I wanted to be good. I wanted to understand how people made it look so easy to Just walk in the gym and workout. I was actually a little bit scared of the weight room. This continued for months until I finally started understanding how everything worked. I started to become intrigued with training and learning new things everyday. I started to really get a love for fitness, it grew on me. Everyone starts somewhere with anything in life. The only thing that will hold you back are your own fears that don't let you push forward. If you hold back you'll never fully know what you're capable of. You have to take risks and you have to take chances in life. I never thought back then that I would be so intrigued with fitness like I am today. It's become a huge part of my life and I am truly thankful for my health because without my health I wouldn't be able to do what I love. Take risks, try new things, experience new places. The things that scare you the most, usually end up being the best." Click here for Alyssa's suit. 

@boricuajenn "Hard work pays off! Nothing is impossible! Yes that's the same person!!" Click here for Jen's suit. 

@Christlynnfit "I'm not where I want to be yet, but I've come a long way and I'm proud of what I've been able to achieve. Left photo is sophomore party girl in college who drank way too much and went through all sorts of extremes when it came to diet and exercise. Right photo is a couple weeks ago to someone who has more respect for herself and how she treats her body. Transformations are often times more than just physical. And they don't happen overnight. It takes trial and error, lifestyle changes, sacrifices and self love. Don't ever give up if you aren't satisfied with your current situation. You always have the ability to adapt and change." Click here for Christi's suit. 

@laurachap01 "My #transformationtuesday was inspired by a conversation I had today with a friend. Let's talk about "skinny fat". We all strive for that perfect body, that perfect weight, that perfect pant size. We compare ourselves to people who we think are perfect, in the meantime hating the skin we are in. There are about 3 years between these pictures. On the left I was eating about 800 calories a day, most of which came from those diet shakes. I did 7 days a week of HIIT and no weights. I was 129lbs, metabolism shot, and very miserable. On the right was the other day for peak week check in. I'm eating more than I did on the left and weigh about 131lbs. Now I know I'm stage lean right now and look like a string bean, but the point I'm getting at is even at stage lean I'm eating what I want in moderation, no special foods, no 5 almonds for breakfast, no extremes. I'm happier and healthier than I was on the left (even in prep) because I overcame my fear of food making me fat and learned to love myself at every stage. There's no perfect anything. We all have our flaws, and that's what makes us perfectly imperfect. So moral of my story....love yourself at every stage, eat food, pick up weights, and put your health ahead of striving for perfection. You are so much more than a number." Click here for Laura's suit. 

@kaylavashti "Some might see this and think "oh another practically naked picture " I look at this and feel... Not see, FEEL:

Hustle. Determination. Blood, sweat and tears. Sacrifice. Will power. Every ounce of fight I have. Heart. Pain. Pleasure. Many self pep talks. Learning to overcome weakness. Learning how to love and support myself. Something I'm proud of. Hard work. Consistency. Strength. Dedication. Greatness. Transformation. Confidence. Inspiration for others. Victory.

Until you put yourself in a position to fight for something and achieve it, you won't know what this feels like. It's amazing. But don't take my word for it. Find something and go after it. 

Also, don't be so quick to strip someone of their achievements. What you see is not always the whole picture. This body is simply a shell... Everything else has transformed inside but only I know the true journey because I have LIVED it." Click here for Kayla's suit. 

@dallassrae "I want to share with you something deeper than the transformation you see here. I loved myself just as much in both of these pictures. They are about a year and a half apart. A year and a half of being healthy and happy and loving myself, eating right, and staying positive. Prior to the picture on the left I had just gotten home from a 7 week trip to Europe (Armenia, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands). I took the trip for 2 reasons. The first 3 weeks was for an amazing program with my school. And the second reason was because I needed to escape. I was being consumed by bulimia, poor body image, a bad relationship with food and myself, and a plethora of other issues no one had a clue about. I know it's not realistic for everyone to pack up and leave their life but it was an opportunity for me I took whole heartedly. I ditched following everyone on social media who I compared myself to, I stopped getting on in general other than to post, I stopped looking at myself every day and picking myself apart, I told myself this was my chance to clean my slate and start over. No more obsessing over food, binging, purging. It was my rehab of sorts. I ate all the yummy food, I loved myself and my body, I stopped comparing myself to others, I gained enough weight that I had to buy new bras and I lost no sleep over it, and I had the time of my life. For the first time in a long time I was happy being me. After getting home I was able to stay happy being me and just get healthier and fell back in love with fitness. It wasn't until I was home for a while and was in a really good place that I decided to talk about my struggles with food. I'm glad I can be open about it and I found support. But more than anything I'm happy I can love myself. " Click here for Dallas's suit. 

@lifting_belle "My one year #transformation picture. The picture on the left was taken when I first decided to compete, and clearly I had no clue what I was doing. The right picture was 3 weeks ago. The awesome thing about working out, is you have the power to create a body you are content with. Nothing is wrong with the picture on the left, it's just not what I wanted to look like, nor was I the person I wanted to be. Living a healthy lifestyle requires sacrifice and dedication, and every day is a struggle, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm eager to see what changes I'll make in the next three months! For those who think lifting weights makes women bulky, manly, disgusting etc. can you guess which picture I weigh less in?? " 

@sabrinawisbiskifit coached by @paulrevelia "Picture on the left was the very beginning of my "fitness journey" in January 2016. The right is me today. I went from 140 lbs to 110lbs (I'm 5'2). Just a reminder that weight loss is a slow and steady process when done correctly. This is something I have been working for consistently everyday for the past 7 months. Has it been easy? Hell no. Has it been worth it? Definitely. In these past 7 months I have found myself and learned I am capable of so many things. While you may only see the physical gains, I have gained so much more mentally. Special thanks to my coach @paulrevelia for helping me achieve this physique with proper flexible dieting and resistance training"

@laurenhoperocha "I don't know what the future holds for me but what I do know is that I will never stop striving to better myself" Click here for Lauren's suit. 

@deneechanel "NEVER EVER GIVE UP

It takes time. It takes patience. It takes hard work. It takes falling down, just to get right back up. It takes courage and mental strength. It takes trial and error. But.. It's worth it. 

Teeny tiny Denee' on the left wasn't healthy.. Mentally, psychically and emotionally. And this was 6 pounds up from my lowest weight.. The bags under my eyes, the weakness and tiredness that I felt everyday, the mood swings and the loss of my luscious thick hair. 

I had no curves. I was a walking stick and that's why I decided to make a change. 

Here I am, 2 years later, 25 pounds heavier, with a better relationship with food and with curves in all the right places 

I did this for ME and no one else.

I'm happier, my body is happier and my relationship with everyone around me as well as God has grown even more. 

I'm more and more thankful for everyday and the fact that I was able to overcome such a difficult time in my life by stepping into the gym and lifting some heavy ass weights. 

This is just a beginning of this journey. I still have some major work to put in and major goals ahead of me when it comes to both competing and my mental goals. 

But I want to let everyone know who may be going through a similar situation.. It can happen. 

Just because you get knocked down once, doesn't mean you should stop. Get back up and GRIND. Show yourself how strong you are. Show yourself how much you want this. You will thank yourself years down the road when you look back at who you were. 

You can do this, I promise you. Reach out to someone for help if you need it, or even for a little bit of motivation and then go kick some ass "

@ilikemyfitnesstaylored "Rewind to 3 1/2 years ago and I couldn't have imagined I'd ever have lean muscle, let alone be 25lbs heavier. I avoided the weight/'big boy' section at the gym and stuck to my little corner, hiding with my printed off body weight workouts. Eventually, I joined @toneitup which helped me gain confidence to get into the big boy section and eventually spread my own wings!!. I now lift heavy to sculpt the body I want to see in and outside of the gym!!. YOU can transform your body to however you want, it takes consistency, commitment and PATIENCE!!!. Don't be scared to lift heavy ladies, a strong body is sexy and is a HAPPY body!! Inside and out!! . Click here for Taylor's suit. 

 @b.rab.fitness  “November 2014 > April 2016 TransformationTuesday. Two different women in two different pictures- a little more than just a physique change. The sport of bodybuilding has improved my self-confidence, knowledge of fitness & nutrition and overall health. The physique change is one thing; but what everyone doesn’t visually see is the underlying positive changes that come with changing your #lifestyle thankful for @team_strock for getting me started back in July of 2014 ⏩ To NOW growing into my own @liftauburn learning & working hand in hand with my BIG @jessicaann.fitness who has amped up and taught me my skill set with personal training, workouts & meal prep"

@liz_zuback "It doesn't matter where you do it or how you do it, just start. The picture on the left was from April 2014 and then picture on the right is from August 2016. It's amazing what your body can do in a couple of years if you just start chasing your goals. Back in 2014, I was just introduced to the world of competing. I had no idea how to pose, or how to wear a figure suit, I wasn't even confident enough to walk in heels. But I can honestly tell you that I wanted it bad. Competing was something I thought about every single day and I made sure that every day I was progressing in some way, shape, or form. Everyday I would do something that brought me closer to my goals. I was a boss at meal prepping, and soon fell in love with cooking and am now pursuing my dreams to become a Nutritional Chef in Toronto. I fell in love with the entire experience. Now, it's not to say that everyday was easy because I guarantee you it wasn't. There were many times I wanted to give up and quit, but what I admire the most about myself is that I didn't. I stuck to it. And that's something I know a lot of people wouldn't do. So where ever you are, whatever your goals, just start. You'll be happy two years from now that you did. Click here for Liz's suit.