Let me introduce you to Stephanie who is only in her twenties on the left and now rocking her 40's in the right! You go girl!!! To submit your transformation story go HERE. XxDani
How old are you and please can you share your health and fitness journey to date?I am 41 and in 1997 I decided I was sick of being fat and feeling terrible all of the time. I had gone to many doctors hoping to find out what my problem was, and got no help or answers more than "eat less workout more". I finally did my own research in the area of human biology, digestion and nutrition, and found out that it is way more complicated than that. But I spent the time to figure it all out, and now I have created a plan to help others in this situation. I want to take my struggles and put them to good use. If I had to be fat most of my life, I want to turn that into a "good thing", and use my knowledge so others can benefit. In life you just have to turn things around for yourself and use negative situations as learning tools.What types of foods did you used to eat as a kid and young adult? What's changed since then?
Picky eater growing up which is a nice way of putting Junk Food Junky. I ate tons of fast food, Doritos, soda, candy anything but fruits and vegetables. In college, healthy to me, that was Lean Cuisines, Lunchables and fat-free/low-fat everything. I now have learned clean eating is unprocessed and chemical free foods with and tons of organic fruits and vegetables added to all of my meals. I also started a Food Combining method of eating and once I did, everything changed for me. Health issues cleared up, weight came off easily and without plateaus, and I became the smallest size I have ever been. I never get sick anymore, and I am healthier than many people half my age. As a matter of fact, most people do not believe me when I tell them my age is 41. Just another added bonus and testament to the way I eat.Do you play any sports or what sports do you like watching?I used to play volleyball, softball, and gymnastics. I was a cheerleader that went on to teach Cheer and Hip-Hop dancing. To this day, I still Hip-Hop dance as part of my cardio workout every night, along with weight training, jogging and Crossfit exercises.What are your interests, passion and what makes you smile?Fitness, food and health are my passions, I even write recipes for GoodVeg Magazine twice a month as well as the Lifeway Kefir company. I love creating healthy recipes and helping people who are struggling with their weight loss journey. Nothing makes me happier than to help people who feel lost. I love seeing the look on their face when they hit their fitness goals...best feeling ever!What was the catalyst that sparked your lifestyle change?I have struggled with my weight most of my life (9 or 10 years old) and felt I would never be a small girl. Once I got pregnant with my son at 22, my body became toxic and I piled on the weight, steadily gaining 7 to 10 pounds a week at one point.
I was around 250 pounds when I gave birth, and left the hospital with a 10 pound boy and a multitude of health issues and weight to lose. As it turns out, my son wasn't causing me to become toxic, the foods I was eating were. I started dieting and working out, but because I was DIETING, the weight loss was a slow road and many of my health issues remained. I started a Food Combining method for weight loss and once I did, everything changed for me. Health issues cleared up, weight came off easily and without plateaus or working out (I added my workout routine after I lost a the majority of my weight), and I became the smallest size I have ever been (Around a 0 to a size 2 depending on brand of clothes). I never get sick anymore, and I am healthier than many people half my age, and as a matter of fact, most people do not believe me when I tell them that I'm 41, just another added bonus and testament to the way I eat. Fountain of youth effects, apparently because if you look at my transformation picture I am 22 in the before, and am 40 in the after. I also have more energy than I know what to do with, just more wonderful perks of healthy living.What are some of your dreams/goals you hope to achieve over the next 12 months?I want to work with people struggling to lose weight and get healthy. I want to help people with health issues as many are caused by the way we eat and what we eat. I have lived with these issues myself, and I have made myself a guinea pig over the course of 16 years testing out my methods to make sure they are effective. I'm currently working on some helpful fitness products to expedite muscle building and weight loss, and would love to have my own fitness line one day.What tips would you like to share with my readers about your transformation?As I said before, I created the website The Science Of Eating.com and Facebook page to help anyone trying to clean up their life in the way of healthy eating, fitness, weight loss and optimal health. I have chosen this path because of my own struggles with weight, health issues and I have lost 100 pounds by following a "Food Combining" eating plan, choosing natural ingredients for my meals and staying active by working out several days per week.
This approach has been very easy for shedding fat, and you never feel like you are dieting or that you have to give up the foods you love. I teach people a slightly different way to prepare meals that works with our body's digestive system to maximize fat loss and nourish our body.
I have been researching all of these topics for the better part of 16 years now, and offer hundreds of free recipes that taste amazing, and take the guess work out of meal planning. I also offer product ideas so my followers know exactly what I am consuming and what products I swear by so they know exactly what to look for when shopping for groceries. If you cannot find some of the products I use at your local stores, I provide links in my recipes and pages to purchase these items securely through Amazon.com or directly from the product's website.