2003 Hawaii Trip

Before

After

Rebeca writes:

My Success Story

I never thought it possible but one story of my life is now over and another one is beginning. I have lived my entire life with an obsession with my weight and feelings of confinement and limitation. That is the old and I am living the new!! But first, let me tell my story of the past to get you up to speed:

I have always considered myself to be somewhat athletic and in junior high and high school I was actively involved in sports. Just like many teenagers, my diet consisted of hamburgers; french fries, chocolate, okay..lots of chocolate, more french fries, pasta, coke, and anything fast food. However, since I was so active, I falsely assumed I had an acceptable daily diet and just needed to exercise more to lose weight.�Well that of course can only last for so long.� After high school I stopped playing sports but retained my poor eating habits.�(And yes, they were poor.) Since I was consuming well over 3,000 calories a day, the weight slowly and surely tagged on over the years until I reached a depressing 225 lbs (only known due to an unavoidable physical for work). It may have been even higher but I never weighed myself and even refused to go to the doctor when I was sick for fear that someone, including myself, would see how much I weighed (as if they couldn't see through the layers upon layers of clothes I wore to hide my body). I hated going out to the mall, grocery store, really anywhere because I would always run into someone I knew and could see in their eyes the look of "wow, she's packed on a couple". I was embarrassed to go out to eat because I always felt as if someone was about to come over and suggest I try some thing from the "light" menu.�And don't mention exercise. I would be exhausted by the time I went upstairs to go to bed that I would have to stop and catch my breath before relaxing. Still, I was convinced that I wasn't really overweight and just need to "tone up".�I guess I really didn't want to admit that my weight had gotten to a point where I was just ready to accept that I would be an overweight woman the rest of my life.

In November, 2001, I was getting ready to go home for Thanksgiving, which is also my family's family reunion.�I had laid out an outfit the night before and when I got up to get dressed, I realized that it didn't fit. I was frantic so I drove up to the local department store to find something to wear.� I had avoided shopping for a long time and strictly wore loose shorts, XXL sweats, and tee shirts so it wasn't until that time that I was forced to face the fact that I was now wearing a size 18-20 pant size. Needless to say I was miserable at Thanksgiving.�So in late December, 2001, I decided there had to be a change. I saw the commercial for Power 90 that I had seen a million times while I was up late and I finally thought, "Might as well". I had tried EVERY other scheme to lose weight and this was a new one. No promises of rapid weight loss in four days, no eat-anything-and-don't-exercise-and-lose-fifty-pounds gimmicks.�I had tried all of them and still no results.�And I'm not just saying this, I really had.�This included weird food diets, the Hollywood diet, Xenedrine pills, no carb, no protein, etc, etc, Power 90, however, really seemed to say, "Hey, this isn't brain surgery.�If you are willing to exercise about 30-40 minutes a day, this will work for you." Go figure.

So I decided to get it. I didn't really have the money at the time so the two installments fit in to my budget. I mean come on, I could easily find five dollars a day for McDonalds but when it came to something beneficial to my health, money was in short supply. Regardless, I ordered it in the first weeks of January, 2002, and it came in the mail in February. The first thing that I loved about the tapes was that there were no fancy "dance moves" to master (like what you would experience in an aerobic class). I had tried too many of those and given up because I felt like I spent the entire time trying to catch up and get the right move. Also, the timer was WONDERFUL because it helped push me.�I would tell myself, "Just twenty more seconds, just ten, etc."�So I began the tapes and did as much as I could but it took about two-to-three weeks to be able to complete the tapes without skipping a move or taking an extra break here and there. I was sore, my knees hurt, and it actually crossed my mind that at 22 I was too old and decrepit to do anything but power walk.�But I stayed at it and the soreness, pain, and doubt melted away.�But that's not the only thing that began to melt.�I think I lost about 15 lbs the first month but I was still "anti-scale" and didn't weigh myself.�But now my clothes were fitting looser and then they began to not fit at all. I got excited about the weight loss, went shopping, and slacked off on the tapes for about a week. This is usually how my diets went. See some results, quit, and gain.�This was different though.�I had done very little and only committed about 30 minutes a day and I had seen the best results of my life.�I honestly could hear the tapes calling my name from the video cabinet every time I walked by. So I really tried to do it consistently for the ninety days. So day 90 roles around, then day 100, then day 130. That is when I realized, this is it...this is the ticket to my life's change and there is no turning back!!!

I am currently down to 174 pounds. (Yes folks, that is over 50 POUNDS lost forever).�I have lost a total of 34 inches (from my waist, hips, and thighs) and my body fat decreased from 45% to 19%.�I not only have bicep muscles worth flexing now, but for the first time ever I have visible stomach muscles!! Wooohooo.�I am now able to fit all those clothes I have saved over the years that "I might fit in again"??? They are a little out of date, but that's not the point!!�The point is that I have accomplished every weight goal I have ever set for myself. However, I don't want to stop!!!!�I enjoy doing the tapes so much that it doesn't feel like the day is complete until I've seen Tony!! Because of this I am sure that I am going to stay fit for the rest of my life.�Still, I like to set goals for myself to keep me motivated. They are little things like buying a size-too-small-pant, a tiny bathing suit, things of that nature.

Not only am I looking better, but I'm feeling better too. All my life I have had low self-esteem and now my confidence increases everyday. I love shopping, am not embarrassed to wear tight-fitting clothes, and I am even taking an intermediate swimming class this semester!! I have wanted to do that since I started college in 1998 but I never felt comfortable enough in a bathing suit. So this is a HUGE accomplishment for me!! I have never, ever been as happy with my body and my life as I am today.�I already know this year is going to be wonderful. I have spent too many years unhappy, depressed, lonely, and feeling like I need to stand to the side and let the world pass me by all because of my physical appearance. No more. I am living the life that I have always wanted to live: one with no boundaries and endless possibilities.�The most wonderful aspect of my story, for me, doesn't lie in the weight loss however.� It lies within the change of self-esteem.�Only a year ago I was looking into the mirror in disbelief of the person looking back.�I was sad and ready to give up.�Now I look and can actually smile back, saying to myself "I can't believe I did it...but I did and I like what I see."

Thank you for all the support and giving me a new life.

Sincerely,

Rebecca "Neili" C.