A transformation story

BEFORE

....36 pounds later!

Let me introduce you to Amy.  Amy and I met ohhhhhh just shy of 20 years ago in a class at our local community college.  She has been working with me (I own a residential cleaning biz) for the past couple of years.  Amy has always been one who did not put much thought into her weight.  She ate what she wanted and felt pretty content.  At times she would make small efforts toward creating healthy habits, such as new exercise programs, but it never stuck.

Turning point:
A few months back Amy started shrinking!  :)  She stepped on the scale finally and found she had lost 20 pounds!  She attributes the weight loss to the fact that business had dramatically picked up which meant not only was she far more active every day, but she was eating less just from being occupied with other things and not at home.  This sparked a new found motivation to be proactive in her own life and make goals!

Amy agreed to let me put her on a plan and away she went.  She joined a bible study I hosted that focused on health and nutrition and that added to her personal education on her own wellness.  Rather than buying food and eating based on what her taste buds were telling her, she started paying attention to the nutrition (or lack thereof) in her choices as well as calories.  I have stressed calories with Amy's plan and she has done wonderfully.  She's the best student!!!  She said she was shocked, once she started changing her habits, at how much she had been eating without even being aware of it.

Now what?
Now that Amy is close to her goal weight and she has gained tons of energy, she is ready to incorporate regular exercise into her routine in order to tone and take better care of her body in general.

Surprises?
Amy was surprised that just a change in her daily activity level (just being on her feet more) brought on such weight loss.

Amy also was happy to find that deprivation does not have to be part of the plan!  Her perspective has changed and she is focused on portions and enjoying her food and health more.

Another surprise was that she was passing foods up that she would normally eat basically out of habit.  She has become far more conscious of her choices and realized at times she would eat just because food was there rather than because she actually wanted it.

Health benefits:
A major part of Amy's journey has been the fact that she struggles with thyroid issues and has been able to lose weight despite this obstacle.  She has also noticed that the physical demands at work do not have the same effects they used to.  Even her joints don't ache like they used to after busier days.

A message from Amy:
Losing weight does not mean you have to change your whole lifestyle.  Start small and work from there.  Celebrate the little accomplishments!!