STEPHANIE SCOPA

I was walking up the stairs with my almost one year old son and I couldn’t breathe. I got to the top of the stairs completely out of breath wondering how this was happening. It was that moment I realized I needed to change my life. How could I have gotten to this point? Well I was 200 pounds when I got pregnant, gained 45 pounds while pregnant and had only lost 10 pounds after having the baby. I was now the heaviest I had been in my adult life. I struggled with my weight my entire life. As an adult I could never get below 200 pounds, I worked in my family business for 15 years and ate constantly. I could not seem to out exercise my terrible diet. Even with my father telling me for years he would buy me a whole new wardrobe, I still could never make the weight come off.

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I walked into the gym at 5:15 am not knowing anyone. My first bootcamp was February 1, 2017. It was hard, it was dark, it was early but I was determined. Waking up at that time didn’t feel like a hinder at all, it felt good. I have an hour, early in the morning, where I did not have to worry about anyone but me and it felt incredible. As time went on #5:15faithful became a way of life. It was not whether or not to wake up, it was what challenge are we going to crush today! 

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As time went on, I began to love Limitless. The people, the trainers, the exercising became part of my everyday routine. Now the hard part, the food. Pam offered a Skinny Jean for Summer Fitness Challenge, it incorporated the diet to the exercise. It was hard but very gratifying. I won that challenge, but that was just the beginning of dealing with my relationship with food. I would say the greatest challenge I have faced is the food, but over time I have learned what works for me and what makes my body change. Some days are much harder than others, but even if I fall off, I get right back into it because I never want to be that weight again. 

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It has been 2.5 years of my fitness journey and I would not change any part of it, especially not the ups and downs. I lost 70 pounds, over 25 inches, and 10% body fat. Everyday is not peaches and roses, there are setbacks, injuries, doubt and stalls but I have found that consistency is key. Everyday no matter how you feel , get up and go! With time, dedication and patience the results will appear. There will be weight loss, nonscale victories and inches lost. Try your best, especially when you don’t feel like it but be patient. I say it all the time “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. I am lucky I found a place where I feel comfortable, that is consistent, encouraging, and always fun! The strong incredible women I have been fortunate enough to train with have become friends who I look forward to seeing everyday!  Limitless has provided a space where I can be myself, train hard, receive the support that I have needed over the past few years to get healthy and be consistent. My goal during this journey is to be healthy for myself and my family and to show my son that with hard work and dedication anything is possible, especially when it comes to your health.