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| AGE 44 HEIGHT 5'2" WEIGHT 129 lbs BODY FAT 26% |
AGE 44 HEIGHT 5'2" WEIGHT 104 lbs BODY FAT 16% |
Why I Decided To Transform
I was your ordinary homemaker, mother, and wife, running daily errands and keeping the "business" of my family's life running prior to 2011. I was a 44-year-old female, married, with three children. I was not a person that was in the gym on a regular basis, nor was I even that physically active before, but I thought I was in decent shape.
That is until I found it hard to go for a bike ride with my family without having to stop because it was difficult for me to breathe. Even carrying things up and down the stairs started to be an effort for me.
I realized that something was wrong and my health was declining when I hit rock bottom in the Spring of 2011. That last straw came when my family and I went on a vacation to Disney World and I couldn't even push a stroller up the ramp to the monorail without thinking I was going to pass out.
Now mind you, at the time I was only 129 pounds and while I was unhappy with my appearance, I really didn't think I fit into the "unhealthy" category.
"This is it," I remember thinking. I had to do something. I was NOT prepared to leave my kids motherless at such a young age. I had to take control of my body and I had to do it now.
My husband and oldest son had already started going to the gym regularly in 2010. After our trip to Disney and my life changing experience, I decided to join them in the Summer of 2011.
So, off to the gym I went. It was time for me to get acclimated with the gym and its intimidating environment. I started out slowly, and weaned myself into going 3-4 days per week, doing anything I was comfortable with.
I started out slowly, just going to classes and doing cardio, such as the treadmill and EFX machine. In the beginning, I found I could not stay on the cardio machines for very long without becoming very winded and exhausted. I thought I was going to pass out or die.
What was wrong with me? I couldn't believe I was this out of shape. So I visited my doctor and my cardiologist and received both good and bad news.
The good news: they informed me that it was just conditioning.
The bad news: turn it around now or face a lifetime of deteriorating, and eventually debilitating health.
How I Accomplished My Goals
I got down to 114 pounds and 26 percent body fat, but knew I needed to go further. I had to make a lot of changes and I thought "this is going to be a drastic change for me."
This was the first time I had ever made such drastic changes in my lifestyle. Could I do this? I didn't want to fail. I couldn't fail. For my kids, for my husband, I couldn't fail. I was going to succeed.
I didn't miss a beat. (This is critical for success) I got to the gym every day. I was determined, even though the weight I began with looked so light compared to the others in the weight room. I pressed on and stuck to the program.
In addition to the weight training, there were nutritional changes that had to be made.
We needed to change the way we ate as a family and that was not easy. We made small changes at first, but eventually found there were an unlimited number of good choices and good recipes to choose from.
I found that I had to eat more meals to lose the weight, which puzzled me since I have never been a big eater. What I learned was that while I didn't eat a lot of food before starting the program, I was eating all the wrong things.
After about five weeks, the little things I was doing in the gym and in the kitchen were beginning to pay off. My breathing got better, and I was starting to see changes with my appearance. Patience, persistence, and consistency paid off. It seemed like forever, but the changes were starting to take place.
My husband was in the gym with me every day and went through the nutrition part as well every step of the way, and I was feeding my kids healthier too. My husband made me feel that this was truly something that I could do.
He helped guide me through the gym, and before I knew it, the weight room was not an intimidating place that it once was. With each week, there were physical changes and growth. The weight was starting to melt away and so was the body fat.
As of June 2012, I have come down to 104 pounds and 16 percent body fat. I lost 10 percent body fat, 10 more pounds, and I'm proud to say that I recently got my NPC Bikini/Fitness Competitor license and plan to compete in the near future.
I am truly amazed at the changes that have taken place with my body and am so thankful to my husband for his guidance, support, and encouragement along the way. He pushed me when I needed it! I am sure even he does not realize just what an important role he played in my transformation!
I can't thank my husband and my children enough for standing behind me through this. I am very happy and proud of the changes that I have made both physically and mentally and am looking forward to my future accomplishments.
What Aspect Challenged Me The Most
The nutrition was the hardest part to change in this journey. While going to the gym and exercising has its own challenges, that honestly is easier than changing the way I ate.
Being 44 years old, there were a lot of old habits to break. Sure, you have those days where you just don't want to see another piece of chicken or broccoli again, but if you stick with it, you will see the results.
My Future Fitness Plans
My lifestyle has changed forever. We are eating healthy as a family, which is good for all of us. I do want to compete and even got my NPC license. Winning, or even placing, would be great, but just being on stage with the other competitors would be a great accomplishment for me.
I am directing my future to have a career in the fitness world, where or what that will end up to be is unknown, who knows, maybe print ads, shows, training, etc., the sky is the limit.
She knows no limits!
Suggestions For Aspiring Transformers
Never think you "can't" change. You can! Important words of inspiration I got from my husband were "believe in yourself." This is the first step. Once you believe in yourself, you will be on your way to changing your life.
Will it be easy? No, it won't, but all the hard work, pain, and dedication is worth the reward you have when you look at yourself and see the changes you have made and you know that YOU did this!
Surround yourself with those who are positive and encouraging in your efforts. This is very important! We changed as a family and this was key to success.
Diet is very important, also in making your transformation. Exercise is as well, but how you eat is biggest battle. Do not look at it as a "diet," look at it as a change in lifestyle, because that is exactly what it is. If you don't change how you live, you will go right back to old habits and put the weight right back on.
There is a lot of good information out there, but Bodybuilding.com is a great source to answer many, if not all of the questions you may have. I myself have gotten many recipes from here to allow me to have those "treats" but not go off track.
Have fun! Don't make it seem like a chore, or work. While you do need to put in hard work and dedication, ENJOY it! Make going to the gym and working out something you look forward to.
How Bodybuilding.com Helped Me Reach My Goals
Bodybuilding.com was a large part in my journey as well. I went to Bodybuilding.com to look up ideas for meals when it came to nutrition. If there was an exercise that I needed or wanted to do, but was not sure just how to do a particular exercise, I would look it up on Bodybuilding.com and found out the proper way to do the exercise.
Reading the journeys, struggles, frustrations, and accomplishments of others was a big help as well. It let me know that I was not alone in how I was feeling and that with hard work and determination I would get there.
The supplements I used also came from Bodybuilding.com. I could again see what others had to say about something that I wanted to use and see if it was right for me. I do love how fast they get your order to you! I'm married with three kids, so this was a tremendous help for me, as time is a precious commodity.