Biggest Loser Trainer Erica Lugo Is Down 30 Lbs. as She Preps for Her First Fitness Competition
Erica Lugo is ready to hit the stage and show off her hard work after months of intensive training for her first fitness competition.
The Biggest Loser trainer, 34, decided in August to tackle a fitness competition in the transformations division.
"Working in the industry I've heard not so great things about the world of competing. However I've also heard amazing things about competing," Lugo wrote on Instagram at the time. She added that she knew if she was going to give it a try, she would do it "the right way" — with the help of her doctors, trainers and therapist to make sure she's going through the process in a safe and healthy manner.
And for months, Lugo has documented the ups and downs of prepping her body to perform and look its best for the judges, from daily workouts to cutting out carbs to her "refuel" days.
Erica Lugo/Instagram Erica Lugo
On Sunday, about a week out from the competition in Atlantic City on Dec. 4, Lugo shared a before and after photo of her progress and said that she's lost nearly 30 lbs. and more than 5% of her body fat.
"Going into peak week ready 🥊," she wrote on Instagram. "Don't care if I win, honestly. As cliche as it sounds. I already won. Ya I know. Cliche. But I've learned so much about myself. What I'm capable of. I've made connections with people and myself because of this process."
RELATED: Erica Lugo 'Cried' at Photos of Herself Post-Tummy Tuck: 'I've Worked So Hard for This Body'
Lugo said that while her prep wasn't "perfect," she's proud of what she's accomplished.
"For my first show and a shorter prep time for my first show I'm happy with what I'm bringing to the table," she said. "Was I perfect? Nope. Actually hell no. But I wouldn't change a thing. Shockingly I'm more impressed with my mental change and perseverance vs any damn physical change."
RELATED VIDEO: Erica Lugo Lost Over 100 Lbs. Before Becoming a Trainer on 'Biggest Loser': 'I Relived My Journey'
Lugo has made major transformations before. Around six years ago, she weighed 322 lbs. and decided to live differently. Over the next few years, Lugo lost 160 lbs. and became a fitness trainer with her own studio before helping other people do the same on The Biggest Loser.
Lugo previously told PEOPLE that she formed an instant connection with the contestants because of their shared weight struggles.
"They just trust me because I was there," she said in 2019. "I know when they're crying during a burpee, I've been there. I've cried the same tears."
In 2020 she experienced another body transformation when she had loose skin removed in a full tummy tuck. "I don't even feel like this is my body," she told PEOPLE at the time. "I didn't even know I could have a body like this."
