'I didn't understand self-love until now': Mother sheds 100LBS in just 18 months after ditching fast food and sugary soda to get in shape for her wedding day

  • Donna Wise, 34, never played sports growing up and was overweight for all of her teenage and adult life
  • She has always had a genuine love for food, particularly for sweets and fast food, which she would sometimes eat multiple times a day, along with soda
  • This, combined with a desk-based job as an office manager, saw Donna, from Redlands, California, reach 276 pounds and a size 24
  • After seeing her 14-year-old daughter Allison grow up to love playing football, a newly engaged Donna resolved to drop the pounds
  • She started following fitness accounts on Instagram and started her new regime by doing exercises at home; Donna now weighs a svelte 175 pounds

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: | Updated:

A mother has shed 100 pounds in just a year and a half after ditching fast food and sugary soda to be in the best shape of her life for her wedding day.

Donna Wise, 34, never played sports growing up and was overweight for all of her teenage and adult life. She has always had a genuine love for food, particularly for sweets and fast food, which she would sometimes eat multiple times a day, along with soda.

This, combined with a desk-based job as an office manager, saw Donna, from Redlands, California, reach 276 pounds and a size 24.

Before: Donna Wise, 34, has shed 100 pounds in just a year and a half
After: The mother ditched fast food and sugary soda to be in the best shape of her life for her wedding day

Transformation: Donna Wise, 34, has shed 100 pounds in just a year and a half after ditching fast food and sugary soda to be in the best shape of her life for her wedding day

Habits: She has always had a genuine love for food, particularly for sweets and fast food, which she would sometimes eat multiple times a day, along with soda

Habits: She has always had a genuine love for food, particularly for sweets and fast food, which she would sometimes eat multiple times a day, along with soda

After seeing her 14-year-old daughter Allison grow up to love playing football, a newly engaged Donna was sick of hiding away in the car to east fast food instead of watching her practice pitchside, and she resolved to drop the pounds.

She started following fitness accounts on Instagram and started her new regime by doing exercises at home using the Fitness Blender YouTube channel, while cutting out takeaway food and soda.

'I was really sick of always being tired and never wanting to do anything active. I started following a bunch of fitness accounts on Instagram and that made me realize, "Why not me?"' Donna said.

'I was also recently engaged and planning a wedding really made me think about how I wanted to look and feel on my wedding day.

Changes: After seeing her 14-year-old daughter Allison grow up to love playing football, a newly engaged Donna resolved to drop the pounds

Changes: After seeing her 14-year-old daughter Allison grow up to love playing football, a newly engaged Donna resolved to drop the pounds

Regimen: Donna (pictured in an archive shot) started following fitness accounts on Instagram and started her new regime by doing exercises at home

Regimen: Donna (pictured in an archive shot) started following fitness accounts on Instagram and started her new regime by doing exercises at home

Results: She married her husband, Jacy, in May last year. Donna is now a svelte 175 pounds and hasn't had soda for nearly two and a half years

Results: She married her husband, Jacy, in May last year. Donna is now a svelte 175 pounds and hasn't had soda for nearly two and a half years

New lifestyle: Donna works out six days a week and tracks her macros using My Fitness Pal

New lifestyle: Donna works out six days a week and tracks her macros using My Fitness Pal

'Another big motivation for me is my daughter. I was never the mom that ran around with her because I was just lazy.

'She has been playing soccer all of her life now and to see her so active, I just realized I want to be an active mom.

'Now I run around the track while she is at practice instead of eating fast food in the car like I used to.

'I started with Fitness Blender YouTube workouts at home that I still do to this day. I'm not on any specific diet. I just started cutting out the fast food and trying to choose veggies more than cookies, but still having that occasional cookie.' 

Donna married her husband, Jacy, in May last year. She is now a svelte 175 pounds and hasn't had soda for nearly two and a half years. 

Comments: The mom says people are surprised when they see the results of her new lifestyle
Enjoying it: A lot of people have told Donna she looks younger now, which she says she loves

Comments: The mom says people are surprised when they see the results of her new lifestyle

Tips: 'The thing I found the hardest was learning to find balance and realizing that it doesn't take hours of working out and only eating salads to reach your weight loss goals,' she said

Tips: 'The thing I found the hardest was learning to find balance and realizing that it doesn't take hours of working out and only eating salads to reach your weight loss goals,' she said

Perseverance: To others looking to lose weight, Donna said: 'The best advice I can give is to not quit. You will want to quit. It will get hard but if you just keep trying you will get there'

Perseverance: To others looking to lose weight, Donna said: 'The best advice I can give is to not quit. You will want to quit. It will get hard but if you just keep trying you will get there'

'I just didn't like myself before. I know that sounds horrible but it's true. I never really felt proud of myself but now I am proud. I never really understood the self-love thing until now and it's so important,' she added.

Donna works out six days a week and tracks her macros using My Fitness Pal. She says that people are surprised when they see the results of her lifestyle change.

'The thing I found the hardest was learning to find balance and realizing that it doesn't take hours of working out and only eating salads to reach your weight loss goals,' she said.

'People are shocked when they see me. The biggest compliment is when people say I'm inspiring. I also get a lot of people saying I look so, so much younger, which is my favorite.

'The best advice I can give is to not quit. You will want to quit. It will get hard but if you just keep trying you will get there. You can start over at any minute.'

California

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