Weight Loss Motivation Stories

If you think that losing that last 5 lbs. is difficult, wait until you hear these peoples' stories. Everyone needs a little bit of motivation when it comes to sticking to their diet or getting to the gym. Many people have lost weight, saved their health and become healthier as a result of successful weight loss. These accounts of real people who won the battle against obesity may give you the inspiration you need to do the same.

Rosalie Bradford

• For a little weight loss motivation, all you have to do is open up the "Guinness Book of World Records." This is where Rosalie Bradford ended up when she became the record holder for the most weight lost by a woman. Rosalie started out at almost 1,200 lbs. When friends and family realized just how dangerous her weight had become, they staged an intervention with the help of diet and exercise celebrity Richard Simmons. When she started trying to lose weight, Rosalie could not get out of bed and the most she could do was clap her hands. Eventually, she was down to 200 lbs.

Jillian Michaels

• If you have ever watched the popular reality television show "The Biggest Loser," you know Jillian Michaels as the show-no-mercy trainer who helps people lose large amounts of weight. You would never think that the fitness guru and celebrity ever had a weight problem herself. However, before she reached her celebrity status, Jillian struggled with her weight for years until she finally took it off with hard work and dedication. Now, Jillian is known all over the world for helping other people get in shape and change their lives.

Manuel Uribe

• The rest of the world first learned of Manuel Uribe when the man from Mexico was featured in a documentary called "The World's Heaviest Man." The show documented the bed-ridden life of this half-ton man. Uribe turned down an offer of gastric bypass surgery, opting to go the traditional route of diet and exercise. With the help of his doctors, Manuel lost over 500 lbs. and continues to lose weight.

John Stone

• In 2003, all John Stone wanted to do was lose his beer belly. He was in the same position that many men find themselves in early adulthood. He had been athletic when he was a teenager, but had let himself go as he got older. John joined a gym and soon realized just how much he enjoyed it. With a good plan, plenty of motivation, support and total dedication, John transformed his body in just months. By the end of six months, he had lost over 50 lbs. and 22 percent body fat. Nowadays, John Stone is a bodybuilder and offers training advice to others.

Richard Simmons

• Everyone knows Richard Simmons as the charismatic celebrity fitness expert who has helped millions of people lose 3 million pounds total. After winning his own battle with weight, Simmons revolutionized the fitness scene during a time when gyms and fitness clubs were for people who were already in shape. He created a fitness club for people who were overweight and needed different training than what the traditional gyms offered. Thirty years later, he is a legend in his own right and has introduced health and fitness to people who would never have tried it on their own.