These Moms Lost 129 Pounds Together by Making These 2 Lifestyle Changes

Lauren Monk
Lauren Monk

Lauren Monk and Alyssa Cogdill are sisters and mothers, and they were both struggling with their weight. For Lauren, it was a lifelong issue. "I've been overweight since I was a kid," she told POPSUGAR. "I just loved food! I still love food!"

Alyssa's weight gain, on the other hand, had stemmed from three pregnancies, all of them within a four-year span. "I am so thankful for my three sweet boys," she said, but the succession of pregnancies created a cycle: Alyssa would gain weight with one pregnancy and didn't have enough time to lose it all before the next one.

Now, Alyssa weighs less than she did before kids, and Lauren's developed a relationship with food that allows her to eat what she loves in a healthy, balanced way. Alyssa lost 51 pounds and Lauren lost 78, combining for a total of 129 pounds down! And both of their journeys started with a clear moment of decision that became the determination they needed to go the distance.

Their Journeys Begin
Lauren Monk

Their Journeys Begin

In October 2015, Lauren (pictured) went on vacation with her husband and two daughters. The trip was fun, she said. But when she got home and started going through pictures, Lauren realized she was hardly in any of them; she'd either deleted the photos she was in or hadn't been part of the action in the first place. "I had sat on the sidelines and watched my family have fun," Lauren told POPSUGAR. "I felt like I was missing from my family's memories. I knew then that I had to make a change."

For Alyssa, the motivation came from her closet. She was a few months postpartum, she said, and nothing was fitting. "I tried to find anything that looked good to wear to my niece's baptism," Alyssa remembered. It wasn't until she saw the pictures from that day that she knew she needed to get serious, make a change, and start getting healthy.

She started, as so many of us do, with Instagram, following the account for WW, formerly Weight Watchers, and a few other WW-related accounts. "Seeing real people that had success on the plan made me so much more confident that I could do it, too," Alyssa said. She shared the accounts with Lauren, who was also inspired. "At 2 a.m., that same night, I couldn't sleep," Lauren remembered. "And I decided, enough is enough. I'm doing this."

How Alyssa and Lauren Use WW
Alyssa Cogdill

How Alyssa and Lauren Use WW

Why WW? Lauren said she'd tried many weight-loss programs over the years and none of them had worked. "I felt defeated, like I was always going to be in this same cycle: gain weight, lose 20 to 30 pounds, lose motivation, regain even more than I'd lost," she told POPSUGAR. "It was so frustrating!"

With WW, she found the flexibility to eat what she wanted in manageable portions. The program budgets out SmartPoints that help you keep track of your food intake — not only how much you're eating, but also the kinds of foods. (Learn more about WW and SmartPoints with our guide.) That means that you can still eat the foods you love, even if they're unhealthy; you'll just eat them in smaller portions.

That was one of Lauren's favorite parts: "Nothing is off limits!" she said. "There are healthy choices you can make even while dining out." Alyssa (pictured above) explained, "WW just helps you learn portion sizes and steers you toward healthier foods. I don't like to 'restrict' certain foods or make them 'bad' or 'cheating.'" After three and a half years on the program, Lauren said she's never felt deprived.

She loved the community aspect of the app and program as well. With WW, she explained, she never felt alone. "There is this whole community of men and women on this same journey," Lauren told POPSUGAR, and finding them online and in WW meetings gave her a sense of support, encouragement, and accountability she never had when trying to lose weight alone. Now, both Lauren and Alyssa are WW ambassadors, part of an unpaid group of members who share their success with the program on social media.

What Lauren and Alyssa Eat
Alyssa Cogdill

What Lauren and Alyssa Eat

Lauren and Alyssa have similar daily eating habits, and they even get lunch together most days! Here's what they eat on a normal day:

  • Breakfast: Coffee and protein. Both sisters love to eat eggs as their protein source, and Lauren said she often has hers with a side of turkey sausage. If she's short on time, she'll pour a protein shake into her coffee. "This will usually hold me until lunch," she told POPSUGAR.
  • Lunch: Lauren and Alyssa often go out for lunch together, but if they're staying in, Alyssa said they'll make low-carb wraps, salads, and veggie noodle bowls. (Check out these 12 low-carb wraps and some tasty, filling salads to try their strategy for yourself.)
  • Snacks: Lauren's favorite snacks are sweet frozen fruits like blueberries, cherries, and "candy grapes," which she makes by rinsing grapes, tossing them in sugar-free Jell-O powder, and freezing them. "Tastes like a Slushee!" she said.
  • Dinner: For her home-cooked dinners, Alyssa said, "I try to make it healthy, but also something my family of five will all love." Her three boys have tried zucchini lasagna, spaghetti squash, and much more! Lauren said she sources most of her healthy home meals from recipe blogs.
Lauren and Alyssa's Fitness: Walking and Running
Lauren Monk | Alyssa Cogdill

Lauren and Alyssa's Fitness: Walking and Running

Neither Lauren (left) nor Alyssa would have seen themselves as runners just a few short years ago, but running (and walking) has proven key in their weight loss journeys. When Lauren started trying to lose weight, she said, the gym felt too intimidating. Instead, she kept it simple, challenging herself to start walking five days a week. As she got stronger, she started pushing herself more, going up hills and increasing her pace and distance. Then, one day, she felt like she wanted to run.

"Let me preface this by saying that I have never been a runner; I have always been on team 'I hate running,'" Lauren told POPSUGAR. The very first time, though, she ran for two whole miles. "I was shocked," she said. "I thought for sure it was a fluke. The next day, I tried it again. It was definitely not a fluke, and the craziest part of all: I loved it!"

About halfway into her own weight-loss journey, Alyssa got the bug, too. Seeing Lauren complete a 5K with their dad gave Alyssa "major FOMO." She decided that day that if Lauren could do it, "so could I!" Now both sisters have completed numerous 5Ks, 10Ks, and a half-marathon (two for Lauren!).

Lauren does cardio five to six times a week, either running, walking, biking, or the elliptical, and still loves to sign up for races with Alyssa. "There is something magical about getting up early, toeing the line with other runners, pushing yourself to your limit, and crossing the finish line!" she told POPSUGAR.

Alyssa runs four times a week, going three to five miles each run, and uses the app RunBet to motivate herself. Running is hugely important for her routine. It burns calories, Alyssa said, but also makes her more aware of how different foods make her body feel and perform. She loves the mental health benefits as well.

Alyssa and Lauren's Results and Weight-Loss Tips
Lauren Monk

Alyssa and Lauren's Results and Weight-Loss Tips

With walking, running, and WW, Lauren (pictured) lost 78 pounds in 14 months and, just as impressively, has maintained her weight loss for two and a half years. At her first weigh-in, she hadn't lost a single pound, but what she had experienced was a profound mental shift. "For the first time in years, I was in control. I was in control of what I put in my mouth. I was in control of my body, my health, and my future," Lauren said. "You don't have to wait to be at your goal weight to feel proud."

Alyssa, down 51 pounds for almost a year now, saw her first nonscale victory in the dressing room. She realized that she loved shopping again and loved the way she looked in new styles and trends. "This is still a great motivator for me," Alyssa said. "It doesn't matter what size you are if you feel good in your skin and feel like yourself. That's what happened to me: I felt like myself again."

To others looking for inspiration and motivation, or just weight-loss wisdom from two people who have been through it themselves, Alyssa said that their journey would likely bring some hard days, and that backslides were inevitable. "In the end, just keep going," she said. "This is a marathon, not a sprint."

And both of them stressed how important it was to find a community. "Every time I had tried and failed in the past, I had tried to do this on my own," Lauren told POPSUGAR. "I treated my weight issues like they were a secret or some private shame." By joining WW, she found that, far from being the only person having those struggles, she was actually in the majority. "I found friendship, accountability, and encouragement," she said, tools that were just as important in her weight-loss journey as healthy eating and running. Alyssa summed it up best: "This journey truly is better together."