21 Jul Million Dollars Dr. Oz – A Push To Get My Body Back
From skinny kid…to 2oo+ pounds…to losing 65+ pounds the Phen-fen way…to gaining it all back when it was banned.
Find out how one woman made NO EXCUSES and what she did to get in the best shape of her life as she was one of 10 finalists in a Dr. Oz MILLION dollars transformation challenge!
Keep reading to hear the rest of this amazing and inspiring story! Pay attention mom’s…you CAN lose that baby weight the RIGHT way!
In Mercedes Words…
As a kid, teased for being TOO thin…
When I was younger, I was made fun of for being too thin! I was TALL and lanky and my pants were always high waters on me. My nicknames were String bean, bean pole and Olive Oil. All that changed when I was in 10th grade and started emotionally eating due to depression from family divorce and then later from watching my Mom go through breast cancer treatment. I started gaining weight in 10th grade and from that time was constantly trying to lose weight. I started the yo yo dieting then that would haunt me for so long.
Over 200 lbs and turning to diet pills
In my 20’s I was over 200 pounds and went on Phen-fen since I saw so many people’s success on it. I lost a TON Of weight and was down to 135 lbs and a size 6! I never worked out and didn’t change my eating habits so when I went off of Phen-fen and it was eventually pulled off the market, I gained my weight back. I struggled again for yrs. Generally hovering around a size 10.
Pregnancy…
When I got pregnant with my first child in 2006 I gained 65 lbs. The day I gave birth I was 240 lbs! I hated the way I felt and I had a 10 lb child so my body never really went back to the way it had been before. I lost all of my baby weight but was still around 175 lbs. In 2009 I was diagnosed with a thyroid tumor after having gained about 30 lbs back in a VERY short period of time and couldn’t figure out why. I had that biopsied and thankfully was benign but I then got pregnant with my second child at 209 lbs and gained 32 lbs with her. I was again 240 lbs the day I gave birth.
Dr. Oz? A million dollars? I’m in!
At three months postpartum I joined the gym again and started back working out. I was 218 pounds when I 
started. I lost about 20 lbs on my own but it was slow going. At around 7 months postpartum, I was laid off from my job and had a breast cancer scare which was a major wake up call for me. I KNEW I had to make a change and be healthy to be around for my girls! I saw a commercial for the Dr. Oz Transformation Nation Million Dollar You contest. I thought to myself “why not?” Someone was going to win the million dollars why not me? So the day the contest started I went to the nearest weigh in location to get my starting weight! Which was 196.
Committing to change and doing the work
I started immediately stepping up my workout routines by adding more strength training and HIIT workouts. Early on, I found Natalie’s facebook page during my transformation. I purchased her Jump Start Program and loved so much of her advice! She turned out to be a great motivator and mentor to me!
By the time the contest was over I was 156 lbs and went from a Size 16 to a size 6! I had always believed I would make it to the finals! I made a vision board which had my goals on it and I even have a pic of Natalie on there as well! I also put on the board that I would make the finals…and I cried when my ‘vision’ came true and I found out I made the TOP TEN!
Going to NY and being on the show was a once in a lifetime opportunity! Though I did not win the million dollars, I did win in the long run. I have a healthy body, an optimistic outlook on life and I met so many wonderful people who felt like I inspired them by my story that they could do it too! So I decided to become a Health and Wellness Coach and began my website blog and my Facebook page here to help others transform their lives as well!
My journey was not easy.
Weight loss is hard! But being fat is hard too. So what would you rather have? I wanted to be healthy and be a role model to my young girls. I wanted to ensure that I broke the obesity epidemic in my family. I now LOVE working out. It’s my stress relief, my natural antidepressant and my “me” time. I look forward to working out every day. I do cardio 5x per week and I strength train 4-5x per week. I found Natalie’s page during my transformation, purchased her Jump Start Program and loved so much of her advice! Natalie was such a great supporter and mentor to me that as I mentioned earlier, I even had a pic of her on my vision board!
My journey continues…
I still have about 15 more lbs to lose and I know that through a positive attitude, visualization, exercise and nutritious eating and using Natalie’s Jump Start Program as a guide, I have NO doubt I will get there. And I know there is NO magic pill that will do it for me. Learning to change your habits and understanding what caused the weight gain in the first place is the key to change! And did you catch earlier that I said that when I took Phen fen I was 135 lbs in a size 6 but when I lost weight for Dr. Oz I was 156 lbs in a size 6? That is what strength training and building muscle and losing FAT does for you! I feel 
amazing and my attitude has completely changed. People tell me all the time I am like a different person, so positive and happy. And I am! I never in my life thought I would love working out and be someone who is inspiring others to transform their lives but I know now its my life passion and what I am destined to do!. If I can do it, anyone can! Just believe in yourself and GET MOVING! -Mercedes
Wrap-up
WOW! Quite the journey that Mercedes has been on! What I love is her sense of accountability and her REFUSAL to be a victim. She has taken control of her life through working out and nutrition when so many things were out of her control. She is a committed and passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with others. Way to go Mercedes! Keep it up!
For help on your own weight loss journey look HERE.
