Jenna Anselmo, 29, Nanny and Swim Instructor, Perkasie, PA
How much weight have you lost? To date, I have lost 25 lbs.
Tell us what the “old you” used to be like: The “old” Jenna was very self-conscious. I’ve been struggling with my weight for over half of my life. The last time I remember feeling comfortable in my skin was 2003, my senior year in high school. I was very active growing up, I swam from age nice until 18. 
I was in school musicals and other activities that kept me busy and healthy. After high school, I continued to eat as I did when I was an athlete. I tried every diet and every workout craze, but I never stuck to anything. I even signed up and paid for Weight Watchers meetings, but stopped going after two. That was just not the way I was going to lose the weight. It finally got so bad that I was depressed. My husband (boyfriend at the time) never made me feel bad and always told me I was beautiful, but even that wasn’t enough. My own WEDDING wasn’t motivation for me to make a change. I hated going out in public, because I didn’t want to be ‘the fat one’ or draw attention to myself and my weight. It was a bad time to be in my mind, I knew something needed to change but I just didn’t know where to start.
What prompted your weight loss? runDisney. Which, if you knew me at all, would make you laugh. I was a swimmer. Running was something a swimmer just didn’t do. I’d heard about the Princess Half Marathon and wanted so badly to participate, but kept saying ‘next year, next year’. It was 2013 and I was stalking the runDisney Facebook page and Instagram account and saw all the pictures from the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10 miler and I made the decision right there that I was going to do that race in 2014 no matter what!
How did you lose the weight? I did a complete overhaul of my diet. I started drinking healthy shakes in the morning, salads for lunch, protein with vegetables for dinner and cutting out (most of) the junk. I started really looking at what I was eating and made a real effort to eat as clean as possible. Once I started seeing some results from that, I started working out again. My dad was also beginning his weight loss journey and had joined a gym. His membership allows him to bring a guest for free, so guess who started mooching a free gym membership? This girl! It was great to have the accountability of meeting someone there and it also meant I got to get quality time with my dad three days a week. I had contacted one of my closest friends who is a personal trainer and someone who I have worked with in the past and knows me very well. I had a very honest conversation with her about what I wanted to do, namely start running. She wrote me a training program to get me started on the treadmill and eventually run outside to prepare for running 10 miles in October. I had also signed my husband up to do that race, so he and I would go out running together whenever we could.
How long did it take? It’s taken over two years to lose 25 lbs, but not just lose it, maintain the weight loss. I hit a few plateaus along the way but I have not gained any of the weight back. I still have a long way to go, but I know it’s a process and changes are not instant.
What was the hardest part? Learning to be patient with the process. The reason I’ve never been able to do this before was I would put in a week of hard work and not see any results, so I would give up. My husband always tells me to keep going and not to give up. He knows how impatient I am with myself, I am my own worst critic and get frustrated when I can’t do something the first time.
Most fun part of your weight loss? Making a bunch of new friends! I’m very active on social media, partially Instagram (@PrincessOfPerkasie) and the Facebook group for #trDisney. I’ve ‘met’ some incredible people going through the same thing as me. My BRF (Best Running Friend) is actually a woman I have never met. Arianne lives in Miami and we have been talking through social media and supporting one another for over a year now. She and I are running “together” for the first time this March, I’m doing a 4 mile race for Get Your Rear In Gear colon cancer awareness and she is signed up to do the virtual run. The support of the running community is just amazing and I know that I wouldn’t have been able to come this far without it.
Most rewarding experience? Completing the 2014 Tower of Terror 10 miler, with my husband! Not that he had a choice, but he has been so supportive of me through this whole new lifestyle change. Completing this race has also helped me on the pool deck with my swimmers. I stepped out of my comfort zone (BIG TIME) and have completed something that not many people can say they have done. I’ve been able to take that mentality and use it to motivate my girls to continue to push themselves and never give up on what they want to accomplish.
Who/what inspires you when you feel like quitting? My mom. She passed away in 2009 from Colon Cancer after one hell of a fight. She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met and I think of what she went through, and if she didn’t give up then there’s no reason why I should. My very first 5k was the GYRIG in 2010, and after a very long running hiatus, I’m running that race again in her honor. I’m planing on making that race the one I have to do every year.
How has this weight loss changed you life? I feel so much better about myself. That depressed girl from a few years ago is gone. I have MY goals for MY journey. I no longer compare myself to every other woman I see. Shopping has become fun again, especially since I have to do it more often, all my pants are too big!
Have any advice for others who’d like to lose weight? Four words: Do Not Give Up. You are starting for a reason, but you need to figure out what that reason is, and it has to be for yourself. It’s a personal journey, and while people will be able to accompany you for a time, it will always be yours to complete.
Your must-have fitness equipment: Asics Gel Nimbus sneakers, Sparkly Soul headbands, kettlebells and a foam roller.
Favorite training song: ‘My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark’-Fall Out Boy, or basically anything by FOB.
Favorite healthy food: Red Quinoa with scallions and slivered almonds.
Favorite not-so-healthy food: Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer! I’ll give up anything else, but you’ll never get me to give that up.
Funniest /weirdest/most awkward experience during your weight loss journey: I’m a huge believer that running in Sparkle Athletic skirts makes me faster, so for every race no matter what or where. I rock some sparkle. Being in a small town though, I’m usually the ONLY one wearing one. I always get a lot of looks and double takes when I show up at a local 5k in a sparkly skirt with a match headband and usually a hair bow. A few years ago, I never would have wanted to draw attention to myself by being the only one, but I get a kick out of it now. That’s the best part of racing, planning my outfit!
Future goals: Starting in March, I have at least one race I will be completing leading up to my ultimate goal of running the 5k, 10k, and half marathon during the 2016 Walt Disney World Princess weekend. I will also be running my first half marathon in October at the Rock-n-Roll Philly Half.
Congratulations on all of your success, Jenna. You’ve found a way to make fitness a legit part of your life and make it sound like so much fun. Can’t wait to see you and all of your sparkles at the 2016 Princess Half Marathon! – Fitz and the entire team at Fitzness.com
