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Gwenyth: We're inspired by women who have restarted
their lives using health and fitness.
We hope you are, too.
(lively music)
Gwenyth: I'm Gwenyth Paltrow.
Tracy: And I'm Tracy Anderson.
Gwenyth: This is The Restart Project.
(calm music)
Tracy: Brianna's story might seem simple on the outside,
but finding a balance to better yourself, take care of your health,
while being a mother at the same time
really requires a lot more than you think.
Brianna: I would consider myself a pretty generally happy kid.
I just so happened to be really heavy.
My family was also heavy, so I felt I really wasn't
that much different from everybody else.
But at the same time, I didn't really feel confident.
In high school, it got pretty bad.
I went through a depression my freshman year
and I ballooned up to a size 20.
I'm only 5'1", so I was pretty big.
For me, it became a part of my identity.
Gwenyth: So, you weren't always quite this size?
Is that right?
Brianna: Right, I've pretty much been overweight my entire life.
And I've tried so many times to lose weight.
I just think that the right motivation was never there.
I wasn't ever able to lose a large amount
and I never really sustained it.
It was difficult to eat healthy because I didn't really know
how to deal with stress or how to deal with my emotions,
apart from turning to food for that comfort.
I used to go on diets with my mom
and we used to try to get healthy together
and I would eventually just stop.
You would just think, "Well, maybe I'll start again on Monday,"
or, "Over the summer."
It just became a lot of tomorrows.
My wake up call was when I had my appendix taken out.
It was only a few months after my son was born
and I was 220 pounds and my doctor said
that there was a high risk that I would have complications,
because of my weight.
I realized that I may start missing more of my son's life moments
and I needed to do something to change,
because my health was starting to deteriorate
and I was only 29.
Gwenyth: So, how did you start to really implement that change?
Brianna: I wanted to get my eating under control
before I added anything into the mix.
So, when those feelings of stress would come,
I thought, "Okay, there's nothing in a cabinet
"or on a plate that will make this situation feel better,"
and I think it's -
Gwenyth: That was a conscious thought you would tell yourself?
Brianna: Yeah, absolutely.
So, as I started losing weight,
I really started seeing what healthy eating could do for me
and that really motivated me to start getting active.
(upbeat music)
Tracy: Open and back.
Very good.
You are strong. (laughing)
And back.
Brianna: Once I got my eating under control,
I actually gave myself some time to lose a little bit of weight
before I added exercise into the program
and then the weight started coming off.
I'm pretty proud of myself.
I lost 109 pounds.
I went from a size 22 to a size 6
and I felt like I was the best version of myself.
When I took my goal pictures and I was able to stand
in one leg of my jeans, it was just an amazing, amazing feeling.
Tracy: You lost a person.
Brianna: I know.
I lost a you. (laughs)
Tracy: You lost more than a me.
Brianna: I lost a Tracy.
Tracy: (laughs) That's amazing.
Think of carrying me around all day.
Gwenyth: Tell me what's next for you.
What are your dreams for the future?
Brianna: Really, it's exciting, because after a year of maintaining,
my husband and I, we found out that we're pregnant.
Gwenyth: Oh my God!
Brianna: With our second.
Gwenyth: Congratulations.
Brianna: Thank you.
Gwenyth: Aww.
Brianna: So, it's really just a new chapter.
Gwenyth: That's wonderful.
Brianna: Yeah.
Gwenyth: That's so nice.
(peaceful music)
Brianna: Throughout my journey, I realized
that losing weight wasn't about not liking who I was.
It was about figuring out how to be the best version of myself
and to be pregnant now, as a fit person,
I feel like I'm going to be that cute, little, pregnant person
and feeling healthy and staying fit during my pregnancy
is so important to me.
(electric sound)