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RevAbs was my program of choice for this transformation.

If you've read my profile you know that I had healed from many broken bones/broken limbs.

That ended up not being my biggest source of weight gain. Instead I became an emotional eater & even more sedentary person when life through me more than I could handle. 2010 brought a miscarriage, a divorce & a debilitating infection in one of my injury's surgery site. All of that happened simultaneously. I was a mess.

Stuck at home I sought comfort food. Being from the midwest I KNOW how to make comfort food.

None of my clothes fit. I was wearing sweats & yoga pants everywhere. I looked like a marshmallow. I was sad from the above which then made me feel very depressed.

By Christmas I was DONE! I had had to spend $ I didn't have just to have something to wear for the holidays. I was not in a "happy place." I weighed myself & commited to kicking butt in 2011.

I saw the Million Dollar Body Contest & decided to enter for the month of April. That would give me enough time to succeed. And a much-needed deadline as a goal. I told my entry plans to many to hold me accountable. I also completed Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Challenge in January which helped me prioritize, organize, & focus my life around my true goals.

I love Brett's personality in the workouts. I had fun with capoira. I saw my weight come off. My stomach slowly got smaller. As did the rest of me. I'm not a big-boned girl & it bugs me when I am big enough that people think I am big-boned. :(

By mid-January I learned that I was near adrenal failure. I had severe adrenal fatigue. I had dangerously low levels of cortisol. I also came to learn that I had been suffering with this since my twins' premature birth in 1996. That is a LONG time to be suffering from this. I had been miserable for so long that I didn't even know what it was like to feel "normal."

Low cortisol levels affect you physically, physiologically, & mentally/emotionally. Symptoms appear similar to depression which is why low cortisol can go untreated for years! In my case almost 15 years! Family members were very quick to assume that I just needed to "snap out of it." They were judmental & accusatory telling me what I needed to do. "Suck it up." Of course, THAT didn't help - actually truth be told their attitudes made things worse because I couldn't "snap out it." There was no physical way & no emotional way. Low cortisol also means low blood pressure, mine was dangerously low. I had no energy. Often my workouts would deplete me from doing anything else throughout the day.

Anyhow, even now, they don't understand & I have moved beyond those who judged without caring about what was really going on. When we're hardest on those we love we alienate them. After my experience I learned how hurtful that is. I have recommited myself to always look to the real situation not my interpreation of the situation when/if my kids are struggling with something.

Anyhow, armed with some new vitamins & minerals and a changed diet I was ready to attack my transformation goals with full vigor. Much of what I needed to take was found in Shakeology! My Doctor was so impressed!

I also rid my diet of ALL refined carbohydrates. All whites. However, whole wheat/grains was also not to be a part of my diet because I needed to go gluten free! Gluten free, grass fed lean proteins, salmon, shrimp all became the foundation of my diet. My fruits were limited to those that were NOT mostly sugars - same with my veggies.

Within 2 weeks I felt like I'd done a 180. I felt better, more energetic, happier, able to handle stress/life, & also my subborn belly fat was diminishing. Low cortisol weakens your liver which means you don't metabolize calories well - any calories. So they get stored as fat. Changing my diet to foods that are "easier" on the liver was so helpful & necessary.

I may have completed RevAbs & entered the MDB contest but I am far from being done! I had always been a active "enough" to maintain a "decent" size but the prior 13 mos had really taken a toll on me. I had let myself go. I then beat myself up for that. But then...after my diagnosis I learned that I wasn't actually letting myself go...my adrenals had already nearly completely left me...& nobody can function without them.

I am so excited to keep going. Apr 1, 2011 I started TurboFire. I am loving it. I know I will continue to see results. I am determined. Decide. Commit. Succeed. That's what I've done.

***Besides RevAbs & Shakeology I also use the Results & Recovery Formula during & after intense workouts. I eat 1/2 P90X Protein Bar a couple times/wk when on the go. And the Slimming Pack is a daily part of my vitamin regimen.

If anyone can relate to or is motivated by my story...please let me know! I so enjoy meeting others & hearing about their own situation & goals...whether they are like me or completley different.

***I also want to thank my awesome girls! I met the most amazing women during Chalene's January Challenge in my "Reinventing YOU - in your 40s group." We took the Challenge together in January & have established an incredible bond of closeness. These special ladies helped me in so many ways! You know who you are! Love ya & thanks!!!

**** My "projected goals" of weights & measurements are actually my weights & measurements after completing RevAbs. They are then my new "starting measurements" for my NEXT program. Never stop succeeding!