How Fitness Entrepreneur Sami Spalter Worked Her Way Up From Walking To Crushing 10 Pullups

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I struggled with my weight most of my life. As a young girl, it definitely made me feel different and less-than. I tried every fad diet in the book during high school and got sucked into the vicious cycle of yo-yo dieting. I would miserably commit to a restrictive plan and lose a ton of weight, but there was no way I could maintain that lifestyle in the long term, and I’d immediately gain the weight back.

When I got to college, I gained 30 pounds within the first semester. I was so overwhelmed and defeated that I honestly just succumbed to the fact I was meant to be overweight. It felt like my body was merely a vessel, and it wasn’t mine to change or feel ownership of.

It wasn’t until I graduated and moved to Los Angeles that I knew something needed to change. I met with a new doctor and stepped on the scale for the first time in years. I was 200 pounds. I was heartbroken and speechless, but I very vulnerably asked the doctor for help. I didn’t know how, but I wanted to heal myself physically and mentally. This is when my mindset shifted. This time was different from my other attempts at losing weight. I was no longer just trying to make it happen, but I was fully committing to make the necessary changes to change my life. Every decision I made was now in favor of the person I wanted to become.

I met with a nutritionist and learned the power of self-discipline.

The next day, I met with my doctor's in-house nutritionist and he put me on the keto diet. I was given a pamphlet of foods to focus on eating, and that immediately gave me a sense of structure and self-discipline that I had never had before. I committed myself to the keto diet, focused on self-control, and really focused on healing my emotional relationship with food that I struggled with my entire life.

I maintained the keto diet for two years and lost the first 40 pounds. I celebrated my progress and was proud of my discipline and newfound confidence, but even though the physical results were happening, my mental health was struggling from feeling like I was a prisoner to a plan. The physical results were there, but I knew I still wasn’t my best self. I’ve always been a foodie and wanted to find a way to establish a sustainable, balanced diet without vilifying certain food groups.

I slowly started to reintroduce carbs, but my primary focus was to eat whole fruits, vegetables, and lean protein. I have always loved learning from experts in the space, so I also started working with a new registered dietitian, Shira Barlow. Her motto is, “everything is on the table, but not everything is worth it,”—and that mindset gave me such a beautiful sense of freedom. I finally understood what worked for me and why, that I didn’t need to be restrictive, and I could celebrate the freedom to make good choices for myself.

After some trial and error, I found I feel my best when I prioritize protein (around 100 to 150 grams per day) and fresh produce. That said, I no longer deprive myself. I am intuitive with my eating—I eat when I'm hungry and I stop when I'm full. I’ve found what works for me, continued to maintain it as my lifestyle for over four years, and have now lost over 80 pounds.

Alongside getting to a healthy place with nutrition, I started prioritizing movement and made daily exercise a nonnegotiable.

Around the same time I stopped the keto diet, I started integrating consistent exercise. I had previously tried CrossFit (just because there was a gym walking distance to my house in Venice Beach), but I wasn’t in love with the intensity. I decided to start walking around my neighborhood in Los Angeles and slowly but surely worked my way up to 10 miles a day. Walking for me was a simple and constant way I could get daily movement, and it's still my favorite form of therapy.

Alongside my walks, I started experimenting with at-home YouTube workouts, where I was introduced to my now co-founder, Sami Clarke. Sami’s workouts were quick, fun, and effective. I found a new inner strength I had never known my entire life, and I was hooked. In the past, my priority with exercise was to show up, punish myself for indulging, and try to lose weight. I shifted my mindset to find movement I actually craved, knowing I wanted to step away from every workout feeling like my best self.

As it turned out, my then boyfriend and now husband and Sami Clarke's fiancé went to middle school together and reconnected when we all lived in LA. The four of us went on a double date couples walk, and Sami and I became fast best friends.

Sami’s workouts shifted my mindset about movement. She had also built a highly engaged social media following with thousands of women looking to her for more, and we both knew there was more to offer. Sami Clarke is a fitness expert with so much to share and I had my deep love for wellness alongside my strong business background, so we co-founded Form—where we give women the tools to form the best version of themselves through movement, nutrition, mindfulness, and community. And I truly know that Form has the ability to change lives, because it changed my own.

Now, I work out every single day. It’s a nonnegotiable for me. It's what supports my mental and physical health, so I can show up as my best self every day, and I have transformed my body and my muscle strength. I never believed this was possible for me, and now I have so much passion and purpose to be the proof for others that everything they desire is also possible for them. I follow Form’s strength schedule, which is emailed out weekly and consists of two upper-body days, one lower-body day, and one or two days of full-body training. Each session is between 30 minutes, and I have the workouts plugged into my Google calendar so nothing else can take my time.

On top of Form, I go for daily walks and work with a personal trainer once a week to get me out of my comfort zone, push my limits, and try new workouts.

Arms are, by far, my favorite muscle to train, and I’m honestly obsessed with biceps curls because I love watching my muscles grow. I also love pullups because they’re a testament to how far I’ve come. For most of my life, I couldn't even hold my own bodyweight just hanging from a bar, and now, I can crush 10 pullups in a row.

Sami’s MVP Fitness Products To Stay Motivated

Grass-Fed Beef Jerky Snack Sticks

"I’m obsessed with Chomps meat sticks for a quick source of protein," Sami says. "They’re perfect on-the-go and make the best, most satiating snack."

AirPods Max

"My Apple AirPods Max headphones are a game-changer. The surround sound totally transforms my walks and I love plugging in a good podcast," she says.

Sweetheart Supporter Bra

Sami feels motivated when wearing a cute workout set and "lives in" the FORM Activewear line, she says.

These four shifts were key to my strength transformation success.

After years of completely dissociating from my body, I finally learned that showing up for myself day in and day out is the highest form of self-love. Whether it’s going for a walk with my dog, trying a new healthy recipe with my husband, or intuitively listening to my body during a workout, I continue to do what makes me feel my best. Because once I appreciated and used my self-discipline as a form of self-love, I unlocked a whole new understanding of what I’m capable of.

I also found inspiration and relentless support within my community. Our Form community inspires and supports me daily, and their positive impact is contagious. From encouragement, wisdom, and motivation, I’ve found such beauty sharing my journey and witnessing other women prioritize themselves. Our Form Fam are truly the friends I have always dreamed of having who help support me be the best version of me.

I’m also beyond thankful for my husband. He’s always made me feel so beautiful and loved, and is my biggest fan and supporter. He keeps me smiling and taught me that love is relentless.

I embraced the mindset that nothing should be restrictive. Most of my life, I was prisoner to restrictive diets and felt defeated. But once I embraced the mindset that what is right (and best) for me doesn’t have to be restricted, my outlook changed.

I finally realized that I was capable of making the change I wanted in my life and let go of old patterns. The result? A wellness routine I genuinely love that nourishes my body and brings out the best version of me.

Lastly, I always think of my future self. My inspiration is who I am years from now, and I continue to show up for her and make decisions that I know will support her happiest self. My weight loss journey has given my life a deeper meaning, and I am so grateful that I committed to myself to accomplish what I once believed was not even possible for me.

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