Hannah's Health History

For eight years, Hannah struggled with health issues including extreme fatigue, joint pain, foggy brain, heart palpitations, high resting heart rate, high blood pressure, high liver enzymes, gut issues, hair loss, and extreme weight gain. No doctors or specialists could figure out the cause, and over the course of eight years, she gained 115 pounds and was bedridden most days.

She was also addicted to fast food and sweets, and told POPSUGAR she stress ate "all the time." She also didn't work out at all before starting her journey.

In January 2017, after Googling her symptoms, something came up about breast implant illness. Hanna had her breast implants removed in February 2017, and all of her health issues and symptoms went away completely!

Hannah Finds Beachbody

In January 2018, at the age of 30, the only thing left to tackle was the 115 pounds she had gained due to her illness. "I wanted to get back to me again," Hannah said.

Being clinically obese made it hard to physically do things, and Hannah said she stopped going places with her family. Even going up a flight of stairs was a challenge. That's when she decided to start Beachbody [4] after a friend told her she had lost 45 pounds in five months. "I wanted to be the best version of me and the best mom and wife to my family," Hannah said.

She began her weight-loss journey on 10 Jan., 2018, at a starting weight of 237 pounds, with a size 22 pants.

Hannah's Diet

Throughout Hannah's journey, she followed (and still follows) the Beachbody Portion Fix Nutrition Plan [5], which she said was key for her results. "The portion containers were everything! They were exactly what I needed to help me understand portions and what kind of foods I should be eating," she said. "It showed me that food was to fuel my body, not to feed my emotions and stress." It became a lifestyle change for her.

"I learned that I could still eat all the food groups, including carbs, but at the right portions. I loved that I just had to keep track of my containers throughout the day and didn't have to count calories. It was simple to follow and completely changed the way I ate," Hannah said.

What Hannah Eats in a Day

Here's an example of a day of eating for Hannah:

Breakfast: Shakeology shake with two eggs and avocado

Snack 1: almonds and raw veggies (like broccoli, cauliflower, and bell peppers)

Lunch:/ leftovers from dinner the night before

Snack 2: Beachbar [6] and veggies (sometimes with hummus)

Dinner: "I make my dinners every night and I make enough for my whole family and lunch for me the next day. Some of my favourite recipes are from the Fixate Cookbook. My favourite dinners are salsa chicken on a corn tortilla with brown rice, chicken tortilla soup, courgette noodles with lean ground beef and pesto, turkey chilli, and buffalo chicken courgette boats," Hanna said.

Hannah's Workouts

"When I decided in 2018 I wanted to lose all the weight, the thought of going to the gym at 237 pounds mortified me. So, the fact I could do workouts in my home made me actually want to work out," Hanna said. She used Beachbody On Demand and did the 21 Day Fix program, working out every day for 30 minutes. She completed seven rounds!

After completing every round of 21 days, she would take a week or two off from the workouts but always stayed 100 percent on the Portion Fix Nutrition Plan. Then she'd start back up with another round of 21 Day Fix.

Since losing the weight, she's been doing programs to gain muscle and tone including LIIFT4 (45 minutes a day, four days a week), 80 Day Obsession (60 minutes every day), and she's currently doing Morning Meltdown 100 (20 to 30 minutes every day).

Hannah's Nonscale Victories

Aside from losing 117 pounds in 11-and-a-half months, check out this long list of nonscale victories:

• "Getting stronger and stronger every month. When I started Beachbody and 21 Day Fix, I couldn't even do a jumping jack or a squat and I had to modify every move. Each month I would get stronger and modify less to build up to the full-on moves."
• "This July I worked out with the creator of 21 Day Fix, Autumn Calabrese, on stage in front of 20,000 people doing full moves."
• "Before I started my health and fitness journey, I wasn't able to do things with my kids like go sledding or fit in some rides at an amusement park. This year I was able to go sledding with my kids (my daughter for the first time). I was able to run up the hills with them. Now I don't have to worry about not fitting into an amusement park ride."
• "Being able to shop for clothes at places now that before I couldn't fit into their largest size."
• "Going from a size 22 to a size 2."

Hannah Won the 2019 Beachbody Challenge!

Another nonscale victory — and this one is huge! — was that Hannah won $100,000 from the 2019 Beachbody Challenge [7].

How Hannah Stays Motivated

Every week, Hannah was seeing results, which kept her motivated to keep going. "I would also watch the Instagram Stories from Beachbody coaches, and so many of them helped me stay motivated by posting their workouts and food," Hanna said. That's why she now posts about her food and workouts to help motivate others.

Hannah was also in a Beachbody accountability group. "We would uplift each other, hold each other accountable, encourage each other, and share tips, and that helped me stay motivated," Hannah said.

Hannah's Weight-Loss Advice

One thing Hannah wants to tell people on their own weight-loss journey is to never give up! Remember that a little progress every day leads to big results. She said to think of your lifestyle change as a way of getting healthy and not to focus on the sole idea of "losing weight."

Work on the inside first by getting your mind right and finding that motivation. Realise that "you are worth getting to the best you and living your best life."
She also said to make eating healthy a priority by being well prepared every week with your healthy meals to ensure your success. And when it comes to workouts, move in any way you can, even if you have to modify exercises. You'll get stronger and soon you'll be able to do them!

FInal Thoughts

Hannah was so inspired by the Beachbody programs and all her success that she decided to become a Beachbody coach and said, "I love that I'm now able to help people with their health and fitness goals. That has become my biggest joy and passion."

She never imagined how much her life would have transformed into what it is now, all because she decided to make a change for her health.

"I was in such a low place in my life before starting my journey; I was hardly living life. Now I'm doing things I never thought possible and living my life to the fullest," Hannah said. "I know this is possible for anyone struggling with the same thing!"