Diet & Fitness: Weight Loss: Weight-Loss Success Stories:

 Christina

 I gained 105 pounds when I got pregnant with my daughter. After my daughter was born, my relationship took a turn for the worse and soon ended approximately eight months after she was born. As many can relate to, this created a terrible sense of security and self image, emotional instability and just the added stress of being a new, single mommy. This took an immediate toll on my health and diet. I carried the weight for a few years after having her.

 When you want nothing more than to be the best mother/parent for your child, the reality is that if you are not at your best, you can't possibly be at your best for them. She and I were having a tickle fight one day and she went in to tickle me and her little hand "disappeared" between my fat rolls. She burst into laughter and I immediately burst into tears. I just knew I could be the role model she deserved and needed if I wasn't a reflection of that.

 I did months and months of research online (it was the best option for the single mommy budget) to find out what, how, when, how much, etc. it would take to get the results I needed. I changed my diet SIGNIFICANTLY. I went from eating maybe two to three times a day (if that) to eating every two to three hours. Portion control of healthy options became a way of life. I began doing cardio every morning as soon as I got out of the bed and would do this at least five days a week. After work at night, I would weight train.

 I truly feel in order to get the results you want, all major components must be there: diet, cardio and weight training. One without the other will only prolong the results, which could ultimately lead to me giving up. And that wasn't an option. I do feel diet was truly 80 percent of my results.

 Mexican food and ice cream … but what's great at this point is I've been able to learn my body to a science. What foods my body responds best to, what exercises create the result I want, and how much and when I need to do cardio. Being able to identify with these things with your body/genetics … it's really tough to get derailed because you can reward yourself with a day off or reward meal and not feeling guilty. which is powerful!

 A setback is only there as long as you allow it to be. I do my best to not see it as a "setback" but more so a challenge. My motivation and dedication to my results creates a blinder to any setback. If everything went like clockwork and how we wanted it to, life would become boring very quickly.

 First and foremost, watching my daughter follow in my footsteps with being healthy. She ALWAYS asks, "Is this healthy, Mommy?" and more often than not, asks for broccoli instead of fries because she knows it's healthy. To hear a 7-year-old say that will stop you in your tracks. As well, I did my first two figure competitions and was blessed with a modeling career where I've been published dozens of times. Two significant publications were "2006 Sexiest Female Model" and "2007 Hottest Fit Body."