Half My Size at Last

Annabelle Goetke
Chicago
Age: 26
Heights: 5'8"
Before: 328 lb.
Dress size: 28Before I even hit 20, I weighed 328 pounds, and I knew my childhood eating was to blame. When I was growing up, the dinner table was always filled with greasy meats and potatoes (no veggies); each meal ended with ice cream. I had made a habit of avoiding mirrors, so it wasn't until I saw a picture of myself in the fall of 2006 that I realized how badly I had let myself go. Seeing that shot made me miserable. My body felt like a jail cell, and I was over it.

First step: Fast-food detox

I turned to one of my older sisters—who is really into health—for guidance. She suggested I start with simple food swaps, such as brown rice for regular and sprouted grain bread for white. The hardest habit to quit: fast food. Clean eating paid off, though. I shed 15 pounds in the first month.

Turning point: Cardio plus strength

Feeling lighter, I decided to get more active, parking farther away in lots and taking the stairs whenever possible. I was tired and breathless at first, but I worked up to an hour of run-walk intervals on the treadmill six days a week. Within a year and a half, I sweated away 140 pounds. But then I hit a plateau. So I downloaded Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer app and started strength training. It totally transformed my body. Not only did I drop another 20 pounds in 12 weeks, but my waist got leaner and my muscles became more defined. Even better, I was finally able to carry my own groceries.