Success is just as sweet, if not sweeter the second time!  After finishing the Get Back to You 60day, I was prepared and motivated to keep up my weight loss success and prepare for the next one.  The wrist band stating, “It’s On Holiday Strong” was worn every day and was my anchor to remind me about what I would be accomplishing during the next 60 days.

By keeping to my routine, this helped me achieve great results.  Starting each morning with Generation UCAN and a Life Time PreWorkout Complex smoothie mixed with strawberries and blueberries, I am able to maintain my blood sugar throughout the day.  Three days a week I lace up my tennis shoes and join TEAM Burn.  The other 4 days I am working out at Life Time based on a plan that my personal trainer, Mary Barren, suggested.  Mary also recommended that I complete the RestingMetabolicAssessment which helped me know how many calories I was burning in a resting state and how many calories I should be taking in.

This 60day made me more mindful, especially during the time of year when I typically cave to sweets, alcohol and less workouts.  I knew in my mind it was just one holiday and take each holiday one at a time.  After fixing a full, carb heavy Thanksgiving dinner for my family, I also fixed my healthy options from recipes I received from the 60day emails like cauliflower mash and butternut squash. To my surprise, my family commented how my healthy choices were quite delicious.  Unlike prior holidays, I felt so good after Thanksgiving as I kept to my healthy eating and exercising habits.  I knew that I could handle Christmas, New Years and any other holiday.

In December, I was given an obstacle to navigate as I had 4 vascular leg surgeries.  What would be the perfect excuse to opt out of exercise was not an option for me.  Rather, the day of surgery, I exercised that morning and then I was back at the gym the very next morning after surgery with the leg wrapped.  My trainer, Mary, was great in helping me modify exercises for my lower body restrictions.  I soon became friends with the ball.

My most favorite Christmas gift received was a silver mantra bracelet with “Stay Strong” engraved on it.  This was very similar to the swag wrist band.  I wear it each day knowing it is a constant reminder of the hard work I have put in and helps me stay focused on the results.

The community of support I received at Life Time throughout the 60day kept me motivated.  Many of us in TEAM Burn began a messaging group and would let each other know about times we would be at the club.  My workout buddy, Renee, would gladly join me in an evening workout even if we had TEAM Burn that morning.  All trainers provided support and encouragement as they saw me up at the gym quite frequently whether it was for a class, workout or a Try It Tuesday session.  I soon learned that everyone had a story.  I heard about Dan’s story and why he rides while biking next to him one day.  After meeting Anita in the locker room, she told me her story and how she was successful with her weight loss.  I soon learned I was not alone in my weight loss journey.

Weighing in each week held me accountable.  Mary would continuously remind me to not solely focus on the number on the scale.  I was happy to see results in my clothing size.  One of my goals during this 60day was to go down a jean size and I accomplished that 1 month prior to the end of the program.  Overall, I lost 7.8% body fat and 9 inches.

Nearing the end of the challenge, my 17-year-old son asked if I would always be doing a 60day.  I told him each day is a challenge and what I have learned in these challenges provide me with all the tools for successful weight loss, performance and balance in my life.

After my restrictions were lifted the last week of the challenge, I slowly incorporated prior exercises back into my morning and evening workouts.  I was able to plank for 3 minutes, which was the goal I set for myself during this challenge, as I was at 2:30 minutes in the last 60day.

My final weigh in was emotional and my face flooded with tears when my weight showed 210.3 on the scale.  This was a 103.7 pound loss since 3/28/17 when I started TEAM Burn and a 28.8 pound weight loss for this 60day.  I have never been this successful with weight loss in my life.

Girl on a Mission accomplished what she set out for.  As Robin Sharma stated, “Starting strong is good.  Finishing strong is epic.”