Who is Melissa Alcantara? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Fitgurlmel

Age: 39 Years, 39 Year Old Females

Family:

children: Bella

Born Country: United States

American Women

City: New York City

U.S. State: New Yorkers

Recommended For You

Rise to Stardom

Melissa Alcantara, according to her own description, was a "yo-yo dieter" who drank and smoked too much before she became 'Fitgurlmel'. She had a challenging life growing up in a Dominican family in the Bronx, and did not particularly maintain a healthy lifestyle during her youth. In 2011, she had a difficult pregnancy, during which she often felt sick and exhausted. She began gobbling everything from doughnuts to pizzas, and gained 70 pounds during her pregnancy, making her nearly 200 pounds on the scale. Despite support from family, being overweight hurt her confidence and pushed her towards depression.

Fortunately, her tough upbringing also fuelled her fighting spirit, which helped her set a weight loss goal for herself. After watching a TV infomercial for Insanity Beach Body, that promised great weight loss results, she made up her mind to follow the course. Following a brief period of procrastination, she finally joined the program and was able to lose 40 pounds in 60 days. She thinks that the most important thing she learnt from the program was, "I controlled what I put into my body." She eventually achieved her goal through trial and error; apart from controlling her diet, she tried Weight Watchers and also dabbled in Jiu Jitsu. As she became more confident about her body, she began posting fitness related content on Instagram in April 2014.

She wanted to achieve more than just a slender figure, and as such, in early 2016, she began preparing for a bodybuilding competition by lifting heavy weights. 17 weeks later, she won in two separate categories in the competition: 'Miss Figure' and 'Miss Best Physique'. Her job as a waitress allowed her to meet a large array of people, and thanks to her enviable figure, she was often asked if she was a trainer or a dancer. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian stumbled upon her weight loss and fitness journey on Instagram and was inspired by her work ethic. In May 2017, she received an email from Kardashian’s producers, and three days later, she met Kardashian at her NYC apartment. She was already planning to relocate to Los Angeles, California, with her family and began her new career there as Kardashian’s trainer in July.

Continue Reading Below

Controversies & Scandals

Melissa Alcantara took offence when people on Instagram began trolling her client and the 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' star following her appearance at the Met Gala 2019. She wore a Sophia Loren-inspired dress made by Mugler that showed a tiny waist, which was criticized as unnatural. Alcantara decided to hit back at the trolls through her own Instagram post in which she stated that the dress had a tight corset, and went on to detail how hard the star trains six days a week in the morning.

Family & Personal Life

Melissa Alcantara was born on March 8, 1985 in the Bronx borough of New York City, New York, United States. She "had the stereotypical drug addict and alcoholic father" who made "everyone’s life more difficult". Her mother had to work two jobs in order to support all of her siblings. Alcantara dropped out of college after she became pregnant in the early 2010s. She later quit her fulltime job as a producer due to her strict training schedule and body building competitions, during which time she waited tables at night.

She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and her eight-year-old daughter Bella. She starts her day early at 4 a.m. and after a cup of coffee, reads a positive passage from her favorite book, 'Living a Life of Awareness: Daily Meditation on the Toltec Path' by Don Miguel Ruiz. She believes in intermittent fasting and usually skips breakfast, often taking her first meal at noontime after a workout session.

Melissa Alcantara Biography