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| AGE 27 HEIGHT 5'5" WEIGHT 180 lbs BODY FAT 42% |
AGE 28 HEIGHT 5'5" WEIGHT 127 lbs BODY FAT 16% |
I started my transformation in May 2011 after seeing a picture of myself. Having four kids (two in two years) wreaked havoc on my body and I didn't care to notice until I saw the photo. Nine years as a Marine wife and stay at home mom did me in. I hated the way I looked and felt. I was sick of my size 18/20 jeans being too tight, so I Googled healthy words and found Bodybuilding.com and Myfitnesspal.com. These were my go-to sites for what, how much, and when to eat, and which workouts to do.
By June, I was giving it everything I had, but it was so challenging without the support I needed from family and friends who didn't want to diet, so I quit. A few days later, I caught a rerun of The Biggest Loser and was motivated again.
I wrote down how much weight I wanted to lose and when and calculated how many calories I needed to burn in a week to make it happen. I taped it to the fridge and went to work.
After four months and 42 pounds lost, my family and friends started to rethink healthy living and I finally had support. My change inspired me to help others.
When I lost 45 pounds, I went to school to become a fitness trainer and nutritionist. After school, my career took off like a bullet and I've been blessed to help many people transform their body and minds.
My life is very busy. I'm preparing to compete with an unpredictable military life, four kids, and 30 clients, but I'm embracing the challenge and loving every minute of it.
I worked out five days a week using cardio and weights. From May to August 2011, I didn't have access to a gym, so I ran around my neighborhood, ran stairs in my house, and did 4 sets of 25 reps of squats, push-ups, lunges, and triceps dips.
When I joined a gym, I lifted weights with dumbbells and added the elliptical to my routine. Then I found amazing programs on Bodybuilding.com like Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer and Lee Labrada's LeanBody Trainer. I started lifting heavy and fell in love with training.
After quitting in June 2011, it never crossed my mind again. I was inspired by my kids and family who said they were proud of me, Biggest Loser contestants who I could relate to, and many members of BodySpace.
What challenged me the first nine months was balancing work, family, school, house duties, and working out. There weren't enough hours in the day to do everything, so I set certain tasks on certain days and only did those tasks on those days.
The diet became challenging months later. I started having a hard time adhereing to the meal plan. I overcame it by reading cook books and learning how to cook new meals that kept me from getting bored.
My future plans are to compete. I've been reading all the articles on Bodybuilding.com and I'm training very hard.
- Stay consistent and positive.
- Do your research.
- Get support from a fitness community like BodySpace.
- Set weekly and monthly goals and write out a plan to get there.
- Stick to your plan no matter what.
- Work out even when you don't feel like it.
Bodybuilding.com is amazing. The jaw-dropping transformations motivated me to keep going. The articles taught me how to exercise for my goals, how to calculate macros, and how to choose supplements. The trainer videos are my favorite.
The icing on the cake is BodySpace and its members who are so supportive and inspiring.