Summer Slim Down Challenge VOTE

Summer Slim Down Top 3 Winners will be announced Thursday, August 19th.

Prizes
Top 3 winners will receive Fit Club DVD of the Month Memberships and a gift from Prograde.

Grand Prize Winner will receive a $75 gift certificate to purchase a brand new swim suit.

This winner must be willing to take photos of new suit and share their success story.

Sharon Bright

Age 30
Height 5'5
Before After
weight- 154lbs............................147.7
Arms- 12.5 in.............................12
Chest under bra- 31.5 in..................30
Chest over bra- 37in (nursing mama )......36.25
Waist- 37.5 in............................33.75
Hips- 41.5 in.............................37.75
Thigh- 25in...............................23.25
Calves- 14in..............................13.25
That is 6.3lbs. and 12.75 inches!!!!

This challenge I was always looking for answers to help my workouts and nutrition. I was willing to increase my calories for breastfeeding and staying active even though everything I have ever learned before said to decrease calories to lose weight. I listened, I understood, I increased my calories, I lost weight! Who Knew!

I also starting paying attention to my workouts and how I could increase intensity, never allowing myself to get comfortable with a weight or interval. It helped to have Holly's Fit Club DVD because I always thought I wasn't fast enough with my resistance. I LEARNED that I was going TOO FAST! I needed to take the time to do each move deliberately and boy! it worked! Who KNEW!!!

I LEARNED the power of planning. Holding a baby, juggling my other daughters, no groceries in the house....these are all ways to creep into convenience foods which are usually processed. I see how important taking a day to shop and thinking ahead for meals/snacks for the next day can be. The last week of the challenge was a family beach trip. I was so happy with my dried fruit, nut, LARABAR, and fruit snacks for the road trip and time there.....ummmm....hello? forgot that there would be a road trip BACK! I should have spent more time planning for the meals/snacks on the way back which isn't as hard since going to the grocery store on vacation is not always possible.

I LEARNED that quality over quantity was my way to have accountability buddies. I have my neighbor that works out with me. Iris that I talked to to over the phone and a couple other journals I look at regularly. But I really wanted to focus on Laurie, Iris and myself so that I was always able to be positive and not tired when they needed encouragement. Also, when they gave me advice I was able to really focus on what they were saying.

I learned the the scale is not necessarily my friend with her crazy fluctuations and lies! Inches are the way to go and will make the most visual difference Smile

At 15 weeks postpartum, I couldn't say that I was back to my skinny jeans or I looked like I never had a baby, but I did go to the beach wearing a cute bathing suit, while knowing that I could take off doing intervals down the beach if I wanted. I know I can breastfeed with healthy nutrient milk and be proud of how I am changing my eating for my daughter as well as myself. I know that I can finish a challenge after two prior failed attempts. And I know that I will eventually get to where I was pre-pregnancy but for now I am pretty happy with my last 8 weeks of learning and shrinking! Here's to the next 8 weeks!

Mary Dikeman

Age: 41
Size: 12 ..............8/10
Height: 5'6"
Chest: 36.5" ........... 35" ...-1.5"
Arm: 12" ............... 11.5" ...-0.5" x2 arms
Waist: 34" ............. 31" ...-3"
Mom belly: 40" ......... 37" ...-3"
Hips: 42.5" ............ 40" ...-2.5"
Thigh: 24" ............. 22" ...-2" x2 legs
Calf: 14" .............. 13.5" ...-0.5 x2
Weight: 180 lbs. ....... 162 lbs. ...-18 lbs!

That is a total of 18 lbs and 16 inches of fat kicked to the curb!

I followed Holly's power of 10 in getting my 10 servings of produce in a day, most of which was greens! I basically followed the principle of eating only things that have a mother or grow from the ground. No frankenfoods! My symptoms cleared up a lot during this time and the weight melted off!

I even followed my no sugar, wheat, dairy or caffeine while camping on 4th of July, as well as both my daughters' birthdays! I am so proud of that alone! I no longer have sugar cravings. When you focus on the health you are gaining rather than what temporary high you get from the sugar, it is easy to give it up.

I have to say that cleaning up my nutrition is probably the number one thing that led to my success this time. I am very sensitive to sugar and its effects. I am not going back to sugar. It left me fat, old and ugly! LOL! I have not been bored at all with my food. I eat tons of yummy produce, lean proteins, and healthy fats. The only grains I eat now are brown rice, wild rice, and quinoa. So good!

I have been consistent with my 6 day workout schedule of 15 minutes each. I follow FYM exercises faithfully and have increased my endurance and strenght. I am up to 3 sets of 8 pushups now (from 3 sets of 6) and I am confident I will be at 3 sets of 10 by the end of the extension.

I LOVE my buddies on ClubFYM!! They ROCK! They lifted me up and encouraged me in so many ways. I received even more when I could log on and encourage them too! We exchanged recipes and ideas. I could not have stuck to my guns without the fuel they gave me! Very Happy

My other goal for this challenge was to get in shape enough to climb Mt. Elbert (14,440 ft. elev.) on August 14. I now do not have to carry 18 lbs. up that mountain! I totally surpassed my original goal of losing 15 lbs! WOOHOO! We are getting ready this week to make the climb. I will post pictures! I am SO excited to do this!

Fun fact - Since beginning FYM in March of 2008, I have lost a total of 58 lbs. and 51.5 inches!
I have 2 daughters. Sierra 17 and Hayley 11. I live in Colorado.

Click HERE for Mary's Complete Final Essay

Dani Stevens

My Week 1 vs Week 8 STATS:

Weight was 75.1kg now 70.1kg (lost 5kgs converts to 11.02lb)
Height 178cm (5'11")
Dress size was AUS14 now 12 and a tight squeeze into size 10
Body fat was 32% now 23.6% (dropped 9.4%!!!)
Bust was 94cm now 92cm (0.7in)
Belly Button 86cm now 83cm (1.18in)
Hips 104cm now 100cm (1.57in)
R Thigh 58.6cm now 54cm (1.7in)
R Bicep 28.4cm now 27cm (0.62in)
R Calf 36cm now 37cm (0.39in)

Total of 16cms/6.16 Inches and 5Kgs/11.02lb and 9.4% body fat lost!!!!

This FYM (journaling) journey has been amazing! I found it empowering logging in everyday, writing down my meals, workouts and writing to all my wonderful FYM's. It was the only way it helped me stay motivated, committed and loyal to the FYM program. Well lifestyle really.

My food was number one, if I ate properly then when I worked out which was priority number two, it would start to show....when I got my food right (still have my mishaps of protein & produce, 2:1 ratio, UPI's etc...) however I am here to learn and love the fact that I am learning from each and everyone one of you through your PJ's and forums with various topics about nutrition and workouts. I love the fact that I have a daily and regular friend called my Green Smoothie as I used to struggle with this in my life and tried many natural bowel tablets and now I just have to eat fresh produce to be regular, who would have thought? Ha! Wink

With my FYM workouts I was so proud of myself that I didn't miss any of them! I did all June, July and now I am starting Augusts workout which truly is an amazing gift Holly presents to us on a monthly basis. I have a girlfriend that needs to go to a gym to get motivated and can't get her head around our virtual Clubfym network so I am so blessed that I have all you Clubfym members all over the world who motivate me DAILY!!!

Connecting with like minded women:
Whatever concerns, issues, general conversations I had and vice versa it was my AB's that were there for me and that to me is the greatest accomplishment ever! As you all made me stay true to myself and not give up! Staying connected with all my amazing FYM's on a daily basis was my oxygen!!! Without you all I would not have accomplished what I did. I have personally started thanking all those AB's that were there for me since day dot, also for those that just came to my page to view and say hi, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU!!! Every day I logged in, I had a message from someone somewhere across the globe congratulating me, motivating me, encouraging me, loving me and laughing with me. I consider myself a very fortunate person to be someone's friend, role model and inspiration. I aspire to continue to grow with you all and show you this is the only true way to a healthy and better you and WE CAN ALL DO THIS TOGETHER!!!

Click HERE for Dani's Complete Final Essay

Kirsten Bradley

Starting Stats:
Weight - 159
waist - 38.25
bust- 39
hips - 42.75
thigh - 25
bicep - 12.5

Ending Stats:
Weight - 143 (minus 16 pounds!)
waist - 35.5
bust 38.5
hips - 40.25
thigh - 23
bicep - 11.75

I'm thrilled with my results, and I can't wait to see how my body will look after 6 or 12 months of FYM!I love the FYM lifestyle - it really is very flexible - I look forward to the short exercise sessions every day. I exercise 6 days/week, for about 15 minutes/day, and I think it's that consistency (working out almost every day) that makes it easy for me. If I have too many rest days/week, I get lazy.

Also, I found the nutrition plan very easy to follow. I eat five 300-calorie meals each day, with protein and produce at each meal, and it's sure working for me! I can be as creative or as lazy as I want with my food (depending on how much time I have), so I can always make it work, and I never get bored.

I have to thank my buddies for being here with me during this challenge! Knowing that I had to post my progress online really did keep me accountable, and the encouragement, support, and reminders from my buddies really helped. Sometimes it takes an outside observer to point out something really obvious. Knowing I had to check in on my buddies was another thing that kept me accountable, and kept me moving in the right direction.

The Summer Transformation challenge really increased my confidence so I can wear shorts, tanks, and tighter clothes this summer. I am proud of my body - every time I see my face in the mirror, I see how much thinner and happier I am, and it gives me a little boost of confidence. I can't wait to continue with FYM and with the next challenge, and I can't wait to see what my body looks like by the start of next summer!

Click HERE for Kirsten's Complete Final Essay

Brandy Thompson

START FINISH DIFFERENCE
WEIGHT 178 168 -10lbs
NECK 13.75" 13.5" -.25"
BUST 41" 39.5" -1.25"
WAIST 39.5" 35.75" -3.75"
HIPS 41.5" 40" -1.5"
THIGHS 25" R 23.5 L 22.5 -4"
10 pounds and 11 inches GONE!!!!

I followed the monthly FYM resistance training workouts and Intermediate Intervals with the soundtracks for this challenge. I started out on a 6 days a week plan. This aided in my nutrition because I would not give in to non-supportive food when I knew I had a workout ahead and then I would not give in after because I had just worked so hard at my workout. Once I conquered that issue I switched to the 3 days a week schedule because I felt like I was revolving my whole day around a 15 minute workout. Because I have so faithfully completed these workouts, my summer shirts are fitting in ways I never thought they would.

I have never been very good at keeping a journal but knowing that others could benefit from what I was writing motivated me to be consistent in keeping notes on my food and exercise each day....I was a little surprised at how much it helped me. One thing it certainly did was make me aware that for about a week I wrote that I would make the same change almost every day. Well, seeing that made me realize that I had identified an obstacle but was just kind of marching in place behind it wondering why I couldn't get over it.

I enjoyed having others commenting on what I was doing. It seemed to validate my efforts…. I received great benefit from reading my AB's journals, and even those of ladies who I am not buddied up with. It is so reassuring to see someone else succeed in an area I am struggling in. It helped motivate me to give something new a try. I also learned a lot about myself as I attempted to share advice. It is tough to tell someone else they are not sticking what they say they wanted to do when you yourself are not sticking by your commitment. This encouraged me to follow my plan much closer. I truly hope that my journal and interaction had a reciprocal effect for those I now count as friends. I could not have accomplished this without you girls!!!

So for the final stats!!!! I must say I am pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Not only am well on my way to body that I am proud of, I got to go on a mini shopping spree with my honey and now have a new smaller? Summer wardrobe!

Brandy, Age 32
Dixon, MO
Mom of 2 boys Christian Jr 2 1/2 and Adam 10 Months

Click HERE for Brandi's Complete Final Essay

Karen Perrett
Age 40, 3 Kids, 10, 8 & 4, New Zealand

Height: 5.4
Weight:118----114.8---111.4 DOWN 6.6LBS
Upper waist:27----26----25 DOWN 2 INCHES
Belly button:29----28----27 DOWN 2 INCHES
Lower belly:31.5---30----29 DOWN 2.5 INCHES
Hips(widest part over butt)36.5--35---34.5 DOWN 2.5 INCHES
Upper right thigh:20.5----20----19.5 DOWN 1 INCH
Mid thigh:18.5----18----18 DOWN .5 INCH
Right knee:14.5----14----14 DOWN .5 INCH
Upper left thigh:21.5----20---20 DOWN 1.5 INCHES
Mid thigh:19----19----18.5 DOWN .5 INCH
Left Knee:14----14----14 NO CHANGE
13 INCHES AND 6 LBS GONE. WOOHOOOO!!!

Due to this lack of time, my focus this challenge is on my nutrition. I have not managed to achieve the determination with my nutrition I had since the STC 2008, until now! I really wanted to see a noticeable shift in my body if I was going to do this so decided, with trepidation, that I could do the elimination diet. This is the one thing with FYM that I have seen others do, that I just figured was not for me. I couldn't manage to feel satisfied with a diet that avoids wheat, dairy, & and sugar, and considering what a huge sugar fiend I can be, I really felt this was just insurmountable. Well.......I blasted that excuse out of the water!!!

I now see what incredibly fast changes getting the nutrition right can make. Due to my work, and tiredness, my workouts were not as intense or consistent as they could have been, or have been in the past, but I still got results -- this shows me how it really is important that your nutrition is up to speed. It's funny, I used to think I ate clean. Now I look back at previous menus from 2008 onwards and it just makes me cringe! I see huge areas that could have been adjusted to allow me better results even then. I guess it was just the right time for me to think I could do better.

I really tried to get in as much produce as I could. I struggle with this, but I persevered and also managed to try again with green smoothies, which I now incorporate every day to my meal plan and now enjoy (without any gagging) which is great as it gets more greens into my diet. I also started using chia seeds in them, to increase the protein and add more nutrients into my day for energy.

On my workouts I mainly concentrated on making sure I got in my resistance training in over my intervals. Upped my weights as soon as I could, although they are not up to what I used to could lift, but I am back on the right track.

I have an absolutely fantastic group of accountability buddies and can't thank them enough for all the support, advice, care, and motivation they so generously gave, and also in pushing me to take on this challenge at the beginning, when it kind of just seemed too much. Their support really, really helps. I will log on in the morning, and there will always be someone who has taken the time to post me a quick note, and that kindness really makes me want to do better that day. These friendships are been crucial to my success, I really believe that. These girls really mean a lot to me and I take pride in their successes and help them through their low times, just as they do with me.

FYM is the most positive and caring place for girls to become better versions of themselves. Somewhere to focus on you and your spirit, not as "someone else's whatever", there is no pressure, no blame, just considered advice, sometimes firm, but always from the heart. It's a constant daily support network for us. I gain lots of inspiration following others journeys, supporting them and cheering them on. It's so motivating seeing someone else doing an awesome job, where you're about out of your computer seat cheering at their accomplishments Laughing, it just spurs you on and makes you want the same level of success for yourself. It totally raises the bar!

Next Challenge - Get Back To Fit Fall Transformation Challenge - will take place the last week of September. Get a jump start on your Fall Fat Loss Goals with the newest Workout of the Month at ClubFYM.com!

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