A year ago, I was at my heaviest.  Some days, the scale would hint at 300 lbs, and on the day I started a weight loss challenge with Facebook friends, I weighed in at 296.5 lbs. The competition was set as a winner takes all with the greatest loss percentage winning.  About 36 lbs and 90 days later, I was the winner, and along the way, I found my best weapon: Fitness Revolution of Wixom.

About 3 weeks into last year's competition, I joined Fitness Revolution, as I needed to incorporate a more structured fitness program, and I knew I would not hold myself accountable to go the gym and really work myself.  I was pleased to find that they trainers of the small group classes knew how to tailor the classes to meet the clients at clients' fitness levels.  Additionally, they expressed the importance of adopting a healthy, balanced diet as a lifestyle, not a short term solution.

After a few weeks of training, my diet and exercise had helped me lose significant weight, but the trainers noted that my energy levels seemed low, so they asked me to keep a food log, and to my surprise, they identified the problem was too few calories.  In an effort to have dramatic weight loss results, I had cut my calories by about 2,000 per day, and my mix of calories did not support vigorous exercise.  My protein and vegetables were too low, and I still had too high of a level of simple carbohydrates.

With a few simple changes to my diet, including protein at every meal and snack, and replacing bread and regular pasta with lettuce wraps for sandwiches and brown rice and whole grain pasta for other side items, my body responded to the exercies I was doing.  Not only did I have more energy for the workouts and the day, but I was also starting to gain lean muscle, since my body wasn't starving for an easy energy source to break down to survive.

If you are starting your first attempt at weight loss, it is important to have a person help you establish a healthy diet and routine.  Even if it is a single visit or consultation, bring a food and exercise log of what you normally eat for a week, and a professional can help you make adjustments in your diet and can recommend more effective exercises.  One of the things I love most about my gym is that I set appointments for each workout, so the trainers know to expect me and hold me accountable, even if I am 1 of 8 people in class.

Good luck in the competition!