Believing in Your Own Success

hannahlawitztrans
Transformations
Hannah has lost 75 lbs. At her heaviest weight, she was over 200 lbs.
Hannah has lost 75 lbs. At her heaviest weight, she was over 200 lbs.

Weight has always been an issue for me since I was young. I did a lot of yo-yo dieting throughout high school – I had lost 50 lbs. and put it all back on, plus some! I did the hCG diet and I was so insistent on being thin that I went through months of crazy dieting to just see the number on the scale drop, with no regard to how it was damaging my body.

When I realized that doing the quick route to skinny was not good for my health, I knew I had to come up with a new plan. My first year of college in 2011, I didn’t want to be a victim of the “Freshman 15,” I was already too heavy to gain any more at my age and height (at the time: 18 years old, 5’5”, 200+ lbs.). At that time, I joined Weight Watchers to help me control my portion sizes and lost about 30 lbs. over the course of that year. As I lost more and more weight, people started noticing; I loved the compliments and I strived for more!

I finally felt in control of my eating habits and I learned how to make the right choices – both at home and when I would go out to eat. From that point, I implemented a workout routine (previously, I was always athletic, but my eating habits were bad). I had researched all there was about working out (the good, the bad, and the indifferent). I followed a fitness routine on bodybuilding.com for a while. It took a long time to figure out what was right for my body. I started lifting (3-4x a week) and doing cardio daily. Eight months or so passed and I was on top of my game (I lost another 30 lbs. or so). Changing my lifestyle was tough, but with the support of my family and friends, I was able to keep going day in and day out. I made a complete 180 and loved it.

At first, many people didn’t think it would last long. When they saw that I was actually sustaining it and began to question my efforts; that’s when I decided to make an Instagram page to help inspire others and let them know that anything is possible. I want to show people why living fit is essential. I am so thankful to be a part of this fitness community on social media because it’s so surreal and everyone is so kind and supportive.

Hannah is training for her first bikini competition in November.
Hannah is training for her first bikini competition in November.

I love to wake up each day and know that I am making a change to help improve not only my body, but to help others gain more knowledge. After losing over 60 lbs. and realizing that I was going to be in the gym every day out of pure motivation, I made the decision to compete. I am now training (with AZ Pro Physiques) for my first NPC Bikini Contest, coming up this November in Mesa, AZ. I eat very clean and have a strict meal plan for prep, but before this, I ate healthy with a few cheat meals a week (most were clean, too).

In all, my main goal in life is to be fit and healthy, it’s not about the number on the scale anymore. I am striving for satisfaction with my body; I want to be able to walk into the gym with just my sports bra and feel comfortable. I’d like to stress that it wasn’t until I started both eating clean and working out consistently in the past year that I really saw the most consistent results and kept the weight off – fad diets and quick plans of starving yourself are not good for your health, nor is it going to be helpful in the long run!

My advice is stick to a plan, be consistent, and never give up! Finding a balance is hard, but once it’s found, there’s no off switch – set goals and demolish them one at a time. I have learned to trust the process and love my body along the way – I couldn’t be happier! I’ve found that with enough dedication and discipline, anything can be achieved. Sure, I have sacrificed many nights out, extravagant vacations, delicious meals, and much more, but the pride I carry with me each day knowing that I have worked hard for this makes the success so much sweeter.

You can find Hannah Lawitz at:

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