This stunning woman has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram after documenting her almost 84-pound weight loss on the social media site.
Growing up, personal trainer, Regan Patterson, 25, from Orlando, Florida played sports for her school team and this active lifestyle meant that she never watched what she was eating.
After she finished high school, Regan no longer played sports but still ate what she wanted which led to her reaching 222 pounds and a size 16-18.
Journey: This stunning woman has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram after documenting her almost 84-pound weight loss on the social media site
Change: Fed up of covering up her body and skipping trips to the beach with family and friends, Regan Patterson, (pictured) started making small lifestyle changes
Growing up: The 25-year-old played sports and had an active lifestyle in high school, so she never watched what she ate, but after graduation, she was 222 pounds and a size 16-18
Fed up of covering up her body and skipping trips to the beach with family and friends, Regan started making small lifestyle changes.
She started working out at the gym just two to three days a week which is where she found her passion for fitness and decided on her career. Regan is now a super fit 142 pounds and a size two to four.
‘I played three different sports all throughout school growing up,’ she explained. ‘I was very active and never really watched closely what I ate and after I graduated high school, I stopped playing sports.
‘That’s when I gained all the weight because I wasn’t active like I was before and continued to not watch what I was eating which led to my weight gain.’
‘I was disappointed that I let myself gain that much weight. I was very insecure about my body.
Not happy: Regan from Orlando, Florida, admitted that she was very insecure about her body which led to her missing out on a lot of life events and never went to the beach with friends
Active: She started working out at the gym just two to three days a week which is where she found her passion for fitness and decided on her career
Fitness: Aside from working out, she made a lot of small changes to her lifestyle and diet and counts macros, which is another form of calorie counting
‘I missed out on a lot of life events, like going to the beach with friends or family because I would not wear a bathing suit. All I ever did was worry about covering up my body.
‘I was tired of it constantly being on my mind. Constantly worrying about what other people were thinking. I got fed up with feeling insecure so I told myself I had no other choice but to keep going until I got there.
‘I always say that weight loss is simple, but it’s not easy. I count macros, another form of calorie counting, and work out five to six days a week now.
‘But I started by working out like two to three days a week and just small changes to my diet. It’s okay to start with little lifestyle changes because they will eventually add up to big ones.’
For Regan, losing weight is one of her biggest achievements so far and she says that people are amazed when they see her transformation.
Weight: Regan went from working out just two days a week to now working out five to six days a week and admits she still eats pizza, ice cream and burgers, but all in moderation
Mantra: She shared that she follows the 80-20 rule and wants others to be aware of it, as it’s a diet where you eat 80 per cent nutrient dense foods and 20 per cent treats
She says she was still able to eat foods like pizza, burgers and ice cream on her journey and she shared her advice to others.
‘I tell people all the time that it’s okay to be proud of yourself and to praise your own accomplishments,’ she added.
‘Losing weight isn’t easy and I am proud that I stuck with it through the hard times and accomplished what I have so far.
‘What a lot of people don’t realize is that you can still eat the foods you love and still lose weight.
‘I still eat pizza, ice cream, burgers, but all in moderation. I always preach about the 80-20 rule: 80 per cent nutrient dense foods and 20 per cent treats.
Tough: Losing weight is not an easy task and Regan shared she wants people to know the hardest part is patience and losing weight is not something that happens overnight
Simple: The fitness guru suggest starting with small changes such as adding in vegetables to your meals, drinking more water and being more active throughout the week
Life: Regan who decided to become a personal trainer after falling in love with fitness, is now a super fit 142 pounds and a size two to four
‘I can make a treat here and there fit into my daily calories and still lose weight and I think that’s what is key to making this something that you can do forever.
‘Exercise in the beginning for me, I did it just to do it and over the course of my weight loss journey, I completely fell in love with it. So much, that I became a personal trainer myself.
‘The hardest part about losing weight is patience. It’s not something that happens overnight so you have to tell yourself that from the beginning. You didn’t gain the weight overnight, so you can’t expect to lose it overnight.
‘Just start and keep going. Small changes like adding in vegetables to your meals, drinking more water and being more active throughout the work week.
‘Once you get in the habit of doing that, add in more daily changes and keep going. It’s hard to change your lifestyle completely overnight and that’s why small changes are good to start with. Just don’t stop, even when you slip up.’