Taryn: Before

Why she started: "I wish I could say I had some romantic moment where I had the whip cream aerosol can in my mouth and heard a divine voice say, 'Taryn, this is not the life for you,' but no. I had no 'This is the time I’m going to succeed!' mentality. I had a few motivators, including wanting to conceive a child with my husband, and a faraway dream of being a certain size and looking a certain way. But mainly the reason I started getting healthy is . . . well . . . that’s what you do when you’re heavy — you think about losing weight and being thin, yet never really thinking you will."

Taryn: After

Pounds lost: 155

Her healthy-eating tip: "I eat five small meals throughout the day, about three to four hours between each. My breakfast is the largest meal of the day for me and typically consists of a 1/2 cup of oatmeal with Stevia and cinnamon or flaxseed, and some kind of lean protein — egg whites or Greek yogurt. My morning snack is usually high in protein, like Greek yogurt with vegetables or low-fat cottage cheese with pineapple bits. Lunch is generally a salad composed of lots and lots of leafy greens, yummy vegetables, and protein, dressed by apple cider vinegar. Afternoon snack? You guessed it — more protein! Usually a handful of nuts or some peas. For dinner, I eat a lot of vegetables combined with protein in the form of some type of beans or quinoa."

Read Taryn's weight-loss story here [2]!

Ashley: Before

Why she started: "My entire life, I have struggled with not only my weight but being in denial. I never wanted to believe that I was 'one of those girls,' the obese one, but I was. I would lose a little bit of weight and then gain it all back plus some, over and over. It was an endless ride I desperately wanted help getting off of. I could never be happy in my skin or happy about the way I looked. This impacted everything about me, my attitude, the way I dressed and carried myself, the friends I had, the opportunities I didn’t take, etc."

Ashley: After

Pounds lost: 115

Her dining out tip: "I used to stress myself out about meals out to the point it was completely miserable! However now, I try to live by the 80/20 rule. I eat clean 80 percent of the time and the other 20 percent I cut myself a little bit of slack. That does not mean that I go out and consume 18 cheeseburgers, 10 fries, a milkshake, etc. I still attempt to be healthy when we eat out, but I do so by applying the 80/20 rule. If I really want something, I don’t get it right away. If it’s a craving that keeps coming back over and over, I’ll indulge, get it out of my system, and move on!"

Read Ashley's weight-loss story here [3]!

Nelly: Before

Why she started: "We were trying to boost morale and healthy choices at work, and we started a weight-loss challenge. Everyone who participated put $10 into a pool, and the winner would collect the money and lose weight. I figured if I lost 30 pounds in the six weeks, I would win. Never did I ever think it would get me as far as it has."

Nelly: After

Pounds lost: 85

Her dining out tip: "When eating out, we stay away from fast food. We often avoid chain restaurants. I try to find the healthier options on the menu such as chicken, salads, fish, etc. If I do have a burger, it's usually lettuce wrapped without cheese. Just cutting out small things like that make a huge difference."

Read Nelly's weight-loss story here [4]!

Lulu: Before

Why she started: "After a long and painful climb to my heaviest, I finally decided I couldn't take it anymore. Walking, breathing, standing up — really just moving in general — it all became laborious. My health began to deteriorate, I spent time in the hospital with elevated liver enzymes due to my weight, and I never felt OK. I finally woke up and thought to myself, 'Where did you go? Who is this person?' When I couldn't take it anymore and when I couldn't go any deeper down, that was when I knew I needed to make a change."

Here's Lulu already making progress at the start of her weight-loss journey!

Lulu: After

Pounds lost: 98

Her tip for fitting in exercise: "I have found that it is really hard to find time to work out when working full-time, but I always find time to walk — no matter how long or short the distance may be. I'm passionate about cycling, and I try to ride for an hour at least four times a week. When I began the process of losing weight, I made it a point (with the help and motivation of my friend and health coach, Ricki) to work out four to six times a week, not including my daily walks. I heard somewhere that sitting is the new smoking, so I make sure to avoid too much of that."

Read Lulu's weight-loss story here [6]!

Geneva: Before

Why she started: "My weight-loss journey began when my best friend asked me to be her maid of honor. I didn't want to stand up in front of a room full of people and make a speech as the fat friend. Her wedding provided a tangible deadline to lose a significant amount of weight. My goal was to drop 50 pounds before her wedding."

Geneva: After

Pounds lost: 103

Her tip for keeping workouts exciting: "I like to keep things changing monthly. I also will pick a new fitness goal every few months, whether it is to increase the amount of weight I lift, or decreasing my mile time. I also promised myself to complete one big fitness challenge every year. This year, I trained for and ran my first half marathon."

Read Geneva's weight-loss story here [7]!

Gloria: Before

Why she started: "I simply decided one day that I no longer wanted to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. I realized that my weight was under my control, so I decided to finally take control of it."

Gloria: After

Pounds lost: 62

Her tip for tracking weight loss: "I keep a food journal and track each workout (how long and calories burned) on the notepad app on my phone. I try not to go crazy counting calories, and even if I cheat here and there, I still jot it down. You’ve got to be honest with yourself! As far as tracking my weight, I like to weigh myself at the beginning of each month, and looking back at the numbers is really gratifying!"

Read Gloria's weight-loss story here [8]!

Staci: Before

Why she started: "I was drying my hair one morning, and I started crying because my hair was the only thing I liked about myself. I looked at my 1-year-old daughter, and I thought, 'I can't let her grow up with me as a role model.' I had an overweight mom, and I remember getting made fun for it, and I remember her not being able to do certain things with me. I have a 6-year-old son who is so active, and I physically couldn't play outside with him: it was just too hard. I decided to use them as my motivation."

Staci: After

Pounds lost: 71

Her tip for fitting in exercise: "I like to dance on my days that I'm not running: I turn my living room into a nightclub and just go nuts. I probably look ridiculous, but I'm alone, so who cares? It's fun and it's a great way to have fun and burn calories."

Read Staci's weight-loss story here [9]!

Crystal: Before

Why she started: "I have always been overweight and incredibly unhappy. I had twins prematurely due to my weight, I was put on a CPAP for sleep apnea due to my weight, I couldn't keep up with my kids! I finally hit a breaking point, found a new doctor and spoke with her about what I could do to lose weight. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, which generally makes weight loss difficult. I also have/had insulin resistance as well. My doctor told me to limit my carb intake and get active and promised I'd see results! I was a major carb addict, so that was the hardest part for me, but the doctor was right!"

Crystal: After

Pounds lost: 113

Her tip for staying motivated: If I am running on the treadmill, I always have a superfun playlist that I change out often! I also have my iPad on the treadmill and watch different shows on Netflix with the subtitles on. It definitely makes time go by fast! I am motivated to work out by the way that I feel after, so thinking about the change I am making helps me work harder and stay excited about working out."

Read Crystal's weight-loss story here [10]!