I had attributed my weight gain to menopause and aging. I am 57 years old and felt weight gain was inevitable and I was destined to have a muffin top and an apple belly.
On June 5th,2012, I committed myself to clean eating and videos such as “Afterburn” as well as other videos in the Low Impact series. The weight began to come off but more slowly than I anticipated. Nevertheless, I kept my goals in mind and stayed focused. I refused to crash diet and starve. I just stopped eating and drinking anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup or any sugar laden foods I realize than a condiment as benign as catsup was full of sugars so I began to eat salsa or using no condiment to avoid the sugar in catsup. I also began to drink water with lemon when I went to restaurants instead of ordering Cokes and Sweet tea. I always had at least 3 refills of soda or sweet tea in the past. In retrospect I can’t believe how many empty sugar laden calories I was pumping into my body.
At the lowest point in my life I was going to the Dairy Queen and ordering a large butterscotch cone then stopping by the grocery store and buying 6 Dove bars and eating them as well at one sitting. I also thrived on greasy pizzas. I am sure if I had not been working out with Cathe back then that I would have weighed at least 200 lb.
After deciding enough is enough I decided to take action. I ate complex carbs, protein from egg whites and lean meat, fresh fruits and vegetables. I did not eat any processed meat or dairy products except for an occasional cheat meal when I went out with my husband and friends.
When “Crossfire” and “To the Max” were released, I began to do them on a regular basis. I especially love “Crossfire Extreme”. However I did not do extreme workouts every day. I did “Crossfire” and “To the Max” in my weekly rotation putting one day of lighter steady state cardio or muscle building on non high intensity days.
Looking at the beautiful bodies and athleticism of Cathe and her cast motivated me to push harder and to challenge my body more. I desperately wanted to look and be as fit as her and her cast.
Suddenly after a slow weight loss beginning the inches began to melt off my body. I could walk out of jeans that were formerly too tight to close and my dresses began to zip easily. I went from a size 29 in jeans to a 26 to 27.
My endurance, strength and stamina increased too! At first I thought I would never be able to do the full body pushups with the Slide and Glide disks. Now I can do them with a lot of effort but I can complete every rep that Cathe and her cast do and with good form!
I have no idea of my weight now. I refuse to step on a scale. All I know is that my clothing fits better or is too large and people can tell I have lost weight.
I visit my doctor this month and am sure my blood sugar will be lower and I am excited to step on the scales to find out how much I weigh.
The photo I am sending shows the difference in my size. The photo on the left was made in Feb 2012 at my lowest point and the one on the right was taken on July 28th, 2012.
Thank you Cathe for your newsletter with recipes, nutrition facts and great videos. You have truly changed my life. I now realize that aging and menopause are not valid reasons for weight gain in a health woman. It is all about lifestyle choices and regular exercise!
Congrats Tiffany! You look awesome and I can’t believe you’re 57! I love “CrossFire” and “To The Max”, they are great workouts and just what I was looking for in my arsenal of cardio routines! You are such an inspiration and I hope that you get a perfect check up on your next doctor visit! Keep up the great work, fellow Cathelete!
Congrats Tiffany! You look awesome! Even though I’m only 30 years old, I get so sick of hearing women tell me just wait until you have kids or go through menopause. With hard work and dedication, as you have shown, we woman can be fit and healthy no matter what our age. Keep it up!
Thank you for sharing your story! I am 52 and in perimenopause and using it as my excuse for everything! I am really noticing the affects of my unhealthy ways. You are my inspiration!!!
I am 54 and menopause has been a little unfriendly with my weight, the only way to fight this phase is by eating clean and do Cathe’s videos, I do step bench workouts, and her muscle workouts make a huge difference in our metabolism. I am happy you commit to your goals, congratulations! enjoy the ride of healthy living.
I just turned 60 and I think I am in the best shape of my life. Years ago I did Jane Fonda videos, then The Firm, but their workouts got too easy. Now I love Cathe’s low impact series. I wear a heart rate monitor and watch, and workout within my range, so sometimes to do that I pause the dvd’s and walk around a few seconds if necessary to lower my heart rate. I love the Total Body Trisets and also Cathe’s High Reps dvd’s for strength training, and I have pre-ordered the X-Train series. Keep ’em coming, Cathe!
You look AMAZING! So inspirational. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Menopausal and no dairy? Why not? Hopefully you are getting your calcium and vitamin D from other sources. Not sure why the downer on dairy since calcium caseinate is the most bioavailable source of calcium that we know of. Just use lowfat or nonfat choices.
Hi Allora! I get my Vitamin D from supplements and from Actonel. My bone scans are excellent and my VItamin D level is measured every year and is within normal ranges 😉
Oh of course it is possible to get both calcium and vitamin D from other sources. My point is that the best source is dairy. I also take a supplement because I don’t always get enough dairy everyday. Just don’t understand why so many are so against dairy. Recent multiple studies indicate that those who ate nonfat dairy had an easier time losing wt and maintaining wt loss. Seems like we should be promoting it instead of knocking it!
Allora, I do eat Greek Yogurt and cheese with no GMOs or HMOs in it. I do not like the fact that cheese often contains rennet or “enzymes” that are derived from the 4th stomach of a ruminating animal. As long as my doctor who I totally trust is happy with my bone scans and Vitamin D levels, then I am not going to worry. I feel awesome and in great health!
Wow Tiffany! I can’t believe you accomplished that in about 5 months! Great job! Your hard work paid off and it shows. I can’t wait to hear what your doctor says! Fantastic!!!
Congratulations – I was where you were at and through Cathe’s videos and clean eating – I am down 14 lbs and feeling good. I hope Cathe makes more low impact high intensity videos.
You are an inspiration. I am 52 and struggling with the weight loss portion of this equation. I am curious if you would post sample menus. I just got xtrain and loving it. I started working out with the firm, graduated to chalean extreme and turbo fire.