Transformations Unveiled 8 Inspiring Weight Loss Success Stories

   1. Kimberly Brown: Lost 109 Lbs.

When Kimberly Brown decided to make a change and lose weight in 2015, she was coming off of a tough year. She had recently suffered a miscarriage, her childhood pet had just died and a broken ankle left her unable to walk on her own for several months.

"It got the best of me," Brown told PEOPLE.

Plus, her health was suffering; Brown had high blood pressure and frequent migraines, and her doctor thought that losing some of her 239 lbs. would help. Brown decided to join Nutrisystem, dropping 10 lbs. the first week and around 2.5 lbs. every week after. Four years later, she was healthier and 109 lbs. lighter.

                                     

"I currently weigh 130, I no longer have to take any medication for my blood pressure and I impress my doctor with my cholesterol and other levels every year on my physical!" she said at the time. "I now have confidence in myself, courage to do anything, and pride in how far I have come!"

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2 . Jennifer Riveira: Lost 76 Lbs.

Jennifer Riveira was always tired and had trouble keeping up with her young son. When her doctor told her all of her tests came back normal, but her fast-food habit may be to blame, she realized it was time to make a change.

"In reality, I had just given up on myself," she told PEOPLE. "Everybody became more important than I did and fast food became my way of life. It was fast. It was easy."

Riviera cut out greasy food and substituted it in meal replacement shakes. She also got active, exercising regularly and keeping up with her teenage son.

"The challenge itself is to feel better about yourself, to be the best version of you, whoever you are," Riviera said.

3. Hollie Barrett: Lost 124 Lbs.

Hollie Barrett, the superstore employee from Suffolk, England, had reached 249 lbs. and felt her weight was preventing her from being the hands-on mom she wanted to be.

"I felt like my weight was holding me back in every aspect of my life, especially when it came to doing things with my children," she told PEOPLE. "I once chased my daughter Imogen up the stairs to bed and was so breathless I couldn't speak properly to read her a bedtime story — it broke my heart."

That experience jumpstarted her determination to lose weight. Barrett had recently seen a friend's post on Facebook about their success with the weight loss program Slimming World and decided to give it a try.

                              

"I couldn't believe that I didn't have to starve myself to lose weight," she said.

Barrett turned to the Slimming World food optimizing plan. "Salmon with wild rice and BBQ pulled pork are a couple of my favorites, and I still eat out regularly as well," she said.

Barrett, who stuck with long walks and jogging, advised that you should find a plan you can stick to: "I used to jump from fad diet to fad diet, and they were all so strict and hard to follow."

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4.. Nathan & Brenda Bennett: Lost 130 & 131 Lbs.

In 2014, husband and wife Nathan and Brenda Bennett both found themselves struggling with their weight even though they led active lifestyles.

"We weren't eating healthy at home, so it didn't translate into weight loss success," Brenda told PEOPLE.

The Bennetts cut out sugar and processed foods from their family meals and began using My Fitness Pal to track their calories and exercise.

The couple focused on clean eating and portion control, with a goal to work out six days a week. Brenda shared that their fitness sessions are a "friendly competition."

Brenda also suggested finding accountability when trying to lose weight: "It was a big help to cheer each other on and not let the other person run down to the convenience store and cheat with whatever you can get your hands on. We keep each other strong."

5. Jessica Battle: Lost 115 Lbs.

Jessica Battle, a Delaware-based paralegal, had reached 280 lbs. by the time she was 20, but it wasn't until her father had heart surgery when she was 25 that she decided to take charge of her health.

"Learning that health issues ran in my family scared me," Battle told PEOPLE. "I knew that doing some form of movement in my living room was better than nothing, so I went to my local superstore and bought workout DVDs."

She also began eating smaller portion sizes and started an Instagram account to help hold herself accountable.

                             

Battle stuck to eating mostly vegetables, fruits, and protein while counting the amount of protein, fats, and carbohydrates she was eating every day.

Her workouts consisted of weight training DVDs at home.

Battle shared that her best weight loss tip is to make gradual changes. "Instead of eating an entire frozen pizza, I ate one slice of frozen pizza. For me, I knew that jumping right into eating only vegetables, fruit and lean proteins wasn't going to work," she said.

6. Karyl Mullins: Lost 100 Lbs.

When Karyl Mullins moved back to her hometown of Lexington, Ky., the dog groomer quickly gained 100 lbs. thanks to family gatherings that revolved around Southern cooking.

At 34, Mullins was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. "I was worried about leaving my family behind," she told PEOPLE. She joined WeightWatchers to take control of her health.

Mullins began eating small portions to stay within her WeightWatchers parameters, along with taking kickboxing classes and running a marathon.

"I take collapsible measuring cups in my purse," Mullins shared as her best weight loss tip. "It keeps me accountable."

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7. Gillian Faith: Lost 110 Lbs.

Gillian Faith, a British Columbia-based stay-at-home mom, admitted that she "stopped caring" about her body after having her first baby at age 21. After having her second child, Faith weighed 220 lbs. and shared she was a "food addict."

After her third pregnancy and a divorce, Faith realized she needed to take control of her weight. However, she took things too far and developed anorexia and bulimia. In 2013, she started bodybuilding, which she credits with finally getting her health on track.

"Bodybuilding became an outlet for me to conquer my fears," she told PEOPLE. "There was no more hiding."

Faith worked to stay away from anything that comes "in a can or box" and avoided gluten, dairy, and soy.

She was working out six days a week for an hour each time. Getting creative on the treadmill was key to Faith's best weight loss tip.

"Don't just use the treadmill one way!" she said. "I run backward and do side shuffles at an incline. It really tones hamstrings and glutes."

8. Rebecca Grafton: Lost 104 Lbs.

Rebecca Grafton, an insurance saleswoman, shot up to 246 lbs. after spending a pastry-filled semester studying abroad in France during college, and continued to eat lots of baked goods after graduating.

In January 2013, she booked a trip to Jamaica and decided she wanted to lose weight so she wouldn't be self-conscious about how she looked in a bathing suit.

"I hit the ground running," she told PEOPLE. "I used the app My Fitness Pal on my phone, and I plugged in how much weight I wanted to lose and how fast I wanted to lose it. They gave me a calorie target, and I followed it. I literally had to reteach myself to cook."

Grafton's diet consisted of getting enough protein while limiting her carbs, and still allowing herself wine on the weekends.

She began working out every day doing a mix of cardio and weights with her favorite exercise equipment being the StairMaster.

"Don't give yourself the option to give up. If you usually slip on the weekend, commit to a Monday morning workout," she said.

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