A woman who hated how she looked in her vacation photos embarked on a natural weight loss journey that led to her losing nearly 100 pounds – almost half her body weight – in just a year.
Sarah, 24, from New York City, arrived home from a vacation to Delray Beach and Key West, Florida, in December 2023, and “hated” how she looked in every photo taken of her.
Everything in life was going well, she said, but she felt she had been neglecting her body, which she attributed to her weight standing at 234lbs in January 2024.
Having viewed this negativity as something completely within her control, she committed to a clear vision for natural weight loss – focusing first on tracking her calories and the meals she was eating.
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She practiced intermittent fasting and restricting her eating window to between 11am and 6pm, and exercised 40 minutes of cardio daily, alternating between a stationary bike, elliptical and stair master.
Sarah admitted the first month was the toughest,as she was moving from the habit of overeating whenever she liked to mindful eating.
On her weight loss journey, she posted videos and photos of her progress to social media – being inspired to do so because she felt she had not seen many natural weight loss examples of people her age when looking for inspiration herself.
By January 2025, one year after she started, Sarah weighed 140 pounds – a loss of 94 pounds naturally.
The 24-year said she is proud of not turning to the likes of weight loss drugs that have increased in popularity over recent years.
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Having now reached her target weight, Sarah said she is looking at incorporating weight training into her routine to build a more athletic physique.
Despite reaching her goal, Sarah still posts inspiring videos of her weight loss on her social media pages, Sarah Lost Weight, which has seen her gain more than 100,000 followers.
Followers have told her she looks almost unrecognizable from her previous pictures.
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Sarah said: “When I started my weight loss journey, I would search for others who had been in my position – my age, my weight – to see if they had successfully lost weight.
“I remember not seeing many examples, which made me wonder if it was even possible.
“When I was nearing the end of my journey, I decided to post my transformation, and it went viral.
“Seeing how my weight loss motivated others – especially since not a lot of people share their journeys – made me want to keep posting.
“It’s insane to think that I carried around that much extra weight.
“Losing it has been incredibly freeing – I can do simple things again, like crossing my legs or walking for more than 20 minutes without back pain.
“I want people to know that weight loss is possible.
“It may feel overwhelming at times, and it might seem like it’s going to take forever, but with dedication and motivation, it can be done.
“If you truly want it, you can achieve it.”
