When Anna Reynolds, #1373, Tampa, Florida, saw photos from her vacation, she knew she wanted to make a change.

“Holy guacamole,” she exclaimed. “I couldn’t believe I allowed myself to get that heavy.”

Anna gave birth to her third child the year before, and she was happy she didn’t gain a lot of extra weight during the pregnancy. But the scale kept climbing after she had her baby. By the time she took that fateful trip, she’d gained an additional 15 pounds.

Over the years, Anna, now 39, had tried every diet she could find. She always hoped to find something magical to help her lose weight without doing any work. This time, she decided to simply count calories and start working out.

She downloaded a calorie tracking app and started logging what she ate. Once she knew her average calorie intake, she cut down to 1,500 – 1,800 calories per day. By February 2018, she had lost 20 pounds.

To help her efforts, she also subscribed to a meal planning app. Using that tool, she and her family would shop for and prepare four or five meals per week, plus leftovers.

“When you’re working until 6 or 7, the easy thing is to order a pizza or grab takeout,” she said. “That throws your calorie count out the window. Planning ahead keeps us from doing that too often.”

This past April, Anna noticed she was no longer losing weight. She resolved to work out more consistently, and she started getting up early to do a 30-minute, high-intensity, bootcamp-style workout at a gym near her house. By working out in the morning, her evenings are free to spend time with her family.

“I’ve only lost a few more pounds since I started working out, but I’ve seen a change in my body,” she says. “I’m down two more sizes. It’s crazy how your body responds to these things.”

Anna says photos of herself were important for her journey.

“Not seeing the scale move can be discouraging,” she says, “but when you see those pictures, it’s mind-blowing. You know what you’re doing is working.”