Success Story-Meet Monica
April 11, 2009 by Jenny Neighbour
Monica before REV
Monica after REV
I never really had a problem with my weight. A product of the 70’s, I always wanted to be 10 pounds less than I was, but I really was never overweight. So, when I turned 50 and started packing on the pounds, I didn’t recognize it as a problem. I saw it more like the inevitable effects of aging. Why not just embrace that roundness? Hadn’t I earned the right to enjoy big tubs of buttered popcorn, cartons of pralines and cream ice cream, bags of chips and overloaded plates of comfort foods? Why not? Who cared? It felt good, didn’t it?
Really? Did I really feel good? Sure, it all tasted great. But then my stomach hurt. I didn’t sleep well, and mornings were truly painful. My clothes did not fit well. Dressing in professional business attire was not comfortable. I felt old, and worse, when I couldn’t avoid looking in a mirror, I knew I looked older than I thought I should look. But I was much too busy to take on a serious exercise routine. I worked out three or four nights a week for 30 minutes. I couldn’t do anything more.
Then I read about REV at CrossTrain. It grabbed my attention. The nutrition counseling, the group support, the serious exercise classes. And it cost just enough to make it a serious commitment. So when I started, I was really thinking I’d never make it to classes regularly and I set very low expectations for myself. Maybe I’d lose a couple pounds and that would be nice. I told Jenny, ” I need to do something, but I’ll NEVER be one of your stars.”
A few days into the program, I was late ONCE AGAIN to class. I stopped at the front desk, looked at the clock and decided just to do the circuit as long as I was there. One of the staff looked at me and said, “OK, you missed the first 15 minutes. You’ve still got 40 left. Go exercise!” I did.
I can’t explain what happend after that. I got hooked. The counseling sessions made sense. The reliance on scripture and turning the control over to God took off the pressure. The exercise classes felt good. Against all odds, I even learned to like to sweat. Although I still hate to run, I worked hard, and it immediately began to pay off. The pounds came off. I stuck to the eating guidelines, tracking what I ate to be sure I ate enough vegetables, not too many cereals and lots of water! It continued to make more sense to me. The longer I stuck to it, the easier it got. I lost the cravings for chips and popcorn. Fruit came to satisfy me. I began to feel really good in the mornings. People began noticing that I was losing weight. I signed up for a second session of REV.
When I looked in the mirror and saw my cheek bones again, I knew I was on my way to finding the former me. We were planning my younger son’s wedding, and I set a new, STRETCH goal for that wedding. A weight I hadn’t seen for nearly 10 years. I not only reached that weight, I lost 8 pounds more than that – - more than 40 pounds in total in six and a half months!When my son’s fiancee and my daughter-in-law took me dress shopping for the wedding, we had a blast! All the dresses looked good. I decided I could even consider a strapless if I wanted to. When I found the perfect dress and loved how it fit, I knew REV had helped me end a bad phase of my life and start a new, much more constructive one.
Life isn’t all about how much you weigh, but it is important to feel good about yourself and to be healthier. I am stronger, I have more endurance, my blood pressure is way down, my water content is higher, and I feel BETTER! I like the way I look, which makes me happier and much more confident in all aspects of my life.
I am sure I won’t revert. This truly is a life REVolution. It’s not a diet or a fad. It is a more thoughtful, sensible way of life. Disciplined eating, regular exercise and trust in God’s ability to give us the strength to make the right decisions is all that it takes!
Thank you CrossTrain for being there when I was ready to make the changes in my life!
Monica
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