These Healthy Reverse Body Transformations Are So Important

By Catriona Harvey-Jenner, Redbook

Instagram is a wonderful place when it comes to motivating yourself to lose a few pounds. But not everyone wants to lose weight, which is why we are all for the women who have taken an alternative approach to the body transformations we see so often. These reverse transformations show women who are much happier in the bodies they've got now, having gained weight, either through building muscle or simply by calming down their intense diet and fitness plan. And it's pretty damn inspiring..

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1.

A post shared by Marciel Hopkins (@marcielhopkins) on Jan 4, 2017 at 9:45pm PST

Last year, Marciel Hopkins lost 2 stone 2 in a bid to be crowned Miss South Africa. But after putting herself on a strict diet and training for 2 to 3 hours a day, she didn't feel anywhere near as good as she'd hoped. "My boobs shrunk 2 cup sizes and my period stopped. On this specific day of the picture, I got home, freezing after the shoot, and I had a baby apple for dinner." Marciel gave up her regimen and insists "it's NOT worth it to fight a daily battle with food or your body. Bodies are different, we can't all look the same."

2.

A post shared by A M I E W I L E Y 👩🏽 (@amie_fit_) on Jun 27, 2017 at 10:56am PDT

Student Amie gained two stone of weight in four years after realizing she wanted to be "a stronger Amie with much more muscle, who lifts weights and... eats much more food".

3.

Jolene Jones spent months shedding weight and toning herself up to compete in bodybuilding competitions, until one day she'd had enough. "A six pack didn't make me happy. I was never enough and always needing to improve," she said - so she let go of her rigid diet and exercise plan and hasn't looked back since.

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4.

A post shared by Claire Guentz (@claireguentz) on Apr 3, 2017 at 6:08am PDT

When nurse Claire Maxwell fainted and broke her jaw at work, she lost a stone. But when it came to putting the weight back on, she decided to use it as an opportunity to craft a strong and healthy body in the gym with the help of weightlifting.

5.

A post shared by Liza Golden-Bhojwani (@lizagoldenreal) on Mar 2, 2017 at 9:57pm PST

Former model Liza Golden-Bhojwan illustrated just how much her body changed after she stopped "fighting" it to fit the industry's ideals, and shared how much happier she is now.
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6.

A post shared by Jess (@jess_fitness5) on Jul 18, 2017 at 7:11am PDT

Jess can feel her body getting stronger in the 3 years since she realized "a single number does not define who I am". Nowadays, she's ditching the scales and has found herself "stronger, healthier, and all around happier".

7.

A post shared by HEALTHYFITVIC (@victorianiamh) on May 30, 2017 at 10:16am PDT

For personal trainer Victoria, her journey to gain weight was not an easy one. She suffered from anorexia (depicted in the first picture), and a year later (in the middle picture) she had developed an "obsession with food, exercise and my body". While she believed she was healthy at the time, Victoria now knows "there is nothing more unhealthy than putting so much stress on the body and mind to be low body fat %...It's having a healthy outlook on fitness and not letting it consume your life".

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8.

A post shared by Mackenzie Forbes (@kenziefitness_) on Jun 14, 2017 at 4:05pm PDT

Looking back, Mackenzie Forbes "will never understand how I ever convinced myself that being "thin" would bring happiness and help me feel like I would be accepted. Little did I know that lifting weights, not killing my body with HOURS of cardio everyday and eating enough would get me to the body I had ALWAYS wanted."

9.

A post shared by ALLIE 🌸 Just Do You, Babe! (@allisonkimmey) on Apr 18, 2017 at 2:48pm PDT

Going up 5 dress sizes might be a negative thing for most people, but not for Allison Kimmey. After years of feeling uncomfortable with her shape, and dieting as a result, she finally realized her attitude had to change when she had a baby daughter. Now it's all about embracing who she is rather than wishing she was different.
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10.

A post shared by CARINA | 32 | SYDNEY (@carinafitmama) on Jun 7, 2017 at 4:39am PDT

She may have gained 3kg, but for Carina, more weight = more strength.

A post shared by ELF (@emlouisefitness) on Apr 13, 2017 at 12:16pm PDT

Over the space of 18 months, fitness blogger Emma O'Neill has gained 10kg, and she couldn't be happier about it, because she's proud of the muscle mass she's achieved. But the most important thing, Emma urges, is to only get involved with health and fitness if it's "a fun addition to your life, rather than the whole of it."

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A post shared by Charli Howard (@charlihoward) on Mar 26, 2017 at 7:40am PDT

There's nothing better than seeing a woman appreciate herself, and model and body positivity activist Charli Howard is doing that now she's decided to embrace exactly who she is. "I like how my shape is developing. I like how womanly I'm starting to look. I like how my boobs and thighs are getting bigger," she wrote in this empowering Instagram post.

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A post shared by Megan Jayne Crabbe 🐼 (@bodyposipanda) on Feb 25, 2017 at 12:52pm PST

Some people say Megan Jayne Crabbe "ruined" her body by quitting her diet and exercise scheme, but she disagrees. (and so do we) "THIS IS MY HAPPY BODY," she proudly writes - and she looks great.

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