Mandisa Boxill: From ‘thick girl’ to the IT girl

MANDISA BOXILL transformed her life, losing 74 pounds – 202 to 128 – in less than a year and a half.

Boxill did not take shortcuts or use gimmicks and achieved her success through mental grit, hard work, and consistency.

The self-proclaimed former "thick girl" can now call herself a bodybuilder and hopes her transformation, which she documented on social media, will inspire others to embrace a healthier lifestyle.

"I want people to be motivated to be healthy, not just for aesthetics. Everyone only wants to lose weight for Carnival.

"I want people to know this health journey is not for a festival or temporary – it should be our lifestyle."

Her journey, however, was not linear, as she encountered many challenges throughout.

The 37-year-old was born in Trinidad and Tobago but now lives in New York.

She recalled how her journey somewhat started in 2018, when she taught Zumba classes at a gym and ran into a woman (trainer at the gym) who she had not seen in over a year.

Boxill said the fellow "thick girl" had lost her weight and put on muscles.

"I thought it was cool," Boxill said. "To get from where she was to how she was looking, I was like, 'Wow! What are you doing?'"

The woman told Boxill about bodybuilding and there, her weight loss journey was born.

In 2019, she began seriously considering it, but it was not until early 2020 that she officially got started.

The pandemic, however, halted any progress that was made.

"Obviously covid closed everything (including gyms). I was 240 pounds and we had just started training. When the gyms closed, I kind of decided I didn't want to go through with it at that point in time."

During this time, Boxill's said her weight fluctuated.

"I went from 240 to 220 to 210, back up to 220 and then to 208. I was trying to lose the weight on my own and managed to get down to 202 pounds in December 2023."

It was at that point that Boxill decided to contact the woman again, this time with a clear intention, as she was ready to lose the weight and fully commit to her bodybuilding journey.

Boxill initially had her sights set on entering a bodybuilding competition six months into her new lifestyle.

However, she was advised to "take it slow" and set a more realistic goal of competing in 2025.

Proving herself right?

The advice would pay off, as Boxill struggled in the initial stages.

As a restaurant manager, Boxill found it difficult to not only make it to the gym but also to complete the workouts set by her trainer.

"Before, when I thought about going to the gym, I was always like, 'I don't have time, I'm busy.' This time I had to think of the gym as another job. I'm very diligent with my job, so I treated the gym the same way.

"The training was online, so she sent me the workout and diet plan and I couldn't get through it. The training included strength and cardio. I could not do it in the period of time it should take me in order to get to work on time."

Determined, Boxill found ways around her challenges.

"I started going to a gym closer to my home before work and I trained five days a week. At first, it was just about establishing a schedule.

"Establishing the schedule allowed me to go to the gym no matter what. Once I got that locked down, my strength started improving and so did the time I took to do the workouts."

While her in-gym attributes were improving, there was another challenge – her nutrition.

"That too wasn't going so well in the beginning. I wanted to eat what I wanted."

"I had to do my meal preparations and most of the food was protein – steak, chicken and fish. I had vegetables and very little rice. I used to still have a little drink and indulge sometimes but quickly realised my weight loss was very slow when I indulged."

While this new challenge presented itself, Boxill wanted to prove herself wrong.

"I cut out alcohol and sweets from my diet completely in order to get the results I wanted."

Now, Boxill takes two hours at the gym, one for strength and the other for cardio.

Boxill: Bodybuilding more mental than physical

Boxill competed at the Bev Francis NPC Atlantic States Championship in New Jersey on June 7.

"It was nerve-wrecking," she said, laughing. She recounted the tiresome ordeal that was the competition.

"It was a long day. We had athlete checking at 9 am, then a meeting at 10.45 am. After we had to go do our hair and make-up.

"The official competition started at 12 and I hit the stage at 2.30 pm. We had to also get tanned, oiled up and lined up in order of category. My heart was beating out of my chest and I was so nervous."

These nerves played mind games on Boxill as she thought she had "messed up."

"In my mind, I didn't do anything correct. I didn't get the pose right, I was shaking and moving too slowly.

"When I saw the final video, I was doing everything like I was supposed to."

She described the process of learning to pose as "very awkward."

"There are things you have to do that you don't do in everyday life. I worked with a posing coach for ten weeks before the competition and she taught me all those things.

"It definitely took some work for me to show what I learned on the stage, but I had a great coach who drilled and showed me the ropes."

Boxill took part in fit model bodybuilding division and entered two categories – true novice and 35-plus masters.

She placed third in the true novice and second in the 35-plus masters.

And not only did the journey take a physical and mental toll, but also a financial one.

"It is very expensive. I'm not going to lie.The food wasn't that bad because I work in the restaurant and the staff and owners were nice enough to give me some of my meals.

"I ate three meals at work and I only had to worry about my other two at home, so that helped a lot."

As for gym membership and other aspects of physical training, "That was not cheap – there are gyms that cost US$10, but they might not have the equipment you need.

"I joined an Ironman gym – everyone in there looks like they're working towards competing and it was US$75 a month. The competition itself was US$450, my trainer was US$300 per month and my posing coach took US$100 per session (ten sessions)."

Do it for you

Despite this, Boxill is encouraging everyone to live a healthier lifestyle and to choose themselves.

"Document it and put yourself and your journey out there. You never know who can pick it up. Sponsorship is an important aspect if you want to compete, but it is about health, improvement and proving to yourself that you can do something that other people look at as impossible.

While cliche, she said if she could do it, anyone can.

"I wouldn't say I was the most disciplined and I started from zero. It just takes being consistent and determined to make a change.

"When you achieve something like that, it translates to every other aspect of your life."

Boxill has another bodybuilding competition at the end of June and wants to win.

"That's my goal. I just want to improve every single time. I have the June 28 competition and then I'll take the year off.

"Next spring I'll enter a competition. I want to keep trying. I want to win the gold."

She also does not see herself retiring from the sport anytime soon.

"I want to do it forever. Being at the competition and seeing they have masters 60-plus and there are ladies in their 60s looking fantastic and some better than me that inspired me to keep going."

In the meantime, Boxill will continue working on her craft – posing and physique – and continue to inspire others to be healthy.