After tracking calories, watching macros, and doing Jillian Michael’s videos, Lawrene Harchaoui lost 30 lbs. and decided to switch from cardio workouts to weightlifting because she wanted to be built and strong. Needless to say, she didn’t think that weight lifting, or MyFitnessPal for that matter, would lead to love–but it did.
About six months into lifting and posting her progress on MFP, Lawrene got a friend request from her now husband. “At first I was apprehensive,” she says, “and asked, ‘Do I know you? Why do you want to be my friend?’” Michael responded with a long paragraph on who he was and how he wanted to get to know Lawrene because he didn’t know many other Ohioans on MFP (he was in Cincinnati and Lawrene was in Columbus). He also said that he saw that she was into weightlifting and so was he. Flattered by his message and that
he had taken the time to write and explain himself, Lawrene added him as a friend.
Over the months, the two talked occasionally, discussing fitness, lifting, and food. But then they eventually started to discuss their interests outside of the gym and realized that they were both going through painful divorces. “We leaned on one another for support, and one day Michael asked me to come to Cincinnati to meet him. I went and never looked back,” Lawrene says, adding, “We fell in love quickly and have been together ever since. We lift together, talk about macros and calorie intake, chart our progress on MFP, and encourage each other every day.”
Lawrene and Michael got married in September 2014 and both still use the app that brought them together!
