Archive for category Diet

Brenda is a SUPER HERO for sure!! and a BUNDLE of Energy!!  Brenda is a mother, a Nurse Practitioner and a DIE HARD BuffMother!!  She is stepping on stage this weekend at Bluff’s Classic in  for her very first Figure contest!! WOW~ she’s been on quite the journey since joining our TEAM in May of 2008!  From the moment Brenda joined I KNEW she was special and so Special in fact that she won our SuperStar Success Contest last year!  The prize was to be a SUPER STAR in my hormonal timing infomercial so in Dec of 2008 she was flown to LA for the shoot!! It was a blast seeing her in her new SUPER STAR body!  She’s keep strong and kept pushing hard and has inspired thousands of women in her journey.  Brenda is a TRUE SuperHero!  I am so proud of her and I know she’s going to rock the stage on Saturday!!

Here’s part of her SSS contest entry from last year:

***SUPER STAR SUCCESS CONTEST – Before and After Stats:***
Date: August 31, 2008
Height – 5′4″
Age- “39″ and holding!!!
*Beginning weight – for Buffmother – 15 weeks ago – 141 lbs
*Beginning weight for SSS Contest – 10 weeks ago – 136 lbs
*Ending weight for SSS Contest – 118.5!!!!! (today 118!)

*Total loss = 23 lbs

*TOTAL inches lost = 36.25 inches!!!!!!! (gained ONE on calves)
*Body Fat % – 28.9% – 20% and NOW 16.3% at the END of SSS Contest!!!!!!!!

*Total Body Fat loss in 10 weeks = 12.6%

*Was wearing size 8-10 in clothing (pants, jeans…now can fit into size 4’s, 3’s and 2’s!!!!!) I love this change!!!!!

*Where are you in your journey?

I am very pleased with where I am at now. I want to MAINTAIN where I am at and continue to build muscle too. I plan to work on sculpting my abs, quads, glutes and hamstrings more now since I’ve lost the weight. I am just so happy to have lost so much body fat SO QUICKLY and become more lean. It is only 41 days until I turn 40 and I want to be in the best shape ever – fit and 40!!!

*Did you reach your goals and aspirations?

Yes I did! At first my goal was 125 pounds, and then 120 – which I reached in the last few days of the contest! It is very empowering to be in control and to know you reached your goals. Buffmother and hormonal timing has made such a difference in my life! I will continue to set new goals and always be focused! This will help me so much through my last year of graduate school.

*Where do you see this challenge brought you?

I had PERFECT timing for this challenge….I had just joined Buffmother five weeks before the contest started, so I had enough time to begin to understand the program and had lost five pounds before the contest began. It helped me learn how to have a clean diet and effective workouts. I kept my focus because I am motivated by turning 40 soon and the contest was big motivation too!

*Do you have any lingering concerns?

My main concerns right now are maintaining the level where I’m at, continuing to improve and staying healthy. I feel very fortunate not to have any ailments or body parts that cause pain or bother me! I know I’m in for a busy year with my final year of graduate school, teaching full-time and being a mom! But with the confidence I have gained with the Buffmother program, I know I can do it!

*Do you feel you made an impact on your legacy during this contest?

Definitely! I have showed my family, and especially my daughter – that you can do whatever you set your mind to and you CAN transform your body through making healthy food choices and working out. I’ve always tried to help my kids eat healthier and now since I am leading the example, it is working better. I’ve actually gotten more interested in cooking now too! I want to show them how great it feels to be fit and healthy for life!

*What is your REASON for doing this, your WHY?

I wanted to make the commitment to myself for better health and longevity. I am a happier and more complete person when I look better and feel better! I want to instill these values in my children and be an inspiration to my nursing students that I teach and patients that I care for. My parents both died from cancer and my brother had two types of cancer, so I hope that by chosing a healthy lifestyle I can decrease my chances and be around for my children a lot longer!!!! The 40th birthday coming up was HUGE motivation too!

*Did you feel the support group helped you stay on track?

YES! I loved our group, the Buff and the Beautiful! I am SO PROUD of how everyone did in this contest and really enjoyed getting to know them better! I was a co-leader with Dayle and tried to keep everyone motivated by checking their blogs and posting replies. We had a conference call that was good – even though we all were not able to get on! Dayle was awesome as a co-leader – I learned a ton from her experience in the Rally Room and she is SO motivating!

*What tactics did you use to stay focused and engaged for the entire 70 days?

I just jumped in and tried to get really involved in the Rally Room and looked at everyone’s before and after pics from previous contests, and learned as much as I could about HT, eating clean, and a variety of workouts. I loved reading everyone’s blogs and become super motivated by reading them. I felt like I had a whole team of awesome women behind me cheering me on – you know those BUFFMOTHERS!!! Lisa was the best resource ever too! I read Michelle’s incredible HT Book and After Baby Abs, and RE-read them – they was like my “Bible” that I lived by this summer! I spent a ton of time reading magazines like Oxygen and M&F Hers as well as Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Book and the Butt Book. I loved those too! Reading about fitness and nutrition inspires me A LOT and keeps me very focused.

*Did you reward yourself when you hit certain goals along the way?

I did recently by buying myself some new, smaller clothes that actually fit better! My absolute favorites are my Lucky jeans and capris – size 4!!!!! (also splurged on some new PINK Asics running shoes since I’ve been running so much!)

*What other thoughts are in your head at the moment?

I just am SO thrilled with my results and couldn’t be happier right now!!! I haven’t been in this good of shape since I was maybe 20 – okay – that’s almost 20 years ago now! WOW – I’m going to be 40 in about 40 days and feel in the best shape I have been since I was a teen! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

*Did you GET to know your body? Did you learn about your good c-days, your bad c-days, your weight fluctuations, etc…

Oh yes and I loved figuring it out! It is truly amazing how HT works. It totally makes sense. I was surprised to see my cycles get so much shorter, menses last a shorter amount of time, and less cramping! Learned to not worry about the bloating weight gain, and know that if I want to take off a couple pounds, I can do it! I’m a nurse and studying to be a nurse practitioner in women’s health more specifically, so this really intrigued me and is something I hope to help patients with someday. SO many women come in and want to lose weight! It is a common problem I will likely be dealing with a lot.

*Did anything surprise you?

Yes – that I actually could do it! And love it! I did it the RIGHT way too! NO starving myself or just eating salads all the time. I ate a ton this summer – every 3 hours – just more nutrient dense and clean eating foods that my body needs. It was not really that hard to stay away from the bad foods because I had a goal and was feeling SO good! I quit drinking Diet Dr. Pepper and drink a ton of water now – which I love! I used to drink several pops a day and even first thing in the am! I am also surprised at how much I absolutely love the Rally Room and what a great support that has been. The friendships made there are just very special and we all have something in common – the quest for fitness and healthy living. It’s enriched my life a ton by knowing all these incredible women, their trials and tribulations!

*Did anyone else’s impact you along the way?

Definitely!
Michelle – aka Buffmother – Need I say more? She is ONE superstar and is always so upbeat and full of fire! She is so smart to have figured this HT all out too!

Lisa – She is amazing! I so respect her for all she has done transforming her body and competing in figure! She introduced me to this, afterall. And she is just the fun, awesome same Lisa that was in my wedding and my college buddy!

Annie – She joined shortly after me and we figured out things together. We texted each other and talked a lot too! I learned a lot about clean eating and changing my diet as well as getting a lot of motivation from my friend of 14 years! Love all the NEBRASKA TEAM BUFFMOTHER girls!!! Looking forward to meeting more of them soon!

Dayle – She was the best co-leader I could have EVER have had on the Buff and Beautiful team. She was so energetic and positive all the time even having such a devastating loss in her family. She just amazes me!

Kermane, Linda, Leslie – Always blogging everyday and so good about sharing great information as well as cute and motivating comments!

Carrie Peck, Trish & Julie in CA – AWESOME! These girls are the BOMB to me! SO fun and positive all the time. They are inspire me! I love reading the competition stuff too.

Deanna, both Kims, Monica, Colleen (fitnblond5), Jessie, Karen in NJ – and other members of the Buff and Beautiful team – we ROCKED!!!! SO MANY others that I hope to get to know better soon as we continue on our fitness journey!!!! GOOD JOB BUFFMOTHERS! WE ARE ALL SUPERSTARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HERE IS MY BEFORE – 136lbs…Many more pics in my gallery and I did a photoshoot in a studio and will get those pics hopefully soon!!!!