From January 17th to March 27th, nearly 1,500 participants joined our first-ever Stronger U Transformation Challenge. Over 10 weeks, competitors worked toward their fat loss, muscle gain, or maintenance goals while simultaneously improving their health and performance through the power of nutrition and daily habits. Working with a Stronger U Coach was not a requirement to participate in the Transformation Challenge, but many people found that embarking on a coaching journey throughout the Challenge improved their results thanks to the personalized guidance of a coach (it works!)
Challenge participants received weekly coach tips via email and the Stronger U App, participated in weekly group coaching calls, and connected with other competitors in our supportive Stronger U Community Facebook group. The energy and inspiration have been palpable over the last few months and our team is beaming with pride at the incredible transformations – physical and mental – that have transpired within such a short time. In fact, our finalists collectively lost 1274.89 pounds and 632.65 inches!
While the real prize of participating in this challenge is found in the positive impact it has on the lives of those who joined, there were several individuals whose hard work and determination throughout the Challenge led to stand-out results. We are so thrilled to introduce to you our official Stronger U Transformation Challenge Winners and share the stories behind their success.
1st Place $1500 Winner, Female
Andrea C.
Age: 37
Challenge pounds lost: 15.6
Total pounds lost this SU session: 17
Coached by: Jeanine Ainalakis
An off and on Stronger U member since 2020, Andrea needed accountability to get back in gear and make 2024 her year. As a busy mom of two kids in multiple sports, she found that planning ahead was key to her success. She leaned on Coach Jeanine to navigate social settings and complete dry January (which led to almost-dry February and March!) Over the course of the Challenge, she improved her relationship with the scale and achieved so many non-scale victories including feeling comfortable in her skin, dining out less, moving more, and just feeling happier overall. She also credits Coach Jeanine for helping her stay motivated and positive while teaching her to understand her body’s reactions to certain foods. Along with her coach’s accountability, Andrea used food logging as an essential tool to help her stay on track with her nutrition. She also found the Challenge weekly coaching calls to be so enjoyable and the community to be a supportive and encouraging part of her journey. Even though Andrea came to the Challenge with past experience, she was able to take things to the next level and make more progress than ever before.
“I’m so thankful for all the coaches, especially Coach Jeannie and the SU family that put so much love and support in the community and Challenge! I’m thankful for the Challenge journey in myself, and all the people that made it happen! Thanks SU!”
1st Place $1500 Winner, Male
Vince B.
Age: 63
Challenge pounds lost: 18
Total pounds lost this SU session: 27
Coached by: Billy Phipps
In 2017 Vince completed his first three successful months with Stronger U. He initially thought he could easily maintain his results on his own, but he recounts spending the following five years struggling to control his weight through various unsuccessful methods, including a strict elimination diet. Because he splits his time between Maryland and Hawaii, he would notice a 10–15-pound weight gain in MD then lose it when he returned to HI. This cycle continued for years. “No matter what I tried, nothing worked, hence my return to Stronger U,” he admits.
Six months into his return journey with Stronger U, including the 10-week Transformation Challenge, not only has Vince broken the cycle with the help of his Coach Billy, but he’s learned to cook delicious meals, fits back into clothes he’s held onto for decades, and has developed a better relationship with food, viewing it as fuel versus solely a means to satisfy cravings. He’s also seen the results he’s been longing for – a collective weight loss of 27 pounds so far – and he says he couldn’t be happier. “During week 6 of the transformation challenge, my skinny jeans finally fit, hooray! But then something completely unexpected happened by week 9 – my skinny jeans were no longer skinny, they were now baggy, and I faced the daunting task of buying new skinny jeans (size 32) for the first time in 43 years. I can only imagine how many new pairs of skinny jeans I’ll be buying with Stronger U in the future.”
And while all these milestones have been exciting; his most important win has been taking care of his health.
“I’m recovering from 2 major strokes caused by a congenital condition (hole in the heart) that led to a surgery to repair the heart and prevent future strokes. My point is this— No one is going to give you good health, you have to go out there and fight for it every day and SU has played a very big part in improving my overall health.”
2nd Place 6 Month Membership Winner, Female
Cory M.
Age: 42
Challenge pounds lost: 28.8
Total pounds lost this SU session: 38.8
Coached by: Noelle Schleder
Wanting to break the cycle of constantly gaining and losing weight and have more energy to keep up with her four boys, Cory joined Stronger U over the holidays after finding out about the program via Wellhub (formerly Gympass). Tired and overwhelmed with everything she had going on – including a fulltime job, young kids, and coaching baseball teams, lack of time was a concern for how she’d ever manage to lose the weight and keep it off. She decided to focus on what she could control. With the guidance of Coach Noelle, she began implementing new habits around variables that affect weight loss including exercise, sleep, stress, and food choices. Meal prepping dinners and lunches on Sundays helped her stay on track and having frozen proteins on hand she could fall back on was helpful. The changes paid off. In just 10 weeks, Cory lost nearly 29 pounds and 23 inches, has a new long-term health and fitness perspective, and enjoys healthier foods now while still eating treats she loves in moderation. But she didn’t do it alone. Her coach was alongside her the entire time, and she had a cheering squad in the Stronger U Community, leaning on fellow members for recommendations, recipes, fitness gadgets, and exercise routines.
“I am thankful for the community that Stronger U has provided from the coaching to the online community. I think the challenge was extremely motivating, and I am appreciative for the opportunity to participate.”
2nd Place 6 Month Membership Winner, Male
Jason M.
Age: 38
Challenge muscle gained: 3.5 inches
Total pounds lost this SU session: 5
Coached by: Sam Walker
After getting into a consistent gym routine, Jason was looking for nutrition guidance and support to build muscle. He found Stronger U through Wellhub (formerly Gympass) and decided to join. Prior to working with Coach Sam, he would regularly use food as a stress and boredom outlet. Beginning to track his daily food intake helped him realize the ramifications his food intake has on his results. He now has a better awareness of what meals and foods he consumes each day. He also tackled his struggle with easily fatiguing. With Coach Sam’s guidance, he began to understand the importance of carbs in his diet to keep up his energy throughout the day. The extra energy helped him be more efficient with his workouts, resulting in a muscle gain of 3.5 inches! His goal of approaching nutrition more effectively to complement his fitness routine and maintain a healthy lifestyle: accomplished.
“[Thank you to] Coach Sam for always bringing me positivity to help me succeed!”
3rd Place 3 Month Membership Winner, Female
Emma G.
Challenge pounds lost: 6.6
Challenge inches lost: 10
Coached by: Karina Rosser
Emma jumped into this Transformation Challenge to develop a strength training routine that’s sustainable. With the roadmap and encouragement provided by her Coach Karina, not only did she achieve just that, but in the process, she lost the last of her baby weight, gained better awareness of her food choices, and her list of non-scale victories (NSVs) since joining Stronger U kept growing. She went from doing one full pushup to 20, zipped up her 10-year-old wedding dress, felt amazing during a new challenging yoga class, reduced her lower back pain, improved confidence and energy, and gained strength… just to name a few of her NSVs. She credits the Challenge, her coach and the Stronger U Community for helping her kick things into gear to achieve her goals.
“This community is amazing and my SU support group friends keep me accountable and truly inspire me every day! I wouldn’t be where I am without the coaching *and* community that the Stronger U team offers and makes possible.”
3rd Place 3 Month Membership Winner, Male
Andy B.
Age: 40
Challenge pounds lost: 21.3
Total pounds lost this SU session: 28.7
Coached by: Maggie Watson
Andy joined Stronger U after hearing about it at his local Anytime Fitness gym and feeling like he wasn’t getting anywhere with his nutrition on his own. He decided to participate in the Transformation Challenge to not only lose weight and look better but also to prove to himself and the doubters in his life that he could do this and was not going to give up. And proven he has. Thanks to his perseverance and Coach Maggie’s guidance, he’s lost nearly 29 pounds total, his confidence is better than ever, his health and fitness perspective has done a complete 180, and his awareness of what to eat and how much has improved significantly. It hasn’t just been the coaching that’s been life-changing for Andy, but the community, too.
“The [Stronger U] Community is the best group of people that I could ask for when it comes to support and encouragement.”
Maintenance 3 Month Membership Winner
Savannah T.
Age: 30
Challenge pounds lost: 3.5
Total pounds lost this SU session: 35
Coached by: Jamie Tuttle
Savannah came to Stronger U after feeling stuck and frustrated with another program, whose approach left her always hungry and without results. She admits that initially, she was looking for a quick fix but realized she needed something more sustainable. With Coach Jamie’s seamless push to kick habits that were working against her and develop new ones that would support her goals, Savannah built a consistent routine she has come to love. Tracking and hitting new milestones has become something she looks forward to. Her hard work has paid off as she’s lost and maintained a total of 35 pounds, bought an entirely new wardrobe in the past year to fit into her new physique, is lifting 45-pound dumbbells successfully, and can complete pushups on her toes (with good form!) “The little victories are subtle reminders of how far I’ve come now that my focus has shifted to maintaining and strength training.”
She credits Stronger U for helping her fall in love with every aspect of her new lifestyle that she continues to maintain even through challenges.
“I have never been under as much stress as I have been this year and the routines that Jamie and I built together (meal planning, NEAT, strength training) have not only gotten me out of bed in the morning but also feel successful after some very long days. I am forever grateful for Stronger U and especially Coach Jamie! ❤️”
Congratulations to the winners and a big kudos to everyone who joined us for 10 weeks of growth and transformation. We are so proud of you and all you’ve accomplished!
If you’re inspired by these stories and ready to create transformation in your life and well-being, consider working with a Stronger U Coach and joining the unmatched Stronger U Community. Schedule a free membership consultation to learn more about how coaching can be the puzzle piece you’ve been missing to help you reach your goals.
