Katherine Werling Lost 8 Pounds and Over 3 Inches Off Her Hips~
“I was able to buy size six jeans for the first time in 12 years!”

“First off, I just have to say WOW!

I am completely blown away by my results, both the physical and the internal. I have to admit that I was really skeptical about this working. The fact that I only have to work out for 90 minutes a week and that I HAVE to get more calories in my diet each day just seemed so totally against what I have always heard and what I felt to be true in order to lose weight. Again I say, WOW! This program has really worked for me.

I’ll start with my physical changes.

 I have lost 8.5 lbs, 6% body fat and 19.25 total inches in just 12 weeks!

My clothes are fitting better and I am getting compliments about how I look. My husband is definitely of the mindset that you have to put in long exercise hours in order to see a difference. He made a comment to me a few weeks ago about how I wasn’t putting in near the time he was so how could I expect results.

This afternoon he looked at me and said, “You know, those bumps (i.e. my saddlebags) are slowly but surely going away”. I was thrilled by his comment. I think that it is still hard for him to equate my workout time with weight loss but the proof is right before his eyes so he is starting to believe.

Not only are my clothes fitting better, but I am also able to buy things that I haven’t been able to buy in quite some time. I bought myself a pair of jeans as a reward for my success. I haven’t bought jeans in 12 years because I would get so depressed every time I went shopping. I have a small waist and LARGE hips and thighs so nothing ever fit right. I still have that problem but it is slowly getting better. It just felt so good to be able to put a pair of jeans on. And the best part was the affirmation of the FYM’s that posted to praise me on my success.

Now on the to the internal changes…
I have a much better understanding about what it means to step out of my comfort zone with this challenge. I have been trying foods that I would never have tried, challenging my ideas of exercise, the right amounts of food to eat as well as the types and I have been changing how I look at things.

One thing that I have really taken away from this challenge is that it is not about all or nothing. It is about doing what you can and making improvements each time you do it. In the past, if I couldn’t get in a full-giving it my all workout I would just forget it.

Now, if I wake up and just don’t feel full of energy I do a workout anyway and do what I can. Sometimes I surprise myself and can do more than I thought and other times I was right on with what I thought I was capable of that day. But, at the end of the day, I feel good about what I accomplished and I don’t feel like a failure because I didn’t do a full HARD workout. Instead I feel good that I did a workout at all when I wasn’t feeling quite up to par.

What am I learning about myself?

I am learning that I have been afraid to succeed in the past. My inner self-saboteur has been rearing her ugly head these last few weeks of the challenge. She tells me I can’t do it – but I know that she is wrong because I have and I am! I am learning that getting healthy and getting the body I want is a journey.

Where am I in the journey?

I am still at the beginning of the journey but I am learning to enjoy the ride and to celebrate my successes along the way. I am learning to not expect perfection but my best in each situation. Each day is a new day. Just because I didn’t eat 90% clean yesterday doesn’t mean that I can’t try again today and succeed. Just because I didn’t give 100% to my workout yesterday doesn’t mean that today’s workout can’t be the best workout ever! I am slowly learning what Holly has told us – Something is better than nothing.

New habits that I have developed through this, my first, challenge are eating clean, exercising to intensity, being happy with the process and celebrating each accomplishment.
Things that I still need to work on are getting in enough calories in the day, drinking enough water each day and not being too hard on myself.

My biggest struggle with this challenge has been my food. Before starting to track my foods I just knew that I was eating way too many calories each day and that I needed to cut back. So that is exactly what I would try to do – and then end up with no energy and with headaches.

I even tried doing a resistance training routine on an empty stomach one time and boy did I pay for it! I have to really PLAN each day in order to get in at least 1500 calories. I still struggle with thinking that I am eating too much and my body rebels sometimes by feeling overly full but I al learning how to “sneak” in more food each day. This is one area that I need to work on a bit more though.

My new goal, with regards to my nutrition, is to work on my carbs vs protein ratio and my fat levels too. This challenge was just about getting the calories. I did great with it (when I planned) until the last month or so when we got a new puppy. She took up a lot of my time and I let things slide. So, I need to get my calories back on track and then I am really going to tackle the ratios.

This first challenge I was originally all about the numbers. I wanted to lose 15 pounds. Well, I only lost 8.5 and I am so pleased. I don’t feel disappointed at all because I am learning that it is about more than the number on the scale. It is about the inches loss and the energy I have and the new habits I am making and the old habits that I am breaking.

Do I still want my weight to reach a certain number on the scale, if I am honest I would have to say yes. But if it doesn’t or if it takes a while to reach that number I am fine with that because I know that I am doing something good for my overall, long-term health.”

 

Starting Stats ………Final…….. Change
Weight    130 ………..121.5 …….- 8.5 lbs
Size    tight 8……….    6
Body Fat % 29% …….23% ……..   - 6%
Waist    26 ……………24.5…….    - 1.5
Hips    37………………34……….   - 3.00
Butt    38 ……………….37……...   - 1.00

Lost 8.5 lbs, 6% body fat and 19.25 total inches

~ Katherine Werling, Age 39, Working part-time as a research/client services consultant for a career transitioning firm, Step mom to 3 and one grandson, Colorado Springs, CO

Back To Transformation Challenge Page