Go to the deli and order a pound of chopped ham, look at the pile, just sitting there, full of fat and not very good for you. Now order a pound of turkey breast, it just lies on the scale nice and flat not taking up too much space, and is good for you. Imagine that being the difference between muscle and fat on the body. I told “my girls” we’re getting rid of your ham!”

I was totally blown away by the number of woman that submitted their story to be one of the contestants. After some painstakingly hard decision making, seven were chosen. These 7 women, Melanie, Casie, Tica, Rita, Stephanie, Adria and Kelly have meant just as much to me as they say I have to them. They say I gave them a chance………when in reality I feel like they gave me the chance. A chance to make a difference for somebody. A chance to exercise my beliefs and knowledge. A chance to be the person that I am, on the inside. These women gave me the chance to be me! On the last day of the contest I told them all that the changes I see in them from the neck up are just as awesome as the changes that are so obvious from the neck down. The happiness and self confidence on their faces is gratitude enough for me, but I would like to say thank you to Todd, and Shanna, two of the trainers here at Flab to Fab that also gave their all for the girls. I could (and will) do this type of contest again, but this group of women will always be “my girls”, and to my girls I say, stay focused, be proud, see what I see when you look in the mirror, seek out your dreams, live life to the fullest, say your prayers, and SEE YOU AT THE GYM!

There were a few one on one sessions, but these women did the same thing every other woman is capable of doing by walking through the door at Flab to Fab. As Casie said, “You can’t wish yourself skinny sitting on the couch.” The spirit of community and support is amazing here. I am not only proud of my contestants, I am proud of all my members. The encouragement they give each other is an awesome thing to witness on a daily basis.

I love my gym, and the women in it,
Lisa

STRESS!!!

I am a very high strung person and I do not like when things don’t go as planned.  I am easily stressed and when stressed I just stop…I “shut down”.  This week was supposed to be my big come back week, and needless to say that did not go as planned.  Friday of last week was the first day I had scheduled to go back to the gym however when I woke up Friday morning my chest was so congested I could barely breath.  That lasted for about 5 days roughly and even though I truly was sick I feel like it is one excuse after another.  I have been so stressed and so annoyed with life right now.  I feel like I’m just barely going through the motions of life and nothing is going as planned it is just going and it is going fast but it seems to have forgotten me!  I still work out every day at home and eat the best I can with my busy schedule.  But I feel like all I do right now is work.  Nanny all day and work all night, even sleep seems to rarely come lately.  I have some things going on in my personal life as well right now that have me confused and feeling lost.  I need to find time…I am quickly slipping back into bad habits and that is just unacceptable.  I still want this more than anything, I know my actions may not reflect that strong desire to be a healthy person but that desire burns deep inside me.  I need to find my way back to the right track and stop letting life derail me after every curve.  The stress from work and not going to the gym mixed with not seeing my son very much right now is slowly slipping me back into the state of depression that I was in when I started this competition.  I feel like i didn’t deserve this wonderful opportunity because I have been so easily distracted.  I need to find that spark again, that spark that made me want to try.  That spark inside me that helped me see I was worth it.  I know deep down in my heart I can still do this, however I am sorry that I have not been believing in myself enough to push as much as I should have in the last couple weeks.   I just need to find Kelly again and stick with whats best for myself and stop stressing over life, because life is to be lived not just endured, and lately I”m barely even doing that.

There are only 12 days left of the “contest”, but hopefully there are A LOT more days than tha left  for the changes the woman have made in their lives.  I am very proud of all of them.  To be in the real world and make the emotional and physical gains that they have is nothing short of AWESOME!  The women have helped me without even knowing it … to be able to help someone feel better about themselves, smile more, to help someone achieve their goals … it all is a very rewarding feeling right where it counts, my heart!!!!

Sincerely,

Lisa

One of the things I took from my grandmother’s house after she passed was a little wall plaque that she hung in her bathroom. I put it in our bathroom when we bought our first home just so I could have a little bit of her here. It quotes James 4:8 and I have probably read that scripture thousands of times but never really got it until today. It says that, “if you draw near to God, He will draw near to you”. I entered this contest two weeks after starting to work out for the umpteenth time since in at least a decade of trying. I’ve said before if I just got selected for this contest then I would no longer have an excuse for being unhealthy… and I’m just going to say it- fat. I asked God for a chance at something that may not be as important as most things He deals with. “When you ask for something, be prepared when you get it” was the quote that crossed my mind and now I realize that my two weeks of working out three times a week had been a preparation for the challenge I asked for. At that point, I had lost my customary six pounds and was not sure how to get past that. So I stepped out in faith believing that God would put the right people around me, and did He ever!

I have gone from barely getting through one workout a day, three times a week to pounding out two or three workouts a day, five to six days a week. I have gone from barely pulling myself out of bed by 8 am to waking up before my 6:30 alarm goes off and making my kids both breakfast and lunch before school each day. I have gone from barely squeezing into size 22Ws to almost fitting into size 16s (they are a couple of steps until my “goal pants”). This time, losing weight has been totally different and it has to be in correlation with that tiny scripture that has been sitting on the vanity in our half bath for over five years. My friend’s husband pointed out to me today that thing with that scripture is that action on our part is necessary for God to do anything. I could have cried and complained and moped around for another decade about being fat and slow and miserable but that would not have changed a thing. In fact, I probably would have gotten fatter. But the moment that I started toward my goal it was like God was pushing my goal toward me. I started getting stronger. Each time I added a workout and pushed past the kitchen my goal became a little more within my reach. I also noticed that my intensity during the workouts increased. I really try to exaggerate movements to maximize the effectiveness. If I left a class or got off an elliptical without being drenched with sweat, I didn’t work out. Why do anything half hearted? And there I was everyday trying to make good on the investment God has in me. Today I realized that all that I have been doing in this competition is strengthening a relationship with Someone who loves me very much.

When I began this contest I had lots of excuses to not go all in and a new one pops up every now and again just to test my resolve in completing this task. I would have to work harder than everyone else in the contest to lose weight. I do have a great deal of responsibilities with four children at home and my husband’s long hours. I do have to travel across town to work out and gas prices are high. My knee does hurt if I do squats and lunges. Sweating profusely, everyday is pretty rough on my hair. I could go on but it is much more fulfilling to honor the accomplishments that have been achieved in spite of the obstacles. I thank God for every class my husband and I work to get me to. I say “Amen” every time I get farther in a workout than I did before. I thank God for everyone who has gotten something out of these blogs. And every time the numbers get lower on the scale I give thanks and praise to my Father that He thought enough of me to meet me where I was and answer a silly request, just so He could draw closer to me. I still have a great deal of work ahead of me but seeing where I was and feeling the testimony that is growing from this is more than enough to keep pushing me forward.

Losing weight is truly a battle with the mind. The things that I’ve gone through mentally are way more tough than any workout. My ultimate wish is to no longer let my stress or food control me. I have really went through a rough patch the past couple weeks. I’ve gotten discouraged about my work schedule and how much time I was able to spend at the gym. I go as often as I can but I wish sometimes I could just pause life and focus on me. Also, I am the definition of an emotional eater. I eat when I’m sad, upset or bored and lately due to stress. My mind tricks me into thinking if I’ve had a bad day, a bowl of pasta will make me feel better. And so I’ve noticed, it does make me feel better… but only temporarily. Afterwards, I feel guilty and ashamed of myself. The key for me in conquering this weight is going to be consistency. I am going to have to keep trying to make the right choices even on stressful or bad days. Everyone will go through rough patches in life and the key to that is resiliency. It doesn’t matter how many times I fail but it does matter how many times I bounce back and keep on trying. Flab 2 Fab is a great place for motivation and I feel very cared for. I know Lisa, my friends and my fiance Mike will help me get through these bumps in the road. But at the end of the day, only I can control what I put in my mouth and how much I exercise. I will break through this, I refuse to let go of the chance of a truly happy, healthy life.

It’s hard to realize the things you try so hard to ignore. It will take so much effort for me to lose weight. I get that now. I can’t give anything less than 100%. Anything less and I will just maintain the weight I am. It’s the cold hard truth. If I put off a day of working out it takes a toll on my goals. I wish it were different but it’s not. I’ll probably have to spend the rest of my life worrying about my weight and my diet. I’m willing to put forth the effort now more than ever. I want to succeed more than anything.

I hope someday we can have an update on all of us. I’d be thrilled if in the next year I can get to my goal weight. I know it won’t be easy but I think it’s worth a shot. I want my dreams to come true. I want to be happy with my body and I want to show everyone that it is most definitely possible to change your life. I am still just so thankful to have been given this opportunity in the first place. It’s not going to be a walk in the park but it’s so worth it. I would love to be an inspiration to every girl out there who wants to change their life. I know I couldn’t ask for anything more…

I have realized something. I enjoy working out. I mean it. Like really enjoy it. How did I come upon this realization? By not working out.

I’m not being lazy. And I haven’t been too busy. I’ve just fallen victim to this ever-changing weather. It started last Monday with a sore throat. It then blossomed into full blown bronchitis. Lovely, right? Riiight. Well, anyway, my doctor informed me that my lungs need time to heal so I would not be allowed to work out until (fingers crossed) this Friday. Yep. So I’ve been sick since last Monday…a week and 3 days…and counting. So I’ve only worked out twice in the past week and 3 days. And that just stinks. Like bad.

So, I will be thoroughly excited when I am able to resume sweating profusely whilst getting my butt kicked. Friday can’t come soon enough.