A woman who weighed over 250lbs after giving birth to two sets of twins has shed 90lbs and completely transformed her body.
Jennifer Hunter, 40, from Boise, Idaho, had been obese for ten years, was pre-diabetic and about to be put on cholesterol medication by her doctor when she made the decision to completely overhaul her lifestyle.
‘I was just so tired of being unhealthy and overweight,’ she told Good Housekeeping. ‘I wanted to be able to run and not be held back by my body any longer.’
Transformation: Jennifer Hunter went from 252lbs (left) to 162lbs (right) after having two sets of twins
Love weight: The mother-of-four said she put on 40lbs just a few months after she married her husband in 2001
Growing up, Jennifer worked out only because her parents wanted her to, but it was never something she ever enjoyed. When she reached adulthood, she continued to force herself to workout and watch her diet.
However, after her wedding in 2001, Jennifer decided to give up calorie counting and focus on making a home with her husband instead.
The newlywed enjoyed making elaborate meals, but she failed to scale down the portion sizes of the recipes to accommodate just two people.
Within just a few months, she put 40lbs onto her 5’3″ frame before she got pregnant with twins that year.
Trying to get by: Jennifer was so busy after the birth of her twin sons Jonah and Aidan in 2002 after ignored the 20lbs of baby weight that she was still carrying
Surprise! After Jennifer made a point to start losing weight, she learned that she was pregnant with a second set of twins
Jennifer welcomed her twin boys Jonah and Aidan into the world 2002, and she was so focused on trying to take care of them, she didn’t pay any attention to extra 20lbs of leftover baby weight that was still on her body.
A few years later, the mom tipped the scales at 252lbs and would get winded while chasing after her sons. As her boys headed to kindergarten, Jennifer stopped bringing junk food into her home and only allowed her family to have a fast-food dinner once a week.
Jennifer suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which makes it difficult to lose weight, but she ended up shedding 30lbs. However, later that year she learned that she was once again pregnant with twins without undergoing any fertility treatments.
When she was 32 weeks along, she had to have an emergency cesarean section because her son Rowan was dying in utero for reasons doctors couldn’t explain.
Full house: When she was 32 weeks along, she had to have an emergency cesarean section, and her twins Rowan and Audrey had to spend six weeks in intensive car
Amazing: Jennifer knew she wanted to be as healthy as she could be for her four children, and she made the decision to start running using the Couch to 5K running app
Slow and steady: It took over a year for Jennifer to build up her stamina to the point that she could run for more than 30 minutes at a time without stopping
After her C-section, Rowan and his sister Audrey were in the intensive care unit for six weeks and Jennifer ended up putting on 40lbs.
Jennifer knew she wanted to be as healthy as she could be for her four children, and she made the decision to start running using the Couch to 5K running app.
However, she ended up tripping and breaking her ankle just a few days into her new workout routine. Although she ended up needing ankle surgery, she used her year-long recovery to teach herself how to cook healthy, portion-controlled meals.
Jennifer returned to running and she spent another year building up her stamina to the point that she could run for more than 30 minutes at a time without stopping.
New woman: Over the course of her weight loss journey, Jennifer lost 90lbs and went from a size 3X to a 12
Natural: At her lowest, she weighed 160lbs, but Jennifer admitted that her weight hovers somewhere between 165lbs and 175lbs
Happy as can be: Jennifer is pictured with her twins Jonah and Aidan and Audrey and Rowan
Eventually, she weighed less than 200lbs and was able to incorporate weight lifting into her workout routine. She also kept her meals in check by using the Lose It! app.
Over the course of her weight loss journey, Jennifer lost 90lbs and went from a size 3X to a 12.
At her lowest, she weighed 160lbs, but Jennifer admitted that her weight hovers somewhere between 165lbs and 175lbs.
‘I worry less about the number on the scale and more on my pants size,’ she explained on her website.