Members Testimonial: Stephanie H.

 

Let me preface with saying I’ve always considered myself a bit of a gym rat – I love training, love lifting heavy, love trying new exercises but also love to eat. People would often ask my why I go to the gym so much and my auto response was ‘so I can eat like crap’. This mantra really peaked this past year while moving across country with my family and I found myself eating semi-chocolate sweet chips straight out of the bag during the evening to satisfy myself, not necessarily hunger. I was stressed, emotional and eating my way through bags of chips and chocolate easter bunnies daily. I knew something had to change but didn’t have the willpower to do it.

Six weeks ago, I began the 40 Day Challenge with Revive. I had been attending classes since January but when the coaches mentioned this challenge, I knew it was for me. Aside from the classes and nutritional help, it had accountability and that’s what I needed. I am naturally a competitive person, so I joined with the intention of winning, but what I learned along the way was so much more.
The first thing I learned was that I wasn’t nearly eating enough during the day. The first few days were ROUGH – my stomach was rumbling and I quickly learned that I needed to adjust my calories to frontload them during the day. I began with a full breakfast and forced myself to stop and eat lunch, which wasn’t the norm for me. In hindsight, not doing this was probably what led to the excessive eating/snacking at night. By eating caloric dense foods and eating more during the day, I wasn’t as hungry during the evenings.
Secondly, I had to get creative and incorporate more protein and veggies into my diet. If I had to eat chicken and broccoli everyday, I would’ve given up. Revive provided meal plans and recipes to help during the first few weeks, and once I got the hang of it, I could search out other recipes to try.

Thirdly, I couldn’t do this alone. Having the support of both my husband and the coaches at Revive helped tremendously. When I would crave something or feel like giving up, Angus would be there to remind of my goals and why I was doing this. EACH AND EVERY single class, Anthony and Becca would check in, ask how I was doing, comment on my progress and provide helpful feedback and encouragement. My weekly emails with Glenn lead me to write out my thoughts and feelings and reflect on the journey – what was going well? Where could I improve this week? The creation of a WhatsApp group with the other participants was a daily reminder to keep going – to realize that others were feeling the same was I was. We could share our struggles, recipes, humor and offer encouragement to one another when needed.
Finally, I learned that my health isn’t just about a number on the scale. I went into this challenge wanting to lose weight, my goal was 135lbs. I am happy to say I have surpassed that goal, but I have learned that my weight is just one part of a bigger picture. I learned about fat percentage, bone mass, BMI, visceral fat and metabolic age to name a few. All of these factors decreased during the challenge. My clothes fit a little better and my energy and sleep have improved. This experience has opened my eyes to other factors that contribute to my health and has given me new goals to strive towards. I want to be strong! I want to be able to go up and down the stairs when I’m older, carry groceries and most importantly be able to play with my grandkids.

I will be forever thankful for the Revive team for teaching me so much and for Angus who completed this journey with me. I know I was ‘hangry’ sometimes -^•●•I’m proud of what we all accomplished during this challenge and looking forward to improving my health and wellness with Revive.