Team Beachbody Guest

I’ve never been small. Even in high school and college, my “skinny” size was a 14. I got married while still finishing college and gained over 50 lbs. during my first year of marriage. After each of my three daughters was born, I added on even more weight. By the time I had my third daughter, I could barely squeeze myself into a size 22. That’s about the time our family started living

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I’ve never been small. Even in high school and college, my “skinny” size was a 14. I got married while still finishing college and gained over 50 lbs. during my first year of marriage. After each of my three daughters was born, I added on even more weight. By the time I had my third daughter, I could barely squeeze myself into a size 22. That’s about the time our family started living overseas due to my husband’s job. When we arrived in Chile, my size 22+ was quite overwhelming in a culture of petite women that place a high value on size and personal appearance. I was fortunate to make a wonderful friend who happened to be a nutritionist. She helped me by suggesting changes in my eating habits and even took me to the gym with her. I was able to lose enough weight to get into a size 16 during the two years we lived in Chile. We then returned to the U.S. and I kept going to the gym and fighting hard to keep myself in a size 16.

After several months in the U.S., we were off to Japan. I wound up gaining weight due to the stress of the move. My size was again quite noticeable in a country that, as far as I could tell, did not have any overweight people. I decided I needed to get back into at least a size 16 again. However, I wasn’t able to join a gym this time, so I decided to start jogging. Not only was jogging difficult due to my size and lack of experience, but the stares and flat out chuckles I encountered from other pedestrians made it an absolute test of will and endurance. I was finally able to get into a size 14 after a year of struggling and working harder than I ever thought I could. I was more than happy to be back in my “skinny” size. I was able to keep my size 14 by trying different workout programs for the next couple of years as we moved back to the U.S. for a year and then to Guatemala. In Guatemala, I had my fourth baby. After a somewhat complicated pregnancy, I finished off trying to squeeze back into a size 18. Completely discouraged, I tried any form of exercise available to me: old workout tapes I’d used previously, water aerobics, jogging. However, nothing really seemed to work. I finally got down to a size 16 after considerable effort and time.

Right at about that same time, my oldest daughter (who had always struggled with her own weight), confided in me that as she was approaching her 13th birthday in a little over a year, she really did not want to be a “fat teenager”. She too wanted to lose weight and feel good about her size as she entered her teen years. I grew up in an overweight family where no one but my older brother did any kind of exercise. I always thought that my body was simply made to be overweight because I was not an athlete nor did I want to bulk up like my brother. However, I was the mother now and it was up to me to provide the example of health and fitness for my children. I had tried countless workout routines throughout the years and only saw slight improvements in my stamina and body shape. Just as I started feeling once more that I (and my children) were simply destined to be overweight, I remembered the Slim in 6 DVDs that my mom had sent me for my birthday that year. I was skeptical at first, since I hadn’t heard about Slim in 6 while living in Guatemala. I decided to try the workout before completely giving up and it was the best decision I ever made.

From the very first workout, I felt like I had found a solution that would finally work for me. The workouts were fun without being complicated and difficult to follow. After the very first week I could feel my muscles getting stronger. After six weeks I felt muscles that I never knew I had – I could even flex my waist muscles! Everyone around me could tell the difference. It felt great to be an inspiration to others. Best of all, not only did I lose over 30 lbs, but I was no longer in my “skinny” size 14 – I had actually dropped down to a comfortable size 12!!! Even after the 6 weeks were up, I continued doing “Burn It Up” and ordered the Slim Series to keep me going. I am now a comfortable size 10 – never in my life would I have dreamed of being a 10!!! My two oldest daughters started doing the workouts as well and dropped much of their unwanted weight as well. My children now see me as a “skinny mommy” that loves to exercise and has strong muscles. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

However, after two years of living in a comfortable size 10, I started struggling to stay there. Our family had a very difficult transition back to the U.S. last summer. Due to the stress of that move, I gained 10 lbs and struggled to shed those pounds for many months. I started working out again with my Slim in 6 tapes, but couldn't stay motivated. So I decided to shake things up a little and try the new P90X. The results I achieved in only 90 days were absolutely remarkable - not just physically, but mentally and emotionally!

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