Jennifer Petrucci remembers the fateful day: just months after having her second child in 2006, she stepped on the scale and read 267 pounds — the highest she’s ever weighed.
“It was shocking to me. I didn’t actively weigh myself at all so when I saw that, to me, it was a trigger. It was a huge, huge moment and I knew I had to make those changes,” said the Bradford, Ont. mom.
“But I didn’t have anyone around me who was into fitness and healthy eating at all so I didn’t know where to start,” she said.
But she gave it a try. The mom and now personal trainer shared her body transformation on social media, amassing more than 107,000 followers on Instagram as her story inspired other moms.
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In an interview with Global News, Petrucci explained her weight loss path and how strengthening her body made her appreciate her figure more.
Global News: What is your height, and your current weight, lowest weight and highest weight?
JP: I am 5’5 and 155 pounds. My highest weight was 267 pounds and my lowest weight was 138, but that was before I started lifting weights.
At her highest weight, Petrucci says her dress size was 24. Right now, she’s about a size 4-6.
She now ignores numbers on the scale because as Petrucci works on gaining and maintaining muscle, her weight may creep up. Instead, she goes by how her clothes fit and how she feels when she trains.
Global News: How did you feel at your highest weight?
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You lose a part of you because you’re that uncomfortable in your skin. I felt like I was trapped in a body that was not my body.
It’s easy to say it was the pregnancies and, yes, that helped to gain weight, but there were other factors at play. It affected everything. I couldn’t keep up with my kids and I was exhausted all the time. I didn’t go to the park until after I started losing weight, I didn’t want to go out in public.
Global News: This is a question that may come with a complicated answer. Tell us how you shed 129 pounds.
JP: I had already tried all the drastic diets like cutting out carbs, the Cabbage Soup Diet. I got tired of that and knew that I had at least 100 pounds to lose so I started with food.
I cut out all of the obvious things, like fast food and drinking my calories. I loved drinking pop. So the first six months was just honing in on what I was eating and trying to control that.
Then I started working out on my block. I’d come home crying because [walking and jogging] hurt my joints.
It hurt my body to even move, but I kept doing it and slowly the weight came off. After that, I started working out at home: I did home videos like Zumba and Turbo Fire, videos that I enjoyed.
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I would set myself up with small goals: lose 10 pounds within a reasonable time frame, and maintain that for a week or two and then try again with getting another 10 pounds off.
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Global News: Working out and lifting weights were a game-changer for you. Tell us more about that, too.
JP: Four years ago, I joined a gym. I was with my little one all the time, and there was a daycare there. Right from the beginning, I committed to going every morning. I’d drop the two kids off to school and go to the gym for cardio. I got into Zumba and all of the different classes they offer.
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One day, the supervisor approached me and asked why I never go to the weight room. I said I’d look manly and I didn’t want that and he assured me that’s not how it works. I started lifting weights and haven’t stopped since.
I’m used to being a mom and being home all the time, so to go into a gym and lift weights was very empowering and it changed more than just my body.
From there, my dream was to become a personal trainer. That was a lot of the motivation I carried to continue with my journey. I wanted to achieve something so drastic so I could use it to help other people.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BASn9nCNEOK/?taken-by=healthymomx3
Global News: What do you eat in a typical day?
JP: A typical day for me starts with protein and complex carbohydrates. Usually ‘proats’ as I call them. So that’s oatmeal cooked with egg whites – it’s really good! I train in the mornings usually right after that so then I eat again as soon as I’m done.
I try to prep my meals so that’s generally protein with a complex carb and vegetables. I stick to what I like so that’s chicken, rice and broccoli. With dinner, I have a family of five to cook for so I make the same protein for everyone and switch up the sides to accommodate for everyone.
Her favourite cheat meal is a cheeseburger and fries.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BFbg_djtEOx/?taken-by=healthymomx3
Global News: What is or was your biggest challenge to getting to the body you wanted?
JP: It’s controlling my food intake. It has always, and continues to be the hardest part. It’s easy to workout everyday but controlling what goes into your mouth is the biggest challenge.
Global News: What is your advice to moms with young kids like you?
JP: Ask for help and just get started. It’s easy to say you can’t because you have kids but they should be your motivation. I don’t want my kids to remember me ever being that overweight because it sets a bad example. You want to put aside your pride. I used to put rice in Ziploc bags to make weights and I’d watch workout videos — there’s always a way to do it.
As women and mothers, we don’t want to ask for help, but ask somebody, anybody in the gym who trains regularly for help. They don’t mind being approached and asked questions — they love it. And the same goes for social media. Ask how to get started.
Use whatever motivates you. Everyone is different and to be honest, I use multiple ways to keep myself motivated. Goal outfits. Goal cheat meals. It changes constantly to keep things fresh.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BD4Tzo4NEDS/?taken-by=healthymomx3
Do you have a weight loss or body transformation story to share? Get in touch with our health reporter.
carmen.chai@globalnews.ca
Follow @Carmen_Chai
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