Charlotte Siems, a mom of 12 from Oklahoma, has a truly remarkable story about finally losing that extra baby weight after more than two decades.
Almost every woman struggles to bounce back after having a baby, but Charlotte's version of the tale is unique and extreme. She gained her baby weight over the course of 12 pregnancies and 23 years.
However, much like the young mom who reached a tipping point after discovering she couldn't catch her breath, Charlotte made the decision to lose weight back in 2007, following a trigger in her personal life.
She was due to appear in the weddings of her two oldest kids, and she didn't want to be ashamed of her body during such happy occasions.
Over the years, she had gained weight with every baby. In fact, she wryly notes, "With 12 babies, that added up."
Ten years ago, Charlotte was 46 and weighing 258 pounds, with much of it centered in her belly and gut.
According to Daily Mail, she looked like she was permanently six-months pregnant.
Then, the mom of 12 signed up for an exercise class that changed her life. Scroll through to learn more about Charlotte's incredible weight-loss journey.
Charlotte Siems, a 57-year-old mom from Oklahoma, has an incredible body.
It successfully guided her through all 12 of her pregnancies, bringing beautiful children into the world!
Unfortunately, by 2007, shortly after her youngest child was born, Charlotte's body was feeling more like a burden than an asset.
She had gained weight with each pregnancy. The cumulative result was 258 pounds hanging off of her 5'11 frame.
According to Daily Mail, it was at that moment that she decided she needed to make a lifestyle shift.
Charlotte said she told herself, "Enough is enough."
She added: "I felt embarrassed by my weight. I wore plus-size clothes and my belly looked six-months pregnant. I couldn't fit in an airplane seat without my thighs spilling over into the next seat. My knees hurt and I struggled with flexibility. I also had problems with blood sugar and constant exhaustion."
In addition to feeling generally lousy in her body, Charlotte had a strong motivation for losing the weight.
Both of her oldest children, then in their early 20s, got engaged in 2007.
With two weddings looming, the mom wanted to walk her kids down the aisle without feeling self-conscious.
She decided to start with an exercise class.
As the mom of 12 kids, Charlotte knew she didn't have the "emotional bandwidth" to cope with the deprivation and angst of dieting.
At that chaotic time in her life, eating was one of the few things that gave her pleasure.
Instead of tackling her diet first, she signed up for an exercise class called T-Tapp. She picked it because the workouts are 15 minutes long, which felt manageable to her.
However, as she started doing the exercises, she quickly discovered that the class was changing how she looked at everything, including food.
The 15-minute workouts proved to be a great solution for Charlotte.
Almost immediately, she began knocking off dress sizes, focusing on inches instead of pounds.
Without noticing, she started to change her relationship to food as well.
She began eating portions that were about a third smaller than they used to be and quickly realized that her new exercise regimen was impacting everything about her body, even her appetite.
All told, Charlotte lost around 100 pounds, or almost half her body weight. She also plummeted from a size 22W to a size six.
Today, she looks and feels better than she ever did, and is in control of her weight and appetite in a way that she never was before.
Over the course of her 10-year journey, the T-Tapp program radically changed her habits, breaking an unhealthy dependence on emotional eating and prompting her to replace it with exercise.
T-Tapp, the program that changed Charlotte's life, was originally developed by Teresa Tapp (pictured right), an exercise physiologist.
She created the T-Tapp program to help people focus on strength, flexibility, and realigning their bodies.
Originally, it was also created to help cancer patients who needed an easy, low-impact exercise routine.
The routine is also easy on hips, knees, bad backs, and other joints.
Today, Charlotte credits the routine with helping her change her whole life. She is a frequent and active advocate of the program, and often mentions it on her blog.
In the "About" section, she also notes, "I look younger and feel happier at age 57 than at age 46 — like I’m aging backwards!"
While different exercise and diet systems work for different people, it's clear that Charlotte has found the formula that works for her!
Her story is incredibly inspirational and aspirational for all who feel a bit overwhelmed by the idea of dieting and hitting the gym.
Charlotte's 100-pound transformation is a great reminder that anyone, even someone who has had 12 children, can reclaim their body for a happier, healthier future!
If you love Charlotte Siems' success story, be sure to SHARE her journey with every mom you know!
