I’m so thrilled to share our next ‘Transformation Tuesday’ spotlight with you.  This young lady not only has transformed her body, but has a great story to tell.  I have a feeling you might be able to relate to her, and my hope is that her story inspires you!

Without further ado, here is Mackenzie’s story.. in her own words.

Until the time I had reached my twenties I was always very thin without even trying to be. College came and went and suddenly I didn’t look the way I used to anymore. I was never disgusted by how I looked, but deep down I always wanted to go back to the way I used to look pre-college.

In 2010, through healthy eating and a little physical effort on my part I was able to get down to a weight that I was comfortable with again.  Later that year I had surgery to diagnose Endometriosis and I was put on hormones shortly after. A year later I found myself in more pain than ever before and I went to my doctor for a checkup and to seek out alternative methods for managing the pain. To my shock I finally realized that those hormones had caused me to gain 30 pounds in ONE YEAR! I was the heaviest I had ever been- 172 pounds! For the first time in my life my blood work showed that my internal body wasn’t flawless anymore. I knew in that moment, sitting in that office, I needed to make some big changes.

My very first change was to get off of any type of hormone all together and after that day I never took them again. In February of 2012 I got engaged and started planning a wedding in Capri, Italy. I now had even more motivation to start making those big changes I knew I had to make. A friend of mine invited me to try out a boot camp that met downtown in the park. I was really really nervous about it, but decided to try it out. I went with her that week and I fell in love with it! The boot camp met once a week and was a perfect way for me to get into the habit of exercising regularly. I also went to the gym the other days when there wasn’t class and started walking more. By the time my wedding came in July I had lost about 15 pounds and I had ZERO pain from Endometriosis for the first time in my life! After a summer of traveling (and eating lots of really yummy food) and the stress of starting my second year of teaching I had gained close to 10 pounds back. I was looking for something to do after school that would help me leave work on time and I knew I was ready to commit to getting the body back that I so desperately wanted.

I was on Facebook one day and an old friend from high school posted about this body challenge called The Little Black Dress Project. I looked into it and thought about it for about a day and finally just decided to jump into it and sign up. Everyone in my life was a little surprised with my sudden decision, but I knew I could commit fully to 6 weeks. I wasn’t that nervous to go to my first class since I was already used to boot camp. I loved that this boot camp met many different times and I could get in 3-4 sessions a week. After only my first class I was hooked! I know it sounds weird to say, but boot camp is really relaxing after a long day at work. The location is amazing and the people are beyond fantastic. Laura has been so encouraging and supportive as a trainer. I suddenly looked forward to the 6 p.m. workouts all day long.

I have now completed 2 Little Black Dress challenges and in 5 months I have lost 29 pounds and went from a size 12 to a size 4! I am as small as I was when I graduated high school and stronger than I ever have been before. My body fat percentage went from 31% to 24%. I love looking at myself in the mirror now. I can’t believe I finally reached my goal and I REALLY can’t believe I did it in only 5 short months! These past 5 months have not been easy, in fact I think this is the most I have ever challenged myself before.

Laura has been amazing throughout this whole experience. I have learned so much from her in such a short time. Not only did I go from hating to work out to loving to go to class each night, but I have also learned how to cook healthier than ever before. Thank you Laura for all your help and I look forward to reaching my next set of goals with you there to guide me.

Please congratulate Mackenzie on her INCREDIBLE journey and leave her a note in the comments section below! :)