Weight Loss Success Story #25 - Cori Magnotta - Hula Hoops Herself Slim!

Cori M. Weight Loss Before and After

I'm honored to be sharing another incredibly inspiring Weight Loss Success Story with you today.

By replacing "exercise" with "play" Cori Magnotta, a mom with acute hypothyroidism, was able to haul hoop away 85 pounds!

I dare you not to smile as you read Cory's story...

More Of The Best Weight Loss Success Stories from 2016!

Tell Us A Little Bit About Your Weight Struggle
I hula hooped away 85 pounds!

I never found fitness fun. I would join a gym, go once, and never go back. When I was pregnant with my son in May of 2014, I developed severe preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and was put on bed rest for the last 2 months of my pregnancy. Being sedentary contributed to my weight gain during my pregnancy tremendously.

Weeks after I had my son, although I was eating less and taking him for long walks in the stroller, I wasn't able to lose any of the pregnancy weight. The scale was stuck at 250 pounds. I went to my doctor who at first attributed it to "not sleeping" and "the stress of being a new mom."

Despite being positive that I "just needed to try harder," she agreed to run a full thyroid panel of blood tests on me just to be sure. The results came back showing that I had acute hypothyroidism, a thyroid disorder that slows down the entire metabolic process, making it much more difficult to lose weight as a result.

Cori Magnotta Before Weight Loss

Having a diagnosis motivated me to not become a statistic. I had overweight parents my entire life and I became determined that my son was going to have a healthy mom! I began to search the internet for fun workout ideas, as I knew I loathed the treadmill (affiliate link) and gyms.

I came across FXP Hoop Fitness, which uses a weighted Hula-Hoop and incorporates Barre, Yoga, and Pilates in fun, innovative, dance-like routines. I had always been able to hula hoop from a very young age, I won every hula hoop competition as a child and even used it as my talent to win the Miss Connecticut Teen title in 1996. I was immediately hooked on hooping as my new fitness strategy!

Since no classes were offered in my area, I purchased the 2 pound FXP Hoop online and started hooping at least 10 minutes a day while watching TV and worked my way up to an hour at a time. Studies show that hula hooping for just one hour can burn between 600-800 calories!

It is absolutely impossible to not smile while hula hooping! As I began to lose weight, people started asking what I was doing and I wanted to share this fun way to get fit with them! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could ever be a group fitness instructor, but that's exactly what I did; I signed up for and passed the certification program to become an FXP Hoop Fitness Instructor!

After falling in love with hoop fitness and losing 85 pounds, I decided to enter the America's Fit Miss pageant and was awarded the title of America's Fit Mrs. 2016. I use my title as a megaphone to raise awareness and advocate for hypothyroidism and thyroid disorders.

My son just turned 2 years old and I am proud to be healthy enough and have the energy to play with him all day long! He even hula hoops with me using his toddler sized hula hoop!

What Was Your Wake-Up Call Or "A-Ha Moment" That Caused You To Really Commit Yourself To Succeeding?
My parents were morbidly obese and were never able to do any physical activity with me growing up. Finding out I had Hypothyroidism made me realize that I needed to make changes now, or I was going to repeat the same health mistakes my parents made.

Cori Magnotta Before Weight Loss

How Have Your Eating Habits Changed Since Beginning Your Journey? What Did You Eat Before And What Are You Eating Now?
Once you start exercising, there's a snowball effect: You have more energy to do more things. I started eating a little bit better, because I now had the energy to cook instead of going to the drive-thru.

I started educating myself about what I was putting in my body, I read labels and learned how my food was prepared like never before. I record all of my food in the 'Lose It' app on my phone.

Awareness and being mindful about what I'm eating has been the biggest change. Before, I'd go to the drive thru several times a week. Now, I'm learning how to cook and prepare healthy foods such as grilled chicken and tasty ways to prepare vegetables so even my toddler will eat them!

What Is The Difference In Your Fitness Before You Started And Now?
I wear a fit band that I use to challenge myself to be as active as possible. My son is very active and requires constant supervision. My go to trick for fitting in my work out every day is to take him to a fully fenced-in toddler park and hoop for about 20 minutes while he explores contently.

Then, I'll chase him around the playground challenging myself to see how many steps and flights of stairs I can get in while running around the playground after him! I do pull-ups on the monkey bars, run up and down the ladder and use the toad steps as if they were quad steps on an obstacle course!

The key for me is to always have fun with fitness; there is nothing more fun than using childhood activities like hula hooping and the playground to stay active and fit! I never thought I could ever become a fitness instructor, yet I teach Hoop Fitness twice a week to a sold out class!

Cori Magnotta - America's Fit Mrs with Hoop

What Has Been The Biggest Change/Payoff For You So Far?
Being a Certified Hoop Fitness Instructor, I have the opportunity to show others that fitness can be fun! I helped a new mom lose over 50 pounds just by hula hooping! It really is a full-body workout! Personally, I'm able to chase and play with my toddler all day. Know that he's going to grow up with an active and healthy mom is the best payoff in the world!

How Much Weight Have You Lost? How Long Did It Take You To Lose It?
I have lost a total of 100 pounds! I gave birth May 31st 2014 and weighed 265 pounds that day. As of August 2015, I have maintained a weight of 165 pounds, so about 15 months to lose it and I have more importantly maintained this weight for over a year. It is important to note that I am 6' tall and 165 is a healthy weight for me.

Advice and/or Words of Wisdom to Others Who Are Struggling?
Never let anyone tell you that your 'too big' to do anything. I was terrified that I was 'too big' to be a fitness instructor and then I thought I was 'too big' to compete in a fitness pageant. If you can dream it, you can do it! Don't wait, go for it now!

Follow Cori on her website: www.hoopwithcori.com

Follow Cori on Facebook: www.facebook.com/CoriMagnottaHoops/

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