Weight Loss Success Story

Laurie Allin

Laurie Allin has been doing the Meltdown Transformation Challenges for a couple of years now. One thing that I notice with Laurie is that she is consistent and always improving, and that's why I choose her to share her weight loss success story with you.

Laurie is the winner of the 2007 Spring Meltdown Challenge. She didn't win the first or second time she entered, but she is proof that if you stick to your goals and be consistent, you can attain your dreams. Laurie achieved her goal this round and won first place!

Read Laurie's weight loss success story interview and find out how she came out #1 in the 2007 Spring Meltdown Transformation Challenge and became an inspirational success story!

 

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Karen: What was your heaviest weight?
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Laurie: I count 184.5 as my heaviest weight. This was in May 2005, three months after my daughter was born and the weight was no longer just coming off.

I don’t like when people claim that they’ve lost XX pounds since the day they came home from the hospital after having their baby. That’s not really a fair statement, in my opinion. If that were the case I probably started off at least 200 pounds. My pre-pregnancy weight, FYI, was about 165.

 

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Karen: It sounds like you've worked hard to get your weight down. What do you weigh now?
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Laurie: 123 pounds!

 

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Karen: Amazing work in the last two years. Taking it off slowly the way you did kept your skin tight. How has your life changed now that you've lost weight?
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Laurie: I worry about losing my wedding ring because it's so loose now. I play with it all the time.

I can't imagine getting to lunchtime each day without having already hit the gym.

I can curl my legs in so much better when I'm on the couch reading a good book.

I have a daughter who asks excitedly each morning if we're going the gym. Rather than a purse she has a gym bag, and she's dubbed my recovery shake, Mommy's Muscle Milk (not knowing that a product called Muscle Milk exists) and she wants her Muscle Milk each day too because "there's lots of big muscles in there."

I actually like what I see when I look in the mirror now.

I can't remember the last time I had a peanut M&M. It's my gateway drug so I just say no.

There have been downsides though too, such as:

I don't have any of my favorite clothes anymore since I don't fit into anything that I used to. I've spent a ton of money on new clothes. I hate buying new clothes since it's been such a long process, I'm afraid that anything I buy won't fit in a few months anyway so why bother (although I think I can finally safely start buying some new favorites). And I've always hated spending money and clothes shopping.

I worry that women look at me and think, oh it's easy for her she's always been thin. Which I know I would do when I was overweight. I'd hate for any woman to think that it's not possible for them.

 

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Karen: Wow, it's like you have an entire new life. What do you do to lose weight?
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Laurie: What didn’t I do is more like the question. I joined a mom’s hiking group in my area where we would hike with our babies in the front carriers, then in backpacks as they got older. I started trying to run, and I did that for about 5 months, but my knees just couldn’t take it. So I started BFL (which I had done once before a couple years before I got pregnant) and was comfortable with that program.

In January 2005, I attended the BFL Expo and that was a huge motivator. In March 2006, I attended Jen Hendershott’s Phat Camp for additional motivation. In January 2007, I hired a personal trainer since I was getting stalled and bored with my workouts. I have always stuck to the basics of BFL though – eat clean with occasional cheat meals to give you something to look forward too. Cardio with interval training and weights, weights, weights. I love lifting heavy weights. I’ve always exercised in some form or another but learning to control my diet was really key.

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Karen: You seem to like to challenge yourself. Personal challenges are great. Did you have any sacrifices?
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Laurie: I would have to say the only sacrifice I had was my comfort zone. I needed to get very uncomfortable in my thinking about what I had always done before and wise up to the fact that it wasn't really working and be willing to push myself to try new things that would make the changes I wanted to see.

There are things that I gave up, but I don't really think of them as sacrifices. I mean really, what are some peanut M&M's when you have can have a six-pack? I can't recall the last time I had alcohol, but I was never a big drinker before, so that wasn't really that hard.

My biggest struggle, next to eating clean, is my schedule and trying to make sure I get my workouts in along with getting to the office, taking care of a 2 1/2 year old, and making sure my husband gets his training in too - but that's not really a sacrifice either, it's just part of the challenge of living a healthy lifestyle. Maybe that's why I did/do so well. I don't think of it in terms of what I'm sacrificing but rather in terms of the rewards that I'm getting.

 

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Karen: I love that last statement, thinking in terms of rewards for your effort and dedication. What got you started in fitness?
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Laurie: I started lifting weights in college and had pictures of Corey Everson on my wall. I got very into rock climbing after college, a sport I would love to return to, as soon as I figure out the logistics of what to do with my daughter while my husband and I are climbing. But it was the way I looked and felt after having my baby and knowing that I was now a role model to a little girl that really got me into action. I come from an overweight family and didn’t want to continue that cycle for another generation.

 

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Karen: Corey Everson was my first inspiration, too. How long have you been involved in fitness?
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Laurie: Truly these past 2 years, before I just thought I was – it’s amazing what lies you can tell yourself about your health and fitness. I would go to the gym all the time, but I wasn’t training properly or eating right – I was just spinning my wheels.

 

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Karen: Exactly. Most people working out are just going through the motions. When you really apply the nutrition and exercise factors, then you'll start seeing changes. What motivates you to eat right?
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Laurie: Habit. This is still the hardest part for me. And how horrible I feel mentally and physically when I don’t.

 

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Karen: I agree. Eating clean and organic food just fuels you from the inside out. What motivates you to keep working out?
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Laurie: I love the way it makes me look and feel. I love when my trainer gives me a new exercise to try. I love trying to do just a little bit better than I did the time before.

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Karen: Working out does lift the mood. How do you set goals?
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Laurie: I actually sit down and write them down. I make a plan of where I want to be and what I want to accomplish, and give myself deadlines reach those goals.

It’s not all fitness either – it’s work, relationships, mental health, education. It’s all an important part of being healthy and fit. My fitness goals are kind of funny though – since I’ve reached this uncharted territory, they keep changing and I don’t know what to shoot for anymore. I never thought that I’d want to weigh less than 130. I never thought that I could wear less than a size 8, who knew that normal people could have a body fat below 20%. I keep finding myself scrambling to set new goals.

 

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Karen: Very few people actually sit down and write out their goals, hence their lack of success. How do you stick to your goals?
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Laurie: I tell them to everyone and anyone that will listen to help hold me accountable. I have them posted on my bulletin board behind my desk so I see them all day, everyday. I have a blog (http://mamameltdown.blogspot.com/) where I track my progress and have developed a great support community. I feel like everyone is watching and I don’t want to let them down, and I hope that my success motivates them to make changes in their own lives.

 

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Karen: Spread the fitness word. Hopefully, when other see your transformation they will want to get fit and healthy, too. What do you find to be the hardest part about keeping in shape and how do you overcome it? ?
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Laurie: Living in the real world where kids get sick, jobs get hectic, vacations happen, and there are parties and dinners to attend.

To try and overcome it, I don’t try to fight it and instead I try to work with it. I sit down every weekend and plan out my week – make appointments at the gym nursery, coordinate with my husband about what I need to make it happen, see potential diet pitfalls and work out a game plan. And when all else fails, I just punt.

 

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Karen: I know how "real life" can get in the way. A lot of your success comes with your planning. What kind of eating program works best for your body type and activity level?
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Laurie: I have to be pretty strict with a high protein diet. I try to eat clean every chance I get because too many opportunities to cheat present themselves almost daily. I am not superwoman and don’t walk away every time. I definitely take advantage of the every opportunity to get it right which then makes the times I do indulge less devastating.

 

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Karen: Awesome! It's good to hear that you can have your little indulgences and still get right back on your program with no guilt. What forms of cardio do you enjoy?
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Laurie: Anything outdoors – hiking, biking, walking, rollerblading - where I can tell myself that I’m not really doing cardio. I have bad knees so running and other things that are a lot of impact, I try to avoid, because then I’m not so sore that I can’t do cardio again the next day. I like low intensity cardio inside so I can read and pass the time. In general – I really don’t like cardio.

 

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Karen: You sound like you make cardio fun, even though you don't like it. It just shows you can work around obstacles. How long do you do cardio?
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Laurie: As little as possible! Outdoors I can go much longer but in the gym, I’m 20 minutes max, unless I’m really feeling guilty about something I ate.

I try to get in and out of the gym in an hour everyday. I don’t like having my daughter in the nursery any longer than that each day. She enjoys it, and it’s all she really knows since I started going to the gym when she was 7 months old, but more than that and I feel like I’m taking advantage of her good nature.

 

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Karen: You must feel more free outdoors. What is your training split like?
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Laurie: Usually just one or two body parts a day with a little cardio everyday. On good days I will do a second cardio later, either riding my bike with my daughter on the back or walking with her in the stroller.

 

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Karen: You have good balance with your exercising. Do you track your personal best lifts and if so, what are they?
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Laurie: I don’t really track them as personal bests, but I do log my workouts and I try to do just one more rep or a little more weight than the time before – sometimes I have good days and can, and some days I’m just lucky to not lose any ground.

 

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Karen: Shooting for that one extra rep or 5 more pounds makes all the difference in the long-run. What’s a basic cheat meal for you?
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Laurie: Pizza or Mexican Food and ice cream!

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Karen: We should have a cheat day together. lol Do you compete or do you have plans on competing?
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Laurie: Other than the Meltdown Challenges? No, I won’t be getting on stage in my bathing suit.

 

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Karen: You sound more competitive with yourself than with competing with others, so the Challenges work out perfectly for you. Does your family support your fitness endeavors?
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Laurie: My husband is a huge support. He’s a very competitive distance runner and we work closely together to make sure we both get our training in each day.

Since his dietary needs are really different than mine, it makes things more difficult but he’s still very understanding, as I try to be understanding of him. He recognizes that not a lot of men end up with a wife that’s in better shape than the one they married, and is very proud of how far I’ve come.

My family of friends have been unbelievable cheerleaders for me and have encouraged me every step of the way and there is no way that I would have made it this far without them.

 

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Karen: I'm sure it's easier on you since your husband is just as active, and it's good that you have a supportive family. What are your favorite supplements?
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Laurie: Not too much, I use L-Glutamine and Met-Rx shakes – I love my chocolate shake after my workouts – it’s my favorite thing I eat all day.

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Karen: I love MetRx, too. I make a MetRx pudding out of it. Glutamine is also on top of my list of supplements. What is your next fitness goal?
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Laurie: To get on the cover of Oxygen Magazine. They are running a reader model contest for their annual fat loss issue, and I hope it’s my face on that cover right next to a “before” picture that will never again be me.

 

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Karen: Wow, great goal! I sure hope you get it. I've had a few clients in the past make the cover of Oxygen and Muscular Development. Do you have any hobbies outside of fitness?
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Laurie: I’m an avid reader, I love to hike, cook, rock climb, I’m an all-around sports fan, watching movies, and quilting.

 

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Karen: You're a go-getter. What advice would you give someone who wanted to get in such outstanding shape as you are in?
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Laurie: The advice I always give is just don't quit. That's the only thing I did that's any different. I didn't fall off the wagon and give up. I fought my way back on over and over again, and eventually I was on more than I was off and I started to see progress which motivated me to do even more.

I still fall off the wagon, but I hate the way it makes me feel now, and I want to get back eating clean and back in the gym because I know it actually feels better than the alternative.

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Karen: Terrific advice! You have to be consistent and if something gets in your path, just keep trucking on. As Jason Bishop says "How am I to know what I can achieve if I quit?" Those are the golden words to live by. Congrats on your dedication and effort. You're truly an inspiration and commitment shows.
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You Can Start Losing Weight And Transforming YOUR Body, Too!