Since high school, I have tried every crazy diet and diet pill you can imagine….I even visited a small town doctor with chickens in the waiting room (his front lawn), looking for the perfect pill that would make the fat go away. Most recently, I contemplated weight loss surgery…fortunately, my husband said, “Hell, no!” to that. All along, I knew the right answer to my problem was proper nutrition and exercise, but I, like many women I know, was looking for an easier way out.
Almost 2 years ago, I signed up for boot camp strictly to relieve some stress and lose a few pounds. It took me several years to put on 40 pounds, so I went in knowing it would take just as long to get it off. Most of you know I'm an identical twin - another reason I joined boot camp. My identical twin sister, Lina, is a size 4. So, you can imagine the comments, "You can tell them a part, Tina is the bigger twin."
...I graduated from A&M in 2001 nearly 25 pounds heavier than when I started. After graduation, I traded my daily treks across campus for a desk job but the bad eating habits followed me into adulthood. By 2007, I had gained another 25 pounds and was experiencing lower back and knee pain frequently. I had long since abandoned wearing shorts in the summertime and absolutely avoided any situation that would require a swimsuit!
My first childhood memory of needing to take action to lose the pounds was at 10 years of age. I found an ad in the back of a magazine selling a book titled; Help Your Child Lose Weight and Keep It Off. The only drawback was that my mom did not read, speak or write English. I do not remember if the book helped or not but my self-image of being “fat” was set since then.
A couple of my friends told me about Cliff’s boot camp. My only expectation was to lose weight. I had no idea how many more benefits were awaiting me. Let me just say that this bootcamp has changed my life in so many ways, and you need to know that weight loss, though it seems very important, really pales in comparison to the other benefits.
I had been teaching aerobics for 10 years – the past 4 giving my clients a good workout, but not pushing myself any harder than necessary. I’d always been able to increase my workout and keep eating what I wanted. So I decided to add walking 3 days a week. Well guess what, that didn’t quite work because my eating habits did not change. READ MORE FROM JANEEN >>
You want to lose enough weight so that you can at least fit back into your clothes that are stuffed way in the back of your closet, feel better about yourself and self-esteem, and improve your health. Wanting and doing are two different things. You just don’t have the time, or the energy, or there is so much going on right now in your life. Maybe…tomorrow. Do these words sound familiar? They’ve come out of my mouth justifying my situation.
I have always been the ugly duckling, the girl in school who NEVER had a date and well?...........there were lots of tears I can't tell you how much money I have spent trying to lose weight to only gain more. I have tried every gimmick, every magic pill, and even surgery.
You want to lose enough weight so that you can at least fit back into your clothes that are stuffed way in the back of your closet, feel better about yourself and self-esteem, and improve your health. Wanting and doing are two different things. You just don’t have the time, or the energy, or there is so much going on right now in your life. Maybe…tomorrow. Do these words sound familiar? They’ve come out of my mouth justifying my situation.
I have struggled with my weight beginning with my first pregnancy and never ever lost those extra pounds. Of course, over the years I’ve tried different things, some worked, but then I’d quit. And the weight would eventually go even higher and the evil blood sugar would start creeping up. That got my attention, but not right away. It took a while for me to realize that I really had to do something other than just think about it.
Like many of us, I understand my own metabolism and that it took 4 days a week of 1 hour workouts when I was in my 30’s to stay in shape, so it’s not going to take less now! Life and careers get in the way of keeping that up, especially if we lose workout buddies or change jobs and locations. With Adventure Boot Camp, I found a structure that gives me 60+ buddies who quickly get to know you and notice if you don’t turn up!
I wasn’t sure what was worse: the possibility of developing a myriad of health issues and always having back pain because of my weight, or the sweat and soreness and possible humility of boot camp. . I have to say signing up for that first camp was the best decision I have ever made for myself (well besides the one I made when I decided to marry my incredible husband!).
...Now one year later, I’m so glad I took the plunge. Yes, it was hard at first. Muscles I didn’t even know I had were sore. However, as the weeks went on, I got stronger and stronger. I didn’t need to lose any weight, but I did need to tone up my body. I have dropped one pant size, and I’m happy with the way look now. But I want to address a bigger benefit I have received from boot camp…
