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I started off this summer (June 1 2009) committing to ChaLEAN Extreme. My story is a long one that many women have lived. I grew up in an unhealthy American household where hamburger helper and McDonald's were the norm - I drank soda all the time without reserve and paid for it with a poor self-image and emotionally exhaustive anxiety issues. I was not comfortable with who I was, but I was young and didn't have the tools to fix it myself.

After I left home and went to college - I lived with my same habits for a year and realized that they just weren't good! The summer after my freshman year of college, I joined Weight Watchers with my Aunt and set in place small measures to be healthier - taking a walk every day, lifting light weights, and tracking my food. I learned a little, and was able to carry my success over from the summer into the new school year - Overall, I lost about 45 lbs with Weight Watchers and on my own. I started at 240 in the summer of 2000 and was under 200 lbs that fall. I started trying to be more active - enrolling in African Dance and going to the University's gym - but my motivation and self-discipline soon took a dive. I became comfortable and then, worse, too comfortable! As I finished my undergraduate degree, I gained a few pounds and lost the self-confidence I was beginning to master...and I fell into a funk! Soon, I discovered Beachbody programs (Summer 2003) and started Power 90. It was hard to get into a consistent routine, but by the end of 2004, I finished both Power 90 and P90X - I then moved on to Slim in 6 and finally Turbo Jam. I got incredible results! By summer of 2005, I was down to 165 and in the best shape of my life (and I have no reservations in saying that!). I felt great and looked great, but more importantly, I felt great about myself!

Well, wouldn't you know it? I got pregnant! I got morning sickness! I fell off track. and not just a minor derailment - it was messy and tough to clean up. In fact, I'm still in the middle of that process! I gained over 75 lbs while pregnant...all of the weight that I had lost in the previous few years and a few extra pounds just to drive it in how far off track I really had gotten. Surprisingly, in the first year after having my daughter (she was born in July 2006), I was able to lose the majority of weight through baby chasing and breastfeeding. Then, I realized how fast everything was going and how stressed out I was working full-time and trying to take care of my daughter, along with the many other priorities in my life. I fell, again, into a major funk! That funk has pretty much stuck around since then...I've tried several times in the interim to re-evaluate my goals and get myself into the mode of prioritizing myself, but my mental focus just wasn't there.

On June 1, 2009, I started ChaLEAN Extreme and I started it right. I listed to Chalene's motivational CD and took it seriously - I wrote down my goals and found venues where I could hold myself accountable to daily workouts and clean eating. I also shifted my mindset and did everything I could to build a positive and motivating attitude that would make me the priority and put emphasis on the fact that a better me means better things for everyone around me. Some of the things that I did to enure my success were to make a weekly video blog which I then uploaded to youtube, posting daily reports on my twitter account on how the workouts were going, I started a thread on the beachbody boards, and finally I kept POSITIVE about doing the best I could for myself. I did not try to compare myself to other people doing the program or let negativity come into play at all. Of course I had down days, but when I did, I looked at what I was doing and made it essential that I take care of myself. I drilled it into my head that I am worth everything I can give to myself, and the best gift of all is strength, health, and self-support.

I am so proud of myself - not only for the weight and inches I lost through this program, but also for the change that I allowed my mind to make about myself and my life. I am so worth it!