Jackson Free Press

It is usually our challenges in life that lead to our biggest accomplishments. Danielle Wells, 27, is a testament to this fact. Born in Jackson and raised in Clinton, Wells struggled with her weight from an early age. She was an only child until she was 9, spending most of her time with her mother while her dad deployed overseas with the navy.

"I always ran to food. It didn't become a problem for me until high school, and I started seeing that I was a little bit heavier than most other girls," she says.

At her heaviest, Wells tipped the scales at 330 pounds. As a singer, she had hopes of joining the show choir at her high school but didn't see that dream realized.

"I was upset about it. I love to sing, and I couldn't be a part of the show choir because I was heavy," Wells says, adding that the show choir girls all had a certain look, and no girl larger than the average size had been a member. "I made up in my mind that I needed to lose weight. But it wasn't until after I had my daughter that I looked in the mirror and said, 'I've got to do something and quickly.'"

Since the beginning of her weight-loss journey, which started in late 2009, Wells has lost a total of 147.5 pounds. Unfortunately, she has received some negative criticism with people accusing her of having had surgery or using diet pills.

"My weight loss has been completely natural. I have done Zumba and changed my diet," she says.

More than half of Wells' weight loss came after she began doing Zumba, after her aunt introduced her to it.

"I had never heard of it. I had no idea what it was. (My aunt) said 'Latin,' and I said, 'Woman, are you crazy? I cannot salsa. I cannot do any of that. That's not me,'" she says.

Twenty minutes into her first class, Wells was hooked and became a self-proclaimed "Zumba beast."

Wells works hard to live what she teaches. She knows that people, including her 8-year-old daughter, are watching her.

"I didn't want her to be like me. I didn't want her to be overweight. I didn't want her to go through what I went through," she says.

People look to her for motivation every day—whether she's at the gym or her full-time job as a certified dental assistant at Endodontic Associates in Ridgeland or eating out—so she tries to be an example everywhere. She admits that she still has bad days because everyone makes mistakes. But she never gives up and encourages others to not give up, either.

"The only thing that separates us from change is fear—our 'better' is on the other side of fear. Once you take that leap of faith, that's when that change happens," she says.

Danielle's Healthy Tips

• Accept the fact that you will have hard days—it doesn't make you a failure. Pick back up and start over the next day—always keep moving forward.

• Start a support system. People can be negative. Be sure to surround yourself with positive people. Weight loss is not just physical; it is a mental and emotional change as well.

• Let go of the easy things, like soda. Remember, convenience stores have nothing healthy.

• Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry. When you make last-minute decisions about food, you are more likely to be tempted to eat anything that looks good.

• Water, water, water all day long. Danielle drinks at least 135 ounces of water daily.

• Consider a detox. Danielle detoxes every three months. "Once you get all that bad stuff out of your body, it's amazing how much better you feel," she says. Check with your doctor before going through a detox.

Danielle's Top 5 Workout Songs

Danielle is adamant that healthy weight loss and weight maintenance is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. She just celebrated her one-year anniversary as a Zumba instructor. The Latin-based dance fitness program is her go-to exercise regimen.

• "Limbo," by Daddy Yankee

• "Feel This Moment," by Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera

• "Party Jumpin," by R. Kelly

• "Vivir Mi Vida," by Marc Anthony

• "Mr. Fete," by Machel Montano

Danielle's Healthy Food Swaps

• Instead of a full glass of wine, make a wine spritzer with half wine and half seltzer.

• Instead of regular peanut butter, try pb2 by Bell Plantation. In two tablespoons, this peanut-butter powder has 45 calories, 13 calories from fat and 0 grams of saturated fat compared to traditional peanut butter that has 190 calories, 130 calories from fat and 3 grams of saturated fat for the same serving size.

• Instead of Skittles, try frozen grapes.

• Instead of frying fish, try pan-searing.

• Instead of white rice or white pasta, try brown rice and whole-wheat pasta.

Danielle's Day

5 a.m.—Floor exercises (15 minutes of abdominal and leg exercises) "I do (these exercises) as a way to raise my metabolism," Danielle says. "I always drink a bottle of cold water as soon as my feet hit the floor."

Before 8 a.m.—Breakfast is either an egg-white omelet with a teaspoon of salsa, oatmeal with a piece of fruit (usually a banana), or a fruit smoothie with added protein powder. She also has a cup of black coffee sweetened with one Splenda packet.

11:30 a.m. or noon—Lunch is fish (baked or broiled) and vegetables. If she is short on time, Wells goes for a half salad from Newk's Eatery with vinaigrette or a Weight Watchers Smart Ones frozen meal.

No later than 7 p.m.—Dinner is any type of lean meat with vegetables. When she doesn't cook, she will have a 6-inch turkey sub sandwich (no cheese or condiments), a salad with a vinaigrette dressing or a protein shake.

Every two hours (in between meals)—Snacks are mainly fruit or popcorn, string cheese or yogurt with granola.

Zumba with Danielle

Baptist Healthplex (106 Clinton Parkway, Clinton, 601-925-7900): Monday at 8 p.m., Tuesday at 7 p.m. and some Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.

YMCA (400 Lindale St., Clinton, 601-924-5812): Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Friday at 6 p.m.

Brickhouse Cardio Club (100 Top St., Suite H, Flowood, 601-939-1040): Thursday at 6 p.m.

Danielle's Favorite Recipe

Baked Tilapia and Asparagus

4-ounce tilapia filet, per person

1 lemon, sliced

1 bunch of thin asparagus spears, trimmed and rinsed

Lemon-pepper seasoning

Extra-virgin olive oil

Black pepper

Sea salt

Water

Rinse and pat dry tilapia filets. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tilapia in baking dish, sprinkle with seasoning and place a slice of lemon on top. Add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish and cover with foil. Bake in oven for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

While the fish is baking, boil asparagus for five minutes on medium-high heat. Remove from water and spread out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and add black pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Bake for five minutes in the same oven as the fish at 350 degrees until asparagus is fork tender.