Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am 28 years old, I grew up and live in California. I studied agricultural communication at Kansas State but am now an interior designer for my family’s construction company. I spend probably 90% of my time training and showing dogs, golden retrievers are my breed.
What did your life look like before Stronger U?
I use to eat out all the time and ate huge portions. I didn’t really work out much and if I did it was intending to lose weight. I had tried Jenny Craig twice, I did low carb, I tried eating under 1000 calories a day and every time I would lose and gain it all back and extra.
What does your life look like now?
I am extremely active, I work out daily because it makes me feel better and with the intention of training for other things I want to accomplish. I have the energy to be out training dogs nearly every day. I eat to fuel my body and eat without the fear of food, if I want something I make it work.
Where did you hear about Stronger U?
My mom found it through a Facebook peloton group and gifted me my first 3 months.
Why do you think Stronger U worked so well for you compared to other programs or diets?
I can eat the foods I like, I am not a vegetable eater at all, and was always under the impression that eating greens were the only way to lose weight. I am still working on trying to work veggies into my diet and it will probably be a lifelong goal of mine but I was able to lose weight and still enjoy food and life.
What was something you regularly ate while on Stronger U that people wouldn’t expect you to eat on a diet?
I have eaten the same breakfast pretty much every day for over a year and a half, consisting of two pieces of toast cheese, one or two regular eggs, and a bunch of egg whites. I love a big breakfast!
Did Stronger U have any impact on your training?
Before stronger U I was the kid growing up that dreaded and hated the mile, to be honest, I even cheated the mile a couple of times that’s how much I hated it. I now do 5ks regularly for the fun of it and have hopes of doing even bigger runs!
How much weight did you lose with Stronger U?
85 pounds and counting!
How many inches did you lose off your waist?
14 inches
Did you have any favorite non-scale victories to share?
If I had to pick just one of my favorite non-scale victories it would be my confidence and the way it shows that has led to more things happening for me and allowing me to feel comfortable in my skin around people. I no longer live with constant anxiety, just truly my life has completely changed and my confidence that came with my weight loss is the source of it all.
Has Stronger U improved your overall quality of life?
1000% I didn’t realize just how many things I avoided because of my weight, my confidence is higher than it has ever been in my life and I just enjoy doing things that I never use to. I live without fear of judgment for being overweight and fear of looking ridiculous as a heavy person trying things.
If someone is thinking about joining Stronger U, what advice would you give them before beginning their journey?
trust the process, I remember at the end of my first 12 weeks thinking I hadn’t lost enough Really I don’t think it all clicked internally until I was about 6 months in. This is not just a physical journey it is a major mental journey, when I finally believed I was worthy of my weight loss my whole life turned around and yours can too. Allow yourself to struggle, because every setback is a setup for better success. There is no failure in this program just learning experiences.
Would you like to give a shoutout to your coach, SU staff member, or community member?
Yes! Matt has been so patient with me and my ups and downs and answered every question that I could ever come up with. He was so aware of the mental portion and it made this all work. And Mike, as I am sure so many have said thank you for creating this program. This program and my coach completely changed my life.
