Meet Francina

Weight before: 155 lbs
Competition Weight: 119 lbs
Current Weight: 125 lbs



I have always had very low self-esteem. People look at me and tell me that they don’t believe me, but it is absolutely true. Growing up, I was felt like the odd girl out. I was ignored by my classmates and basically buried my nose in the books during my adolescence. I’ve always been involved with working out, but my eating habits were horrible. I packed on weight and seemed to be stuck at a certain weight and could not lose the weight no matter what. When I finally got my eating under control, I realized that I was one of those people that used food as coping mechanism. I really looked to food for comfort and without it, I was forced to face my true emotions.

Although I was never technically obese, I had a major “fat-girl” mentality where I thought and acted like I was much more overweight than I really was. I would cover up my body all the time. I always worked out at the gym in long pants and sweat shirts, even in the summer.

I finally took a long hard look at myself and realized that I control my destiny. Only I am responsible for my actions and the decisions I make. I control how I react to certain situations. Once I learned that lesson, I was ready to change. I found Beka who give me the tough love I needed to get on track and I have never looked back.

What got me started…

I wanted to get in shape for a trip to Aruba I was taking in August 2008 for my 31st birthday. I was very embarrassed about the pictures from my vacation the previous year, and did not want to feel uncomfortable and fat again. I just wanted to feel healthy and happy with my body and proud to flaunt my body in a bikini. I started training with Beka who gave me exactly the tough love I wanted needed. She created a customized diet and training plan for me. If my diet plan or workouts needed tweaking, Beka was on top of it so that I continued to lose weight, build muscle to achieve the body of my dreams. After the first 6 weeks of working with Beka, my body had transformed in a way that I had never seen before. She knew I had a goal of competing and asked me when I wanted to do my first show. At that point, I seriously considered competing in a figure show. I did my research and found a local show that was coming up in approximately 4 months. Beka believed in me and helped me to believe in myself. With dedication and the support of all the people around me, I did it. And I literally worked my butt off!

I competed in my first figure show on November 15, 2008 – the OCB Yorton Cup Nationals. It was a large and competitive show but I took home 2 trophies. That day was a dream come true. Beka has inspired me so much. Now, I need to dream bigger dreams!