Adriana Whitney

Some transformations in particular stick out to me. Adriana Whitney, a 43-year-old mother of four, is one of them.

Written By Jim Stoppani, PhD

Updated September 13, 2021

Before-and-after transformations aren’t just about the body. People write to me daily about their impressive physical changes and send me photos. And yes, there’s almost always some considerable degree of weight loss involved and/or a drastic improvement in body composition.

But where I often notice the biggest improvement with these people is in their faces. And no, I’m not talking about the weight you lose in your face that gives you more chiseled features, though I see that a lot, too. It’s the look in people’s eyes in the after photo – a look of satisfaction, confidence and happiness. It’s the look you have when you’ve accomplished something that you didn’t think was possible.

One recent set of before-and-after photos that really stood out to me came from a 43-year-old artist named Adriana Whitney. She posted two pictures of herself on social media (below) and mentioned that she used my exercise and nutrition advice to help her lose a significant amount of weight in less than a year.

The photos don’t even show that much of her body. In fact, the after picture is basically just a headshot. But that’s all I needed to see.

She doesn’t look unhappy in the before picture, perhaps because she’s a proud mother of four children. (I have four kids myself, so I know the feeling!) But look at that after picture. She’s still happy, of course, but you can see in her eyes a look of confidence that comes from setting a goal to take control of your body and your health and absolutely smashing that goal! She looks strong, self-assured and empowered. I guess that’s the look of a proud, in-shape mother!

When I emailed Adriana after seeing her photos, she mentioned that she had lost around 75 pounds, but that she still hadn’t reached her ultimate weight-loss goal. I think it’s great that she’s still striving to do better, but her photo shows me she’s well on her way and has already achieved a great deal.

I asked Adriana to briefly share her story with the JYM Army, so here it is, in her own words…

In 2014, I weighed 215 pounds. I’m 5’3” so the weight on me not only looked bad but it was hurting my health. I was diagnosed with a pituitary tumor that made my body think I was pregnant. It also affected my thyroid gland, so I had to starve myself just to lose a little bit of weight. I tried juice fasting, but I gained all the weight back after I finished it.

I started researching and learned that one of the best ways to lose weight was by lifting weights, but the only piece of workout equipment I knew how to use was the treadmill. I was so intimidated by the weight room!

My goal was to lose at least 70 pounds. I just wanted to be healthy again.

I thought knowledge would drive away my fear, so I started to watch videos online on how to lift weights and that’s how I found Jim Stoppani. I started to do his Shortcut to Shred program, which uses cardioacceleration. It made sense to me and the pounds started to fall off.

I learned about supplements and the importance of protein in the diet, so I got all the recommended supplements for Shortcut to Shred and I noticed a huge difference in my hunger levels – I wasn’t so hungry and I had energy.

I learned to count macros and I stopped counting calories. Again, like cardioacceleration, it just made sense to me. But it didn’t just work in theory – it worked in practice! The reflection in my mirror was my best motivation and reward. The compliments I received from my friends and family made me feel so happy and I started to take pictures of myself again. I wasn’t invisible anymore.

I get so many questions about my diet and workouts. People can’t believe I could change my body like this at age 43 after having four kids. Because it hasn’t just been about losing weight – my body looks younger, not deflated.

Since January, I’ve lost 76 pounds. I have a little more to go, but now that this has become a lifestyle, I know I will get there sooner or later.

I know that many women are afraid of weight training. There are so many myths about it. I would love to see women get educated about weight lifting and the health benefits of it. It completely changed my life. Now I love working out and going to the gym isn’t torture anymore – it’s one of my favorite times of the day!

To view Adriana’s artwork, visit adrisart.com.

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