Phoenix

Member Since September 2007

My Story
Dedicated wife and mom of four boys spends 10 years of her life overweight and suffering silently inside.........

Here's the "Rest of the Story...."

April 2007.....A scale in Costco reads 198 pounds and I quickly picked my jaw up off the floor and scooted away before anyone else might see me. The fact that I weighed the same as when I was 9 months pregnant with my last son sent an electric shock through my body and I felt an unmistakeable urge to get back into the drivers seat and take control of this runaway train that I had so comfortably settled into.

My husband and I were ready to set sail for the first time on Royal Caribbean in September of that year to celebrate our 10 year Anniversary. The thought of having to try and squish my 5' 4 1/2" frame into a size 16 or face the horror of searching for a new size 18 dress for this occassion further fueled my new ambition in life........start taking care of "mommy." She had been terribly neglected in her pursuit of being supermom and superwife and super-what-ever to anyone else who needed something.

Eating out was my reward for all of the sacrifices and eating too much was just a natural reaction from being too busy and going too long between meals.

In the beginning, excercise scared me.....if I'm being totally honest. It sure didn't seem like the most appealing way to finally spend some needed "mommy" time. But facing the fact that if I really wanted my health to improve and if my real goal was to look and feel better than this was the only way to reach that goal........move more and make better meal choices. This dedication to daily excercise (like swimming and hiking) and eating smaller portions more frequently, resulted in an average 2 pound weightloss each and every week for the next 4 months.

Two weeks before my cruise I found the perfect Anniversary dress. The tag read size 12 and the scale read 170 pounds. I was 20 pounds away from my goal. Heading to the grocery store that day, like so many times before, I passed a darkened door painted with the sign "Curves" and felt a magnetic pull towards it...all woman...30 minute workout....a sexier, but still curvy me...my curiousity was more than just peaked.

That's when I met Carole...a vivacious, outgoing, and beautiful "Curves" woman. After she explained the Curves program to me, I signed up on the spot. When I came back from my Anniversary cruise I committed to 4-5 workouts per week and almost immediately felt the positive effects of weight resistance training. My muscles were tighter, stronger, leaner. The inches started falling off...and by December, I reached my initial goal. All of my curves family celebrated this victory with me. My body was looking and feeling even better than it had in highschool. Carole encouraged me to reach for a few more pounds (wiggle room).

Six months later, during the summer of 2008, I had realized a total weight loss of 70 pounds and was sporting a new, size 4 body with a "recorded" loss of over 48 inches. I still work out 3 times a week and have maintained my new healthier lifestyle and body. Throughout the entire transformation I continued to give myself one night a week to splurge -- "date night" with my wonderful husband.

Thank you Carole and Joan and all of the Curves members who inspire me daily to keep up the good fight. And a special thank you to my family whose support and encouragement has been crucial to my success!!!!

Thank You Readers for your time & votes!

Daniele Chandler

My Photos