An Iowa mom who admits that before pregnancy her body was weak and unhealthy because she didn’t exercise and ate what she wanted now weighs a slim 128lbs and has a six-pack after shedding nearly 20lbs in just four months.
Hope Kriegel, 23, has always loved naturally slim frame but after giving birth to her son in 2015 and seeing how her body changed did she realize the importance of taking care of herself and made the decision to start exercising.
‘Before I lost the weight I was more confident than I had ever been before. I know that doesn’t sound like your typical story but I was genuinely happy with my body,’ she said.
Before and after baby: Hope hit her highest weight post pregnancy at 146lbs and now weighs a lean 128lbs
Not your typical story: Hope has always loved her body despite not being at her healthiest prior to her pregnancy
But after watching her body change during pregnancy and even more during the following months, she wanted to see what else she could do.
‘Prior to my pregnancy, I was underweight and was not at my healthiest. I wanted to push my body to new limits and see everything that it was capable of. I was always tall and lean and wanted to see what I would look like with more muscle mass,’ she said.
‘Pregnancy completely changed the way I view my body. I finally saw what amazing things the human body can do and I wanted to see what else my body could achieve, so I decided to start weight lifting.’
Before, she got pregnant, Hope never thought about exercising and weighed 125lbs but after she gave birth she hit her highest weight post-pregnancy at 146lbs but is now a lean 128lbs after starting weight lifting.
‘Six weeks after giving birth I decided to get a gym membership. I knew nothing about weight lifting but jumped right into it and saw amazing results,’ she said.
Straight to the gym: Six weeks after giving birth Hope decided to get a gym membership
Trouble gaining weight: The Iowa mom said that it can be hard to eat a lot of calories a day when trying to be healthy
‘I didn’t do any cardio when I started and just lifted weights five to six days a week for approximately an hour.’
For the Iowa mom, she said her biggest problem wasn’t losing weight when trying to get her amazing body but rather gaining weight because she has to eat a lot of calories to do so even though she enjoys eating healthy.
‘It can be hard to eat that much every day for months while continuing to eat healthy. Everyone seems to be curious with how I have gained ten pounds but look leaner than I did previously,’ she said.
‘My exercise routine and diet fluctuate quite frequently. I go through stages of cutting weight, maintaining my weight and I go through bulking periods where I try to gain ten to twenty pounds in several months.’
‘During all the phases, I still eat as healthy as I can. I enjoy eating healthy and stick to an eighty percent clean food to twenty percent cheat food ratio.’
Hope said that she wants to be flexible enough to ‘eat that piece of chocolate cake and not feel guilty afterwards – I have found that this is the best diet for myself’.
Something new: Hope said she knew nothing about weight lifting but jumped right into it and saw amazing results
Slim figure: Hope said she has always had a lean frame but wanted to see what she would look like with more muscle mass
No more baby weight: After giving birth to her son in 2015, Hope realized the amazing things her body could do
Hope said she is still just as in love with her body as she was after giving birth but she is happy to be able to increase her strength and put on muscle in the last few years.
‘I get asked almost every day how I achieved my defined core also and that just comes down to the time that I have put into the gym and my diet for the last two-and-a-half-years,’ she said.
‘I would tell them to start with cleaning up their diet and then go forward from there. Diet is equally as important as exercise and it can be hard to tackle both of those right away.’
But Hope said it’s worth it, just to see how her body has become stronger and the support she has gotten from other women.
‘My fitness journey has changed my life by connecting me with so many amazing women from all over the world through social media,’ she said.
‘I have completely transformed my body and I no longer feel weak. I feel strong, confident, and willing to take on any obstacle that may stand in my way.