Mandi Kieper

by Team BNB April 10, 2019

Growing up I had a very verbally abusive father, who throughout most of my childhood always harassed me about my weight to the point I would eat to comfort myself. I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. Suffering from depression & anxiety, the only thing I cared about was eating & sleeping. It was a viscous cycle. Back in 2010, I decided to take control and give "losing weight" one last try. Tipping the scale at 352.4 lbs and 58.4% body fat, my health was in jeopardy. At that point, I was not only sick of being "sick & tired", shopping in the plus size section at Kohl's but I had a little boy who needed me to be alive to see him graduate (who has since graduated!) I joined a local Snap Fitness joined a nutrition class. The class was $200.00, being a single mother, I felt guilty spending that money on myself (keeping in mind, most people blow that at the bar on a Friday night!) I found a way to make that happen. I scrapped up enough cash & joined. BEST $200 I EVER SPENT IN MY LIFE!! Between the workouts, accountability with the classes & re- vamping my lifestyle, it paved an incredible journey for me.

Throughout these past 9 years I can honestly say I never "got comfortable" with how I looked or what the scale said. It has been a continual grind and I LOVE IT! My favorite....lifting weights. Most women are afraid of muscle, not this girl!!! I started training and competing in Strongman in 2015. Pulling trucks, deadlifting your pants off, carrying 180 lbs in each hand for distance as fast as you can, was exhilarating to me!!! Seeing how far I could push my body and what I could actually achieve was amazing. As grueling as the training was at times, I pushed through. When it gets hard, you push harder!! Competing with some of the other women athletes in the sport was a great experience. There are some fierce women out there!!

Last year, 2018, I decided to take a break from competing/ training and have some life changing procedures done. Obviously losing a significant amount of weight left me with some unwanted skin. I hid it pretty well LOL. Thanks to my fiance Justin, he made that dream come true. I had an abdominalplasty, lower body lift & breast augmentation done. After all said and done, they removed just over 8 lbs of tissue and lifted my entire lower body up almost 6 1/2". As you can imagine the recovery was trying. The hardest part was seeing all my hard earned muscle disintegrate, rapidly. Being away from the gym and losing all my mobility was discouraging, but I knew it was all part of the process. This past year has been spent rehabbing & getting back to where I was prior to my first procedure (all aboard the gains train!) Having the surgeries was my last "step" in letting go of all of that emotional baggage. I can actually say I feel like a "normal" women. Right now I currently sit around 203 lbs & 22% body fat. My journey continues onward. I have some new "aesthetic" goals in mind for 2019-2020. Most of you ask why? You look great now.. my WHY?... is because the hustle never stops!! Stay tuned...

For those who think weight loss surgery is the only option OR maybe you just plain don't think you can ever lose weight, think again! YOU CAN! Reclaim your health with a little sweat and discipline. What I encourage you to do is find a coach, mentor, someone who can hold you accountable. Make the commitment to yourself! Set small goals, never settle! Non of what I went through was easy. I had some hard days and some long nights. I had to miss family events and things just because I wasn't mentally strong enough to be around food. Its all hills and valleys- but I NEVER lost sight of the reason why I NEEDED to do this. As cliche' as it sounds... TRUST THE PROCESS!! Look at yourself as an investment, you get one life, one body, be kind to it, treat it right and it will thank you :)

Mandi

IG: @amandimariekieper

Mandi Back

Mandi Tire Deadlift

Mandi Fire Carry

Mandi After

Mandi Kieper

Leave a comment