‘These Portion Control Hacks Helped Me Lose 70 Lbs.—And Now I’m A Personal Trainer’

I’m Morgan Farnsworth (@momolorrainesmith). I’m a 25-year-old personal trainer from Salt Lake City. Two years ago after having my daughter, I decided to take control of my health and lost 70 pounds in the process.

There are sooo many reasons why I finally decided to change my lifestyle—but the starting point for me was the thought of having diabetes. At 265 pounds, I was considered at high risk, and I didn’t want to go down that path. I was already suffering from severe depression; I was either in bed most of the time or avoiding my problems by going out and partying with my friends. The partying behavior was a coping mechanism.

After I had my daughter almost two years ago, there was no way I was going to keep up that kind of behavior. I lost my dad to cancer when I was just 11 years old and I didn’t want my daughter to ever experience the pain of losing a parent. So, I changed. I wanted to set a good example for her when it comes to being healthy.

I started out slow by making simple changes to my diet.

Right after having my daughter, I couldn’t work out for six weeks. So I focused on my diet at that time and made small tweaks by limiting my portions and counting calories. Eventually I joined a gym, and that’s where the passion for health and fitness came back full force.

I remember my first day back in the gym in December of 2017, after *years* of not going. I was very hesitant and kind of nervous. But as soon as I picked up those dumbbells, I felt confident as the older memories of weight training came flooding back.

When it comes to healthy eating, I like to keep my meals interesting.

My meals change all the time. Variety keeps things interesting. Before my journey started I was eating out twice a day. So making sure that my meals are both healthy and unique really motivates me to stick to a healthy eating plan. I do have a few staple meals though:

Breakfast: Egg whites and turkey bacon or protein Kodiak cakes

Lunch: A chicken salad

Snack: A protein shake, some fresh fruit, or a rice cake topped with peanut butter and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips.

Dinner: My own ground turkey dish. It’s ground turkey cooked with bell peppers and onion, a side of a steamed veggies like broccoli or squash and zucchini, and a side of brown rice. I mix it all together and top it with liquid aminos and Sriracha. It sounds different but I promise it’s so yummy and incredibly filling.

I also drink lots, and I mean LOTS, of water.

I’ve fallen in love with working out again, and then some.

Working out was always something I was intrigued by. My aunt, who was a competitor, introduced me to weights when I was 15 years old and I fell in love. But the older I got and the more I became focused on the jobs I had, I lost touch with the passion I’d loved. I stopped working out altogether.

But I found myself and my affinity for fitness again when my weight-loss journey began. I still love weight training, but my knowledge and passion for it has grown substantially. I am now a certified personal trainer, a job I’ve always wanted to do growing up but I never believed in myself enough to actually become one. At least not until I lost 70 pounds and decided I wanted to help other people like me. I have been a personal trainer for about nine months now and I love it.

Real talk: I’m not always 100 percent motivated.

Honestly, I don’t think anyone stays motivated 100 percent of the time. Motivation is fleeting—and discipline is what’s going to keep you there. I know everyone says that, but it’s the truth! I changed my mindset, and I remind myself that I work out because I *can.* I also remember that working out is my me time. I feel fortunate that I get to challenge myself in new ways. I eat healthy because it makes me feel good.

Reframing my thinking is what keeps me going every day. I’m not perfect and I have my bad days (trust me!). But I don’t let it stop me from trying every single day.

It’s important to set realistic expectations for yourself.

Have a plan. It may sound redundant, but having a concrete game plan for your workouts and what you plan to eat helps so much by taking out the guesswork, keeping you on track with your goals.

It also helps to know that there is no magic pill for diet or exercise. What works for someone else may not work for you, and that’s okay! Accept that there will be some failures but learn from them and turn it them into your own successes. It’s important to find your groove and stick with it as best as you can.

With all that being said, don’t be too hard on yourself. Love yourself through the entire weight loss experience—event the hardest parts. If you’re too strict and hard on yourself, losing weight will be so much harder to do.

Give yourself time. You’ll get there.