I absolutely love sharing other amazing women’s success. Especially when I know them personally and have watched them put themselves first and make a difference in their lives. Gina shows up daily, she never gives up and has been such an inspiration to us all. We actually met through a friend of a friend and because of this fitness journey have been brought together.
So proud of her results and I am sure they are going to inspire you!!
1. What have your results been so far?
I have lost 70 lbs and dropped 8 pant sizes from a size 22/24 to a size 16 in jeans. I am the strongest I have ever been, and I’m actually a smaller size than when I got married.
2. What has been your biggest struggle?
My biggest struggle has been changing my mindset – especially overcoming decades of bad eating habits. This includes emotional eating, reaching for takeout when busy or tired, and making excuses. Excuses to not work out, excuses to eat junk, etc.
3. How did you overcome that struggle?
I leaned into the accountability groups and also went all in with my nutrition plan. I tried one at the beginning but found it was not quite what I needed. I would try to bank my food (like saving up all my carbs for the evening) or eat too much cheese. In the end, I realized volume eating is more for me rather thank focusing on portions. It also led to me learning the purpose of food. Like carbs give you energy for your day, veggies help fill you up, etc. Focusing on what different foods are for helped me gain control over what I put in my body. Like treats – they exist for our enjoyment. This helps me curb the emotional eating because I want to actually enjoy them rather than eat them in a place of anxiety, depression, etc.
4. What did you do to get to your goals?
I haven’t reached all my goals (I would really like to get out of the obese category even if BMI is not super accurate) but my progress is the result of consistency.
Consistency from working out consistently, leaning into the challenge groups and support from others, and sticking with my nutrition to the best of my ability. I may not be perfect but I try. There were days I could not make it all the way through a workout, but I would try to go a little longer, do a little more each day. It is progress not perfection, as they say! And each day I got a little stronger.
I also completed my certification in 2B Mindset which gave me a deeper look into the HOW and WHY of the program.
5. What is your favorite personal development book and why?
Personal development is something I still struggle with doing regularly. That is why I am doing the book club with the team for accountability!
But one thing I have incorporated is reading my Bible everyday and leaning in to my faith. I have learned from this whole journey that life is harder when you try to do things on your own. Whether that is improving health (because really, you can google meal plans and exercises all you want, but the accountability really is key to action) or going through life. So why not lean on my faith/God for support? In fact, today’s reading was from Psalm 148. The devotional talked about how we can pray to God for help but we are responsible for our own actions. He guides us in the right direction but we still have to do things too. I can pray for financial help but it’s not like I’m gonna win the lotto. I still have to put in the work – in my job and my business.
6. What is your goal right now?
I break up my goals into shorter term goals and longer term goals.
End goal is to be in the healthy BMI range. I have a general idea that I want to be a smaller size/lower number in the scale but it is not really that specific. (That is actually a huge mindset shift for me! I am not as concerned about the numbers). So that is about another 100lbs-ish. Which seems incredibly daunting. But again, I want to be healthy more than a specific number.
Short term: lose another 2 lbs. breaking it into 2 lb goals is much easier than focusing on a larger number.
Generally, I’d also like to drop another pants size and tone up.
7. What is your advice for someone who is just starting out?
Take it one day at a time. Yes, you will have days you are sore, or something comes up to throw off your routine/plans. That is life. But it is all in how you stack one day on the next. One day of healthy eating is not going to make you healthy. Neither will one day of bad eating choices ruin all your hard work. It is how they fit in the bigger picture.
Also, true lasting results take time. It is easy to get impatient and want a quick fix, but I can tell you from experience it will not give you the lasting results. I was a serial dieter and if you name it I have probably tried it. You need to have patience.
And if you are struggling to fit it in I would take a look at your priorities. Because you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. For me that means going to bed earlier so I can wake up to get my workout in before work. I also set aside time to meal plan and track what I ate that day. As you build the habits it gets easier.
8. What is your favorite Disney movie and why?
Umm…I like a LOT of Disney movies so this is super hard 😂 I was raised on Disney and can definitely sing most of the songs by heart (but you really do not want to hear me sing haha). But a favorite of mine has always been Beauty and the Beast. Growing up I had a nerdy side (still do!) and would always have a book nearby. I also never felt quite like I fit in like Belle and the townsfolk, and loved the idea that inner beauty was more important. Plus pre-covid I loved to host and entertain so Be Our Guest is my jam!!!
9. What made you want to be a coach?
I joined for the discount but decided to actually coach when I had people asking me what I was doing/what was my secret. I want to help others.
10. How has coaching changed you?
It definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
Like driving to a strangers house for a gathering with people I had never met in real life (yet still feels like we have known each other for years). Like posting pictures and videos of myself I never thought I would! Like sharing both the struggles and the triumphs, publicly. And reaching out to people and making connections. I consider myself an introverted extrovert (or extroverted introvert depending on the day) so while I tend to enjoy gatherings and socializing with friends it can also be draining and when I am home I am more likely to curl up with Netflix or a good book and disconnect. So reaching out to people regularly pushes me to be more social, especially in this weird year we had.
I love how hard Gina has worked on herself for herself since making herself a priority! It can be done and all that she needed was to take the first step!
As you read this and you see her results and you think “could I actually do this?”
The answer is 100% YES! You CAN!
But it won’t happen until you commit and do this for you!
