My journey is very interesting because I went from being very fit, to very unhealthy, back to being very fit. I’m an extremist and take everything I do seriously. When I set my mind to something, I go full force and put all my energy and efforts into it, no matter what it is. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the best or most beneficial trait to have. Keep reading if you want to know the long and DETAILED version of my journey!

My fitness journey really started at the age of 12 when I got my first gym membership. I used to incorporate nightly workouts after completing a full day of school and two tennis practices (one at 5 am and one after school). Needless to say, I have ALWAYS been a fitness junkie; however, things started to change by 2014.

2014 to 2016 were the roughest years I have ever endured. Those years took the biggest toll on my health and fitness goals. In 2014 (my first semester of college), I lost my mom to cancer on Thanksgiving morning. That was the first big loss I had in my life, so I didn’t know how to handle or process it. As a result, I decided to take all of my anger and frustration out at the gym. I decided to start working out more rigorously and become more cognizant of my eating habits. Unfortunately, I went overboard (due to that extremist trait I talked about earlier). I ended up restricting my food intake SO MUCH by removing all carbs, sugar and fat and eating nothing but fish and salads all day, every day (worst idea ever)! On top of restricting myself so much, I also did an hour of cardio on the elliptical every day (how miserable). So why did I decide to torture myself like this? I have no idea, but I knew I felt better about myself because I was losing weight; however, I ended up losing TOO much weight, causing me to become underweight and extremely skinny! Even though I was skinny, I was very unhealthy and my family was starting to notice. They became concerned because they saw this exact same thing happen when I was 15 (I was extreme with the dieting at 15 too, causing me to lose my period and become extremely skinny). I later realized that the routine I was on, was not sustainable OR healthy, so I had to come up with a new plan…but had no idea how or where to start.  

Fast forward to August 2016 when I lost my dad to heart disease. Losing him REALLY took a toll on my health and fitness. I was in a deep funk and became insanely depressed. Instead of taking my anger and frustration out in the gym like I did before, I did the complete opposite. I stayed home and ate everything in sight. I stopped talking to my friends and family and ordered out every single day. My depression also took a toll on the relationship that I was in at that time, causing us to break up. Since I stopped working out and started eating any and everything, I ended up gaining 50 POUNDS…holy cow!!! So what did I do about that? I did what I knew best, which was restricting myself! I started doing an hour on the elliptical again and eating only once a day. And guess what happened? I lost a few pounds and plateaued for about 3 months…what the heck?!

At that point, I had no idea what to do. The methods that used to work for me (even though they were extremely unhealthy), were no longer working for me. That was when I realized I needed to learn how to properly take care of my body. Properly taking care of your body consists of proper training, proper nutrition, proper mindset and accountability. Once I started learning how to take care of myself the correct and healthy way, the pounds started to come off. Once the pounds started to come off, I decided it was time to complete a dream of mine, which was to step on a bodybuilding stage. 

Fast forward to November 2018 when I stepped on my first bodybuilding stage. I took home a 3rd place trophy at my very first show and instantly fell in love with the sport. Since then, I have taken home numerous first place trophies and have competed on multiple national level stages.

Once I got into the groove of properly working out and figuring out what methods work and don't work, I became inspired. I became inspired to help other women who are in the EXACT same shoes that I was in, which is not knowing how to properly lose weight without restricting themselves. I also became inspired to help women love themselves again and learn how to properly take care of their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. This inspiration is what led me to create Sculpting Bodies.

Sculpting Bodies is a company that was created specifically for women to help them find their inner beauty, gain confidence, fall in love with themselves again and flourish in ways they never thought possible through fitness, nutrition, mindset and accountability!

So if you are tired of seeing those love handles, tired of your legs chafing, tired of not being confident enough to wear your favorite dress, or just tired of feeling “sick and tired”, then click the button below to schedule your FREE 20 MINUTE consultation call with me! In this call, we will get to know each other a little better, discuss your health and fitness goals and see if we’re a right fit to work with each other!

Hope you enjoyed reading my lengthy, yet detailed, story!

Can’t wait to chat with you soon! 

Xo,
Monique 💗