Get inspired by these Daily Burn success stories, which showcase real people who committed to fitness and saw results that were way beyond average.
For Adrienne O’Connor, losing weight had always been about one thing: getting skinny. “It would be one of those things where I have to go to a wedding in a month, so let’s do everything I can think of to [lose weight],” she says. “I was not really getting healthy for myself and my family, but because I wanted to look skinny.”
Along the way, O’Connor, now 37, tried every diet in the book — from low-carb to juice cleanses to South Beach and Atkins. Her yo-yo dieting began in earnest during her college years, when she found herself exercising less — and eating and drinking more. “I’d lose weight, then I’d think, ‘I can eat whatever I want now,’” O’Connor says. “It’s crazy how easy weight comes back on and how hard it is to take it off.”
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Hooked on salty and sweet snacks, O’Connor found it hard to resist temptation — especially after life got even busier when she and her husband became parents to two daughters, now one and four years old. Running a business as an event planner from her home and taking care of her daughters during the day, O’Connor found late-night snacking hard to resist. “I’m up late at night once they go to bed and that’s a trigger, especially if I’m sitting at the computer and getting stressed,” she says.
It took O’Connor two years to lose the baby weight she’d gained while pregnant with her first daughter. “I did not want that to happen again,” O’Connor says. So six months after having her second daughter, she decided to take action.
Swapping “Skinny” for “Healthy”
In August 2015, O’Connor saw an advertisement for Daily Burn 365 — a new workout program looking for participants for their live, daily show. “I was like, ‘This could be what I need,’ because I’m really into accountability and this could help motivate me,” she recalls. Being a good role model for her daughters was also important for O’Connor. “I just decided I didn’t want to struggle anymore and I didn’t want to have to worry all the time and constantly think about weight,” she says. “Because that’s exhausting…I decided I’m going to change my life and lifestyle.”
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“The scale tells a small part of the story in my opinion.”
After her first workout at the Daily Burn 365 studios, O’Connor was hooked. “It was so much fun. The energy is amazing, it was just infectious,” she says. “I knew I was in the right place — but I couldn’t walk for a couple days after!” she laughs. The best part: Even though she hadn’t worked out in awhile, O’Connor felt like she could do all the moves, while still feeling challenged. (Want to try a Daily Burn 365 workout for yourself? Click here.)
Now that she’d committed to a workout routine, O’Connor decided to start targeting her eating habits, too. “I think my turning point in my diet was when I asked one of the other participants what she was doing and she said was tracking her food on My Fitness Pal,” O’Connor says. “That really changed things for me because it made me really aware of how many calories I’m taking in.” She also started meal planning so she’d always have something healthy on hand. Her diligence was paying off, too. Within six weeks of joining Daily Burn 365 and tweaking her diet, O’Connor had lost 10 pounds.
Committing to Fitness
Two months into Daily Burn 365, O’Connor’s results were becoming even more obvious. “I was on set and my pants were almost falling down and it was the greatest feeling in the world!” she says. Beyond that, she started to see differences way beyond the number on the scale. “The inches you’re losing, that was just crazy — that was amazing,” she says. “I’ve lost and gained weight before but I feel like now my body is actually reshaping itself in a great way.”
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“The scale tells a small part of the story in my opinion,” O’Connor, who has now lost 27 pounds over the past six months, says. Today she says she can hold a plank, use long-forgotten ab muscles to get up off the ground — and even walk up and down the stairs carrying both of her children (or a boatload of grocery bags).
“It’s been that kick in the butt I needed to get started on healthy lifestyle again,” O’Connor says. “For the first time in years I’m starting to feel like myself again, that I’m in my body.”
To learn more about Daily Burn or to try a free 30-day trial yourself, head to DailyBurn.com.
Note to reader: The content in this article relates to the core service offered by Daily Burn. In the interest of editorial disclosure and integrity, the reader should know that this site is owned and operated by Daily Burn. Always talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise or weight loss program. Daily Burn users who worked out for 30 minutes or more at least five times a week for 60 to 90 days reported an average weight loss of about one pound per week.
The post This Mom Lost Weight But Her Non-Scale Victories Are Even Better appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.