Testimonials

(Q) Where are you from?

(A) I am originally from Culiacan, MX. But I moved to the United States five years ago.

(Q) How was your childhood/family life growing up?

(A)It was a regular childhood. I have one brother, two sisters and a big extended family. We were a close knit family that came together often and enjoyed many of the Mexican traditions which I miss dearly.

(Q) What was your relationship with food then?

(A) When I was a young girl in Culiacan, I hardly ever ate. I really never craved food and to be honest was quite a skinny child. I was always on the slender side; as a teenager and in my early adulthood. Even after I met my husband in the States I was still very slender and fit. It was only after I had kids that it changed. I started blowing up after my first girl and honestly couldn't stop. I just got heavier and heavier thru the course of the following years and it really affected me and the way I functioned. It changed me...the way I thought....I thought of food all the time. I continued to eat and eat and the heavier I got the more I continued to eat. It was like a snow ball effect. I really got out of control.

(Q) How often did you work out?

(A) I really didn't work out in a gym, per say ,when I was young girl in Mexico. But I was very active as a child. I would play outside with my friends all the time. Running, hiking, sports, games...everything we did was outside and it was very physical. This is why I probably never had an issue with weight then.

(Q) How hard has it been in the past to control your weight/diet as a stay at home mom for two young girls?

(A) Oh my God. It's been very very hard. Right after my first child, I found it almost impossible to combat the cravings. I would eat all the time. And I couldn't motivate myself to get to the gym on a consistent basis. I lost all self control and my self esteem was in the toilet. I just fell into a hole and dug deeper and deeper into it. I couldn't find my way out.

(Q) How long have your been struggling to lose the weight?

(A) We are talking about four years here. I tried so hard to take control of it by myself. I attempted to go to the gym but lacked the motivation and skill required to really be affective. I would work out for an hour or so and then go home and binge on bad foods. All junk food. I felt like it was a reward for going to the gym. So I would eat 4x more than I actually worked out. I would do it over and over again. The more I went to the gym, the more I ate. It was a vicious cycle. I just gained more and more weight. It was terrible.

(Q) How did your weight affect your confidence when you you were at your heaviest?

(A) I had zero self esteem. I never wanted to go out in public. Didn't want to get dressed and put on clothes. So I stayed in my house pants and t-shirts every day. I wouldn't even fathom going out to buy new clothes because I couldn't stand how I looked. I didn't wear makeup. I felt like "what's the point?". I never looked in the mirror because I hated what I saw. I would just stay home every day in baggy raggedy clothes and eat it all away. I was in a lot of pain. Emotionally.

When did you realize that it was time to make a change and take control of your body?

It was probably about a year ago. I was so miserable. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't fit into clothes. People would look at me like there was something wrong with me. I felt undesirable to my husband. I knew that I was unhealthy. Not just for myself but for my family...my husband and for my two girls. I couldn't go on like that anymore.

How did you meet Liz and The Program?

I met Liz at a local facility in the area. I knew I had to do something and needed help. So I sought out a trainer and found her. I had heard from other mothers that she was really effective in getting weight off of women and that she understood female struggles. Not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. I heard that she was tough and no nonsense but delivered results. So I started working with her immediately.

How much weight did you lose while on the program and how long did it take you to reach your goal?

I was 179 lbs when I started with Liz and I ended up at around 130 lbs. I went from a size 12 to a size 2. And it only took me 4 months to do this on Liz's program.

What did it entail to get there? How many days/hours did you train with and without Liz? And how did your eating habits change?

We trained 3x a week together predominantly doing circuit/resistance training. And then I did cardio 1-2x a week on my own in addition. I completely changed my eating habits. I did a total 180. Prior to meeting Liz and going on The Program, I had never eaten vegetables and fruits before. I didn't really like them. She showed me how to make better choices and live differently. Not only did we move more often and more efficiently, she taught me how to view food differently. My relationship with it changed. And therefore I began to change. Not just on the outside, but on the inside too.

(Q) Tell me about your energy level once you began the program?

(A) Eating well and moving the right away immediately gave me more energy. And I mean immediately. Before I would suffer from bad headaches and really felt terrible. I had no steam. But once I changed my habits the headaches went away. My energy level boosted and it in turn enabled me to workout harder and longer.

(Q) How did the weight loss affect your relationahip with your husband and children?

(A) When I was heavy, I had no confidence and was embarrassed with my body in front of my husband. Once I lost the weight, all of that went out the window. I started loving myself again. And it showed in our relationship.

(Q) Tell me about how your personality and self image changed after losing all the weight.

(A) I felt pretty again. I hadn't felt pretty in a long time. I could look in the mirror again. My confidence was restored and I was on fire. I wanted to go out and buy clothes. Allot of them - lol. I wanted to dress up and put on makeup and go out again. It was really an awesome feeling.

(Q)After you reached your goal initially how hard was it to stay focused to maintain your new weight/size?

(A) To be honest, it was a little difficult to stay on track. I thought I could do it myself once I reached my targeted weight and size. I stopped working out with Liz for a while and had some family obligations to tend to. I spent some time in Culiacan during this period, as my father was very sick. I think the stress of trying to do it on my own, coupled with the stress of my father's sickness and being away from my husband and the kids for a while pushed me over the edge a little. I also was thrown out of the routine that Liz and I established and it knocked me off course. I fell into a bit of depression and it snow balled again from there. I'm the type of person that needs continual support and encouragement from someone. Liz kept me on track and accountable. And to be honest, once the accountability wasn't there anymore, I fell back into my old habits.

(Q) When did you fall off the ledge and start to regain some of the wieght back? How much weight did you gain back?

(A) I stopped working with her in May and started back with her in September. So it took about 5 months to gain 30 of the 50lbs I had dropped back.

(Q) How hard was it for you to get back on the wagon and commit to moving and The Program again?

(A) It was really hard in the beginning. I thought I could do it by myself and kind of procrastinated in contacting Liz again. She kept on top of me, but I wasn't ready to start again. I was embarrassed by the gain and felt like a failure. I had to reprogram myself into starting over again. I wanted so desperately to just handle it myself. But I realized right away after I started with her again that I couldn't do it without her. It took me about two weeks to believe that I could get there again. Physically and mentally. But Liz promised me that we would do it. And after two weeks I started to see my body change again in the right direction. And this fueled me. I was on fire. And there was no going back.

(Q) Where are you now physically and mentally in your quest to regain control?

(A) I'm back on track physically and most important mentally. I now feel like I can control my situation. I'm working with Liz not just to get the weight off again (we are 5 lbs away from my goal) but to be able to mentally handle the lifestyle change and personal commitment I've made. I feel stronger and more in control of myself this time. The first time, when I lost the 50lbs last year, I was so desperate to just get the weight off, that I would do anything. Sometimes I even ate less than Liz prescribed on The Program so I can get to the end goal more quickly. This has changed for me this second time around. I'm listening and learning more about how the process works instead of being so desperate. I understand now that it's a process and lifestyle and that you have to feed your body and eat to maintain this forever. Not just for the moment. I'm not depressed anymore and I realize now that food can't fix things in your life. You are the only one that can fix it. It's all in the way you Program yourself to think. Liz explains to me that this is why she called it The Program. It all begins in your mind.

(Q) How do you feel now that you are achieving your goal again, shedding the weight and reclaiming your body back again?

(A) I feel wonderful. I am happy again. I am pretty. I am sexy. I feel even better than I did before when I first lost the weight because I know it's for good now.

Once your reach your desired weight/size, what is your plan going forward to stay on track and maintain this lifestyle?

I am going to put into practice everything that I've learned with Liz. All the mistakes I've made and lessons I've learned in the past. I'm going to utilize the tools I've acquired during this experience. I no longer just take orders in the gym and move on command. I'm paying attention to what we are doing. Asking questions on why we are doing it. And what body parts or energy systems we are affecting. She continually tells me that I need to be able to do this on my own. That she can't be with me forever. That I have to be the driver and steer my own path, as she gives up the reigns. I'm on my way to doing that. I'm also learning more and more each day about how to balance food in the real world - in my life as a mom of two young girls and a wife of a busy executive. Liz has shown me a new way to live, eat, and move. She really has saved my life.

Overall, how was this entire experience (losing, gaining, and losing again) effected you personally and what have you learned from it?

Firstly, I realize that nothing comes without hard work. You must put in the effort to see a result. With anything in life. And anything that comes too easily is short lived. Secondly, and more importantly, I realize that no matter how much you fail at something, or how disappointed you may be in your failures, you can always pick yourself up and try again. It's never too late to try again. And it's never too late to change. I've learned that eating and living a healthy lifestyle is the only way that I want to live.