Meet Renee Do

Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Do.

Hi Renee, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up throughout middle school and high school, I felt self-conscious about my body and physical appearance. My everyday attire consisted of baggy shirts and sweatpants. I constantly compared myself to other girls my age and it destroyed my confidence. At the age of 13, I was diagnosed with Large B cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer. I was constantly in and out of the hospital for over a year while I was receiving chemotherapy. During this time, I had lost a large amount of weight due to being sick and intaking liquid foods for the majority of my treatment. Surprisingly, I was happy with how much weight I had lost even if it was became I was sick because my entire life, I was considered ‘overweight’ for my age.

After I had completed my treatment, I began my high school career. I gained back all the weight I had lost, so I was discouraged and lost my confidence again. By the time I became a senior in high school, I was fed up with feeling how I felt. Looking into the mirror each day and not being able to look at my own body and smile. Having to cover myself up around friends, closing social media apps because I would always compare myself to other girls and their bodies.

I started my fitness journey doing nothing but cardio. My goal during this time was to become the skinniest version of myself, and my parents only supported me fitting into the ‘skinny’ standard of society. During this time, I had developed an eating disorder, binging and purging. I would eat until I felt sick and then purge once I felt guilty. I maintained this eating habit and lifestyle all throughout my senior year of high school.

During my freshman year of college, I still wanted to stay the smallest version of myself. I was content during this time with how I looked, skinny. My parents finally accepted the way that I looked, and I was happy that I finally got their approval. When COVID-19 took a turn for the worst and we were quarantined in March 2020, I was confined to working out at home. I have to give it to Chloe Ting workout videos that got me through the pandemic and helped pave the way for my lifting journey.

I became too comfortable with Chloe Ting workouts at home and I needed more a challenge to help maintain my physical health. I moved to an apartment on campus during my sophomore year when my classes were all online. The university gym was open during this time, so I finally took a chance and decided to workout with weights rather than just do cardio. Everyone asks where my lifting journey started, and it was during August 2020 because I realized I was not happy with myself, even if I was skinny and fit the social standard. I started lifting with light weights to hold up the ‘low weight high reps for toning’ argument and continued doing this until the end of the year. When I switched gyms to Destination Dallas, I was very intimidated by the lifters there but also very inspired. I ran into many bodybuilders, those of whom I still look up to today. They inspired me that doing what you love shouldn’t confine you to society’s standard of beauty or looks. I was fed up with not feeling happy with how I looked although I had finally gotten the approval of others. For the next few months, I went quiet from social media and my family, not seeking the approval of others for my looks and not displaying myself for the world to see. ‘Working in Silence.’

I fell in love with lifting. I found a passion in lifting and improving my physique. I enjoyed feeling strong and looking in the mirror and finally smiling, looking back at how much I have improved physically. During this time, my mental health had also improved because I wasn’t tied to anyone’s expectations of me anymore. In the bodybuilding world, there is no such thing as judgment. We all work together to help improve one another, which made me fall in love with the sport.

Currently, I am the happiest I have been. I got the chance to meet wonderful people that share the same interests and passions as me, and I am privileged to call them my friends. I am no longer trying to fit into anyone’s standard of beauty, I am working on improving my physique because it is the hard work and dedication to the sport that makes me happy. I have created boundaries for myself where I am no longer trying to receive approval, and criticisms do not affect me detrimentally. I have the wonderful opportunity to have a social media presence and inspire other, and it is through everyone’s support that I get to continue doing what I love. Bodybuilding has improved my confidence and has helped me form long-lasting life skills. I am proud of who I am now, and the only thing I regret is not finding the passion until now.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road since I started my fitness journey. I have never received the approval or support from my parents, and I am still constantly bombarded by negative comments on my social media profiles.

My parents are immigrants, they carried along with them their native stereotypes about women and beauty, so it was always hard feeling content or happy with my body. Growing up, they always shamed me for being overweight and compared me to other girls my age. When I started lifting, their comments constantly reflected their fear of me being ‘too muscular’. The hardest part of my journey was having to distance myself entirely from my family because it was negatively affecting my mental and physical health at the age of 19 and 20. Although my parents were my biggest critics, my siblings were my biggest supporters, and I am thankful for every moment I have with them because I finally feel accepted and loved with them.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am currently a college student in my third year at UTD, double majoring in neuroscience and biology. I chose to pursue fitness and social media in an extension to pursuing med school, like a part-time job. On social media, I specialize in lifting and bodybuilding. I am most proud of how far I have come individually and with my platform. Getting into lifting increased my confidence and helped me improve my self-conscience. Being able to show my true personality online has helped me become closer to people all over the country and extend my network. Finally being comfortable with my body and being able to be myself on social media has helped me conquer fears that I used to face in the past. Although I do not think it sets me apart from others, I take pride in being someone of my race in the fitness realm because I do not see many Asians or Asian-Americans pursuing fitness or social media.

We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
A lot of people just know me for fitness and have only known the persona of ‘Renee’ within the last two years. However, not a lot of people know me prior to lifting, and that I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15. This was when I first got my eating disorder, which essentially fused my drive for lifting.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renee.lift/
• Youtube: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeAe7rYU/
• Other: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMeAe7rYU/