1. HOWTHESE4WOMENLOST
ATOTALOF423LBS.
BYKICKINGBADHABITSAND
EMBRACINGEXERCISE.
PLUS:WHATTHEYEATTOSTAYSLIM!
BY ANA CALDERONE
POUNDS!
100
We Lost
August 3, 2015 PEOPLE58
AMY
GILLESPIE
LOST
100lbs.!
HAIR:STEPHENLEWIS/T3MICROANDORIBEHAIRCARE/EXCLUSIVEARTISTSMANAGEMENT
ANDDEEDALY/NUMBER4HAIRCARE/OPUSBEAUTY;MAKEUP:EMILYMOSES/DIORSKIN,
VITALIBERATAPHENOMONALMOUSSE+TANNINGMITT/OPUSBEAUTYAND
DEBBIEGALLAGHER/DIORSKIN/OPUSBEAUTY;STYLIST:SUZIGRGURICH/AIMARTISTS
Photographs by RENNIE SOLIS
SHARDA
SMITH-STEVENS
LOST
106lbs.!
TUDIE-ANN
CLARKE LOST
105lbs.!
MELISAMENAS
LOST
112lbs.!
(AMY)SWIMSUIT:SWIMSPOT;NECKLACE:DOGEARED;
(MELISA)SWIMSUIT:GOTTEX;(SHARDA)SWIMSUIT:
FOREVER21;(TUDIE-ANN)SWIMSUIT:LABLANCA;
NECKLACE:DOGEARED

2. BEFORE:
245lbs.
WELOST100LBS.!
I was a junk-food person growing up. When I came home from school, my mom would check my
pockets, and they’d be full of candy wrappers. She’d tell me I needed to lose weight, but I didn’t
have a problem being heavy. I loved being me. I knew it was getting bad when I started going to
three different fast-food places just to create one meal.When I was 23, I hit 245 lbs. I went to
the doctor for a checkup, and he told me I needed to do something about my weight or I’d end
up just like my mom, who passed away from hypertension. I remember crying and feeling like my
world was over. So I started counting calories and walking after dinner—that worked for the first
50 lbs. Everything changed when I met a trainer through church in January 2014. She told me
I could eat real food like sweet potatoes and panko-crusted baked chicken. She also showed me
how to use the equipment in the gym, and the weight started to fall off. Now I work out six times
a week and am at 19 percent body fat. I still like to eat; I just learned to break up with the bad food.
Sharda
Smith-Stevens, 28
STARTEDWORKINGOUT
WITHATRAINER
WhatSheEats
BREAKFAST
3 whole eggs
and 1 egg white
with sautéed
spinach, onions
and mushrooms
SNACK
Handful of almonds
with dried cranberries
and scoop of
almond butter
LUNCH
4-6 oz. grilled salmon
with asparagus
and 1
⁄2 cup quinoa
SNACK
1 plain Greek yogurt
with blueberries
DINNER
Protein shake with
cinnamon cluster
oats, whey protein
and berries. Plus,
steamed veggies
DESSERT
1 mashed frozen
banana with
cacao powderLOST:106lbs.
HEIGHT:5'5"
HOMETOWN:LASVEGAS
OCCUPATION:OFFICE
SPECIALISTATDISTRICT
ATTORNEY’SOFFICE
SWIMSUIT:TOPSHOP;SHOES:CHARLESDAVID;BRACELET:J.CREW;INSET:COURTESYSHARDASMITH-STEVENS
BEFORE:
251lbs.
Takeitslowly
“Don’t put pressure on
yourself to do this within a
short period of time, because
that’s how you get discour­
aged,” says Tudie-Ann
Clarke. “Think of it as a lifestyle
change, not a diet.”
Beprepared
“Prep your meals for the week
so you always have something
ready to eat,” says Amy
Gillespie. “I only keep healthy
food at the house, so if I want
to go overboard, I literally have
to leave the house to do it.”
Followthe80/20rule
“Eighty percent of the time,
eat the healthy food,” says
Melisa Menas. “And the other
20 percent, don’t be so hard
on yourself. If you’re on plan
a majority of the time, it’s all
going to work out in the end.”
Stepawayfromthescale
“Thescaleisagreattool,butit’s
notaneverydaytoolbecause
weallfluctuate—andthatcan
demotivateyou,”saysSharda
Smith-Stevens.“Also,don’tbein
competitionwithanybody.We
areallmadedifferently!”
Shape-Up Tips That Really Work
CUTOUT
JUNK
FOOD
I’ve always been heavier—obese,
really. I was over 200 lbs. in high
school, and I knew I was bigger than
other people, but I was okay with it. I
ate a lot of fast food, and I didn’t
understand portions at all. Every time
I got in my car I would go to the drive-
through. I ate because I was bored,
or tired, or sad—hardly ever because
I was physically hungry. I didn’t even
realize I was making myself fat.
It wasn’t until I was living in Chile in
2011 and had the chance to climb
Mount Villarrica and I couldn’t make
it to the top that I realized it’s not just
that I look different, it’s that I can’t
do things other people my age can.
ThatyearIstartedexercising,andover
time I learned how to nourish my
body.Ieatclean,minimallyprocessed
foodsandalwayshaveproteinin
everymeal.Ithelpedmetosetgoals
likebeingablerunahalfmarathon
andmasterapull-up.WhenIhitmy
goalweightinFebruary,Istartedan
Instagramaccount(@amydown100)
tohelpmemaintain.It’ssorewarding
to help people who have been
throughthesamethingandseetheir
success. It keeps me on track.
Amy
Gillespie, 28
61PEOPLE August 3, 2015
WhatSheEats
BREAKFAST
1 plain Greek yogurt
with protein powder
SNACK
Chocolate Shakeology
shake with powdered
peanut butter,
half a banana and ice
LUNCH
Salad with 6-8 oz.
grilled chicken,
spinach, blueberries
and raspberry-merlot
vinaigrette
SNACK
Carrots and hummus
DINNER
Stir-fry with brown
rice, bell peppers,
onions, carrots, snow
peas and shrimp
LOST:100lbs.
HEIGHT:5'9"
HOMETOWN:
CINCINNATI
OCCUPATION:
TEACHER
SWIMSUIT:BECCA;SHOES:MICHAELKORS;COURTESYAMYGILLESPIE

3. LOST:105lbs.
HEIGHT:5'7"
HOMETOWN:
BOYNTONBEACH,FLA.
OCCUPATION:
NURSE
BEFORE:
241lbs.
WELOST100LBS.!
Tudie-Ann
Clarke, 27
JOINEDJENNY
CRAIG
As a kid in Jamaica, I was always well fed. Sometimes I’d have dinner at my grandma’s house and go
home to have another dinner. I moved to America when I was 13, and the bad habits carried over
here. I was a late-night eater and would walk back and forth from the TV to the kitchen, grabbing
a handful of cookies, then a large slice of coconut cake or a half-pint of ice cream. There was no such
thing as “I’ll save the rest for tomorrow.” The turning point was a conversation with my doctor when
I was 20. He told me if I didn’t lose weight I’d need bariatric surgery. Two weeks later my mom saw
a Jenny Craig commercial and set up an appointment for me. Within the first two weeks I was seeing
results! I lost a majority of the weight within the first year, but I never put any pressure on myself to
do it in a certain time frame. Going shopping is a lot more fun now, and being in a two-piece bathing
suit is something I never thought I’d do. I still get a little shy, but I do love my new curves.
62
WhatSheEats
BREAKFAST
1
⁄2 cup cooked
steel-cut oats with
1
⁄2 cup soy milk,
1
⁄4 cup almonds and
3
⁄4 cup berries, plus
coffee with nonfat
creamer and Stevia
LUNCH
Salmon-salad sand­
wich on whole-wheat
bread with nonfat
mayo, side salad and
sugar-free gelatin
SNACK
Jenny Craig black
bean taco chips
and a small peach
DINNER
4 oz. tilapia sautéed
with onion and lemon-
pepper seasoning,
1
⁄2 cup brown rice
and 1 cup steamed
asparagus
DESSERT
Jenny Craig triple
chocolate cheesecake
and 1 cup light soy milk
TOP:ATHLET;BOTTOM:FOREVER21;SHOES:STEVEMADDEN;COURTESYTUDIE-ANNCLARKE

4. BEFORE:
252lbs.
WELOST100LBS.!
Melisa Menas, 35
DISCOVEREDTHE
HUNGRYGIRLDIET
I was overweight my entire life. I vividly remember in fifth grade the kids calling me Shamu. I would
cry myself to sleep every night. At my heaviest, when I was 25, I was eating easily 8,000 calories
per day. I’d tried to lose weight many times before, but it wasn’t until I found Lisa Lillien’s Hungry Girl
site in February 2010 that I was truly able to be successful. I really like to eat, and her recipes allowed
me to eat large quantities of food and still stay within my calorie count. I also started working out
very slowly with Zumba and 40 minutes on the elliptical. Now I’m training for a half marathon. As
a flight attendant, I have to plan meals days ahead so I can cook them and put them in containers.
And when I’m on a layover, my tradition is to jog to the grocery store and buy local produce, while
my coworkers are usually sitting at the bar. Some of my work friends carry my recipes in their bags.
Helping others get healthy makes me happier than anything you could say about how I look.
64 August 3, 2015 PEOPLE
WhatSheEats
BREAKFAST
Steel-cut oatmeal
with egg whites
and powdered peanut
butter mixed in
SNACK
Protein bar
LUNCH
1 chicken burger patty
with sautéed onions
and mushrooms
on an Ezekiel bun
SNACK
Homemade chocolate
pudding: plain
Greek yogurt with
unsweetened cocoa
powder, powdered
peanut butter,
chopped almonds
and Stevia
DINNER
Cauliflower fried rice
DESSERT
Quest Nutrition
bar cut into pieces
and baked
LOST:112lbs.
HEIGHT:5'6"
HOMETOWN:
REDONDOBEACH,CALIF.
OCCUPATION:
FLIGHTATTENDANT
SWIMSUIT:URBANOUTFITTERS;SHOES:CHARLESDAVID;COURTESYMELISAMENAS