I Lost 48 Pounds, and Feel at Peace with Myself

BEFORE: 173 lbs
AFTER: 125 lbs

At age 12, Loida Fraijo moved with her family from Hermosillo, Mexico, to Tucson, where she discovered fast food. "I supersized everything," she says. "My sister and I would each eat a foot-long sub and then split a third one." By the time she was 19, Loida was carrying 173 pounds on her 5'7" frame. She dabbled in crash diets while attending Pima Community College in Tucson, but she could never commit. "I'd get upset and start eating again," says the 30-year-old aesthetic laser technician.

THE CHANGE Although Loida was a size 14, she squeezed into the short skirts and tight tank tops her thin friends wore. "I didn't feel comfortable or pretty," she says. Then, at a party in the summer of 2000, she overheard a guy announce that the "chunky girl"--Loida--was leaving. "When I realized that's how people saw me, I knew I had to change," she says. "I wanted to transform my life more than I wanted a hamburger."

The #1 Diet Downfall

THE LIFESTYLE Loida replaced fast food with fresh spinach salads, grilled fish, and chicken, and treated herself twice a month to veggie-loaded pizza or bunless burgers with a side salad. Setting foot in her college gym the first time, Loida says, "I felt like an alien." She had to stop and throw up after 15 minutes of walking on the indoor track, but she managed 25 more minutes after the nausea passed. "I knew if I left then, I'd never come back," she says. In three months, she was power-walking four days a week. As the pounds gradually peeled off, she busted plateaus by adding strength training and Zumba, cycling, or kickboxing classes to her routine twice a week. After five years of small changes, in August 2005, she was down to 125 pounds.

10 Ways to Stick to Your Exercise Commitment

THE REWARD Now a size 4, Loida is thrilled to wear the cute clothes that felt too tight in college, and she has more confidence too. "I love bikinis--and I look good in them!" she says. "With my body in better shape, I finally feel at peace with myself."

Lab-Tested Self-Esteem Boosters

LOIDA'S TIPS

Think (and cook) ahead.
"If I know the next day is going to be hectic, I'll prepare healthy meals the night before so my diet stays on track."

Surprise yourself.
"I switch up my routine every few months by hiking, running, or climbing the bleachers at a nearby school. That way, my muscles never get in a rut."

Auto-tune your workout.
"I listen to up-tempo music at the gym. When you move to the beat, your workout is easier and flies by."

TELL US: What are your favorite ways of keeping an exercise routine fresh?

More from Women's Health

Plagued by Mindless Munching? 6 Easy Solutions

10 Foods, 40 Recipes

More Weight-Loss Success Stories

An entire set of genius 15-minute workouts, a fat-fighting food plan, and more--all in one book. Buy The Women's Health Big Book of 15-Minute Workouts.

Want more Women's Health? Subscribe today for only 99¢ an issue!