Weight Loss Success Story

So I'm into fitness & enjoy a good makeover as much as the next person (or more, let's be honest) and I wanna share about my girl Chantel. She worked her butt off and lost over 25 pounds! Now, for the record, I never thought she was overweight, I always thought she looked great, but I think that us short girls have a hard time "looking" thin. When you're short, your weight just distributes.. out. Mega bummer, BUT Chantel has proven that wrong, because she looks amazing!

 Before, 140 lbs                         After, 112

Here's what she did:
 (And sorry about the weird spacing, I cut and pasted from our facebook messaging!)

"Ok so I totally looove telling my story so thank you for letting me!!! I think it is cool to be able to help people since it took me a while to find it out myself! Now I just have to pay it forward! Here the food I eat and how I lost 25 pounds in 14 weeks! I stay at 1200 calories a day (to lose weight but then 1500 to maintain) I eat low carbs only whole grains, lots of raw veggies, fruits and nuts. And just a little dairy, it helps keep down the bloating. When I eat throughout the day I only eat 100-200 calories at a time so I don't feel full but I don't feel bad eating when I want. I drink 2 cups of herbal tea a day, and at least one bowl of low sodium soup. And fish or chicken for dinner. I drink at least 2 liters of water a day, well I try it is hard some days but usually if your body says your hungry your really thirsty. So I try to drink a lot before I give into food to see if that is what I needed. 

  You are on the go like me a lot so sometimes I take a low carb slimfast (190 cal) with me, or a low sodium V8 with babybel cheese (105 cal) so it is quick and easy but your not blowing it. I try to eat my veggies raw but I LOVE dipping them in ranch but I found a new fun alternative, yogurt based dip! It is lower in fat and calories and I love it. Joe agreed that would could stop buying hamburger meat and replacing it with turkey! When that day happened I was stoked. It is sooo much better for you and doesn't make me feel as gross! A couple big things that will help change how you cook, I put everything on a salad plate so I can eat everything on it, but it is portioned out just right. Also, you need good fats (mono and polyunstaturated fats) to lose weight. Thats why I eat salmon and tuna with olive oil. It is good for your skin and your heart. So switching out the veg oil for olive is a great decision. That is why I eat nuts too, yes they are high in calories but it is good fat that you need. 

"I also had one day a week where I ate whatever I wanted to throw off my body and kick my metabolism back up. I know this may look intimidating but I PROMISE if you write it down and follow it, it becomes second nature and easy to do! I LOVE food soooo much and this is the first time I have been able to lost weight fast. 

  Second, working out. Start slow like walking 30 mins 3 times a week on an incline. Or go on a hike with friends. For me I just had to throw myself in the gym and kick my butt into gear! I was only going 3-4 times a week and did the eliptical on an incline of 6 and work load of 4-5 alternating for 30-35 mins. Then I did "Body for Life" weights. (great book I HIGHLY recommend) So upper body only twice a week and same for lower. Then I walked with my mom or did pilates once a week. Thats it!!! I dropped 7 pounds my first week!!! Set your goal each week of what you want to achieve and weigh in on the same day every week to keep track."


Doesn't Chantel look great?! It's awesome to see someone I know work so hard and look so good! I'm sure Chantel would say that it was not easy but all worth it. And here's my two cents: as Chantel found out, it's all about calories, as tedious as it is. You can still eat enough to feel full, as long as it's healthy food. I think it's also a mental game- you gotta commit and stay motivated and be ready to take the plunge, and plan ahead to be able to stick to it. 


I hope this is motivating for at least someone, besides myself! And if you have an awesome makeover story, email it to me! As Chantel said, it's all about payin it forward =)