I am a synchronized skater which keeps me active 2-4 days a week and I thought I had decent eating habits but I have never been able to lose weight. I have gained 10-12 lbs over the last decade despite wishing for the opposite. I am very ambitious, competitive, and hard-working; I have a M.Sc., a good job and a happy life. With my drive and work ethic why was I allowing myself to slowly become a fat person? I kept telling myself things like “I workout, the weight will come off,” “It’s ok to have an extra dessert, I’ll work it off,” and “If I buy my pants tight they’ll fit perfectly when I loose some weight,” and so on. Well you know what? I never did lose any weight and I had to retire many pairs of pants as they became too tight to wear. In the last year I accepted the fact that they would never fit again and gave them all to goodwill. It was pretty disheartening because I was giving up and enabling myself to grow into my new, larger clothes collection.

Last fall I decided to take a year off of skating so I needed to find an alternative form of exercise and fast. I knew that if I didn’t find a way to take control of my slow and steady weight gain I would become obese in a few years and that was definitely not one of my life goals! I started attending RIPPED!® classes two days per week but I didn’t change my eating habits. I was not losing any weight, much to my dismay, however I was becoming stronger and I had some bicep definition for the first time ever!

I decided it was time to use the focus and determination I apply to the other areas of my life to reach my fitness goals. When I learned about the Get RIPPED!® Weight Loss Challenge I knew this was the perfect program for me and it was time to seriously commit myself to changing my body. The RIPPED!® team provided guidance and was very motivating and encouraging. There were so many great role models in the program it was easy to believe I could do it too. Completing RIPPED!® workouts 3-4 times per week, cardio 3-4 times per week and watching what I ate was simple enough and it paid off! Within the first month I lost 8 lbs, fit into clothes I haven’t worn in a couple of years and was becoming stronger. Cardio workouts were feeling easier, my endurance was increased and my resting heart rate had decreased. I increased my weight load and stayed committed to the diet and workout regime. As a few more pounds dropped from my body my beautiful lean muscles started to show! I was encouraged by the results and kept working hard, although it really wasn’t work at all. The RIPPED! classes were fun and exhilarating; I always left with a smile on my face and a feeling of accomplishment.

After 12 weeks I lost 13 lbs and my body fat composition decreased from 21.5% to 15.7%. Now all of my pants are too big! I am thrilled with the results, I am more confident about my appearance and I feel fantastic knowing I will enter my 30’s strong and healthy. It is empowering to know I will be able to stay fit and lean as I age by continuing with this straightforward approach to total fitness. It really is as simple as lifting weights, doing some cardio and watching what you eat (and now I really know what it means to eat a healthy diet). I have learned that increasing my lean muscle mass is the key to revving up my metabolism and maintaining the shape I want. As an extra bonus my skating skills have improved because my body is stronger. Inspired by my own success I am not done yet and I will continue with the RIPPED!® workouts because they are fun, efficient, and I love the results. Maybe someday I will even be able to instruct the class!