I studied Elementary Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated in 2009. I accepted a teaching position shortly after graduating, and taught for two years in Johnson Creek. I will not go into details, but this definitely wasn’t the career for me. I loved teaching, but could not stand the politics. I had been receiving Dustin’s newsletters, and remember one of them saying something about hating your job, not being fully happy with life, and thinking, yes, it’s time. Time to make a change. So I emailed Dustin about becoming a personal trainer and he helped me on my way. I took some classes and became ACE certified for personal training and group exercise. When it came time to put in my resignation for teaching, I did so with hesitation. What if I couldn’t make a successful career out of fitness?  What if I failed?  Right around the time that the school year was starting up again, I accepted a job working at Anytime Fitness in Beaver Dam. I was the gym manager, and was also able to get my feet wet personal training. Around that time, Dustin asked if I would be interested in teaching a few bootcamp classes. Of course I would and am now teaching 5-6 mornings a week!

I think it is also important to let you in another major decision in my life. During my career transition, I was also planning my wedding. Similar to my teaching career,  things did not feel right.  I was not as fulfilled as I knew I could be.  I found myself asking all sorts of questions: Was this truly someone I could spend the rest of my life with? Was this strong enough to endure the challenges that life brings?  I began to reach out to my support system and concluded that it would be best for us both to call off the wedding.  This decision coupled in with my career change, were two of the most challenging decisions I have ever made in my life.  I slowly picked up the pieces and headed back to Madison to live with my sister and brother-in-law, who were so amazing for taking me in. It was in Madison, that I began to really hone in my relationship with myself as well as my passion for fitness.  Now, I am currently in a relationship and career that consistently encourage me to reach my full potential.

Along with my career and relationship changes, I have also been on a journey to health. All of our journeys look a little different, but they all start with a why, a why that will definitely evolve over time. At some point, the pain of being overweight and unhealthy outweighs the pain of working out and eating right. I had always envied my “naturally” skinny and petite friends; guys always seemed to want them over me, clothes looked better on them, they didn’t have to workout and eat right, or so it all seemed. What I have come to realize is that yes, working out and eating right naturally leads to weight loss, but it is so much more than that. I started Dustin’s dvd program in August of 2009, and it was a workout I loved. I love lifting weights and doing high intensity cardio–it makes me feel badass when I am sprinting as fast as I can on a treadmill, and oh that feeling I had when I did my first pullup! Now I can do 6-8 on a good day. I don’t focus on the number on the scale anymore. I focus on the number on the dumbbell going up, the number of pushups going up, the speed on treadmill going up. Now I workout because being physically strong makes me stronger in every area of my life. The motivation and willpower it takes to workout and eat right consistently has flowed into every part of my life. I am constantly fighting to do better and do more, and fitness is one tool that I use to be awesome at life. As Jillian Michaels says, “It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.” Whether you are in the gym or not, focus on achieving your goals every single day. Work at it continuously and you will see the results you want. And remember your why. Never forget why you started.

I have made some huge changes, but I have never looked back with regret.  I am with someone who makes me feel so happy, sexy and strong, and shares my passion for health and fitness. Teaching bootcamps every morning at 5:30 am is tough (still not a morning person, but getting better), but it doesn’t even feel like work because I am training people to do what I love. And in turn, the bootcampers have motivated me to stay fit and push myself to be better and stronger. Besides teaching for Dustin, I also offer in-home personal training, which I love, because it gives me an opportunity to help people who aren’t into bootcamps, or group fitness, for one reason or another. It is so amazing to relate one-on-one with people and learn about their why on their journey to health.

When I saw the opportunity to help make Dustin’s program here in Madison even better, I jumped on it.  I am thrilled to now be handling the day-to-day operations of running Fit Fun Bootcamps and Mamatone. I hope to foster communities where everyone feels that they are welcomed and wanted, that they can focus on the workout and cues on form, and that they are supported and encouraged to reach their goals. I am thrilled to work with all of you and help you crush your goals!

Carolyn After First Session K2

over the childrearing days and I see how much I allowed my weight to become out of control. And now as a grandmother I so regret I don’t have the energy or ability to play with my grandchildren but only sit and watch as they play. Many times over the years I did lose 20-30 pounds only to regain it all back plus more, along with more frustration, self doubt and fear of failure each time. And even after total knee replacement surgery I still could not find my way to finally take control of my health. It wasn’t until my sister was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer that I finally found my motivation. I watched her courageously stare cancer in the face with the attitude that “it can stop me but it will have to catch me first”. She lived the last 17 months of her life making each day the best she could with passion and a feisty attitude that she was not going to give in without giving it her best, even knowing that no matter how hard she tried she could not change the end result. Finally one day I asked her how she managed to do that. She simply said that when she didn’t feel like doing what she needed to do she looked in the mirror and said “and just why not”. Those words rang over and over in my mind for months.

My middle son is an entrepreneur and I had asked him many times to recommend something or someone to help me lose weight. He sent me several books over time and I had also bought others I thought would be helpful, but none had spoken to me beyond reading them and storing the information. Then he sent me Dustin’s book “Fit Moms for Life ”.  I read the first 3 chapters and called my son saying how much I liked what I had read. He relayed my words to Dustin who in return told my son to have me go to his website and start receiving his free newsletter, which I did (my first step to taking action). It was in Dustin’s newsletter that I was introduced to the initial Killer Kurves (K2) program on-line. But it took me several months (procrastinating and I still had not read past the first three chapters of Dustin’s book) before I showed the offer to my son and asked him if he thought I could do it. He said he would relay my concerns to Dustin. I told him to be sure and tell Dustin that I was 66 years old, needed to lose at least 100 pounds, had full knee replacement surgery on my right knee about 1 year ago and recently injured my left knee (more procrastination and self-doubt).  A few minutes later my son said he had an answer from Dustin. I was expecting all kinds of answers in reply but not the one I got. Dustin answered with only one word–absolutely!

So there it was. I had backed myself into a corner. How could I not at least try? My son had recommended his friend and my sister’s words were echoing in my head. If I failed I not only failed myself but I would be letting Dustin down (you can’t be more reassuring than “absolutely”) and in turn letting my son down who recommended his friend. And if my sister could live life with pancreatic cancer and have such a positive attitude I could at least give losing weight my best effort and commit to the K2 program. I had long lived my life with no compelling force that moved me to find a path to change, but  change was about to happen. I am normally a rather private person so posting personal thoughts on our secure Facebook page was a big hurdle for me. For the first 3 weeks I read every post and felt a common connection to other participant’s posts and began to apply them to myself. Then with the shield of cyberspace and a trust in those who would read what I wrote, I made my first post.

Carolyn Before K2

I had finally found that path. K2 helped me find the tools that created the mindset for transition, and led me to let go and live the life I deserved instead of feeling unhappy, defeated, unfocused and so stuck that all I could do was brace myself for the next crisis. I found the reason why I wanted to lose weight and became committed to do it successfully instead of just wanting and hoping to lose weight. I also realized I didn’t just want to lose weight but I wanted to become generally healthier. I recognized that this program is something I can do as a lifestyle and not just until I reach my weight goal. While Dustin had preferences/suggestions about foods, he also encouraged eating what is right for me. Dustin’s attitude concerning food and the flexibility of the exercises to match my capabilities allowed me to keep trying and not quit even when it was hard or when things weren’t going well. He only expects that we do our best at all times. I found the path that allowed me to see what I could do to accomplish the changes I so desired but up until then could only wish for.

I feel very fortunate to have been introduced to the participants in session 1. They were honest, encouraging, positive thinking and helpful in so many ways. I found comfort, strength and confidence in their comments, posts, motivational pics, stories, worries and successes. There was always positive energy found there, and as I reflect back I realize the changes that happened within me. Barriers were broken, community was built, a positive mindset had been transformed, goals were set and my confidence began increasing. During the first 12 week program of K2 I lost 20 pounds. I am joining the second K2 program because I know I can do better than I have done so far, and I plan to prove that to myself in session 2 and continue my journey to reach my goal of: “HALF OF ME I WILL BE”.

Nicole Before

introduced to Dustin’s Killer Kurves program, I was able to succeed in either a nutrition goal or an exercise goal but never both at the same time. I struggled with emotional over-eating and my weight was at an all time high of 277 lbs. I heard about Killer Kurves from a referral of a good friend Shelley who was currently participating in Dustin’s bootcamp workouts. I was excited to hear that the program was for people who had at least 50 lbs to lose. What intrigued me the most about Dustin’s program was the combination of a workout and a nutrition/behavior modification discussion in the same meeting. I will admit, I was worried about the bootcamp style workouts which included using 10-15 lb handweights. Being true to the motto of “Come As you Are”, I was encouraged by my trainer to use exercise modifications when needed to

Nicole after 1 session of K2

make my workout right for my body. The padded gymnastics floor was perfect for my joints too. I enjoyed the numerous tools provided to help me succeed: a Fit Moms for Life book, the Killer Kurves binder with daily worksheets and goal tracking pages, webinars with Dustin, grocery store tour, accountability partners, My Fitness Pal food tracker and of course our fitness trainer who had herself lost over 60 lbs with this program. My absolute favorite part of this program was our small group of participants…my team, my community, my friends. I truly cherish this group of women and all the support they have shown me. I love cheering them on with every success they have and encouraging them to stay with it each day.  After the first session of Killer Kurves, I have lost 34 lbs, drink 10-12 glasses of water per day , and workout 5 times per week. I can’t wait for session 2 to start and encourage you to join me as I continue on this health and fitness journey. You will receive the support , encouragement, and tools you need to lose weight and tone your body.

If you are ready to join a program just for you.  Click here now and learn more about this potentially life-changing decision.

Here is her story…

“I’m 22 years old. I grew up in a less than healthy family; McDonald’s and other fast food choices were a regular meal. This unfortunately, continued on as a habit into adulthood. I developed a regular diet of processed food and Drive-Thru, in addition was not exercising at all, and as you can imagine this did not equate for a pants size that I was pleased with. I tried “dieting” a few times, but my idea of dieting at the time

Kaitlin Before

was getting grilled chicken instead of crispy chicken in the Drive-Thru.

My idea of exercise was doing 10 minutes on the elliptical and 20 sit ups twice a week. So obviously I wasn’t seeing many results. Well they always say opportunity knocks, in my case, it rang; my best friend called me at about 11 pm on a Monday night telling me about this boot camp class she found on Groupon, and she wanted me to do it with her. I said “whatever” and agreed, although I was not as excited as she was. I signed up for it, and then after the fact I realized I would be waking up at 5 am, so my initial reaction was “you better be lucky I love you!”. On the first day, I enjoyed a tough workout, definitely more intense than I was expecting but a lot of fun at the same time. The rest of that entire week I was so sore I couldn’t even sit down on the toilet my legs burned so bad. By the second week, the classes were still challenging enough to keep me motivated, and the instructors would give us modifications if we needed them. I started noticing changes in how my clothes fit. And I was suddenly able to pump out 10 push-ups no problem, when before I would struggle with 2. My favorite thing about the classes is after you force yourself to get out of bed at an ungodly hour, THAT’S IT the hard part is over. Once you get there, the trainers keep you moving, motivated and telling you what to do so it’s not like being at home trying to mentally convince yourself to do one more sit up, everyone pushes you and motivates you.

After about 6 weeks I had lost about 5 pounds and one pants size. I decided to take it up a notch and start taking some of the trainer’s advice about eating. So I slowly started changing my diet, first by choosing healthy snacks for while I’m on the go, and committing to one healthy home-cooked meal a day. These things became habit and now a typical 3 Days of meals for me may look like this.

Kaitlin After

Day 1:  Oatmeal with walnuts and berries for breakfast.  I make my own version of ants on a log for snack which is celery, almond butter, and raisins. For lunch a Spinach salad with pistachios, pear and vinaigrette dressing. I snack on organic apples and snap peas.  One of my favorite dinners is Ground Turkey Meatloaf with a side of mixed veggies, and mashed sweet potatoes for dessert!

Day 2: Scrambled eggs with spinach and grape tomatoes for breakfast. Natural Raw Almonds make great snacks throughout the day. I love having Veggie burgers patties with some organic ketchup, and sliced pineapple on the side. More snacks later will be baby carrots and a banana. For dinner; Stuffed Chicken Breast made with onions, mushrooms, broccoli and low fat mozzarella cheese.

Day 3: I’ll have a fruit smoothie and a few slices of turkey bacon for breakfast. I’ll eat Greek yogurt with granola for a snack, Sushi for lunch, more snacks like grapes and sliced peppers. For Dinner I make Chicken Breast in a skillet with coconut oil and sweet potato fries.

After participating in the classes and changing my eating I’ve been able to lose a total of 30 pounds and went from a size 14 to a size 8. All of my friends tell me how great I look and I recommend to anyone who asks me how I did it, to take the classes because without the incredible support around me I would not have been able to do it.”

-Kaitlin

Great job Kaitlin!  If you are interested in checking out Fit Fun Bootcamps click here to sign up for a free week trial.  If you don’t live in the Madison, WI area, you can get very similar workouts and eating plans using my Fit Moms For Life monthly DVD program.  Click here to learn more.

Here's to 2013!

Well 2012 has come and gone and 2013 is upon us. This is the time of year people spend both reflecting and looking forward. I guess I am no different. However, thanks to some wonderfully kind people who have said they miss my posts, I am going to share my reflections with you (actually I have written quite a few posts, just couldn’t bring myself to publish them).

2012 had its share of highs and lows, ups and downs, good and bad, take whichever cliché you’d like, it all amounts to the same. So, to get it out of the way, lets start with the lows.

I don’t think anything can get lower than the passing of a loved one. In this case it was especially sad in that I lost a 17 year old nephew to suicide. This was a wonderful young man that had no idea how loved he was. I learned after the fact that he felt alone and as if he had no place. He felt he didn’t fit in anywhere.He was depressed but, as many in his state do, he hid it well. The last time I saw him was at our 2011 family Christmas party. I had promised him that this year I would make sure his dad got him tickets to attend a college football game with my wife and me. He was very excited as he had always wanted to attend a game. Ironically, I wound up donating a pair of tickets to the game in a raffle to help cover the unexpected costs of his funeral. I don’t know how to say this without sounding trite, but this just shows how important our emotional health is as well as our physical health. It also shows how crucial it is to let others know how you are feeling as well as to listen to what others are trying to say.

My other low was, as many of you know, my heart situation this year. In having a check-up for an unrelated condition, it was learned I had blockage in a couple different places in an artery. I had to have a couple stents put in and, with some cardiac rehabilitation, now I’m pretty much as good as new. Well, new for an old guy. It was a difficult time though. I had just lost about 20 pounds and suddenly I couldn’t work out. Rehab was slow and it was a while before I could go all out. It was kind of depressing plus I was going through a weird kind of survivors guilt. I had to question why I was lucky enough to have this diagnosed without any symptoms at all while so many others weren’t so lucky. It took a bit but I think I’ve finally worked out those issues.

Exiting the Mud Pit 2012

Now on to the highs. Probably the best was doing the mud run. I was more than a little nervous about this. I was afraid to try it because of the unexpected problem with my heart. I did more of a run/walk and I always made sure there was someone around me that I could see. Thanks, by the way, to the people from Mamatone and bootcamp that kept me company on various stages of the run. I was especially pleased that I could do the obstacles pretty easily even though I hated the mud pit and the run through the water because it was freezing outside! I did it though and now I’m ready to try it again, but this time I’m going to run the darn thing. Hopefully it will be warmer.

Another high in this was that the doctors were pretty impressed with the shape I was in. They were surprised to find I had any blockage. I credit Dustin, Ryan and Ashton for helping me keep in decent shape. The doctors noticed.

Another high for me was being able to do an unassisted pull-up. I actually did 3 which was probably the most I’ve ever done in my life! To be fair, I don’t think I’ve had to do any since junior high but I’ve always been afraid to try. Now I know I can do one. In fact in a recent bootcamp  workout for Ashton we had to do a rotation where at the end of each cycle we did one TRX pull-up for a total of 12 at the end. I did 11 of mine without any assistance. Just couldn’t get the twelfth one so I jumped and lowered myself down slowly instead. Best part, my arms weren’t horribly sore the next day.

Another high point was the amount of caring and good wishes sent my way during this time. People I’ve never met sent me good wishes via Facebook and I was greeted warmly upon my return to bootcamp. I also had a good many people watching out for me upon my return. There was much reassurance as well as people checking to make sure I wasn’t pushing myself too hard too fast.Thanks guys.

Looking ahead, I want to keep working so that I can increase the number of pull-ups I can do as well as working on my endurance so that I can run the mud run next time. As for the rest, as Tess McGill said in Working Girl, “we’ll just make up as we go along.”

As for non fitness related goals, I want to learn to take more time for myself. I want to start  saying no more, without feeling tons of guilt for it. I want to get back to reading more, one of my original first loves.

Finally, before mentioning the last goal, I want to take time to thank Dustin. He’s out there chasing his dream, doing all he can to make it a reality, and encouraging those he encounters to do the same. In doing so he challenges people to step outside the box, to move out of their comfort zones and just to try and be the best they can be (sounds like the marines). My last goal, therefore, is to really try and start embracing myself for who I am. I’m not much of a talker (except to those that are really close to me) and have always done better by writing, my other original love. I’m thankful Dustin has given me the outlet to do so. I also tend not to take risks, to stay well within myself, to not let people get too close to me, and to just kind of keep the real me bottled up inside. I’m hoping to let more of me out again. It’s been a long, long time since parts of me have seen the light of day. Geez, another cliché.

Here’s hoping we all have a great 2013 and can make all of our good intentions come true.

Wendy before at over 200 lbs

Here is her story…

“I am 31 years old and a mother of 4 beautiful kiddos (ages, 10, 10, 5, and 3).  For as long as I remember I have considered myself “big boned” and seriously believed that I was just built bigger than other women.  I had come to terms with that and found a way to be happy with my body at the time.  Exercise and healthy eating was a foreign language to me too.  I never really understood how it worked and I never gave 100 percent to finding out either.  I have pretty much struggled with my weight since middle school.

My oldest 2 girls started to participate in a program called Girls on The Run last year (2011).  They were learning about positive thinking, healthy food, and finding inner strength to overcome obstacles.  Watching them finish their very first 5K last November was very emotional for me.  I was proud of them but, mad at myself for not being able to (or wanting to) complete that first 5k with them. I stepped on the scale at the beginning of this year (2012) and was 221 pounds.  I was mad that I let this happen.  How did this happen?  I didn’t even notice that I had put on that much weight.  I still feel embarrassed at times even now after losing the weight!  This year (2012) was going to be my year and I was going to take back my body and not let the chaos of my life to be my excuse.  My mom was also diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time which was pretty hard for me to deal with emotionally.  I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything I possibly could to be healthy and to be able to fight off anything that I could possibly have to deal with one day.

Click the book to buy it

I started to do a little research on eating better and basically the first 2 months of weight loss for me was trying to figure it out.  I started to add some cardio but, after a month I was not seeing any results on the scale or in the way my clothing felt.  I got an e-mail from Groupon with an offer on Dustin’s bootcamps and decided to read a little more about Fit Moms For Life.  I ordered the FMFL book and the Got Core video and started to put what I was reading in to action.  I had to schedule myself to be at the gym 3 days per week after work just to make sure I went.  My husband works nights so this was not always easy to do with all of my kids and then with my oldest 3 being active in sports and extracurricular activities after school.  I decided that I was not going to give up my gym time though.  I had spent the last few years worried about getting everyone else where they needed to be and never worried about how I was feeling or if I was taking care of myself.  My 3 gym visits (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) each week consist of weight lifting and burst training.  I spent the other days doing the Got Core video, playing Zumba on our Xbox Kinect with my children, and running.  Sundays are usually my rest/cleaning days.

Wendy Before and After Losing 67 Pounds

I used the My Fitness Pal application on my phone.  Everything I ate, every time I worked out, every pound I lost I entered in to my daily journal there.  I also spent a lot of time journaling in a notebook about how I was feeling or if there was anything particularly hard for me that day.  I wrote personal goals for myself outside of just the obvious weight loss goal.  Sometimes it would be something as small as: read a book with the kids every night this week or to get one room cleaned each night during the week.  Other times there would be goals like: be able to do 50 pushups continuously in the next 90 days.  These types of goals helped me to motivate myself and they also taught me that I can achieve almost anything if I put my mind to it.

I also started to run with my daughters this year (2012) when they started the  Girls on The Run program again.  This was to be their 3^rd time running a 5K in this program and there was no way that I was going to let them do it again and just stand by as a spectator.  I wanted to share that moment after crossing the finish line with them.  I also wanted to be able to encourage and motivate them as we all ran together.  I completed my second 5K to support Girls on the Run on November 10^th with both of my daughters.

To date I have lost 67 pounds however, I am still hoping to lost another 10 to 15 pounds and am still working hard to tone my stomach.  Now that I have lost most of the weight I do have a harder time staying motivated at times.  I have found that by talking to others about my goals and challenges I face that I have been able to do a pretty good job still making it to the gym and eating healthy.  There are people that tell me “you better not lose any more weight” or “you are too skinny”.  I  just have to remember that this is my journey to be a healthier me and what other people think does not matter.  I can’t tell you how much losing this weight has changed my outlook on life.  I have energy after work now!  I don’t just sit on the couch and watch television any longer.  I am able to control my emotions at home and work a lot better too.  All of the extra energy I have now allows me to keep up with my energetic kids!”

-Wendy

Example Meals:

Day 1

Breakfast: yogurt, granola, berries (strawberries/blackberries/raspberries)

Snack: Banana

Lunch: Turkey Sandwich on whole wheat (onion, spinach, avocado or laughing cow cheese), Apple

Snack: Popcorn (plain)

Dinner: Grilled Chicken, Broccoli, half of a Sweet Potato

Day 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Banana

Snack: Orange

Lunch: Salad (Spinach, Onion, Turkey, Walnuts, String Cheese, Vinagerette)

Snack: Apples and Peanut Butter

Dinner: Grilled or Baked Fish (Halibut, Cod), Asparagus, half of a baked Potato

~Wendy

Here is Mary’s story…

“I have been overweight for the entirety of my life.  I have no memories of ever having a flat stomach, not even as a child.  My childhood friends commented often on how my body looked different; one little friend in particular loved to make it a point that I understood that she was so much smaller than I was.

Along with being overweight as a child, I have no memories of a time when I was not following some diet.  My parents would encourage me to exercise and eat healthy.  I read magazines full of fad quick fix diets and I would make real effortful attempts to follow the various diets that I read about.  But despite those efforts and my parent’s encouragement to eat healthy, the kitchen always had Twinkies, ice cream, potato chips, crackers, and sodas on hand… you name it the kitchen had it.  As a kid, and even as an adult, it’s hard to not eat foods that you crave and love if they are so easy to get to.  So despite whichever diet I tried to follow, I was not successful at keeping away from the junk food drawer…yes, my parents had a designated junk food drawer.

I was pretty active as a kid.  I rode my bike a lot, got into inline skating, and walked with my mom.  Billy Blanks came out with Tae Bo when I was in middle school, but despite the exercise that I did, I was still always pretty chubby.

When I was in High School, my parents took me to a weight loss specialist.  I followed the plan that the doctor had put me on religiously.  I was only allowed to eat 900 calories a day, I was taking oral medications that sped up my metabolism and suppressed my appetite, and was even given weekly injections that would boost my energy levels.  While in this program, I lost about 45 pounds and I lost it very quickly.  When I went off to college I was thinner than I had ever been, and I was very happy about it.  However, leaving the doctor’s program with no more appetite suppressors, no more medications that would speed up my metabolism, and no longer eating only 900 calories a day, I quickly gained back the 45 pounds that I had lost, and… by the time I graduated from college I had gained another 40 pounds on top of that.  And, I gained that weight back plus some even while exercising.  I was walking and running consistently through my college years.

I am not a tall girl, I’m somewhere between 5’2”-5’3”, and by the age of 23, I weighed in at 215 pounds.  And I was so ashamed of myself.  I was disappointed that I was unsuccessful at keeping the weight off that I had lost, and was so sad that I was still the fat girl.  For a couple of years I kind of just gave up and resolved that I was just the fat girl and always would be.  But again, I was so ashamed of what I looked like.  I did everything I could to hide myself and disappear.  I wore a sweatshirt and jeans everyday, even in the summer!  I never did anything with my hair, I actually wore baseball caps most of the time.  I NEVER wore makeup. 

I spent the next 2 years living very isolated.  Eventually I got to the end myself in this area; and when you get to the end of yourself, you either choose to fight, or you give up all hope.  I knew that I couldn’t live life the way that I had been living it, and I wanted to live my life as fully as I possibly could.  So when I turned 25, I became flat out DETERMINED that I was going to take some of my excess weight off.  I decided that enough was enough, and I was done living in such unhealth.  I wanted to be able to ride a bike, to be able to hike in the mountains without stopping every 50ft to rest.  I wanted to be able to play and run and have fun.  I wanted to be able to live a physically active and physically playful life.  I decided that I was done isolating, done moping and hiding and wishing that things were different.  I decided in a moment that I was going to combat my unhealthy lifestyle and beat it no matter what it took (never underestimate the power of a choice).

I joined a gym, an all women’s gym because I did not want men to see me.  My parents very generously paid for my membership and also bought me an elliptical machine so that I would be able to exercise on the days that I couldn’t make it to the gym.  I went, yet again, on another diet where I ate things that were low-fat, sugar-free, frozen Smart Ones and Healthy Choice meals, diet sodas, etc… the whole works (right?).  I ate this way, and exercised consistently at the gym and on my elliptical for 6 MONTHS… and I didn’t lose a single pound.

One afternoon, I had just pulled into my driveway after returning from the gym, and I melted down crying in my car.  I was DESPERATE for some breakthrough, for some results for all of the time and effort that I was putting into this.  I believe in God, I love Jesus (I met Jesus when I was 23 years old and got to give my heart to Him), and I was begging Him to help me, to give me something anything that would help me to lose some of the excess weight and get my body physically healthy.  After I was able to get myself out of my car and into my house, I went to my computer and decided to log on to Facebook (which I RARELY do, I have yet to get on board with this whole social media revolution.  I can barely use my cell phone and it’s just a basic flip phone dumb phone device).  But on Facebook, an old friend of mine had tagged me in a notice (or whatever you call it) about Dustin Maher’s fitness program.  What she wrote about Dustin’s program captivated me, so I went to the website.

Click image to learn more about this program and to sign up

I couldn’t believe what I found there.  As I navigated my way through the website, I read about how doing cardio for exercise was ineffective for weight loss.  I absolutely believed that because it had proved to be so true in my life!  He explained how strength training and building muscle was effective for weight loss, because the more muscle you have on your body the more fat you burn.  Everything I read seemed to be true, so I started to get a little excited, I got my hopes up, and checked out what DVDs he had to offer.  Dustin was running a deal on one of his DVD series called Fit Moms for Life, where if I paid for shipping, I would receive the first DVD free.  Now, I am not a mom, but I figured if busy moms could do this, than absolutely I could do this.  So, of course I ordered it.  When it arrived, I saw that I needed a set of dumbbell weights and a yoga ball, so I went to the Wal-Mart and purchased 5lb, 8lb, and 15lb weights to start.  And after the first month, I had actually experienced some weight loss!  I was dying for the 2^nd DVD, I couldn’t afford to buy them, but my parents really do love me and support me however they possibly can, so they paid for all 12 of my DVDs.

Mary now, 74 lbs lighter!

Each DVD also contains a nutrition lesson.  These nutrition lessons are solid gold to me!  I discovered that I knew nothing about nutrition!  After watching a few of them, I realized that the low-fat, sugar-free, Healthy Choice frozen dinner eating plan was ALL WRONG.  Nothing that I knew about food was true.  So, over the past 2 ½ years, I have been on a journey where I’ve had to unlearn everything thing that I’d ever learned about food, and relearn it all from scratch.  I needed to change the ways that I thought about food, so I did just that. I took Dustin’s nutrition guidance very seriously and did some research of my own.  With Dustin’s help I taught myself nutrition, stopped eating frozen meals, and taught myself to cook.  I experienced many MANY kitchen fails, but today I can say that I’m a pretty decent cook.

I paid attention to myself and learned what my food traps were.  For example, from September-May, the Reese’s Company infiltrates the grocery stores.  In September out come the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pumpkins.  And the day after Halloween, the pumpkins go on sale, and the Reese’s Christmas trees come out.  Then, the day after Christmas, out come the Valentines hearts, followed by the Easter eggs… and the grocery store sells them individually right by the checkout line so that you can grab one (or 5) to have to eat on the drive home.  I know ahead of time, before I even go into the store that these are going to be there, so they don’t catch me off guard and I can avoid caving in.  I decide in advance before I go into the store that I’m not going to buy them, and if I know that I’m experiencing weakness in my food choices, I make it a point to shop at a different store that I know does not sell them so readily.

Also along these lines, I would to go to a party or a get together with friends where lots of salty snacks and baked goods were available.  I would spend all of my energy and thoughts trying to eat as many cookies or chocolates that I could possibly eat without people noticing that I was eating so many.  I wasn’t able to invest in my friendships because I was only thinking about the food.  So I adopted a motto for myself of “enjoy the one”.  I taught myself how to eat only one cookie and one piece of chocolate.  It took a while to learn how to do this, but I can now go to these parties and get togethers, enjoy my friends and invest in my relationships, and I can eat that single cookie that I love, enjoy it, and not be left longing for 12 more of them.

A helpful tip Dustin encourages for your healthy lifestyle is to follow an 80% 20% eating plan.  Eat healthy and wisely 80% of the time, and the not so healthy foods 20% of the time.  This 80/20 gage is so helpful and SO DOABLE.  I spend my 20% primarily on dark chocolate with sea salt and kettle corn.

Over Thanksgiving last year I gained a few pounds, so after that holiday, I journaled about it.  I went over all of the places that I went, what I ate, the food I consumed while I was cooking (you know what I mean; those harmless little bites and taste tests…uh huh).  I learned myself though journaling these things out.  I saw what my traps were, the places where I tripped up.  And after seeing those things and pinpointing where I went wrong, I made a game plan for the Christmas Holiday.   And… I actually lost weight over Christmas last year!  My game plan actually worked.  I ate all of the seasonal foods that I enjoy (I’m one of those weird people that loves fruit cake), but because I had this game plan, I didn’t overdo it.  I know how to handle the holidays without packing on weight and without missing out on the holiday goodies.

I have been doing Dustin’s Fit Moms for Life  program for 2 ½ years now.  I get to use heavier weights now than the 5lb-15lb weights that I started out with.  I now use up to 45lb dumbbells.  With the workouts that Dustin takes you through, his guidance, the encouraging stories of the women featured on his DVDs, and the nutrition and knowledge of food that I have learned… over the last 2 ½ years I have lost between 70-75 pounds, and have kept it off!  I am smaller now than I was during my first few years of college.  My friends and family can’t believe how different I look and encourage me all the time.  I can’t believe the energy that I have and how different my body feels.  My knees don’t hurt nearly as much now THANKFULLY.

I know how to eat.  Without following a diet, I know how to eat healthily and successfully.  I know how to fit a workout into a busy day.  I know what my food traps are and I have a game plan to overcome each one of them.  The way that I think about food has flipped a complete 180 degrees and I don’t see food the same way that I used to.  I don’t worry about gaining back the weight that I have lost.  And I’m actually not finished dropping weight yet, I have about 15-20 pounds left to lose but I know that I am going to lose those remaining pounds.  I feel set up for the rest of my life to live as a healthy woman.  I hope to be a wife and mother someday and I feel set up to be a successful mother in the area of healthy nutrition and exercise (I WON’T have a designated junk food drawer for them).

I am so thankful for what I have learned through the Fit Moms for Life program.  I don’t feel like or worry that I will fail in this area again ever.  Of course, I will have my days where I don’t eat as well as I could have, especially on those days right before my period…yep.  I don’t believe in perfection but I do believe in excellence, so I don’t expect myself to be perfect at this, but I do know how to be successful.  I know how to be successful in the day to day, and in the long run.  I would absolutely recommend this Fit Moms for Life program to everyone; to moms, single women, and I would even recommend it for men.  It’s possible, it’s doable, and it’s sustainable.”

-Mary

Me Post 30 Days of Awesomeness

Well, I’ve just completed Dustin’s “30 Days of Awesomeness” challenge and thought I would post my final journal entry here instead of just writing on the closed Facebook page.

I decided to participate in the challenge for a couple of reasons. One was to see what would happen if I started keeping a food journal again, as well as trying some of the recipes provided for those accepting the challenge. The second reason was to see what would happen if I tried to maybe step out of my comfort zone. Definitely not one of my strong points.

The working out part of the challenge was easy. I generally worked out 4-5 times a week already. I’ve been changing the way I work out for the past year, utilizing more intensity bursts rather than long cardio. That, combined with the food journaling and recipes, allowed me to lose about 6.5 pounds. That rounds out to about a pound a week which I’ve read is the healthy way to lose weight and maintain the weight loss. Additionally, I increased my pushups from 33 to 40, my plank time from 1:33 to 2:10, my squat sits from 67 to 77 and maintained my burpees at 22. I also went down a waist size. The tricky part here is now  my old pants seem really loose and my new waist size feels a little tight. What to do? I figure I’ll stay with the new waist size so I’ll know I’m doing well if this new size starts to feel a little loose. Makes sense… I think.

Stepping out of my comfort zone was much more difficult for me. I have a great deal of insecurity, stems from (among other things) an incident that happened to me in my youth. I wrote a blog entry about that a while ago, but if you missed it you can read it here. One of the great things about the closed Facebook group, utilized in the challenge, was to discover how so many of us suffer from some degree of insecurity. Just as in boot camp everyone was so encouraging and supportive. It was really great to read the page daily.

Notice the shirt!

Oh well, back to me. One of the things I mentioned in my journal entry was how uncomfortable I was wearing my boot camp shirt. I wasn’t making the kind of progress I thought I should be so I felt undeserving. Wearing that shirt made me feel like a walking advertisement and I didn’t want to be a bad commercial for Dustin. However, with the encouragement of the people on Facebook and boot camp, I actually wore my boot camp shirt to work out at my health club the other day. This was one step, well maybe a baby step, outside of my comfort zone. The next step was a big step for me.

I cannot do a pull up. However, outside of class, I’ve been afraid to try. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself hanging there from a bar where all could see. Today, though, I took Dustin’s advice and said to myself. So what, who cares? I blocked everyone out and went for it, and, guess what? I still couldn’t do one. Hey but I tried. At my health club they have the TRX straps but they don’t hang them from the ceiling. They have this independent rack that they hang from. I jumped up, grabbed the top of the rack, and tried to pull myself up. I almost made it, but just missed doing a full pull up. I didn’t give up and drop off though. Instead I held myself  the way we do in class, bent at the elbow, and I brought my knees up and made myself hang there as long as I could. The next time I  work out at the club I’ll do it again except I’m going to try at the beginning of the workout when I’m fresh and not at the end when I’m tired.

Now the important thing about my taking these steps is that I’ve done them after the “30 Days of Awesomeness Challenge” was over. Just goes to show that maybe you just need a little encouragement and support to push you and get you started in the right direction.

It is that time of year again. For many of us this can be a difficult time as there are so many temptations. There is the temptation to skip workouts because we are just so busy and tired. There is the temptation to overeat because, dang it, everything looks and smells so good. What’s a guy to do?

What a guy does is set some goals and try his best to stick to them.

On November 10, 2011, I visited my doctor for my annual physical. At that time I was at a pretty low point and had gained some weight. My doctor didn’t seem to be overly concerned. He knew I was going through a hard time and that I also knew what to do to lose the weight. However, that was too easy an out for me.  I told the doctor I wanted him to give me a goal weight. I wanted to know where he wanted me to be. I needed that sense of accountability that Dustin has advocated. After some discussion, we agreed upon a weight loss of 22 lbs by my next physical. That would be a starting goal and I would have a year to do it. That definitely sounded like something I could do. All I had to do was get through the holidays and then get to work after.

So I started doing a little here and there but not much. I figured I had a whole year. Then something happened that kicked started my weight loss. One morning in bootcamp we had to use the treadmills. Not one of my favorite things to do, by the way. While I was taking my turn running, Dustin came up and asked me it the speed was good. That may not seem like much, but the speed was way below where I would have previously run. In the past if I had been at that speed Dustin would have cranked me up. Oh my gosh, I thought. I must really look heavy if this looks like an appropriate speed. At what was worse, it was a challenging speed. Ok, I decided, it was time to get to work. So, that Saturday, I took my son to the movies. We went to see Jack and Jill. Critics hated it, but my son and I thought it was funny and entertaining. However, I digress. At the movie I had some popcorn and a soda. I told myself to enjoy that soda because that was going to be my last.

With that, right before the holiday season began, I jumped in. People reminded me that this was probably not the best time to start but, hey, I had made enough excuses. First, and most importantly, I gave up the soda. I was drinking much too much so I just went cold turkey. I didn’t allow any because I know myself. I also gave up candy and other sugary snacks. That was much easier. I like chocolate but I don’t need it all the time. I wasn’t giving that up totally, just limiting myself. With everything else, I just really started watching portions and try to stay away from fast food.

Everything has gone well so far. I ate modestly at Thanksgiving. My family Christmas party was a challenge. I did fine with the dinner but the desserts…not so much. I planned ahead on this though and stayed away from sugar for days so that I could enjoy the dessert table. One of my bigger challenges has been my favorite Christmas cookies. I have a weakness for a certain type of Christmas cookie and bought a pack when I saw them in the store. My sister also saw them in the store and bought me two packs. She knows I sometimes have a hard time finding them so she wanted to make sure I had them this year. Sisters. You gotta love them and I have two of the best. Even as old as I am now, they are always looking out for me. Oops. Off the subject again. I’ve managed to eat the cookies sparingly. The good news is, even with all the temptations, I only need to lose 6 more pounds to meet the initial goal weight set forth by me and my doctor.

I’ve done pretty well with the exercise too. I still get in 3-4 workouts a week and plan on adding one more day once the holidays are over.

Finally, to help me, I have a little altered Christmas carol that I wrote that might help me watch myself at the next dessert table.

Watch Me Grow!

Oh the holiday food is frightful,
But the smell is so delightful
I’m trying to resist, but no
Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow!

My fork shows no sign of stopping,
And my pants, their button’s popping,
My metabolism seems oh so slow,
Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow!

When I’ve finally had enough,
Are my eyes feeling ever so tired!
I feel I could sleep, but tough
A jolt of caffeine, I’ll be wired!

My appetite is subsiding,
Walk away, my dear, I’m trying
Because unless from that table I go,
Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow! Watch Me Grow!

If you missed my inspiring Christmas Carols from last year, you can check them out here.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

Roger at 50

Poster by Roger, a contributor to this blog.

Last week I started working toward losing the weight the doctor wanted me to lose. The lifestyle changes I have to make have to be permanent if I want to not only take the weight off, but to keep the weight off. I started with changing my eating habits and now, I have to take the same aggressive approach to my workouts.

 On Friday we had Ashton as our bootcamp leader. She warned us early on that we would hate push-ups by the end of class. She was correct. We divided into groups of four. Rod, Angie, and Greg were the other participants in my group. We would be working through 5 different stations, rotating from station to station. The completion of all 5 stations constituted a round. We had to go through 4 rounds, with a short break between each round.

Not us, but you get the idea.

The first round for my group was making big arm outside circles while holding on to these big, thick ropes. This caused the rope to kind of wave around. I was thinking you could add some extra cardio by having someone jump over the rope. Remember playing snake with a jump rope? Same thing, After this, we moved to burpees, no push-ups. The next station was push-ups. Then lunges, or lunge jumps if you wanted, and finally we finished with weighted squat jumps.

These were some serious arm exercises. My arms were tired by the end of the first round. Then we got to do it three more times. My group was very inspiring for me. When it was time for us to do the push-ups, they stayed on their toes for all 4 rounds which meant, of course, that I had to do the same. I was determined to do it if everyone else was doing it. By the fourth round it was a challenge, but we met it.  When we were finished with our four rounds I was quite relieved. Prematurely it turned out. Before we took another break we did another round of push-ups, burpees with push-ups, and  mountain climbers. I did ok on the burpees and push-ups but the mountain climbers really tired out my shoulders. Then we did it again. And again. I was tired but I stayed on my toes for all. Yay. Finally a break. Then we had 3 different rotations to take us until the end. We did side planks with a reach around, some core work with the stability ball, and, tricep rows with elevated feet (like I said, quite  the arm workout).

 On Sunday I went for my workout at the gym. I try to take bootcamp exercises along with me to maximize my workout. When I do them, though, I can hear my instructors. I can hear Ryan telling me to straighten my arms and not pull them in. I can hear Ashton telling me I can squat a little lower. Worst of all, I can hear Dustin telling me to put that lighter weight down, that I can do heavier. They encourage me to keep pushing myself to be the best that I can be. I also can hear the voices of other members of bootcamp, telling me I can do it, to do just one more . So I try to do it. For me, that is the benefit of group exercise. Seems I never have to exercise alone.