Curtis Harwell and Kelli Richardson Interview NPC Competitor Melissa Gesselman

KENTWOOD, MI -- On Saturday night, Melissa Gesselman of Kentwood will step on stage in her first physique competition. The journey to get there has been a challenging one.

At her heaviest, Gesselman, 25, said she weighed 235 pounds. At 5-foot-6, that proved to be unacceptable to her.

"When I started, it was more like I just wanted to get fit," Gesselman said. "I'd go in, hit the cardio really hard then leave and eat anything I wanted. I figured 'Hey, I just worked out really hard. I can eat all this.'"

That program failed to show the results she was looking for so she switched it up with some help from West Michigan trainer Mike Vruggink.