Team Beachbody Guest

My story begins when I was married to my first husband in 1991 and he
became terminally ill. In the midst of taking care of him, I was hospitalized
for an ectopic pregnancy. The crushing blow watching everything you had
dreamed of was quickly slipping away. A husband and a family that we once
dreamed of were no longer in our grasp. I was still teaching then coming
home and putting on my nurse’s cap. Lack of sleep, the unknown and turmoil
of families was hard to bear. I had little time to take care of myself. He
eventually past away just a month shy of our 6th wedding anniversary. It was
a struggle to stay focused but yet I had the strength to continue on knowing I
had done everything I could for him. So after his passing, I was able to take
some me time and get my health and weight back on track. I figured I
wouldn’t marry again although I was in my early 30’s. Although my husband
kept telling me before his passing that he would send my guys my way. Well,
not long after, I met my current husband when I was trying to get my yard
landscaped. We became friends first and later started dating. Four years later,
we married and I was down to about 130 lbs. because of my age we didn’t
want to wait to start a family. We were married for about 4 months and then
his father had past away. Two weeks after the funeral, I found out I was
pregnant. We were both overjoyed and saddened to know “Papa Joe” would
not see our baby-but with death comes a life. So we looked at it as though
Papa Joe will be this baby’s guardian angel. So at 37 I gave birth to a healthy
baby girl, Sophia. Needless, to say the baby weight was a lot. About 50lbs. I
gained and didn’t lose it all when I became pregnant with baby #2. So at 40 I
gave birth again to a healthy baby boy which we named Joseph after both our
fathers. I had gained more than 50lbs with this pregnancy. So needless to say,
I was overweight and because of my age the weight didn’t come off like it
would have if I were in my 20’s. So this brings us to 2007. My weight was
167 lbs. About the same when I was dealing with my first spouse’s illness. So
a teacher friend and I decided it was time to make changes. We started a
Biggest Loser competition at our school for the arts. I started really watching
what I ate and the weight started to come off. I had gotten down to about
143lbs. But there was that remaining baby weight that didn’t want to budge.
So I gave my dear friend Monica (ward5000) a call. She had been talking to
me for the past 3 years about what power 90 did for her. So I finally took the
plunge and ordered it. I started the program in July at 143lbs. The weight
literally melted off. I noticed more strength, definition in my arms and more
energy to keep up with my little ones! I couldn’t believe how fast it worked
and the difference I saw. It was summer, and people who would see me at
the pool were amazed. Then it was time to head back to the classroom and
see all my co-workers. They were astounded with my results. I have kept
faithful to the program. I absolutely love it! I am now about a size 2/4. So,
here it is, 2008 and I’m 128lbs. 43 years young and have a 22% body fat and
my husband and band members call me bones! (Although I have lean muscle)
I had recently seen my doctor and he was amazed at what I have done in a
fairly short period of time. The doctor’s records at the previous visit said I
weighed 170lbs. I can’t thank beach body enough for the transformation my
body has made. Life isn’t a downward spiral at 40. I’m living proof of that.
Any obstacle can be overcome by a mindset. Positive attitudes are everything.
I was worth it and life is too short to let it pass by so I made the right
changes for my health and happiness and for my family. Did I mention that
through all the turmoil I encountered, my friends and family gave me the
strength and diligence to keep life moving forward? Who knows where I
would have been if I did not have some one or something to lean on. Beach
body with the success buddies and friendships I have made impacted my life
and I hope that through my successes and hardships, I can make a positive
impact on at least one person’s life. You only get one chance at life. Give it
the best you’ve got. I know I did. Thank you Beach body for giving me the life
I deserve. Hugs, Cathy Carini “cariniclan”