I lost 234 lbs after my daughter asked if I was dying – my early workouts were embarrassing but now I’m a bodybuilder
WATCHING her four children play outside while she was bedbound gave an overweight mom the motivation needed to start bodybuilding.
Alicia Briggs had tried numerous fad diets and underwent risky weight loss surgery before she finally found a way to shift her excess pounds.
Briggs has garnered almost 74,000 followers on Instagram since she began to share how she transformed her physique.
At her heaviest weight, the scale displayed an error message while unable to measure more than 429 pounds.
The 36-year-old from Maryland now fluctuates between 195 pounds to 210 pounds.
Speaking to The U.S. Sun, she revealed how shedding more than half of her body weight led to competing in a bodybuilding competition.
CHILDHOOD COMFORTS
Briggs grew up in a household where her dad loved bodybuilding and she would sneakily read his fitness magazines.
But despite being as active as other children, she was alone often and used food for comfort, leading to weight gain.
“I was an overweight child and a lot of stores didn’t carry plus-size clothing for little girls,” she said.
“My mom had to buy my clothing at Sears in a tiny section in the corner called Pretty Plus.
“It was very plain clothing and I disliked it a lot.
“I was a very round-bellied little girl and my diet was a lot of junk food.
Her weight continued to be higher than her peers as a teenager even though she played hockey and tennis throughout high school.
Being a size 16 while other girls were a size two, she began to try fad diets.
“I would lose a little bit of weight, five, 10, or 20 pounds then the scale would stop moving,” she said.
“I would assume that I had failed, give up, and go back to eating what felt comfortable and made me feel good at the time.”
PREGNANCY PROBLEMS
Despite yo-yo dieting throughout college, it wasn’t until years later that she began to experience serious weight-related health issues.
Briggs weighed around 280 pounds when she got married, and starting a family together was “high risk” due to her being plus size.
My husband had to escort me to the bathroom, he had to help dress and bathe me.
Alicia Briggs
“You’re dealing with extra appointments and extra glucose screenings to make sure that you don’t have gestational diabetes,” she said.
During her pregnancies, she survived two uterine ruptures and had to stay in the ICU, and a neurologist even put her on bed rest.
WAKE-UP CALL
Briggs soon found herself struggling to walk and reliant on her husband to move around the house.
She said he became her “caretaker” and there was no romance in their marriage.
“My husband had to escort me to the bathroom, he had to help dress and bathe me,” she said.
“My kids would come to my bedside and ask if I could play and I couldn’t.
“And there was a fear of me being upright, if I fell at that weight it could cause a concussion or potentially end my life.”
She began to experience what was believed to be seizures after one fall and was unable to fit into the MRI machine for a proper scan of her head.
“My daughter saw me pass out one day and asked if mommy was dying,” she said.
“That was the wake-up call that I needed that we got to do something, this is affecting my kids.
All I could do was lay in bed and watch my kids, from the bedroom window, ride their scooters up and down the sidewalk with my husband.
Alicia Briggs
“While I was on bed rest I paid for three different programs that involved exercise.
“When you’re carrying over 400 pounds it is hard to stand.
“It feels like you have an elephant on your back, your hips and knees feel like they’re about to buckle.
“So after five minutes, I would sit and cry and just be frustrated.
“All I could do was lay in bed and watch my kids, from the bedroom window, ride their scooters up and down the sidewalk with my husband.
“It felt very low, it felt very subhuman.”
SCARY SURGERY
Briggs scheduled a virtual doctor’s appointment to be considered for bariatric surgery.
Her insurance company wanted her to prove that she had seven years of doctor’s visits related to attempts at weight loss.
She also had to undergo expensive tests including a health screening, education screening, and an ECG.
“I had to do a sleep study in which I learned that I had severe sleep apnea, which was causing me to stop breathing at night for 30 seconds a minute.
“I wasn’t getting enough oxygen so I was put on a CPAP.
“I was also put on medication that was going to help me with my digestive issues.
I fell off the treadmill. I tried to do a deadlift and the weights fell off the side. It was very comical and embarrassing.
Alicia Briggs
“I was experiencing some major digestive inaccuracies due to some birth complications that almost killed me.”
Finally, she had the surgery, which was plagued by complications, but back at home she became fixated on studying nutrition.
GYM GOALS
After the surgery, Briggs began to consume more protein and drink a lot of water, and was down 50 pounds in a month.
With 100 pounds down after three and a half months, she hit the gym — even though she had no idea what she was doing.
“I would pick up dumbbells and try to copy what I saw other people do,” she said.
“I fell off the Stairmaster and the assisted pull-up machine.
“I fell off the treadmill. I tried to do a deadlift and the weights fell off the side.
“It was very comical and embarrassing.
“I cried in the car on the way home, but I went back the next day because I was determined to figure this out.
“The more you keep trying something, eventually it clicks and I started to fall in love with fitness.”
TROPHY WIFE
Briggs lost over 175 pounds in a year and was inspired to showcase her new physique in a bodybuilding show.
She was training in the gym for six months, hitting a daily step goal and regularly practicing her posing.
Having hired a coach, she was able to shed another 30 pounds before the competition.
Briggs scored second place in Summer Shredding’s Transformation category, losing out on first place by one point.
Around eight months after the show, she consulted with a medic about the possibility of having her loose skin removed.
That’s how she found out she she had a heart condition that could require a pacemaker in the future.
“I was carrying the skin of a 400 pounds woman on a 190-pound frame,” she said.
“[The doctor] said that was causing undue stress on my nervous system and he advised that I have it removed.”
Briggs said having the loose skin removed didn’t improve the function of her heart but was good for her athletic performance.
We don’t gain 100 pounds overnight, why do we feel like we should lose 100 pounds overnight?
Alicia Briggs
However, ongoing health complications have resulted in her working out at home rather than going to the gym five days a week.
“I have not given up and I’m still pushing forward and still moving my body,” she said.
“I became a certified personal trainer and I now coach women to become healthy with my business Butterflies and Dumbbells Fitness.
“The fact that I’m not able to compete in a bodybuilding show this year is tough, but I’m not giving up.
“My dream is to have a pro card one day in Wellness and I’m still training as if I were going to compete.
“I don’t know if it’s a possibility because of my heart condition and the extremes you have to go through to compete in bodybuilding.”
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
Briggs said anyone who wants to overhaul their physique should be patient with themselves and include weightlifting in their workouts.
“A lot of times in our society, we think that if I wanna lose weight, I need to have lost 100 pounds by next Friday, otherwise this program doesn’t work,” she said.
“But we don’t gain 100 pounds overnight, why do we feel like we should lose 100 pounds overnight?
“Also don’t compare your journey to somebody else.
“Seven times out of 10, you’re going to look like members of your family.”
Copying someone else’s exercise routine won’t give you the same results because of the difference in genetics.
“She’s got a big old badonkadonk and we’re doing the same exercises, but you might be more quad dominant or maybe your foot placement will be different,” she said.
“Don’t compare your journey, give yourself time to fall in love with the process.
“Losing weight is not just that I’m gonna do this and then I’ve lost weight now.
“You have to continue those habits for the long term and really practice them and make them a part of your lifestyle.”