“Old People Don’t Do Workouts”

This Grandmother Defied Her Age and the Odds to Get Healthy

At first glance, 48-year-old Lesly Donahoe doesn’t look the part of your typical fitness transformation. Though thin as a child, after three pregnancies in her early 20s she gained a considerable amount of weight and lost it quickly — too quickly, in fact. Left frighteningly thin, and struggling with a number of health issues that persisted for years, by age 42, she realized where her life would lead if she didn’t make a change…

Many people begin their transformation stories with the decision to make a change, but the backstory that leads up to that moment is just as important. Where does your story begin?

I think of my journey as a real-life “Rags to Riches” story, not having anything to do with financial status but my state of mind. My childhood, as early as I can remember, was full of challenges; from dealing with a father who had the worst form of Tourette Syndrome, to us constantly moving and changing schools my entire life. By my senior year, I had been to six different schools, and three of those were high schools. My self-esteem was already low, and I was embarrassed by my dad because of his Tourette’s — it kills me saying it, I loved my dad and know he couldn’t help it — but I didn’t have many friends.

So you weren’t very social?

Oh, gosh no. I mean, I had a couple of friends, but they never came over to the house or anything. I never went to prom or any of that.

What kind of impact did that have on you growing up?

Mentally, it took a toll, which left me riddled with anxiety and depression. I somehow managed to make the best of my situation and graduate.

How did all of that instability affect your health? Were you fit or active at all as a child?

I was a very thin as a child and teen — actually, awkwardly thin for a 5’8 frame. I have a twin sister, and we were always outside playing and stuff. We cheered in grade school, too. Not in middle school or high school, because that’s when the moving started. But it was always me and her, we never socialized.

How about as a young adult, did things change for you?

By age 20, I was pregnant with my first son and had gained 60 lbs. Two years later, I had a daughter; 13 months later, another son. My body hadn’t recovered from all those pregnancies and with my newfound little family and all the stress that comes with, I began eating constantly because I was at home all day with three babies. By age 33, I was my heaviest at 190 lbs. I was miserable, very depressed, and I started drinking very heavily.

What was the lowest point for you during that time?

I was drunk and got in my car to get a pack of cigarettes. About a mile from my house, I went off a mountain. I landed upside down in the rain at 9 o’clock at night. I was so drunk I couldn’t tell I was upside down, couldn’t comprehend that I had even wrecked. I crawled out of the window and had to climb up the mountain, bleeding and with no shoes on. We live on a country road, so I had to walk half a mile to a neighbor’s house to use the phone. That was when I knew, right then there, that I had to change. That was it for me and drinking like that. I hated that it took something like that, but the heavy drinking was over. I was still unhealthy and miserable and depressed, but at least that much changed. Now, I’ll have one or two every few months, but that’s it.

That sounds awful, glad you made it through that. You quit the heavy drinking, did it lead to other changes?

It did. I was 190 lbs, divorced, raising three kids on my own, and had no clue how to even begin to lose the weight. I had heard of low carbs and decided to try it. I had no idea what a macro[nutrient] was, I just knew to eat meat — that’s as far as my knowledge went. Smoking heavily, with no exercise, I lost 60 lbs in five months.

That’s a pretty drastic change, especially without exercise. How did you feel after that?

At first when I was losing weight, I felt good about myself. The more I lost, though, the worse I felt. I’d get to shaking all over — which, it turns out, was my Graves’ disease, but I didn’t know it yet — I felt absolutely worse than I did before I lost the weight, mentally and physically. I was extremely thin, had dark circles under my eyes constantly, never slept. It was a bad time.

Did people start to notice?

I was accused of doing drugs and constantly asked if I was sick. I looked weak, sick and frail, and had to be given potassium intravenously because I was so incredibly unhealthy — worse than when I was overweight. This caused a whirlwind of health issues. I was diagnosed with the Graves’ disease, extremely high cholesterol, and poor circulation on my right side. I lived like this for a while, getting worse by the year.

What was your turning point?

I was sitting on my porch smoking, around age 42, and I was thinking about my dad. He smoked four packs a day, was diabetic, and had horrendous eating habits. When I was 27, he died right after leaving my house — right in my driveway — of a massive heart attack. Even though he was 49, he literally looked like he was in his 70s. He was so unhealthy. I was sad and thinking about how I was heading in the same direction. I was just tired of being tired, just existing, being mentally and physically miserable every day. I didn’t want to end up like him.

How did you get started?

My sister asked me if I wanted a membership at our local gym. But I didn’t have any gym clothes. I was working like a dog just to take care of three kids. I had to stop that “I’m too embarrassed because I don’t have nice things” thinking. I told myself, “This can’t be about other people anymore. I have to do this for myself.”

But I had no clue where to start. I couldn’t afford a trainer, so I decided to just walk on the treadmill. After six months of going occasionally, I decided I was done with smoking and I was truly going to give this getting healthy thing a shot the best I knew how.

How much did you know?

Not a whole lot. When I first started, I was embarrassed to tell people — to even tell my kids — that I was exercising, because I had been so unhealthy and such a horrible role model for them. When I did tell my son, he mentioned this guy whose weight-training programs he was doing, but I said, “I’m walking, doing my thing at the gym. I’m fine.” At the time, I thought that anybody that worked out was young — old people don’t do workouts; old people walk. That’s what we do.

Doesn’t sound all that exciting. Did you stick with it?

I did, but I eventually walked back to the weight room after getting tired of only doing cardio, and just started asking my son questions. I’d go home and look up exercises, and do my best to do something new weekly.

After a year of us talking back and forth, with me asking things like, “What do I do for my arms?” he said, “Mom, I’m telling you, if you do this program, you’ll love it. I promise, look Jim [Stoppani] up, you’ll like it.” He was telling me about all the information he’d gotten, “I’ll let you on my account, just look at it.” When I first looked him up and found out he was only two years older than me, I realized he’s not so young, either. So, after a year of my son begging me to look up Jim and his programs, I finally decided I’d start in January [of 2016], and I did Shortcut to Shred.

What was that experience like?

I had never done a program. I had never heard of a “superset”, a “drop set”, “rest-pause”, any of that. I had no clue, it was all new to me. What I was doing in the gym wasn’t changing me. Just in that six weeks of doing that program — I felt great. I was already feeling better from going to the gym. After I started working out a bit and asking my son about lifting weights, I was kind of getting addicted to it but I still wasn’t seeing any changes, so that’s when I finally gave in and did the program. I’ve maybe taken a week off over two and a half years since.

How about your diet, were you still going with your low-carb approach?

My diet was still not good, but I did manage to lower my cholesterol a little. My son tried explaining macros to me to no avail. That was all foreign to me, so he just gave me food ideas based off of Jim’s Dieting 101. I learned that I had to eat — I had to actually eat! I wasn’t starving myself. I had never heard anybody telling me to eat carbs! Never. I officially didn’t know anything. I went into this blind as a bat, and I’m so thankful I did. I’m thankful I found him when I did.

Did you get the results you were after?

This was life changing for me. I broke a 2 ½-year plateau and lost 9 lbs. I felt incredible, and it awakened a new love for lifting. I was so excited to learn about all these things I hadn’t heard about during all those years of lifting.

Sounds like you discovered a real passion for it.

I did! As of that date, I’ve done one program after another: Shortcut to Shred, Six Weeks to Sick Arms, and the Ripped in 6 Challenge, among others. I’m in the absolute best health of my life, now. My Graves’ disease went into full remission, and even though that led to hyperthyroidism I still take no medications and my thyroid levels have stayed in check going on almost three years, now. No depression, no anxiety, and my cholesterol had improved. All of my circulation problems are non-existent.

That’s amazing, It must’ve been so freeing.

Never would I have imagined I could have muscles, look healthy and fit, not just changing my insides or my physique but my skin, my hair — I truly feel so incredibly happy, and nowhere near my age.

There was a time when thinking about the future was dark for you. What does it hold for you now?

Well, I was recently asked to become a personal trainer based on my transformation alone. To say I’m honored is an understatement. I’m so very grateful I found something that worked the first time instead of possibly going through program after program and just giving up.

I had made so many mistakes raising my kids — I’m not making excuses, I made every choice myself — but now, I can look at my grandchildren and say “Do as I do.” I could never say that with my kids. I look forward to watching them grow up. I don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to be like my dad and die of a massive heart attack at 49 from being unhealthy. Now, my future is full of hope. I’m excited to wake up each day. I have a goal — every single day, I have a goal, I have a purpose. I’m excited about the future, now.

You’ve overcome so many struggles, especially those within, and found your way to what sounds like a truly remarkable time in your life. What message would you like pass along to anyone reading this who can relate to your story?

What I want most for people to know is that it doesn’t matter what you’ve been diagnosed with, what trials you’ve faced. Honestly, try not to let any of that define who you can be, who you want to be. I’ve been at the bottom. It doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Take it one day at a time, find something that works for you, find somebody legit, do research — that’s a big thing for me, I research everything now — and don’t settle for what life gives you if it’s not what you thought it was going to be. Never let age be a factor in anything. I don’t care if you’re overweight or underweight — there’s nothing that you can’t achieve if you just make the decision and never give up on it.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me and my readers.

You’re welcome! I never imagined something I went through, that at one time almost killed me, could possibly save someone else’s life. Thank you for giving me a place and opportunity to share with you.

As she embarks on her journey as a trainer, Lesly remains an active member of the JYM Army Facebook group page, where she shares her journey and insights she’s gained along the way. You can also follow her progress on Instagram as she continues pursuing her fitness goals.

For more on proper nutrition like Jim Stoppani’s Dieting 101, programs like Shortcut to Shred, Six Weeks to Sick Arms, and Lesly’s favorite full-body program Ripped in 6, as well as tons of articles and videos from one of the world’s foremost experts on training, supplementation, and sports nutrition, check out JimStoppani.com.