I’m stronger and leaner than I was in high school! by Bethany

When I was a teenager, I never had a problem with my weight because I was an avid dancer. I could eat whatever I wanted, because I was at the studio for 4-5 hours a day, and still stay at a normal weight.

Well, fast forward a couple of years later. I was married and in college. Two weeks before my husband was leaving for Iraq, we found out I was pregnant. Needless to say, I was a little stressed! I had already gained a few of those “marriage pounds,” and because I never had healthy eating habits to begin with, I often used food as a way to deal with the stress. I never even looked at the scale during my pregnancy, and after I had my daughter I was shocked to see that I was at 160 pounds.

I started to work out, did some yo-yo dieting, and I lost and regained the weight several times. I always kept to a regular workout schedule, but I never saw the results I wanted, or really challenged myself. When I got pregnant with my son, I made an effort to continue exercising, but I was still overweight.

During that time, we bought a fixer-upper house in a different city that wasn’t yet livable. We decided that my husband would

stay with his sister while he worked his job and fixed up the house, and I would stay back and move in with my parents for a little bit. So, the stress factor was up again, but I decided to try and do better this time. My sister was also living with my parents, and she got me going on some more challenging exercise videos.

After I had my son, I started lifting weights (which I had NEVER done before) and I really focused on learning how to eat better. About a year into that, my sister introduced me to Cathe, and well, the rest is history! I’m stronger and leaner than I’ve ever been, including during my dance years. I’m down to 125 lbs, and I feel great! I love working out with Cathe; she is such a great motivator and an inspiration. Thanks, Cathe!