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At her heaviest, 30-year-old Donna Gillie weighed 230 pounds, and with her height only measuring in at 5’4” that meant that her BMI landed deep into the “Obese” category (anything over 30 is considered “obese,” whereas anything between 25 and 29.9 is simply “overweight”). In an interview with Daily Mail, Donna admits that she was a dedicated overeater when she was younger, with her main “trigger foods” being sweets.
It wasn’t until at age 22 that Donna realized she needed a change. “I remember sitting at my desk at work” she recalls, “…and feeling very uncomfortable, and at about 230lb and 5ft 4ins it’s no wonder that was the case.” Over the next two years Donna managed to lose 70 pounds in the gym on her own without the help of surgery, however once she began to plateau she realized it was time to change her eating habits as well.
‘I began with small steps, I didn’t actually change the way I ate until fairly far into my fitness journey.
‘I guess you could say I hit a plateau – so I started to change the way I ate.
‘I watched my portions and ate more fruits and veggies, less packaged food more whole food.’(via)
Upon finally reaching a healthy weight resting at 115 pounds (and a BMI of 19.7 to boot), Donna hired a coach to help her tone up and weight train for her first fitness bikini competition in 2014. Just one year later she competed in her second competition, the East Coast Classic 2015.
‘Losing weight has changed my life in only positive ways.
‘So many people have come up to me and said I made them want to make a change and they ask for advice.
‘I always tell them my path and to keep a positive mindset because that alone can work wonders.
‘The fitness community is often thought of as very superficial but to be honest it a great support system and social atmosphere.
‘Since losing my weight I feel better physically and mentally.’(via)
Rather than letting a taste of success satiate her, Donna is currently getting into shape for her third bikini competition this upcoming December. Judging from her Instagram, it looks like she’ll rock the stage come winter:
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[H/T Daily Mail]