Female Body Builder With 10-Pack Gains 25 Pounds and Says She's Never Been Happier With New Body

Twenty-five-year-old Jolene Jones had achieved what so many desire by sculpting her body into what appeared to be the holy grail of health and fitness:

The photo you see above was not the result of God-given genes but tireless work and dedication, which started when she was just 21.

For the next couple years, Jones worked day in and day out at becoming a body builder.

Her winters consisted of her bulking up, eating mass amounts of food, then when competition season came, she would slim down at a rapid rate.

Her meals consisted of skinless chicken breast and veggies, while her purse was constantly filled with protein bars and shakes.

Outside of the kitchen, Jones spent six days in the gym per week lifting and doing cardio for 45 minutes, then spent the rest of her days posing in 5-inch heels.

For her first competition, her coach had her slim down 21 pounds:

However, by the time Jones was preparing for her second competition, she envisioned the next several months what her life would be like — days revolving around workouts, meal prep, constantly watching what she ate and how much.

Not to mention all the things she would be giving up, BBQs with friends, a cold beer, and just freely living her life.

Then it hit her: just because she had washboard abs, she wasn't happy.

In fact, it was the thing holding her back in life.

During an interview with People, Jones said:

“I asked myself, ‘What am I trying to prove here? Do I really need visible abs to be happy?’ I felt like I was fighting my body to be ‘happy’ but the truth is I was never enough, it was never enough. I look back on photos that I thought I looked ‘fat’ in and I looked damn good.”

It was then that Jones quit the competitive body building circuit and started enjoying life in ways she had never experienced before.

Jones allowed herself to eat “food, wine, carbs” and before she knew it, she put on 25 pounds:

And now she calls her transformation from “bodybuilder to body lover.”

In the Instagram post, which has captured the attention of people all over the internet, Jones writes:

“Some people might say this is ”letting yourself go“ but you can't put a price tag on happiness.”

Later she states:

“A six pack didn't make me happy. I was never enough and always needing to improve.”

In the process of her transformation, Jones learned things about herself that no visible abs or tricep definition could ever give her:

“Your worth and joy isn't weighed by what you can lift or what the scale says. My worth is weighed by those I surround myself with and the smile on my face.”

Speaking with People, Jones said she realized that life was about memories and those are created by experiencing life to its fullest.