FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A South Florida woman walked into a gym 10 years ago weighing more than 300 pounds.
Now, that same woman, Monica Di Giacomo, weighs 137 pounds, is a competitive body builder and is married to the man who helped to change and save her life: her personal trainer.
Earlier this month, Di Giacomo did something that seemed impossible just a few years ago: the 47-year-old won a bodybuilding competition in Fort Lauderdale.
“The sparkle, the shine, the lights on me, I wanted that, I strove for that and it fulfilled my heart,” she said.
Di Giacomo’s journey began a decade ago.
At 320 pounds, with her blood sugar and cholesterol levels dangerously high and blood pressure soaring, her doctor had a dire warning.
“She tells me, ‘I’m not going to see you next visit’ and I said why?” Di Giacomo said. “’Are you moving, are you changing your practice?’ And she said, ‘No, you’re not going to make it, you’re going to die.’”
Monica decided to save her life and to lose the weight, but then she ran into a roadblock she wasn’t expecting.
She went from gym to gym trying to find a trainer, but no one would help, as she was too much of a health risk.
“I was just such a liability to them and to the gym that no one wanted to help me,” she said.
Then she met Marino Di Giacomo, who agreed to be her personal trainer.
“First (thing) they say is that they want to lose weight or lose fat, (she) just told me, ‘I want to live,’” he said. “I was like wow, that hit me. I said what do you mean and she said I’m about to die because of my weight.”
Added Monica Di Giacomo: “There were days I cried, there were days I hated him, I loved him, that I was grateful for him, and there were days I just wanted to get up and go.”
But she stayed and put in the hard work, slowly changing her eating habits, shedding pounds and gaining self-confidence.
“She didn’t want to work out in front of the mirror, so every single day I would get her in front of the mirror and say look at that woman, and finally she smiled and I said, ‘Yes, that’s the smile I want to see,’” Marino Di Giacomo said.
And a few years later, there was a lot more to smile about.
The two fell in love and got married in 2022, a heartwarming story born from sweat, tears and determination.
“My message is don’t give up, take it one day at a time,” Monica Di Giacomo said. “Rome was not built in one day. With time, rep after rep after rep, we’ve chipped away and chipped away and here we are.”
She did have a gastric sleeve procedure, but only after she had dropped close to 50 pounds and proved her determination to succeed.
Monica Di Giacomo stressed the importance of combining strength training with cardio workouts and learning that food is not your enemy.
And for those wondering, she said she may indeed sign up for another bodybuilding competition again next year.
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