300lbs Woman Reveals What 3 Years Of Workout Did To Her Body, And Her Transformation Photos Are Unbelievable
Ilona BoredPanda staff
At 22 years old, Laura Micetich AKA ‘The Iron Giantess’ weighed over 300lbs and was facing a raft of health issues including hyperthyroidism, high blood pressure and prediabetes. She realised that without a radical change in diet and lifestyle, her precious youth would be lost already and she was facing a short and difficult life.
“I decided to take charge of my life and make a change,” she said. “After trying and failing to get a handle on my health numerous times, my weight had become a serious enough concern that I was considering weight loss surgery.”
However, she instead began to go down to her local gym, where she quickly found an affinity with lifting weights. So much so, that it became clear that surgery wasn’t going to be necessary at all. “What initially began because of consideration for weight loss surgery quickly grew into an intense love of health, fitness and nutrition,” she writes on her website. “I started by going to the gym, lifting weights and eating a clean diet tailored to my body’s needs. It only took a few weeks for me to realize that I didn’t need to go under the knife. I needed to get under the bar.”
“In the first year, I shed more than 100 pounds without surgery and significantly changed my unhealthy habits. I am now health issue free and my life has changed for the better with the simple realization that what we want and what we do are completely in our own control.”
It all sounds so simple doesn’t it? While there are a billion techniques, fad diets, pills, nutrition plans and other methods out there, Laura’s story proves that a little discipline, hard work and common sense can produce amazing results. “I just adjusted my diet. I ate lots of clean foods and removed all starches and processed sugars. I stopped eating out. I stopped getting takeout. I stopped buying junk at the grocery store. I stopped having alcoholic drinks with friends. I stopped binging on crap. That was it.”
Combined with the new found routine and discipline that lifting weights at the gym offered her, Laura saw the pounds begin to shed rapidly with none of excess skin that many other rapid weight loss diets tend to leave behind. What began as a weight loss journey has become a life long passion for Laura, and she shares her results and tips on Instagram where she has over 330,000 followers.
Scroll down below to check out how she did it for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
“I grew up heavy. I also grew up a ball buster. So there was no chance I was going to admit I was insecure about my appearance”
“I played it cool and a lot of people bought it. After finally having time to think about who I wanted to be, I decided to make a change”
In 2014 Laura weighed over 300 pounds and that’s when she decided she wanted to change
It all started with the barbell. “I fell in love with weightlifting and that changed the game for me”
“It only took a few weeks for me to realize that I didn’t need to go under the knife. I needed to get under the bar”
“I started weight training almost daily, spending hours in the gym and studying research and scientific findings relating to health, fitness, and nutrition”
“In the first year, I shed more than 100 pounds without surgery and significantly changed my unhealthy habits”
“I just adjusted my diet. I ate lots of clean foods and removed all starches and processed sugars”
Image credits: theirongiantess
“I stopped eating out. I stopped getting takeout. I stopped buying junk at the grocery store”
“I stopped having alcoholic drinks with friends. I stopped binging on crap. That was it”
“This is my heaviest – over 300lbs in 2014. My thinnest – at 180 in May 2017. My current at about 195”
“Every single day”
“There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now”
“I am now health issue free and my life has changed for the better with the simple realization that what we want and what we do are completely in our own control”
More than 330k people follow Laura on Instagram looking for inspiration and advice
She also likes to motivate her followers with beautiful inspirational messages:
“If you get tired, learn to rest, not to quit”
“With patience, age, and a little self-love, your smile won’t quite catch on your insecurities the same way it once did. Give it time..”
“You’re not too old. It’s not too late”
“It’s hard. It’s worth it”
“You are who you choose to be”
She was pretty before, now she is gorgeous, not just on the outside. Her whole attitude has changed and that manifests in her appearance. Excellent.
well said
Pretty before ? Omg with the fucking sjw. A SICK person (because of lack of self love and care) is never beautiful.
SJW? That is laughable. How so? Yes, she was obese, and a lot of life-threatening health problems come with that, but she did something about it, starting with her attitude. She has beautiful eyes and a great smile, despite her weight. That you refuse to recognize that is both shallow and reprehensible.
no, she wasn't pretty, and she knew that, what she worked so hard. But appearance is only secondary issue here, a huge health risk was the real problem
I don't make a habit of pointing out the obvious. To recapitulate, I see the same beautiful person of today in the earlier pictures. She has the same hair, eyes and smile, but now she has a spark that was not there before. And you have a problem with that. Right.
I was looking great when I was young and free too, doing sports everyday, eating healthy and all.... And then... Full time employment came. I seriously want workers' rights and laws to improve here in Korea. When will they understand that it's not about laziness....
so agree with you. i have 3 kids. i'm waking up at 5 am, waking them up, breakfast, school, work, homework, disches... after everything is done and my kids are in bed it's 8pm and only 1 hours left before going to bed, and dead tired... and i don't even talk about cleaning the house and kids activity... so yeah i totally understand the time we don't have. when i didn't have kid i was lazy i'm agree, but now i can't find the time. i barely have the time to clean the house sometime.
For the person complaining that its because we are just eating cookies and chips: If I do my cardio work out, I burn about 400 calories, giving me about 1650 calories to eat. If I don't, I can only have 1250 calories. So yes, eating less would do it, but if I normally eat a meager 1300 and don't have time to work out, I put on weight. The struggle is real.
Next time try sodomy. No children come from there.
One of many reasons some of us are refusing to have children. We are growing in number, too. Anyway, I wish you good fortune with raising your children. It's hard work.
@Kjorn, are you single dad? :O
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
What on earth do you need 'time' for? You seem to do a lot of activity already, now check out your calorie intake, I bet its more than 2000, even if you deny it. I keep my weight without any exercise whatsoever, by only eating around 1300 calories a day, I don't even know how to eat more as this fills me up to the hilt and includes chocolate icecream, pasta and everything else I want, including takeaways every now and then. All you have to do is not fall for traps such as thinking a cookie here or there means nothing or drinking sugared drinks or eating crisps. Just be aware and count. It's so simple, but you have to learn to be honest with yourself. That's the crux. Lying to yourself will keep you overweight. Oh and a little bit of patience, it takes about 2 months to notice a real difference. Counting, honesty and patience, so bloody easy, especially with all your activities. No excuse.
I know how you feel, after living in Korea for a year and a half. Couldn't stay more than that, as the pressure was far too great. You should think about living abroad, because your situation is not about to change anytime soon...
Thank you. But I AM living abroad. Korea is my 2nd home. I don't hate it here, but... Oh well, nowhere's perfect, and I play along. At least I'm lucky to have ended up in an okay company and a truly nice and funny team.
There is an awesome TV app called Les Mills. I normally do it in the gym but you can do it at home. It costs $10 a month (around that - here is £7.99) and it’s vey thorough. Check it out and do it at home. You just need to do that first class, then do the second and after a while, you will notice how great you feel and you will just keep going. It’s that very first month that’s difficult. Now I have been going for 1.5years to gym but we have all been there. Just do it and don’t think about it. Good luck
You also don’t need too much time in gym. Find a gym that opens early or late night and do cardio 10mins and do weights for 30-45mins. Find a good programme online for women and stick to it for the amount of time it says. For the person that says intake of 1000 calories. That’s crazy lows, you need to find foods with low calories and have enough so you can have enough energy. Calorie intake is calculated by weight/height and age. Stop just eating whatever number, you may be doing more harm that way!
Little Menace post is correct..What on earth do you need 'time' for? You seem to do a lot of activity already, now check out your calorie intake, I bet its more than 2000, even if you deny it. I keep my weight without any exercise whatsoever, by only eating around 1300 calories a day, I don't even know how to eat more as this fills me up to the hilt and includes chocolate icecream, pasta and everything else I want, including takeaways every now and then. All you have to do is not fall for traps such as thinking a cookie here or there means nothing or drinking sugared drinks or eating crisps. Just be aware and count. It's so simple, but you have to learn to be honest with yourself. That's the crux. Lying to yourself will keep you overweight. Oh and a little bit of patience, it takes about 2 months to notice a real difference. Counting, honesty and patience, so bloody easy, especially with all your activities. No excuse.
I can relate to you as an American. Working 50 hours a week, commuting, never having time for breaks during the day. I’m exhausted after working all day, getting groceries / cooking, working on my house / yard. It’s hard. The thing is, though, we spend time on what we think is important, just like money. You can budget your time and even your energy. A lot of people aren’t poor but they are broke because they don’t spend wisely. The same can be true for time. I know after having a 12 hour day, I still have time later to watch TV and relax. When I don’t exercise, it’s a choice I make. Exercising daily only takes like 25 minutes. We all technically have 25. We just don’t make the right choice.
Great job. You are a very beautiful woman.
She was pretty before, now she is gorgeous, not just on the outside. Her whole attitude has changed and that manifests in her appearance. Excellent.
well said
Pretty before ? Omg with the fucking sjw. A SICK person (because of lack of self love and care) is never beautiful.
SJW? That is laughable. How so? Yes, she was obese, and a lot of life-threatening health problems come with that, but she did something about it, starting with her attitude. She has beautiful eyes and a great smile, despite her weight. That you refuse to recognize that is both shallow and reprehensible.
no, she wasn't pretty, and she knew that, what she worked so hard. But appearance is only secondary issue here, a huge health risk was the real problem
I don't make a habit of pointing out the obvious. To recapitulate, I see the same beautiful person of today in the earlier pictures. She has the same hair, eyes and smile, but now she has a spark that was not there before. And you have a problem with that. Right.
I was looking great when I was young and free too, doing sports everyday, eating healthy and all.... And then... Full time employment came. I seriously want workers' rights and laws to improve here in Korea. When will they understand that it's not about laziness....
so agree with you. i have 3 kids. i'm waking up at 5 am, waking them up, breakfast, school, work, homework, disches... after everything is done and my kids are in bed it's 8pm and only 1 hours left before going to bed, and dead tired... and i don't even talk about cleaning the house and kids activity... so yeah i totally understand the time we don't have. when i didn't have kid i was lazy i'm agree, but now i can't find the time. i barely have the time to clean the house sometime.
For the person complaining that its because we are just eating cookies and chips: If I do my cardio work out, I burn about 400 calories, giving me about 1650 calories to eat. If I don't, I can only have 1250 calories. So yes, eating less would do it, but if I normally eat a meager 1300 and don't have time to work out, I put on weight. The struggle is real.
Next time try sodomy. No children come from there.
One of many reasons some of us are refusing to have children. We are growing in number, too. Anyway, I wish you good fortune with raising your children. It's hard work.
@Kjorn, are you single dad? :O
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
What on earth do you need 'time' for? You seem to do a lot of activity already, now check out your calorie intake, I bet its more than 2000, even if you deny it. I keep my weight without any exercise whatsoever, by only eating around 1300 calories a day, I don't even know how to eat more as this fills me up to the hilt and includes chocolate icecream, pasta and everything else I want, including takeaways every now and then. All you have to do is not fall for traps such as thinking a cookie here or there means nothing or drinking sugared drinks or eating crisps. Just be aware and count. It's so simple, but you have to learn to be honest with yourself. That's the crux. Lying to yourself will keep you overweight. Oh and a little bit of patience, it takes about 2 months to notice a real difference. Counting, honesty and patience, so bloody easy, especially with all your activities. No excuse.
I know how you feel, after living in Korea for a year and a half. Couldn't stay more than that, as the pressure was far too great. You should think about living abroad, because your situation is not about to change anytime soon...
Thank you. But I AM living abroad. Korea is my 2nd home. I don't hate it here, but... Oh well, nowhere's perfect, and I play along. At least I'm lucky to have ended up in an okay company and a truly nice and funny team.
There is an awesome TV app called Les Mills. I normally do it in the gym but you can do it at home. It costs $10 a month (around that - here is £7.99) and it’s vey thorough. Check it out and do it at home. You just need to do that first class, then do the second and after a while, you will notice how great you feel and you will just keep going. It’s that very first month that’s difficult. Now I have been going for 1.5years to gym but we have all been there. Just do it and don’t think about it. Good luck
You also don’t need too much time in gym. Find a gym that opens early or late night and do cardio 10mins and do weights for 30-45mins. Find a good programme online for women and stick to it for the amount of time it says. For the person that says intake of 1000 calories. That’s crazy lows, you need to find foods with low calories and have enough so you can have enough energy. Calorie intake is calculated by weight/height and age. Stop just eating whatever number, you may be doing more harm that way!
Little Menace post is correct..What on earth do you need 'time' for? You seem to do a lot of activity already, now check out your calorie intake, I bet its more than 2000, even if you deny it. I keep my weight without any exercise whatsoever, by only eating around 1300 calories a day, I don't even know how to eat more as this fills me up to the hilt and includes chocolate icecream, pasta and everything else I want, including takeaways every now and then. All you have to do is not fall for traps such as thinking a cookie here or there means nothing or drinking sugared drinks or eating crisps. Just be aware and count. It's so simple, but you have to learn to be honest with yourself. That's the crux. Lying to yourself will keep you overweight. Oh and a little bit of patience, it takes about 2 months to notice a real difference. Counting, honesty and patience, so bloody easy, especially with all your activities. No excuse.
I can relate to you as an American. Working 50 hours a week, commuting, never having time for breaks during the day. I’m exhausted after working all day, getting groceries / cooking, working on my house / yard. It’s hard. The thing is, though, we spend time on what we think is important, just like money. You can budget your time and even your energy. A lot of people aren’t poor but they are broke because they don’t spend wisely. The same can be true for time. I know after having a 12 hour day, I still have time later to watch TV and relax. When I don’t exercise, it’s a choice I make. Exercising daily only takes like 25 minutes. We all technically have 25. We just don’t make the right choice.
Great job. You are a very beautiful woman.