5 women share their secrets to losing over 50 pounds

Weight loss: 151 pounds

Gina Canakis was 298 pounds when she decided she wanted to make a change in her life. Losing her father to extreme obesity in 2013 motivated her to lose weight. She pursued weight loss surgery, but was told she would have to drop 10 percent of her weight naturally first. Once she started losing weight, she chose to continue her journey without surgery, she told Everyday Health.

She dieted for one year and lost 60 pounds, but she said she realized she needed to overcome her dislike of exercise to reach her goal. Canakis started small by walking in her driveway and she worked her way up to using the treadmill and bike machines at the gym.

Her secret to dieting was to eat her biggest meal in the morning so that she could burn it off during the day. She replaced soda with flavored water and sweets for yogurt. She encourages people who are beginning their weight loss journey to start small and keep a journal of “wins,” no matter how small.

You can get more tips from Canakis’ blog, Weight Clique.