We would like to recognize Lisa Begnaud for the amazing progress she has made so far. She has lost close to 20 pounds since she started (which she didn’t have that much to lose) and she has dramatically improved her nutrition and cardiovascular endurance. She started working out in our group classes, and now she is one of our most committed personal training clients. Here is what Lisa said…
I joined PGFit June 1 of 2015 at the age of 47 and 5’ 1” and 139 lbs. My goals at the time were just to fit back in to my clothes. At the time, I ran about three times a week (training for a half marathon) and lifted weights at the gym.
My first couple of months with PGFit were fun. I met a lot of great people and most of them were within 10 years of my age and were fighting the same battles as me. I lost 3 lbs my first month and 3 lbs my second month but really did not feel any different. My clothes were slightly looser and my muffin top smaller, but not really enough to be noticed by other people.
September 1, PGFit started an 8 week challenge which was marked the beginning of my transformation. Up to that point, I had lost about 7 lbs but I wanted more…more muscle, more strength, more inches to disappear and more of my skinny clothes to fit. Since I’m always up for a challenge, I signed up. The first phase I was supposed to lose anywhere from 7 – 10 lbs…AWESOME, right? Well, since I drank more than three alcoholic beverages a week, it was suggested that I do the first phase for TWO WEEKS!!!! What? Two weeks of no coffee, sugar, alcohol, complex carbs…only fruits, veggies and extra lean protein?!?!?! Fine, I’m pretty stubborn and can do ANYTHING I put my mind to, so I did it. Not one single slip up. 100% on plan every day, every meal, every glass of water, every supplement, every “cleanse”…100%. Guess how much I lost? ONE FREAKIN POUND!!!! I was NOT happy to say the least. Later that week, after much complaining, pouting, threats to quit and go back to my old ways, I went on a run with my girlfriends…we had just started training for a half marathon about a month before. We averaged about an 11 minute mile on a typical 4 mile run. Well, on this particular day, I ran just under a 10 minute mile on average. WHAT?!?!?! Shut the front door! Where did that come from? I’ll tell you where it came from…since I did the “cleanse” and got all of the nastiness out of my body, it allowed my body to fuel my muscles, thus taking my cardio to a new level. That inspired me more than pounds on the scale ever could.
As we started the second phase of the challenge (weeks 3-9 for me), I continued to feel better, stronger, faster. I had no cravings for coffee, or an alcoholic beverage in the evenings while cooking (that was always my favorite time to have a couple of glasses…I mean there are two glasses in a bottle, right)? During this phase, we could add brown rice, sweet potatoes, and oats to our menu. Strangely enough, the only time that I ate them was before a long run. Did not even sound appealing to me. So, next weigh in (after the 9 weeks), 7 more pounds and fitting in to all of my skinny clothes. But guess what, that is not the most exciting part. The most exciting part is that I did a 10 mile race with my girlfriends (preparing for the half marathon) and my average mile was 9:25 minutes. SLAM THE FRONT DOOR! Personal Record for me and I felt AMAZING! Five weeks later, we did the half marathon and my average pace was 9:45 for 13.1 miles…another personal record and another great race.
The weight training, mixed cardio training, strength training and core training have paid off for me in so many ways. I now struggle to get my heartrate in the 90% range in class (it was there most of the time when I started). I have to tell you though, none of this would have been possible without the Nutrition aspect of the program. I have learned how to fuel my body to make it perform like a fine tuned machine. I mean, after all, as they say at PGFit, you only get ONE BODY. You can’t trade it in and get a new one (at least not the parts that really make it work). So take care of it, clean it, fuel it, and work it. So, if you like to enjoy a few glasses of wine or cheese enchiladas like me, I know that is what you are thinking about while reading this testimony…I surely would be. YES, I still have wine a couple of times a week and I still have my Mexican Food once a week, but then, I get right back on the horse and keep my goals in check. It won’t work if you can’t enjoy the things that make you smile every once in a while. Yours may be a cupcake, a snickers bar, cheese cake, pasta, fried fish…it’s all about planning those meals and drinks and making sure that you are putting THEM in to your scheduled meals, not the other way around. I’ve lost 15 lbs in 6 months. It may not seem like a lot to you, but I did it on my terms…not some crazy “lose weight fast” scam. I lost fat and gained muscle. I did it with great coaches, constantly changing workouts, new friends that share the same goals, new knowledge about nutrition and supplements and a new habit that I’m glad I acquired…the need and WANT to work out! Good luck with your journey! I hope that you get an addiction like mine! (results may vary)
