7 Week Transformer – Diane

My name is Diane and I first heard about the challenge on Christina’s Rykmans facebook page. When I looked closer I saw people that I knew who were doing it and I was surprised at what I was seeing. The before and after results and the testimonials stirred something in me. I am not a person who has worked out before so the whole thing seemed foreign to me and I began to think about whether I could incorporate this plan into my life.

When I think back even to childhood I can see that my diet has pretty much always been compromised. I hadn’t been making healthy choices for a very long time and how I had come to feel about myself was a direct result of that diet. High sugar, candy, pop, redbull were all staples in my diet and left me feeling tired, listless and always looking for the next sugar rush. I wasn’t happy with how I was looking and feeling for so long that this was just feeling like my normal. I decided it was time for some big changes. With the anticipation of planning my upcoming wedding and all that it entails I knew that it was good timing and that it was time to take action.

The thought of attending a gym scared the life out of me so I recruited my friend Libby to join me. Strength in numbers ☺ and someone to commiserate with.

The first workout was so hard that I almost passed out and I began to worry if I could do this but I kept going. The diet was difficult too as I wasn’t used to eating these new healthy foods and having to be organized and have the foods I needed. This got easier with time. I began to actually like the new diet and my cravings for my bad food began to diminish. I had new energy and didn’t feel as tired at work. I actually began to look forward to my workouts too. The group setting had huge advantages and a lot of funny things happened but in the end it was nice to share the time with others in the same boat as me. The facebook group was really helpful as people were sharing complaints, recipes, stories and motivational material. Hearing about the struggles and successes of the others in the group was comforting.

I am happy that I began the challenge and that I made some new friends. I plan to continue with my new diet and work out regime beyond the challenge and try to keep these new habits to maintain good health. I am going to continue my progress until I meet my personal goal. A big thank you goes out to my fiancé Jay who stood by me and supported me with my goals, mood swings lol and also became my very own personal chef. Thanks to Christina and Andy for the support and opportunity to change my life.