A single mother who got pregnant at the age of 14 lost nearly 7 pounds and transformed her body after undergoing a six-week transformation.
Bartender Ashley Madrigal, 22, was chosen by YouTuber Michelle Khare, 27, to work with a nutritionist and a personal trainer as part of her the fitness influencer’s ‘Extreme Body Makeover’ series.
‘I got pregnant when I was 14, so my body changed so much overnight,’ Ashley explains in the clip. ‘I gained so much weight, and I want to feel good about myself. I need to start now and I need to teach my daughter that self-love is important.’
Before and after: Single mom Ashley Madrigal, 22, went 167.2 pounds (L) to 160.8 pounds (R) after appearing on an episode of YouTuber Michelle Khare’s ‘Extreme Body Makeover’ series
Life-changing moment: Ashley became pregnant with her now-seven-year-old daughter Meghan when she was just 14 years old
Ashley, who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 167 pounds and has 26.4 per cent body fat at the start of her makeover.
The mom admits that she stopped thinking about herself and her needs when her seven-year-old daughter Megan was born.
Ashley first met Michelle when the social media star helped her and Megan get ready on a typical school day for one of her YouTube videos.
After seeing how selfless the mom is, Michelle wanted to not only help her transform her body but also create a sense of priority for self-care for her.
At the start of her journey, Ashley has just one goal — to feel confident while taking pictures with her daughter.
Changing body: Ashley said she weighed 115 pounds before she got pregnant, and the day she went into labor she was 180 pounds
Selfless: The mom admits that she stopped thinking about herself and her needs when Megan was born
Goal: The mom said she wanted to feel confident again and show Megan that girls can be just as strong as guys
‘You know, you see those Instagram moms where they take cute pictures with their kids or they’ll have a full-on photo shoot at a beach with their child,’ she says. ‘I want to do that and feel good about what I am wearing so Megan sees that. Then it will just be a cute picture that I can post.’
Before hitting the gym, Ashley has a consultation with nutritionist Brandon Peters and personal trainer Nick Stevens. She admits that she has a ‘bad habit’ of making negative comments about her body out loud.
‘I need to teach my daughter that self-love is important,’ she says.
Ashley goes on to tell her makeover team that she has been suffering from intense back pain since she gave birth to Megan.
‘When I was in labor, I had to get the epidural,’ she explains. ‘But because I was so scared they had to poke my back six times because I kept moving, and I can’t lay down straight anymore.’
She’s got this: Michelle (L) joins Ashley (R) during her first workout and both she and Ashley’s trainer are impressed with her abilities as she does lunges, squats, and bicycle crunches
Focused: Ashley admitted she is used to faster cardio, but her trainer has her do all the moves slowly so she really feels the burn
The mom admits it is difficult to see other women her age wearing a size small or having ‘normal’ stretch marks that aren’t from having a baby.
‘Before I got pregnant, I was 115 pounds. The day I went into labor I was 180. So I gained almost 70 pounds,’ she says.
Ashley doesn’t just want to lose weight, though. She says she wants to show her daughter that women can have muscles and do what men do, recalling how Megan was obsessed with the Nina Turtles until a boy told her she can’t like them because she is a girl.
‘I want to be strong,’ she says.
As part of her fitness routine, Ashley will be alternating one hour of weight circuit training and one hour of cardio Monday through Friday. She will do an activity with Megan on Saturday, and Sunday is her day off.
Like a champ! Ashley gave it her all when she did burpees, even though she hates them
Plan: Ashley had high hopes that the workouts would get easier once she got stronger
Diet makeover: Instead of takeout, Ashley had to start meal prepping. Her meals consisted of vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and healthy fats
The mom gets emotional when she is asked what she would like to say to the future version of herself.
‘Your body changed; that’s okay,’ she says tearfully. ‘Megan’s gonna see how happy you are with yourself. She’s gonna see that her mom was able to go through another challenge and get through it and the results were amazing.’
Michelle joins Ashley during her first workout and both she and Nick are impressed with her abilities as she does lunges, squats, bicycle crunches, and burpees — even though she hates them.
She admits that she is used to faster cardio, but Nick has her do all the moves slowly so she really feels the burn.
‘I know the workouts are gonna change, and they might get harder,’ she says. ‘But I won’t be eating bad and I’ll have more energy, so I know it will become a little easier as time goes on.’
Check it out: She admitted that her grocery cart has never looked this green before
Hard times: The first two weeks on the program were a struggle for Ashley as she dealt with headaches and hunger pains while balancing work and motherhood
Support system: Michelle understood that Ashley wasn’t used to asking for help, so she made sure to check in on her on the third week of her body makeover
Michelle insists that she goes to eat after their workout, and Ashley jokes that she won’t be going to Taco Bell.
The mom starts meal prepping for the first time, and while in the grocery store, she admits her shopping ‘cart has never looked this green.’
Although she initially thought the meals were going to complex, she is happy to report that they are actually ‘super convenient’ for her.
For breakfast, she is to have oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk and almond-based Greek yogurt with blueberries and peanut butter to mix in.
Her first snack is a vegan organic nutrition shake followed by a lunch of quinoa with either chicken, turkey, or fish over lettuce and topped with balsamic.
Mental health: Michelle surprised Ashley with three sessions with sexuality and intimacy coach Jodie Martin (pictured)
Killing it: Ashley eventually started to get into a groove after her headaches went away
New routine: The mom started prioritizing her workouts and making time for herself
Ashley’s second snack of the day is an egg white-based protein bar, and she ends the day with a dinner consisting of rice, lean protein, vegetables, and avocado.
Despite her enthusiasm, the first two weeks on the program are a struggle for Ashley as she deals with headaches and hunger pains while balancing work and motherhood.
She is brought to tears when the place where she bartenders unexpectedly closes for a few days because she relies on tips to pay her bills.
‘I only have $40 to my name right now and that’s just because my dad sent it to me. I have no savings,’ she says as she starts to cry.
Michelle understands that Ashley isn’t used to asking for help, so when she checks in on her on the third week of her makeover, she surprises her with three sessions with sexuality and intimacy coach Jodie Martin.
Looking good: At the end of the six weeks, she had lost nearly 7 pounds
Incredible: Ashley also had a fat mass loss of 9.15 pounds after the makeover was over
Building muscle: Ashley’s arms and stomach were more toned thanks to her gym sessions
Proud: Ashley made sure to flex while showing off her results after the six weeks were up
The first time Ashley had sex at age 14 she became pregnant, and Jodie explains that people’s first sexual experiences really shape how they feel about sex.
The mom says she is happy to finally have someone to talk to about her experience, and she notes after a few sessions with Jodie that she ‘feels amazing’ after they talk.
Around this time, her body also starts getting used to her workouts and new diet and her headaches finally go away.
Ashley continues to make time for herself and her workouts, and her results are incredible.
‘These last six weeks have been the most change I’ve ever seen in myself physically and mentally,’ she says, adding: ‘I’m proud of myself.’
One more thing! Ashley was brought to tears when Michelle surprised her with a mother-daughter swimsuit shoot to celebrate her newfound confidence
So sweet: Ashley and Megan wore matching swimsuits as they posed on the beach together
Feeling confident: Ashley even took some glamour shots by herself during the shoot
At the end of her journey, she learns she has lost a total of 6.4 pounds and had a fat loss of 9.15 pounds.
She has also gone from 26.24 per cent body fat to 21.59 per cent body fat, which is ‘borderline athletic’ Brandon notes.
Ashley is thrilled when she looks at her before and after photos.
‘Holy s**t. Look at my arms!’ she says.
The mom is also proud to reveal that the pain in her back has gone down significantly since she has built more muscle.
And Michelle has one last surprise for Ashley: a mother-daughter swimsuit shoot to celebrate her newfound confidence.
The mother and daughter happily pose on the beach together wearing matching swimsuits, and Ashley even takes some glamour shots on her own.
‘Megan, when you are 22 years old and you find this video on YouTube, thank you for being my motivation, not only in life and trying to become better but my motivation in becoming healthier and happier with myself,’ the mom says at the end of the lip. ‘And I promise that when you’re watching this video you’ll be so proud.’