A healthy lifestyle does not start with your eating habits; it starts with determination and the mind. People magazine’s 11th annual “Half Their Size” issue features Ashley Donahoo and Leah Fernandez – two women who lost more than 100 lbs. on their own.
Donahoo, a 27-year-old project manager from Florida, started losing weight in 2010 after she suffered from health related issues that stemmed from her 288 lb. obesity. “I was extremely tired all the time. I also was pre-diabetic,” Donahoo tells People magazine. “Eighteen months ago my son Zach gave me a hug and said, ‘Mom! I can reach my hands all around you.’ I started bawling because I never realized that he could completely hug me,” she explains. Donahoo lost 137 lbs. in two years after she started using Livestrong’s famous calorie counter.
Fernandez, on the other hand, lost 126 lbs. after she joined Jenny Craig in 2011. “My kids Tyler and Sophia like to be active. Being so overweight kept me from doing all those fun, physical activities with them. The realization I wasn’t giving them the best was a huge motivator,” Fernandez explains to People. “The way I feel now is better than any food I gorged on before.” Both women lost a combined total of 263 lbs, and have never looked back. Fernandez is training for an upcoming marathon, while Donahoo is enjoying life as a smaller version of herself.
It is truly inspirational to see ordinary people achieve extraordinary things. On the cover, the two women look healthy, young, revitalized, and empowered. Their weight-loss is a remarkable symbol of strong will and determination. What do you think are the secrets to weight-loss? Have you ever tried losing weight in such a way before? Don’t you think they look beautiful on the inside and out? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Remember to pick up the latest copy of People magazine so you can read all about the weight-loss secrets that changed these women’s lives.
Image Credit: People Magazine