THE TWELVE WEEK TRANSFORMATION: MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER

i am numbers person. i love Excel, make a living by making sure things add up right, always volunteer to split the restaurant bill for a large group, & get a little too satisfied when i beat people at mentally calculating figures. BUT, when it comes to the scale or the size of my pants, please leave me alone ;)

weight, previously known to be quite the uncomfortable topic for me, has, unfortunately, always been a top of mind; a mental burden that i couldn't escape. struggling with it through my adolescent years, & it being a prevalent issue in my family's history, it is hard to ignore the fear. i have definitely had my "victories" where i adjusted my eating habits (not necessarily adopting healthy ones) & devoted some time to the gym, but it was never with the mindset of it being for the long run. hence, i have naturally fallen back into the preferred life of eating whatever i wanted, whenever i wanted to...forcing me to look at myself at the end of the day & just complain about what i saw. furthermore, i had no desire to even address my complaints or act upon it which made me complain even more...ha! i eventually came to the peace with the fact that i had no right to complain if i didn't do something about it. thus, i decided to give a structured fitness program a chance & face the fear of accountability with someone besides myself.  

on june 3, i started my 12 week transformation through IMAGO FITNESS. my trainer/coach set me up on a disciplined but surprisingly filling meal plan in partnership with cardiovascular & strength training workouts. i learned what to eat, how to eat, & when to eat it. no more skipping breakfast, having a small salad for lunch, then binging at night. i committed myself to daily cardio routines & gradually increased my time lifting & weight training. through the process, i had to make sacrifices in order to gain self-control; sometimes to the point where i felt socially out of touch. i received mixed feedback from family, friends, & coworkers. some were encouraging & excited for me, whereas others didn't get it. i heard multiple times "you're already thin" & "what's this new diet you're on now?" to this day, i still get irritated at the word diet. but i learned quickly that i really need to focus less on what other's say & more on how i feel. & a few weeks into the program, i felt amazing. my cravings changed from fried to fresh, i had way more energy & best of all, i was really proud of myself. never had i dreamed i would take on such a challenge, such accountability. the weights got heavier, i got stronger. my cardio sessions became easier & dare i say, enjoyable! after 12 weeks, i received the photo below. let me tell you, i was not expecting any dramatic results but i am still in shock to see how far i've come to become my better self. i noticed tone in my arms & abdomen, & a more proportional waist-to-hip shape. crazy how your body changes aren't as apparent through the process until you see the comparison from day one. crazy.

i have debated whether or not to share my numerical results. as i mentioned earlier, i'm a numbers person. but with something like this, i've decided to opt out. why? primarily to hold myself accountable to the fact that numbers will not define my success in this aspect of my life. hitting a target weight or percentage of body fat gets me stuck into a short-term mentality. my purpose in this transformation decision was to simply feel my best  & be at peace with myself physically & mentally everyday, for the long run. for me, knowing that i am putting in the effort to make fitness & clean eating a priority outweighs any result on a scale...no pun intended :) 

visit IMAGO FITNESS & make the commitment to transform the way you think about food & fitness. your body & mind will thank you :)