A simple lifestyle change led to a remarkable body transformation for a 36-year-old woman, who lost more than half her body weight in just over a year.
Leah Hope Mancuso, a photographer from Scottsdale, Arizona, decided to make a change after a 2022 trip to Disneyland with her nephew. The trip left her with a migraine, foot and back pain, and excessive sweating. At the time, she weighed nearly 400lbs (28st 8lbs).
The turning point came when she started a simple habit: walking for just 10 minutes a day. “That was all I could do at one time,” she said. “But as I built up my endurance, I was able to go from 10 minutes to 15, then 20, and eventually 30 minutes.”
This small change gave her the confidence to try other exercises and kick-start her weight loss journey. Today, she weighs 185lbs (just over 13 stone) and proudly shares her transformation on social media, where her progress has inspired millions.
Ms. Mancuso incorporated swimming, strength training, pickleball, and hiking into her routine. About a year into her journey, she hired a personal trainer, with whom she has worked regularly since.
Her story has motivated others to continue their own weight-loss journeys. One user commented, “When I feel like not walking, I just come to her page. I’ve lost 60lbs just by walking and maintaining a calorie deficit.
Recently, Ms. Mancuso had surgery to remove excess skin from her stomach, a result of her significant weight loss. In a heartfelt post, she expressed her joy at seeing her new body. “I’ve never seen that view before, a stomach without so much extra weight or loose skin,” she wrote. “It was overwhelming to see a version of me I’ve never known. A version I’ve spent years imagining but never had the chance to experience.”
Ms. Mancuso’s weight gain started due to a busy lifestyle that led her to rely on junk food and unhealthy snacks. “Every step felt like a burden,” she recalled. Her old diet included Starbucks every morning, with a large caramel macchiato, a blueberry muffin, and a Danish, followed by fast food like In-N-Out burgers and frozen meals at home.
As she began walking, she also started tracking her food and eventually her calories. Her current meals are much healthier, with scrambled eggs, fruit, and poached eggs for breakfast, cottage cheese bowls or sandwiches for lunch, and chicken and potatoes or pasta with vegetables for dinner.
Ms. Mancuso’s transformation came full circle when she revisited Disneyland in 2023, weighing 190lbs less than her first visit. “This time, not only was my body lighter, but my mind was lighter because I didn’t have to worry about running out of energy,” she said. “My heart was lighter because I didn’t feel guilty about missing out on experiences with my nephew. Nothing was a burden.”
