Throwback General Weight Loss Success Stories

My weight has been a struggle for me since the age of 18 years old. My troubles began when I started going to food for comfort because it “helped me feel better” or so I thought at the time. In actuality, in that moment it did help me feel better but soon after I felt disgusted and ashamed for binging on food that I knew was not healthy for me and inevitably was making me even more unhappy. I was not exercising AT ALL and was just miserable inside.I stayed overweight for about 8 years and just progressively got worse and worse, bigger and unhealthier. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the age of 26 and I had reached my highest weight of 295 and in a size 22. On a 5’7 frame, It didn’t look good and I surely felt that way as well. I decided enough was enough and started making small changes in my life day by day. I started walking and exercising at home because I was still too self conscious to go to the gym and have an efficient workout since I was just too concerned with how people would look at me and judge me. But, I was making the change within myself and it felt great. Over the course of the next few years I lost a total of 85 pounds. During that time, I met a wonderful man who I would eventually marry and that gave me even more motivation to keep going. I started to hit a plateau soon after and I didn’t understand why. I was working out 6 times a week and not eating a lot and the weight wasn’t budging anymore. That’s when I decided to contact Shelby. Weekly, she and I would have a 15-minute coaching call, and my nutritional intake was always tweaked when needed to ensure I was achieving the best results. To lose more weight, I had to eat more. I was eating 6 meals a day every 2-4 hours and still consuming normal food like everybody else. It wasn’t a diet, it wasn’t a fad and I was not depriving myself of anything. I was watching my portions,measuring my food and packing my meals every day. I have been working with Shelby for over a year now, I have lost an additional 35 more pounds and have sculpted this lean, fit body that I’m living in now. I learned through Shelby that I don’t have to live in the gym and if anything, that I was previously working out too much and not giving my body time to rest. I also learned that I was not eating nearly enough. Before, I was eating three times a day so my metabolism had stalled. I was eating out at lunch everyday, skipping breakfast and consuming way too many carbs and not enough protein. I now have learned everything that I need to continue this healthy lifestyle I am fully aware that eating this often daily is actually not making me gain weight but helping me lose it because my metabolism is in high gear finally. This was what I needed to continue my success and to keep going. At 170 pounds and a size 8-10 I have never felt better about myself. The confidence I have now is such an amazing feeling. I thank Shelby for everything that she has taught me during my journey….the knowledge I’ve gained has no price tag. I’m finally happy, healthy and living life to my fullest potential!

Your guidance changed my life and i’m forever thankful for that.” Yasmeen was ready to change her lifestyle and man did she ever!! Her results speak for themselves! 41 pounds gone, did I say it was in just 12 weeks? She fully dedicated herself to…well…herself! So proud, congrats Yasmeen!

I’d been the extremely fit high school and college athlete; at my fittest, I was 14 percent body fat. I took my fitness for granted. I ate what I wanted and although I took a college class Online Weight Loss Program on nutrition, nothing sunk in. Over the years I fought the slow mid-life creep. I convinced myself that my size 10P was a function of being a female with hips, and that as long as my stomach remained fairly flat I wasn’t someone with a weight or health problem. Even when I started with Shelby, my line to her was, “Even at my fittest, I was never less than an 8P.” In early 2014, my friend Barb started with Shelby–right about the same time that I was ending my marriage. I didn’t think much at first about Barb’s decision to work with Shelby…and the months ticked by while I fought to understand what I had neglected in myself. One day, Barb showed up to work in clothes that showed her progress and I was floored. In talking to her, I realized that her journey with food paralleled my own quest for deeper personal understanding and power. When I finally signed on with Shelby in July 2014, my goal was to learn how to eat better so I could manage my thyroid condition, lose a little weight, and drop my creeping cholesterol numbers. Little did I know.

From July 2014 to February 2015, I went from 142 pounds (at 5 feet 2 inches, that’s overweight) to 127 pounds. I dropped my body fat from about 25 percent to 19 percent. I went from a 10P to a 6P/4R, and I’m not sure that’s finished quite yet. I used Shelby’s (macro nutrient) guidance, rethought my fruit and vegetable intake, and started to add weight lifting to my previously cardio-heavy exercise routine. The combination of eating well, making mindful choices, and regular exercise opened up an unexpected body-mind emotional gap. I had no idea.

The process of losing weight and gaining muscle was for me a journey of mourning and transformation. It was the first time in my life I took a journey for myself to understand, validate, approve of and appreciate my strengths, my emotions and feelings. I had no idea that getting into mindful touch with my body’s needs, feeding and treating it properly, and paying attention to the messages it was sending could be so powerful. When my body realized that I was allowing and working with my feelings, it really opened up. Wow did that hurt! It was physically painful to accept these feelings–both positive and negative. During the process of accepting these feelings, however, I was able to work through the micro-issues…and macro-issues…that had built up over the years to numb my soul from tapping into the messages my body was trying to send about The Condition of Sarah. I am absolutely convinced that for me, it was focusing on caring for my body that was key to the unlocking of my potential.

The Shelby’s program, encouragement, and coaching was critical to me coming out on the other side of this journey so strong, so mindful, so centered, so healthy, and SO solid in knowing and feeling I’ve achieved a whole new level of being in the world. I now realize that my body is the bridge between my inner world and the outer world. I communicate my inner sense of self and worth to the world with the way I treat my body, the way I hold myself, and the actions and decisions I make in favor of it. No one else will care for me or my body better than I will, and I’m committed to treating myself with respect and honor, thanks to the lessons learned through Shelby. Thank you Shelby!

I know the pictures couldn’t be more different – the before pic of me at the beach and the after of me going to a formal event this weekend. I don’t even have a spanks or girdle or anything on under that dress – what????? Anyways I think the pictures actually do a good job of also depicting how I feel. Before, tired and sluggish. Now, energized and excited to take on life’s challenges. I am so happy with the results of your program. I started the program after my 3rd child. I weighed 162 with just an initial goal of getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 150. Working through the program I blew past that goal and after 6 months ended up at 130 lbs and a size 4! I had no idea that I had that in me! I have learned how to choose foods that sustain me and give me lots of healthy energy to get through the long days (with 3 kids). The program is totally doable and will change your life! People ask me all the time how did I do it And I say eating the right things and more of it! All of which I owe to Shelby! Thank you for all of your support, the program really works. I am only 3 lbs away from my marriage weight. I never dreamed I would EVER get back to that. I just told my husband that I’m almost the weight I was when we got married and he said I like the new you! 🙂

Joanie was an AVID “juicer”. Rarely did she eat whole foods. She juiced her fruits and vegetables constantly, and even thought she added protein to these smoothies, she couldn’t lose the weight. She was an avid fitness enthusiast before coming to Shelby. After months of coaching and incorporating whole foods and education to help her continue these habits, Joanie is making tremendous progress! Not only is she losing fat, her joints feel better, and her sleep has incredibly improved. All she had to do was eat more and eat more whole food. She truly has taken charge of her life, setting boundaries, making her health a priority. She even started her own garden and is ALWAYS inspiring others about all that she has learned, so much so that I call her “preacher Joanie”. Love you Joanie, so proud of you my friend! 

I think I’m a pretty normal person- a busy job, kids, household chores, and there’s always the commute. A year after having a baby I was still a size 16. My personal trainer Brock, suggested giving Shelby a try noting that 80 percent of weight loss is diet. After another six months and a conversation with Shelby, I decided to give it a try. I was not optimistic. I’ve been eating food for more than 40 years- I’ve know how to eat right. Right?

The first week was the game changer for me. Shelby asked me to log what I ate for a few days. I thought I knew how to eat -balanced diet, carbs, proteins. Turns out I was watching what I ate- literally. I noticed a lot of mindless eating. Skipped or missed meals that left me starving and caused me to overeat in the evenings and eroded my weight loss efforts at the gym. I was eating about 2800-3000 calories a day and mostly at night.

After only 12 weeks I’ve lost 26.2 pounds and am now a size 8. I’m so grateful for the support of my family, Shelby, and TNT Fitness.