Leslie

When Cheryl and I first started I “knew” what it took to be healthy. I knew it was 90% diet and 10% exercise. I knew that you need to burn more calories than you eat. I knew that you needed to stay active. Every day I would wake up eat a healthy breakfast, have a healthy lunch, a protein drink in the afternoon. Then I’d go to the gym and do a 30-45min cardio class along with another 30-45min weights, burning well over 600 calories. Then I’d go home and binge. I didn’t know why I was so hungry! I would eat dinner so fast that by the time I had my firsts and seconds I was finishing before my husband…and then I would snack after that! (Peanut M&Ms were my go-to) I couldn’t say no to foods. I was always craving going out to eat and things like chicken and salmon never sounded good, especially when I was starving. I had the worst cravings. I would also sabotage myself. If I’d start the day out wrong, or have candy in the middle of the day or go out to lunch I’d think, “well…my day is shot so I might ask well just keep eating like crap” and then I’d go overboard and decide I’d start again the next day.

When I started working with Cheryl I told her one thing, I am not cutting out any foods especially not those peanut M&Ms!! I don’t want to go on a stupid diet, I don’t want to be told I can’t eat something or I can’t do something, because then I’ll want it more. I wanted to lose weight and be healthy but not be restricted. So we started small, so small that we didn’t even look to lose weight at first, it was more focused on being consistent. It took a couple weeks to start noticing a difference but I trusted the process. We picked specific goals and once I had the hang of them and they were a habit we’d switch focus to something else. She was there for me every step of the way, checking in on me, giving me reminders, being my sounding board. Before I knew it, my eating habits were better, consistent, and I wasn’t binging at night. My taste buds had changed, I was eating the foods I loved just not ridiculous amounts, I stopped when I was full. I found myself willingly choosing a healthier option and I wasn’t going fist deep into a party size jug of peanut M&Ms. Through the process I logged all my foods and workouts, I weighed and measured my food and got the hang of what portions really looked like (pasta surprised the heck out of me!) I also weighed and measured myself, because there were times the weight didn’t seem to be coming off, but I could see it with the measurements.

It’s now been over a year and I’m 40lbs down!!! It got easier and easier as time went on. I haven’t logged a single food or exercise in over two months and I haven’t gained a pound. I’ve finally found my groove! It feels so good to know I can eat anything I want, not have to work out like a maniac and still be healthy because I listen to my body. It’s also nice to know that when I’m not consciously monitoring my food or exercise I’m not gaining. I still go out to eat, I get corn dogs and cheese curds at the fair, I have beers with my friends, I eat ice cream every night, but everything is done in moderation and I’m not sabotaging the rest of the day. I haven’t been this happy and confident about my body and diet in … gosh, forever!! I literally owe my health to Cheryl. And, as much as she will tell me it’s me who did it, I couldn’t have done it without her.