Bodybuilding.com - Transformation Of The Week - MaryAnn Mayer.

Printable page

Did you know?
Believe in yourself. You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You must do that which you think you cannot do. -Eleanor Roosevelt

At age 29 and a weight of 290 lbs, my breaking point was clothes shopping after I had my son and the only things they had in my size were pretty much wearable tents - not the young cute clothes I had hoped for. I broke down...

Transformation Of The Week - MaryAnn Mayer.

By: MaryAnn Mayer

Before:
290 lbs.

Date: 2002

After:
165 lbs.

Date: 2005

Vital Stats

Name: MaryAnn Mayer
Email: tatman53@famvid.com
Pounds Lost: 125 lbs.
Inches Lost: 65"

About Me

I have battled with my weight all of my life, even as a child. Being fit has never come easily for me if at all and I can honestly say at 32 years of age I am now in the best shape of my life.

It wasn't until I was 29 and weighed 290 lbs that I decided enough was enough. At size 26 wide, my activities were limited either because I couldn't do it or had no energy to.

My Reasons

My breaking point was when I was clothes shopping after I had my son and the only things they had in my size were pretty much wearable tents.

Not the young cute clothes I had hoped for. I broke down in the middle of the store and cried uncontrollably.

RELATED POLL

How Many Pounds Did You Gain During Your Last Pregnancy? Less Than 25 lbs. 25-45 lbs. More Than 45 lbs.

My husband, bless his heart, tried to be soothing by reminding me I just had a baby. But I decided right then and there it was time for a change and the only one that could do it was me.

Related Articles:

I started my dieting by cutting out carbs. I wasn't really following a diet plan. I had heard of the Atkins diet but I also saw that the people on it usually gained back much of their weight plus some shortly after they went on it. I just cut mine in half.

In two months I had dropped 30 lbs. That fueled my determination even more. I continued with the diet by also cutting a lot of my fat intake, until I had reached 198 lbs. Here I came to my first plateau and had to step things up a bit. So I added exercise.

What's A Plateau?
A level of attainment or achievement in weight loss or bodybuilding where one gets "stuck in a rut", barring further progress or noticable results. As obvious as it may seem, if you continue to do the same thing, you will continue to get the same results. Click here for tips on breaking through plateaus.

I started out with doing aerobics tapes and eventually worked my way up to jogging 2 miles a day. I felt great but I had slowed down in losing my weight. At the time I didn't realize the concept behind muscle being heavier than fat and I wasn't taping myself so I didn't realize I was still losing inches.

I didn't know what to do and was getting frustrated. My husband suggested that I join the gym that had just opened up in town. I had always balked at joining a gym. I had this impression that everyone who goes to the gym is in perfect shape and I didn't want to stand out.

RELATED ARTICLE

Choosing A Gym - A Fun Quiz To Help You Out!
Do you really know what you want in a gym? Would you rather workout at home or in the social atmosphere that befits a large chain gym?
[ Click here to learn more. ]

The day I walked into New World Fitness changed my life forever. The owner, Jack O'Baker, was so nice and very helpful. He made me feel comfortable at once and we started his assessment of me. We figured out my body fat, explained about muscle vs. fat, talked about my diet and asked me what my goal was.

At the time I wanted to lose more weight and tone. At the end of our interview I was ready to go. He had explained things to me that I hadn't known about, such as how much to eat, how often and the good calories vs. bad calories. He set me up with a 4-day routine to tone my body and 20-30 minutes of cardio after the workouts.

My Results

Just going to the gym was exhilarating, and I was getting to where I would go 5 or 6 days a week instead of just 4. Then I started watching the bodybuilders and powerlifters and was intrigued by how they were molding their bodies to what they wanted.

WHAT'S YOUR GOAL?

What Is Your Goal?

Is Your Goal Not Listed? Click Below To Learn More About Goal Setting.

[ Goal Setting ]

By the end of my first 6 weeks I wanted more. So when it came time to evaluate my progress, I told Jack I was interested in body building. We changed my workouts and my diet. To date I have lost 125 lbs and over 65 inches total in three years. My next goal is to be ready for an amateur bodybuilding contest by next year.

My suggestion to others is not to give up and don't set your goals so high you can't reach them. I always kept my goals low and easy to reach so when I reached them, I was more motivated to reach the next one.

Keep a diary of what you eat and the calories you intake. This will help you see where your weak points are or when they are. (Mine was late night snacking.) But don't beat yourself up for indulging just jump back into your diet the next day.

I always treated myself one day a week. The best motivator I think is to have someone take picture of you when you first start your diet then every two months after. Sometimes you really don't see the changes in yourself until you start comparing your pictures.

Whenever I was getting discouraged I would look at the pictures and it would always help keep me motivated. The most important thing is not to give up. I think the hardest part of losing the weight was changing my lifestyle and eating habits. It wasn't easy at all and there are no magic pills but it is worth every sacrificed piece of cake.

My Diet

RELATED POLL

What Motivates You To Lose Weight? Feeling Too Heavy/Big. Not Feeling Attractive/Sexy. Always Feeling Tired.

My Diet

Meal 1	Meal 2	Meal 3
1 c oatmeal 4 hard boiled egg whites	Chicken breast Carrots 1 c brown rice	1 c oatmeal Protein shake
Meal 4	Meal 5	Meal 6
Protein shake with a banana	2 pieces of fish 1 c asparagus 1 c brown rice	1 c nonfat yogurt mixed with 1 scoop of protein powder

I alternate my protein between chicken, fish, turkey tenderloin, and pork tenderloin and I drink at least a gallon of water a day. The asparagus works as a natural diuretic so I don't retain as much water and I limit my carbs after 6:00 p.m.

Click Image To Enlarge.
The Skinny On MaryAnn!

My Training

Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Bench press Declined press Seated incline DB press Triceps pushdowns Triceps rope pushdown Triceps kickback Triceps pushups Ab rollers Weighted crunches Elliptical 30 min	Power squats Leg extensions Angled leg press Leg curls DB lunges Adductors Abductors Calf raises Flutter Kicks (see below) Exercise bike 30 min	Standing barbell curls Machine curls Concentrated curls Standing alternating curls EZ bar cable curls DB side bends Bench crunches Leg raise with ex ball Elliptical 30min Exercise bike 30 min
1st 3 Weeks Day 1 Log 2nd 3 Weeks Day 1 Log	1st 3 Weeks Day 2 Log 2nd 3 Weeks Day 2 Log	1st 3 Weeks Day 3 Log 2nd 3 Weeks Day 3 Log
Day 4	Day 5	Day 6
Seated rows T-bar rows One-arm DB row Close grip pull down Lat pull down Back extensions Hanging leg raises Hanging oblique raises Speed walk at high grade for 30 min	Dumbbell press Peck deck rear delts DB shrugs Front raises Lateral raises Ab-weighted leg raise Bridges Exercise bike 30 min Walk 30 min	1 hr of yoga for Flexibility
1st 3 Weeks Day 4 Log 2nd 3 Weeks Day 4 Log	1st 3 Weeks Day 5 Log 2nd 3 Weeks Day 5 Log