I lost 35 pounds without changing my diet — I do this exercise twice a week

Tracy Swartz
·3 min read
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A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage.
A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds in six months by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage.
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Divorce was the kick in the butt she needed.

A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds in six months by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage.

A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds in six months by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage. (This is her before and after picture.) Sarah Albassri / SWNS
A California mom of a toddler says she has shed 35 pounds in six months by practicing taekwondo following the breakdown of her marriage. (This is her before and after picture.) Sarah Albassri / SWNS

“I feel healthier and happier,” Sarah Albassri, 30, gushed to SWNS. “I feel like I’m glowing up.”

The PhD biomedical engineering student, who hails from Irvine, learned the martial art when she came to the US in 2013 after fleeing the war in Syria.

“I felt scared. I wanted to be strong,” Albassri explained. “It took out all my stress and anxiety. I felt amazing. I fell in love with it right away.”

All the while, Albassri married her now ex-husband in 2019, became a taekwondo instructor in 2020, and kept up with it throughout her pregnancy.

But when her marriage ran into trouble, Albassri battled with her weight and depression — and found herself slipping from her taekwondo training.

At her heaviest, Albassri weighed 185 pounds.

At her heaviest, Sarah Albassri weighed 185 pounds. Sarah Albassri / SWNS
At her heaviest, Sarah Albassri weighed 185 pounds. Sarah Albassri / SWNS

“I felt so isolated. Physically, my posture changed,” Albassri lamented. “I lost my self-confidence.”

Albassri said she packed on pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic and failed to lose weight she gained while pregnant with her daughter, who is now 2.

She tried everything — from diets to weight loss pills — to slim down, but nothing worked.

She learned taekwondo when she came to the US in 2013. She became an instructor in 2020 and got back into the practice after the breakdown of her marriage last year. Sarah Albassri / SWNS
She learned taekwondo when she came to the US in 2013. She became an instructor in 2020 and got back into the practice after the breakdown of her marriage last year. Sarah Albassri / SWNS

She decided to separate from her ex in March 2023.

After struggling for a few months, she got herself back into taekwondo in August of that year.

Albassri started training two to three times a week, for six hours a session, and took up running, pushing her toddler along in the stroller.

Taekwondo, which involves kicking, punching, jumping and other movements, burns around 937 calories in an hour, per Red Bull. Sarah Albassri / SWNS
Taekwondo, which involves kicking, punching, jumping and other movements, burns around 937 calories in an hour, per Red Bull. Sarah Albassri / SWNS

“I was running with my daughter and she’d get fussy if I walked,” Albassri noted. “I always carry her around my waist when I exercise. I want to be this version of myself for her.”

Soon, she started to see results — without changing her diet. She boasts that she is down to 150 pounds and a size 8.

Now, she feels “happy” in her body.

Albassri boasts that she is down to 150 pounds and a size 8. Sarah Albassri / SWNS
Albassri boasts that she is down to 150 pounds and a size 8. Sarah Albassri / SWNS

“I feel so much closer to myself now,” Albassri enthused. “It’s that life event [separation] that I got my transformation. If you’re stressed, nothing could help you lose weight.”

Taekwondo, which involves kicking, punching, jumping and other movements, burns around 937 calories in an hour, Red Bull reports.

“Find happiness in the things you love to do,” Albassri advised.