Four months after having her third child, Maggie Fierro didn't feel like herself in her own skin anymore. She had always been active, but at 166 pounds, she wasn't happy with her Postpartum Body. "To be honest, I even had a hard time looking at myself in the mirror, and taking that before picture (at left above) was actually very difficult for me to do, but I knew something had to change," she explained to POPSUGAR.
And boy did she change! Maggie totally revamped her eating habits and exercise routine. For the first two years, she followed Kayla Itsines's BBG program, did LISS cardio workouts (aka "Low-Intensity Sustained State"), and eventually added Hiit to the lineup as well. As for her diet, the "biggest change" was cutting out late-night snacking and binging. "I used working out to de-stress at night instead of [eating] food," she told us. What a simple, effective swap!
Since she began her fitness journey, the mother of three has certainly evolved the aforementioned routine. Nowadays, Maggie is focusing on muscle growth, mostly lifting weights and doing HIIT exercises. She works out six days per week (Sunday is her day off), starting her morning with a quick HIIT warmup (usually sprints or rowing), followed by a lifting session. Plus, for three of four days a week, she also sneaks in another nighttime jump rope HIIT routine after putting her three kids to bed. So impressive!
Her diet these days is mostly plant-based, and she strays away from processed foods - well, most of the time, at least. "Although I do eat fairly healthy, I am all about balance and don't put any heavy restrictions on my diet," she told POPSUGAR. "If I'm out and I'm craving pizza, I will absolutely have pizza." Now that's what we're talkin' about!
So how many pounds has she dropped throughout this process? Starting at 166 pounds, Maggie initially set her goal weight at 120 pounds, and has since lost 26 pounds. Though she isn't quite at her starting goal weight, she's happy as a clam with her transformation and has learned to start ignoring the numbers on the scale and no longer feels the pressure to get down to 120 pounds.
"When I started, I set my 'goal' weight at 120 pounds because in the past that's where I thought I looked best. However, I restricted my calories and practically starved my body to reach that. Now, I feel healthier and happier than I've ever felt. It's just proof that a number doesn't matter." We couldn't agree more!
Maggie has certainly learned a lot since starting her journey. It all boils down to the five crucial "tidbits of wisdom" below:
- "Commitment/discipline because you're not always gonna be motivated."
- "Consistency because anything worth doing takes time."
- "Sacrifice because there will be things you may have to give up for a time to reach your goals."
- "Balance because what's the point of any of it if you're only gonna be miserable and not enjoy your life?"
- "Grace because you're not perfect and you need to give yourself a break."
Whether you're trying to drop some pounds, bulk up, or prep to run a marathon, these vital nuggets of wisdom will certainly inspire you to keep pushing until you reach your goals. Memorize them, print them out, and - heck - maybe even tattoo them on yourself as a daily reminder.
