Inspiring Quotes From PEOPLE's Reigning Half Their Size Weight-Loss Winners

“One night a friend tagged me in a Facebook photo, and you couldn’t even see my chair. I immediately reached out to a friend who was a health coach for Take Shape for Life, a weight-loss and healthy-living program. Then, with the help of a trainer, I started strength training and steadily lost 10 lbs. a month. Now I’m a health coach myself … I feel like I had been in a coma. This is what it’s like to live.”

“At a friend’s house one day, I noticed a scale in the bathroom and weighed myself for the first time in years. I was shocked to see 324 on the screen. I faithfully followed the Atkins diet, and in one week I dropped 9 lbs. That was enough to keep me determined. I eventually built up the confidence to join a gym where I’d run and lift weights. I’m no longer the bullied kid I was – and best of all, girls finally notice me.”

“Now I spin or run 4 to 8 miles, six days a week. My dad was always on my case about my unhealthy diet. I know that he’s looking down and that he’s proud of me.”

“I finally changed when I took my kids to the park and I had to sit down because I was so tired. I got a Beachbody home workout and lost 50 lbs. in the first eight months. I get up at 5:30 a.m. to do the 30-minute workouts, and it sets my whole day off right. Things are so different now. We go on hikes as a family or play baseball in the yard. Life is so much better.”

“When my doctors suggested I lose weight in 2011, I tried to walk half a block, and I couldn’t without stopping. I told myself I’d never be at this place again. I followed popular wellness women on YouTube and relearned how to eat fruits and vegetables and lost 80 lbs. in two years.”

“One day I decided I was sick of being sick. I researched nutrition and stopped eating gluten, soy and dairy and started eating lots of organic produce. I learned to practice portion control. The weight started to drop off, and I began to feel better. I finally had the energy to exercise three to four times a week with yoga or paddleboarding. Now I’m in a relationship with a wonderful man and studying to be a naturopathic physician so I can help others.”