I am so excited to share a new series of posts with you that will spotlight Feel Great in 8 Winners! I hope they will be inspiring and motivating for you and I know they’ll have great advice to share.
The very first post in the series spotlights the gorgeous Nadia. Congrats again on your success Nadia! 🙂
Q: How did you change during the challenge?
A: First, I got thinner, which was my motivation when I started the challenge. I’ve never been skinny. I was an overweight child and teenager, and as an adult I did lose some weight but not enough to make a difference, I was still overweight. The challenge allowed me to shed the pounds I had been trying to lose ever since I can remember. I went home to Peru to see my family and friends and instead of hearing “Wow, you’ve gained weight” or “I see, the US is treating you very well”, I heard “You’re so skinny!” “You look so good!” “Are you eating?” I have never felt better in my life, because I have tried the “not eating” diet before and it didn’t work and I felt lousy, with the challenge, all that went away and I eat! My body looks and feels great. I still have a long ways to go to stick to my habits, but this challenge definitely has shown me that I can and that even though it’s hard, when I look at myself in the mirror, I don’t automatically hate the person staring back at me.
Q: Which of the challenge requirements was the most difficult for you and how did you overcome this difficulty?
My addiction was really hard for me. It was a daily battle to refrain from it. It’s too personal to share but it was affecting more than just me. I told myself that I didn’t want to be that person anymore and I imagined how much better I would feel when I was the one in control. It’s still a battle, but I’m still trying and doing better every day.
Q: Which requirement was your favorite and why?
A: My favorite was family time. I just loved having a reason to go out with my husband or to play games together or to just enjoy each other’s company. With him going to school and me being a mom, sometimes we didn’t make the time for it, but it’s so worth it!
Q: What is your favorite workout?
A: I love Zumba! Dancing is a fun way to sweat a lot and I’m pretty sure I look good dancing. 🙂 Then again, that’s just me. I do want to become a Zumba instructor one day, hopefully not too far in the future.
Q: Favorite healthy food?
A: Banana ice cream! I’ve created so many different flavors just by putting that frozen banana in my food processor and turning it into ice cream, I love trying different things with it. It really makes me feel like I’m cheating, when I’m totally not! I get a fruit serving out of it and a lot of fiber, depending on what you mix with it. 🙂
Q: What kept you motivated for all 8 weeks?
A: I was lucky to see pounds dropping for the first 7 weeks. Every time I weighed myself and saw a change I would be all energized to keep going. There were times that I didn’t see much change but then I would get dressed and my clothes fit so much better. By the end of the challenge, I needed a whole new wardrobe because everything was too big! I was not the person who wanted to go back to the way they looked X years before or when they first got married, because I was never at a weight I was comfortable with, and seeing all my clothes dancing on me was definitely a push in the right direction for those days I thought maybe it would be easier to quit.
And my husband. He was so supportive the whole eight weeks, he would suggest making something healthy for me when I didn’t want to make anything. He’d offer to go to the store to get dark chocolate when I wanted it. He bought me pure maple syrup just so I could indulge in a healthy way. He was a great support buddy!
Q: What advice would you share with current and future participants?
A: Find new recipes. If you’re craving something sweet (like I did and do, often) and you have no more treats left, there are recipes out there that are completely safe. I tried Tiffany’s dark chocolate tarts (way too delicious to put down) and other dessert recipes from the blog and they were all great. If you’re craving something salty, homemade pizza is the best. I’m convinced anything you crave has a healthy substitution out there and it’s worth it to find it, even Nutella!
Do something you love for your workout, no matter what people think of it. It’s so much easier to look forward to working out when it’s something you enjoy and not something you just need to check off the list. I would never do 45 minutes of Jillian Michaels, I’d rather die. But I’ve done 90 minutes of Zumba and loved every minute of it.
Find a buddy. If it’s your husband, great. If it’s your friend, great. If it’s your child, great. If it’s the Facebook group, great. Just find someone. This challenge is hard to do alone. It helps to find someone that can help you when you just want to give up.
And don’t give up! Even if you mess up, even if you can’t be perfect. Don’t throw it all away. You’re all winners just by deciding to be better, to feel better, to feel great.
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