Health and weight loss success story for local mom

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on June 8, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

A local mother has been nominated as a finalist for the Beachbody Challenge among more than 40,000 members and is sharing her transformation story in hopes to inspire others.
“Honestly for as long as I can remember, I never really was comfortable in my skin. I was never the athletic type, I avoided gym class in school, and I was never into working out or anything like that,” said Danielle Dalrymple.
She said things started to get out of hand seven years ago when she opened her own business and did not have time for healthy eating. She was working full time and at the time had three children under the age of three.
“And then I had my son and I’m sure like a lot of other women, I gained a lot of weight in my pregnancy. I knew that I needed to lose it but I just kept telling myself ‘Oh well we’re gonna have more kids what’s the point’ and when my son was only a year and a half, I got pregnant with twins and gained even more weight,” said Dalrymple.
Feeling ashamed of the way she looked and unable to run around with her young son, Dalrymple knew it was time for her to make a significant lifestyle change.
“I didn’t want to be in pictures with my kids. I knew that I needed to make a change, I just didn’t know how to do it,” said Dalrymple.
She said she tried diets when her twin daughters were newborns, but anything she did lowered her milk supply.
“I was feeding twins and I was donating milk to the NICU as well. So I decided to put my weight loss goals on hold,” said Dalrymple.
She said her milk production was really important for her and therefore she put everything on hold.
In July 2020 the Dalrymple family went to the lake and Danielle was very self-conscious and really did not enjoy it but did it for her son.  
“When we got home, my husband was like ‘oh look, I got this really nice picture of you and Brady on the paddle board’ and I looked at the picture and I literally started crying,” said Dalrymple.
She said sometimes it is hard for people to notice how out of control their weight has gotten until they see a picture.
“That day I said ‘you know what, I’ve got a deep freeze full of milk, it’s time to put myself first’ and I need to do this, I need to do it for me and I need to do it for my family,” said Dalrymple.
She said her husband took the kids downstairs that night and she signed up for Beachbody.
“I figured at home workouts would be perfect for me. Being a business owner, I work full time, at the time I had three kids under the age of three and I needed something that worked with my schedule,” said Dalrymple.
She said at that point she had to modify the modified workouts as she was so out of shape, but she was determined to make the change for herself and her family.
“The most rewarding part of taking on this journey, honestly I think being able to have the energy to play with my kids,” said Dalrymple.
She said she is now able to race with her son, she can play and go to the park and chase her children around.
“I take them swimming all the time because I am okay putting on a bathing suit and being able to be a better mom,” said Dalrymple.
Since beginning with Beachbody in July 2022, Danielle has dropped from 243 pounds to 151 pounds and has transformed her mental, physical and emotional health.
She said working out was not always easy, but she took it one day at a time and she hopes that those who are starting their own journey do the same while aiming at small goals to avoid being overwhelmed.
“A half hour workout just seemed like a lot, I would say I’m going to press play and I’m going to do it for two minutes and every single time I told myself that, I would finish the workout,” said Dalrymple.
She said anyone can transform their lives if they set their minds to it. She said there is nothing special about her, she is a busy working mom of three.
“If I can do it, so can they,” said Dalrymple.

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