Male, Overall Winner
In 12 short weeks,
Austin lost:
• 55 pounds
• 24% of his body fat
• 21 inches off his waistline

Life before… In June 2009, I injured my lower back, and a month later I underwent surgery for an extruded disk. Following the surgery came the standard recovery process involving medication and physical therapy. My activity level decreased but my diet remained the same, and I began to gain weight.

Inspiration… I had two photos on my phone: one of last year's Gold's Gym Challenge overall male winner, Bryan Darnell, and the other of my uncle Winston Johnson, who is an award-winning bodybuilder.

Motivation… The will to become a healthier person for my wife, son and two stepdaughters gave me that extra drive to walk through those doors at Gold's Gym in Grand Junction, Colorado. At times I had to push myself to go to the gym even when the pain and the excuses rolled through my head urged me to pass it by on my way home.

Female, Overall Winner
In 12 short weeks,
Bramwell lost:
• 55 pounds
• 11.4% of her body fat
• 11.5 inches off her waistline

Life before… I was always Daddy's little girl. He gave me strength, support and love. After he passed away in 2009, I felt like I had lost everything. My only comfort was food. Then I became pregnant with my second child—being pregnant and addicted to food was a very bad combo. I gained 60 pounds.

Inspiration… After having my beautiful baby, I saw the banner for the Gold's Gym Challenge at my local gym in Bountiful, Utah. I didn't have the self-confidence or motivation to do it by myself, so my whole family signed up.

Motivation… At first it was hard for me to go do something so exhausting. I kept thinking, If I have a babysitter, I should be doing something more fun than going to the gym. Every day got easier, though. The trainers would give me tips on how to do another great exercise. New eating habits and the amazing classes made it fun to work out.

Secret of your success… My mom, my two sisters and I all did Zumba dance classes together. Since my dad loved dancing, it felt like he was right there shaking his booty beside me.

Female Winner 30–39
category
In 12 short weeks,
Johnson lost:
• 41 pounds
• 9% of her body fat
• 11 inches from her waistline

Inspiration… My mom joined the Gold's Gym in Palisade, Colorado and really liked it, which I didn't expect. She was learning so much from her trainer, losing weight and getting in shape. Her example totally inspired me to join myself and get into shape too.

Motivation… I was missing out on so much life. My husband and daughter are both very active and did so much without me because I knew I couldn't keep up on their outings.

Secret of your success… There is no secret to losing weight, but there are many key factors: Don't drink alcohol, and eat six small meals a day, with lots of protein and complex carbohydrates, like multigrain bread and brown rice. And make sure you have accountability to others, not just yourself—a trainer really helps with this. My trainer, Bo Stohler, was my rock. I worked out with him in the gym twice a week,

In 2007, Berdis contracted West Nile virus, the effects of which have limited his ability to walk and forced him to use a wheelchair. He has now returned to work as a real estate agent with Chapman Hall Realtors in Atlanta, and he plans to advocate for the handicapped.

Life before… I was in the best shape of my life and doing a lot of manual work on a fixer-upper I had purchased when disaster struck—a mosquito carrying West Nile virus bit me. It was a one-in-a-billion chance. The virus attacked my nervous system, and my body became fully affected by spinal meningitis. I had to be put in a medically induced coma for a month. I lost 35 pounds, and had almost no strength.

Inspiration… The main reason I made myself start working out was the endorphin release—my own kind of antidepressant. I started feeling better about myself and putting on more muscle. I'm able to do more things for myself without asking for help, and I can get in and out of places that I couldn't before.

Motivation… I keep going to the Gold's Gym in Norcross, Georgia because I have to. If I'm having a hard day, then I make myself go. I also get compliments from strangers, trainers and friends, which keeps me motivated.

New life… Before I couldn't move either leg—I can now move my right leg, but still need to use a wheelchair. When I got out of the hospital, I couldn't even wrap my head around the idea of starting new hobbies, but going to the gym helped me gain clarity

Life before… I'd been heavy my whole life. I used to show up early for restaurant reservations to make sure we had a table, not a booth, because I couldn't fit in a booth.

Inspiration… I watched my father die from heart disease, and I was already on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I felt like I was trapped in my body and knew that I was killing myself.

Secret of your success… I still log all my food so I know what I'm taking in. I work in organ donation, which means I'm flying all over the country pretty frequently. It's so easy to grab fast food or order pizza. I'd snack on high-calorie foods; now I grab fruit.

Motivation… My father. And my trainer, Mike Shimono at the Gold's Gym in Carbondale, Illinois. Mike had been heavy his whole life, like me, and transformed himself through exercise and proper diet. He knew my pain. I also got a group from my

Life before… When my brother became catastrophically ill with pancreatitis and was hospitalized, the highlight of my family's day became eating out. I put on weight, and added to it with my next pregnancy. Then I entered law school and began a life of sedentary work, motherhood and running a home. Before I realized it, I was 100 pounds heavier.

Inspiration… In 2002, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and both my parents died. To say it was a hellish year is an understatement. I started going to Gold's Gym in Ashburn, Virginia while I was going through chemo. I felt better, but I didn't stick to it. In May 2009, I was post-cancer and tired of being overweight on vacations, holidays and other major events. I never liked any photographs of me and would hide from the camera. My epiphany had arrived.

Motivating tools… A good friend can make all the difference. I had one such friend. As she saw my size diminishing, she got excited and even joined the gym with me. I would text her with every pound of progress, and she would celebrate it with me.

Life before… My eating habits were extremely bad! You name it, I ate it: fast food, cookies, chips, cake. When I was in the 10th grade, my father opened a restaurant. Our business became successful, and I would work long, late hours and eat constantly. My weight skyrocketed to 500 pounds.

Inspiration… The one thing that changed my whole life was something my father told me before he died: Lose weight. I was the one who found my father dead. I watched the EMTs load him into the ambulance. I watched them struggle to get my father into the ambulance—he weighed 265 pounds. How would they ever be able to get me into an ambulance, at 589? I joined the Gold's Gym in James Island, South Carolina.

Motivation… Seeing changes! I started getting stronger and the weight came off. A couple of months went by, and I had to buy new clothes. I lost 20 inches around my waist. My weight dropped to 259 in a year and a half.

Secret of your success… My trainer, Brandon Carrol, asked me to keep a food log. When he saw

Dietz was born with no arms or legs, but he does not allow his disabilities to stop him from doing anything he puts his mind to—including hunting, bowling, and, this past June, swimming the Chesapeake Bay. He trained at his local Gold's Gym in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Early life… My older brothers and sisters were really active, and I just followed their lead. My dad always did everything he could to make sure I could do what other kids did. Like, when I was 12, I wanted to go white-tailed deer hunting like my friends, so my dad came up with a rig so I could shoot a gun.

Inspiration… I've been swimming since college. (I put a fin on the stump of my right leg.) Years later I was living in Pittsburgh and my life was feeling a little stagnant. Some of my friends were doing relay triathlons and I decided to join [as the swimming team member]. The competition and the event just got me hooked. The first swim I did was one mile, then I got up to two miles. I just kept looking to ratchet it up a bit.

Swimming the Chesapeake Bay… This race took me to the edge. You have to get through two shipping channels where the currents are incredibly strong. In the first channel I had to swim at a 45-degree angle just to stay straight and not be swept out of the racecourse. The first mile took me 36 minutes. The second took me over an hour because of that current. After expending so much energy just to stay on course, I was really worried about getting through the second channel, but that one wasn't as bad. People keep asking me what I'm going to swim next—and I tell them it's too early to think about that.

Life before… By August 2008 I had ballooned to 561 pounds, and had been hospitalized twice, one stay nearly cost me my life. I had heard of a procedure called a gastric sleeve. I had surgery on November 25, 2008, and haven't looked back since. As soon as I was able to join the my local Gold's Gym in Kingswood, Texas—I did. I transformed my body from 38% body fat to 20% body fat.

Inspiration… Two things. One, I nearly died. The second one is more complicated. I'm a police officer, and I couldn't fit into my police car without taking off my gun belt. Out on patrol one day, we heard shots fired. My partner jumped from the car, and I had to get out, open the back door and get my belt. By the time I reached my partner, a man was dead in front of me—a bullet through the head—and my partner was chasing the suspect. We caught him and my partner survived, but it made me realize how my weight affected my job performance.

Motivation… I keep pictures of my old self around my house. I have one right on my refrigerator.

Secret of your success… My personal motto: Rome wasn't built in a day. You're building an