If you haven’t seen Carrie De Silva in a while, there’s a good chance you won’t recognise her.

Six years ago she tipped the scales at 225lb. Today she’s 100lb lighter with a rock-hard body, and is helping others to get the same result.

“When I first moved here to Bermuda I just would party. I went out for dinner all the time and tried every restaurant,” Ms De Silva said.

“Back then I would say my confidence came after a few drinks. I used to be the one where if I went to a person’s house, I’d check the couch to see if there was a pillow I could use to cover my stomach with when I sat down. The freedom I feel now that I don’t have to do that is amazing.”

The 32-year-old was always described as big-boned while growing up in Kitchener, Ontario. Alcohol caused her weight to skyrocket in college.

She was determined to get healthier once she moved to Bermuda in 2009. She lost 15lb with help from health coach Kathi DeCouto; more weight fell off once she started a DVD workout, P90X.

“I remember starting at around 225lb and I was probably around 36 per cent body fat,” she said.

She dropped to 195lb and decided to join a gym.

“It lit a fire inside of me,” she said. “I didn’t have all the knowledge, but I took my P90X training and applied that to my workouts at the gym.”

Despite that, she hadn’t grasped the importance of healthy eating and was “still pretty dedicated to the partying lifestyle”.

“Whatever I did I gave it my all, so when I was a partier I was really good at it,” Ms De Silva said. “I stayed at 175lb for a few years and then I saw [bodybuilders competing at] Night of Champions in August 2014.

“I saw the girls on stage and I said, ‘This is what I want to do’. That’s what got me to my final transformation.”

Ross Caesar of Seaview Gym helped her lose an additional 57lb, however, getting show ready demanded discipline.

Ms De Silva incorporated lots of chicken, broccoli, almonds and oatmeal into her diet and started skipping social events.

Desserts remained her big challenge until she met Shameela Simons.

She introduced Ms De Silva to a form of flexible dieting called If It Fits Your Macros. Through it, she learnt how to fit in such foods as tacos and pancakes while still progressing with her fitness.

“It was about three weeks out from one of the competitions,” she said. “I was able to go out to a restaurant, I still got to enjoy my summer. I went out for Cup Match and Non-Mariners. I didn’t drink alcohol, but I knew how to fit some of those cheat foods in.”

The pharmacist technician is incredibly proud of her new physique.

“One of the most amazing things about this transformation is the mind transformation that comes with it,” she said.

“I love my alone time now and that’s the biggest gift; the body is the awesome plus. It’s fun having a six-pack, but what’s even better is now there’s not one thing I can think of that I can’t do.”

Ms De Silva is a certified nutrition coach. She is now studying to become certified as a personal trainer and plans to start a life-coaching course in the near future.

“I have a few people I train, like friends and stuff, and I say to them, ‘you’ll never regret a workout’,” she said. “This feeling you get at the end of it when you’re glowing and excited — focus on that. Don’t focus on the alarm going off early in the morning and having to drag your feet to get up. That part will pass. Just get outside and start.

“I was able to turn my most inactive friend into a fitness addict. It’s amazing.

“The biggest reward for me is seeing people fall in love with themselves and their bodies. It doesn’t matter what size they are, just seeing how strong they are, how many more push-ups they can do and the confidence that comes with that. So many people have the desire but just need help getting there and believing in themselves — that’s where I will come in.”

• E-mail carrieleefit@gmail.com for more information.