To the finish

Despite the rise in gluten-free trends, seven-day juice cleanses and other popular diets, for many, weight and body perception remain a constant struggle. And, too often, the thought of stepping into a gym filled with fit men and women decked out in neon-colored attire is intimidating enough to keep the pounds hidden and excuses active. For Wendy Welsher, her tipping point appeared in the form of a 300-pound reality check. In 2010, she asked for and received a Wii Fit console for Christmas from her parents. In turn she lost 15 pounds and gained the confidence to finally step into Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness center. It was there, through the help of a mentor and trainer, that Welsher started her transformation. Now the athlete, who once measured in at 51 percent body fat, registers 27 percent body fat and is down to a size 14 from her previous size-22 britches. She’s also got a new gig—as a personal trainer at HIIT Fitness. Welsher says she aims to break the body image stereotypes of athletes and trainers alike by continuing to improve the health of others, not just through classes, but also by example as she trains for marathons and triathlons.

Does size really matter in the fitness world?

People stereotype you into doing the [smaller] of the events at marathons I think because of size. Some women would go up and check in and staff members would assume they’d be doing the 5K when they were really doing the half marathon because they’re big. I still get that. For example, I do feel there is still a stereotype with me being a personal trainer now because I’m still a big girl. I’m fit and healthy and I can keep up.

Ideal body?

The perfect body is any body. It’s not just what Victoria’s Secret tells us what it is. It’s you, it’s me, it’s her [and] it’s him. We’re all the perfect body because we’re all ourselves. Athletes come in all shapes and sizes.

What can someone expect from your classes?

My class will teach proper technique because that’s still going to give you a workout and you need to learn how a basic squat is done before getting thrown into any of the progressions. It’s building strength and how to properly do the form. If you do these exercises wrong, you risk injury. There aren’t classes out there that are available that actually teach you how to do something and people just go work out. When you’re scared and you don’t have any resources, you stick to the same routine, which is when people see plateaus and get discouraged.

How has social media kept you physically active?

To hold myself more accountable, I started posting my workouts on Facebook and Instagram three to five days a week. I got flack for it like, 'I don’t care about your workouts.’ Well, hide me. If you don’t want to support what I’m doing, that’s fine. Positively, with this new venture, my friends want to work out with me, or people just come up to me and say they’ve been following my progress on Instagram and say 'You’re really inspirational.’ That’s all I want to do is help people like me and who don’t have the confidence to step into a gym. I want to give back.

The scale—love it or hate it?

It’s not all about the scale; it’s about how you feel. Looking back and seeing how far you’ve come is huge. Just even being active is a huge accomplishment, changing your lifestyle is a huge accomplishment, or having something fit differently. You are making yourself better.

Do you still experience days of struggle?

I’m still a work in progress. For people who don’t know where to go, I want to be that go-to. Come here. Come see me because I’ll be sweatin’ right next to ya. [Laughs.] I’m going through the same thing they’re going through. I can relate with them. It’s hard. It’s not an easy road. If it was easy, we’d all be skinny.

Go-to healthy snacks?

My favorite snack is vanilla yogurt with strawberries and granola, or peanut butter and celery, or dried mangoes with chili.

What are some steps outside of the gym that continue to support your progress?

Meal prep has definitely helped me. My friend … is a chef for an after-school program for kids [that] … [teaches] how to eat and cook healthy. She comes over and helps me plan meals. It’s more fun when you’re doing it with somebody. Food is definitely a challenge for me. We made a Moroccan chicken, which was really good, with brown rice and a bunch of fresh vegetables—that was one of my favorites.

Besides weight loss, what are some of your accomplishments?

I’ve completed the Giant Race in San Francisco; Bay to Breakers, which is a 12K; Eppie’s Great Race here in Sacramento, which is a triathlon. I’ve done that twice. I’m an iron woman where you do all three events: running 5.82 miles, biking 12.5 and kayaking 6.43 miles. I beat my time by 12-and-a-half minutes this last year.

Future goals?

I’m running my longest distance ever in January at the Hot Chocolate [15K] in San Francisco at 9.3 miles and I’m not a runner. But, I’m taking two days a week to walk and run. I did my quickest mile recently; it was 12 minutes and 43 seconds. I just want to finish.