Losing weight and Gaining Self Esteem

We have all seen it.. the hundreds of pills, straps, wraps, machines, drinks, and workouts that all claim to give you amazing results.  You want to know the cold hard truth?  Those things do not give you the results you want, YOU DO IT.  Let me restate that... YOU do the work, not the pills, drinks, programs!  Maybe you have always been cynical and you've never tried the diet pills, or the chitosan pills, or the body wraps. BUT, the majority of us have tried nearly everything under the sun.

Now, a small portion of you might have hypothyroidism, or some other medical reason that you cannot lose weight.  You are the exception to the following statement: Proper Nutrition, Daily Consistent Exercise, and Commitment are the only sure-fire ways to lose weight and get healthy.  To quote a favorite trainer of mine, Dan Cohen, "If you want to look like an athlete, you have to train like an athlete".  If you aren't willing to put in the work and commit to yourself, then you will never succeed.

Enough with the heavy!  I want to share how I lost nearly 45 lbs in 6 months, and have been chiseling for the last 2.  I did not do some weird South Beach diet, I did not pop a bunch of Xenadrine, and I certainly did not use the IT Works! Body wraps.  I worked out every single day, I ate a proper diet, and I was consistent.  I still do all of these things.  The reason? It is a lifestyle change, not a gimmick, not a 60 days and never workout ever again.

So, I started off doing a weight lifting program.  I wanted to do something that my paraplegic husband could also do, because I am aware that if your spouse isn't on board, it can make things harder.  I knew he couldn't do Insanity/P90X or any of the other High Intensity cardio workouts.  So, I found something called Les Mills PUMP.  From the moment I hit play, I was hooked.  It's amazing.  I believe that you can find your dream workout. You'll know when you have found it, because You'll be excited to do it again, even if it whooped your butt.

So, at the end of that 90 days I had lost 12 lbs and 10 inches over my entire body.  Not much weight loss you might say, but I didn't care about the pounds.. my entire body shrank by INCHES. I replaced the fat in my body with the more compact musculature I was seeking.  I started a new program immediately after called COMBAT, now I am doing Hip Hop Abs and Brazil Butt Lift.  I have reduced my body mass, and increased my self esteem.  I love to wear form fitted clothing now.  No more loose T--shirts for me.  I have a great body!

I went from a size 16 to a 10.  I love myself now.

I want to share a little secret though.  I had a lot of help along the way by way of a support and accountability group on facebook.  I have this chick who reached out to me on my beachbody page, and she offered to help me on my fitness journey.  She was and is my beachbody coach.  She inspired me so much, and the results I got from being committed really made a hug difference in my life and health.  So, now I am a coach.  I help others.  I reach out and hope that I can help others like myself who had similar struggles to me.

Ever heard of the Beachbody Challenge?  Remember that hard work I told you about? Well, as long as you do that, update your profile and log it every day on the website, you are entered for a serious amount of MOOLAH!  Check out the basics here: https://www.teambeachbody.com/beachbody-challenge  .

Just so happens that I am running a challenge starting April  22nd.  It's open.  So no matter which program you choose, if this sounds like something you want to do, then please email me at lvondran@hotmail.com.  You can do this, you just have to commit, and follow through!

This is me by the way: