Ernestine Shepherd: Learn How This Grandmother Went From Flab to Fab

July 13, 2010— -- At 74, Baltimore grandmother Ernestine Shepherd is the Guinness World Records' oldest female bodybuilder.

But less than 20 years ago, she was a pudgy, middle-aged woman who hated what she saw in the dressing room mirror as she tried on swimsuit after swimsuit.

"I was too prissy to exercise," she said. "I just didn't want to have my hair messed up. Didn't want my fingernails broken."

That all changed when Shepherd decided her health trumped all and hit the gym.

Here's how Shepherd made her jaw-dropping transformation:

Shepherd said she eats several small meals a day as part of a diet plan she formulated with her trainers. She takes in 1,700 calories a day, mostly comprised of boiled egg whites, chicken, vegetables and a liquid egg white drink. And she is adamant that she does not use performance-enhancing drugs or even supplements beyond vitamin D.