Today I am thrilled to share with you Sarah’s Bikini Body Program Journey!
Sarah – you look incredible!!! I am so proud of you and happy for you. You went from looking great to ridiculously fit during this journey. You are unreal fit!!!! You are such a unique person. I have never worked with someone that is so passionate, hardworking and sweet all in one stunning package.
I love being your coach and pray that you take from this that you can do anything you put your mind to. This is just the start.
You are a gorgeous woman inside and out. Thank you for sharing your journey with me and everyone else. You are a true inspiration!!!
Sarah’s Bikini Body Program Success Story – “Before I knew it, 25 lbs had melted off!”
I started DAMY Health for the first time in March, 2012. There were several reasons why I was looking for a new health program. First, I had always been an athlete (playing varsity volleyball through university) and loved fitness but had fallen into a rut working full-time. I was discouraged with myself and had lost motivation to get myself back on track. Secondly, I had recently gotten engaged and knew that I wanted to look and feel stunning on my wedding day.
I’ve been through countless diet and fitness programs, from Weight Watchers to P90X to Jillian Michaels. As a long-time vegetarian I found these programs to be frustrating, either there wasn’t enough support to bounce meal ideas off of OR there wasn’t a workout schedule to complement the nutrition components. When I began my search to find a program that balanced all three (food, fitness and support) I came across DAMY Health.
I knew I loved the DAMY approach right away. I believe firmly in whole, local and organic foods but had given up portion control and exercise. Bringing these concepts back into my life was a huge step forward, even though dusting off the measuring cups and running shoes was scary. Unfortunately, I only made it 6 weeks at my first attempt on the Bikini Body Program. Despite loving the approach and the support, I had put so much pressure on myself to succeed that I panicked whenever I succumbed to a craving, missed a workout or had a bad check-in. I was afraid to show my face in the local gym where I had formerly been a regular. I was afraid to let myself see how much work I needed and tried to convince myself that maybe things “weren’t so bad”. Overall, I knew that mentally I wasn’t ready to take on a transformation and that I needed more work on myself so I made the difficult decision to bow out. I was disappointed but vowed to return – this time as a success story.
I decided to take off all pressure of timelines and check-ins and start the program again slowly. I followed the nutrition program to the best of my ability and started going to the gym at their earliest and least busy times where I could be free of perceived judgment and do my weight workouts. Slowly, I built confidence. I realized that people at the gym were not looking at me or judging me and further realized that putting on a few pounds isn’t the end of the world and should not mentally stop me from having a good workout. Eventually I got stronger and faster, added ‘kick-it-up’ options and remembered the self-confidence that comes with a good sweat. I started looking forward to my 5:30 am workouts and stopped going begrudgingly. My best results came once I changed my attitude from “I have to do this because my wedding dress doesn’t fit” to “it feels so great to start my day this way and to see my progress”. Before I knew it, 25 lbs had melted off!
In addition to the weight loss, I dropped 4 inches from my bust, 4 inches from my waist, 5 inches from my hips and 3 dress sizes. My wedding dress fit like a dream and the confidence I felt wearing it was the greatest wedding gift of all. What an incredible journey – I feel so blessed to have found Amy and David and am looking forward to continuing this lifestyle. I don’t feel like I worked hard for 3 months, I feel like I adopted a lifestyle that finally works with me and for me. My next goals are to start triathlon training, be able to do a pull-up and chin-up and to run a half-marathon confidently in a sports bra! (Hello core workouts!).
I hope that people reading my story realize that treating yourself with kindness and patience is incredibly important in transforming yourself. You’ll mess up; you’ll have days with struggle. Finding a routine that works for you takes time, so does finding the balance between going easy on yourself and kicking yourself in the butt. The most important thing to do is just keep going – a new chapter awaits you!
(Pictures below are me on September 9, 2012 and December 9, 2012. People ask me if “I’m going to start eating normally now” – little do they know! I’m moving onto new goals with a smile on and nobody can stop me now!)
Thank you, Amy and David! Your friendship and help has meant so much to me!
– Sarah (DAMY Bikini Body Program Member)
Great transformation! Definitely encourages me to not give up!