As Nina Davuluri strutted across the stage in a stunning leopard print bikini the New York native was the mirror image of beauty and confidence. She looked radiant and happy but she revealed in a testimonial on her trainer's website that she wasn't always so confident and at one point feared walking the stage in a bikini for millions of people to see, Radar Online reports.
The 24-year-old revealed in her testimonial that she had dropped 50 pounds before the competition. Davuluri said after she graduated college in May of 2011 she weighed 170 pounds and couldn't believe she had let herself get so out of shape.
"I realized that I needed to make some serious changes if I wanted to get healthy and feel confident about myself," she wrote. "I started changing my eating habits and began taking group fitness classes at the gym."
Within four months she had shed 15 pounds and decided to get back into the pageant world. She had already won the Miss Michigan Teen and was the first runner-up to Miss America Teen. Her true goal was to become Miss America and so she decided to compete in the Miss Greater Rochester - a preliminary to the Miss America pageant.
In order to prepare herself Davuluri was forced to tackle what was holding her back and made the decision to lose another 15 pounds. That's when she met trainer Tia Falcone.
"It came to the point where I realized I was giving up on my dream simply because of my weight and confidence issues," Davuluri wrote. "The Miss Greater Rochester pageant was in April which meant I had 2 months to get my rear in gear."
She began Falcone's "Tortured by Tia" program which combined free weights, circuit training, resistance bands and kettle balls. The trainer also showed her how to eat a healthier diet. Within no time Davuluri had lost an additional 28 pounds and ended up winning the Miss Greater Rochester title.
"I continued to work with Tia for the next few months and I can honestly say that I would not have been able to achieve my dream without her," she wrote. "She kept me motivated and pushed me to do my best every step of the way. In the three months I worked with Tia, I lost a total of 28 pounds! I never thought I could transform my body into what it is today."
Her weight loss journey not only helped her get in shape but to also regain her confidence.
"Regardless of the number on the scale, or any competition, Tia has taught me that the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to take care of our health and well-being," Davuluri wrote. "I am now in the best shape of my life and have never been more excited for bikini season!"
