Paulette Szalay

I've been in the health and fitness field for about 4 years, focusing on inspiring women and men over 50 to transform their lives through natural weight loss. My journey began in April 2022 when I was sitting on a Florida beach at 264 pounds, completely clothed from head to toe and sweating profusely under an umbrella while my family enjoyed the ocean. When I saw a mature woman in a bathing suit from behind and she turned around, I had my epiphany on that Easter Sunday - if she could look like that, so could I, and I never looked back. I lost 148 pounds naturally over three and a half years, going from a size 24 to a size 4. Nine months into my journey, I suffered an ocular stroke in my left eye and was completely blind for about 24 hours, but the neurologist attributed my regained eyesight to the healthy lifestyle I was living - my protein shakes, vitamins, proper diet, and exercise routine. I've been maintaining my weight for about 6 months now, going to Planet Fitness at least 3 times a week, doing Pilates once a week, and following a daily routine of protein shakes with collagen, MCT oil, CoQ10, and multivitamins, along with eating salads and grilled fish and chicken. I'm also an educator with a biology degree, teaching chemistry, physics, and forensics, which helped me understand the biology behind weight loss when I worked with a nutritionist for the first 6 months before becoming independent. I've been featured on the Sherri Shepherd Show as a guest in Fit Over 50, appeared on covers of magazines including Women's World, been in commercials like Generac, played a reporter in the movie King 3, done modeling, appeared on several podcasts, and received a letter from Senator Gordon Johnson recognizing my accomplishment in helping the community of Teaneck. I work with several women individually to help them lose weight without charging, and I'm in the process of writing a book with a support system platform for readers, based on the group text support system of 8 to 10 individuals that helped me succeed. I'm also designing clothes and planning to start a fashion club for my students next year with a student runway.