People often ask me how I stay motivated and disciplined in my diet and exercise program. The answer is simple: I don’t want to waste my time anymore. Too many years were wasted on bad food and ineffective training. None of the so-called “weight loss solutions” worked for me because it takes more than just a plan to get great results; it takes a complete change of attitude and mindset.

As a child, my weight was never an issue. I was physically active, playing with friends, riding my bike in the neighborhood cul-de-sac, playing Chinese jump rope in the middle of the street. But around age 11, puberty kicked in, and my hormones went wacko. I began to put on the weight. By my senior year in high school, I was 5’3 and weighed 170 pounds. While I had many friends and was very active in drama, choir, and was even my high school mascot, I hated the way I looked. I wanted desperately to look like the cute girl who wore the size 2 jeans and the short little crop top. While I had many male friends in high school, guys weren’t interested in me as a “girlfriend,” and that was devastating. During these awkward years, my parents tried to encourage me to exercise, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I didn’t want it bad enough. At age 16, my mom took me to a gynecologist to discuss my hormone imbalances and irregular cycles, and he put me on birth control pills in an effort to correct things. While my cycles became less sporadic, the weight stayed on. Throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s, I tried numerous diet programs in an effort to lose the fat and get the weight off. Any success I had achieved up to this point was short-lived because in my mind, success came by hitting a specific number on the scale.

In April 1992, I met a young Air Force 1st Lt., and I was swept away. During the early part of our relationship, we tried to include exercise in our schedule, but it was difficult. I remember taking a trip to the base gym with him and quitting the Stairmaster after 5 minutes. I was able to get my weight down to the 140’s by our wedding in August 1996. But my body really didn’t look any different than it did in the 150’s and 160’s.

From 1997 to 2001, my husband and I lived in Winnipeg, Canada. My schedule was much less busy and for the first time in my life, I was willing and able to devote time to fitness. I began looking through women’s fitness magazines for motivation and workout ideas. It was at this time I first saw a photo of Monica Brant, and I remember thinking “Could I ever have a body like that?” Between the long runs on the treadmill and the pick-and-choose weight training sessions, I started taking a kick boxing class. These classes were tough, raw, and sweaty…and I LOVED IT! The instructor was a Canadian figure competitor, and she challenged me more than anyone up to that point. With some effort, I was able to get my weight down to the 130’s, but still I wasn’t seeing the dramatic changes I was looking for. After a few months of taking her class, I got up the nerve to ask her about figure competing. I told her of my dream to compete, and she smiled. Wow! She didn’t laugh at me! She told me I had a great shape to my body and had a lot of potential. Maybe she was being kind, or maybe she knew something I didn’t. But it was enough motivation to get me going. My dream of being a figure competitor was born.

By the spring of 2001, my goals changed from fitness to motherhood. In April, my husband and I found out we were going to have our first child, and in November, after 14 hours of labor, I gave birth to my beautiful daughter, Morgan. During the summer of 2003, we lived in Norfolk, VA for 3 months. I started getting serious about my exercise again and was able to burn off quite a bit of my pregnancy weight by planning out my meals and running with my daughter in a stroller. We moved to San Antonio, TX in the fall of 2003, and by the spring of 2004, I was in the best shape of my life up to that point. I joined a local gym and got back into weight training, finally getting my weight down to 134 pounds. For the first time in my life I was actually starting to feel good about how I looked. And then it happened… I got pregnant again. Although I always wanted to have two children, I wasn’t thrilled about gaining back all the weight. By the end of my pregnancy, my weight had reached an all time high of 195 pounds. But in January 2005, after only 3 hours of labor, my sweet little man, Brendan, was born.

By January 2006, my weight was still in the 160’s. I was getting frustrated. I figured my body would naturally return to where it had been two years earlier. But the combination of inactivity and multiple trips to my favorite Mexican restaurant wasn’t exactly helping my fitness efforts. In the fall of 2006 we moved to Virginia Beach, VA. What a thrill it was to live near a beach! But this would mean more time at the beach…more time in a bathing suit. Something had to change.

In late 2006, I was flipping through the radio stations and came across a song that would soon change my life. The song was “Days Go By,” by Keith Urban. For some reason, I couldn’t change the station, and I listened to every word.

Days go by -- I can feel 'em flyin'

Like a hand out the window in the wind,

The cars go by – it’s all we’ve been given,

So you’d better start livin’ right now,

‘cause Days go by.

That was it. I was wasting time! All these dreams and goals I had set for myself were slowly fading away. It was then that I reclaimed those dreams. I took out my calendar and turned to August. With a red marker, I circled “August 12.” That was the date I was going to see Keith Urban in concert; but it was also the date that I would reach my goal to lose 30 pounds. I needed a concrete date for my transfiguration. Rather than try the plans I had tried before, I decided to get smart and learn. I began reading everything I could about nutrition, weight training, cardio, and how to put it all together to get results. I immersed myself in Oxygen and Muscle and Fitness Hers magazines, excited and motivated to finally make it happen! With a plan in hand, I joined a gym near my house, and put the plan into action. And this time, I wasn’t going to deviate from the plan. Even if the results were slow, I was going to stick with it and see what my body could do.

On March 7, 2007, I began my journey to a new me--not a better me, but a new me. When August 12th finally arrived, I was down 22 pounds, almost reaching my goal. Just after the concert, I started a new way of eating that has transformed my body in a way that is hard to describe. I was eating more often but burning more fat than ever before! My mindset had changed. My lean muscle was increasing and my body fat was dropping. On average, I lost ½ pound a week, hitting 129 pounds on September 30. But it was the inch loss that amazed me. In March, I was wearing a size 10-12; by October, I was wearing a size 3-4. People at my gym started to notice the changes in me, so much so I was chosen as the gym’s first “Member of the Month.” My dream to transform my body turned into a passion to teach others how to transform themselves. I began studying to become a certified personal trainer.

In November 2007, my husband took me to my first figure competition in Las Vegas, NV. I had never been to a show, but as soon as I saw the figure athletes take the stage, I was hooked. Between the two-piece and one-piece prejudging, I met one of the competitors in the lobby. Standing next to her, I could almost feel her motivation and drive. Yes, I promised myself, I WILL compete!

In January 2008, I received my Personal Fitness Trainer certification. Within a few short weeks, I started training clients at my gym –the same one where my transformation took place. That same month, a man at my gym saw me working out, and he asked me if I was preparing for a competition. I said “No, but I would love to compete one day.” He told me all about this local trainer, known for creating champion bodybuilders. He is also known as a straight shooter. If you aren’t ready for a show, he will tell you. But if he says you are ready to compete, he means it. Within minutes, I called him and we set up a posing session. After a quick glance in my string bikini and heels, he asked if I wanted to compete in 12 weeks. My heart was beating so hard I seriously thought everyone could see it! I asked him if he thought I could be ready. He gave a very confident “Yes.” So began my journey to my first figure competition. On June 14, 2008, I competed in the NPC East Coast Tournament of Champions, finishing 2nd in the master division (35 and older) and 3rd in the short class. On August 16, 2008, I competed in my 2nd show –the NPC Lenda Murray Championships, finishing 2nd in the short class. And on November 8, 2008, I finished 1st in the short class and was the Overall figure champion at the NPC Virginia/DC State Championships.

Over the past 20 years, I've tried many different weight loss plans. I've got the videos, books, and gizmos to prove it! Every kind of diet, every kind of exercise...but the truth is, I was never serious enough to make a change. I was desperate to try whatever was out there. But buying the equipment and books did NOT get me fit. Making serious mental changes DID! So why was this time different? Why did I finally figure it out and see results? Because I got smart! The plans I had tried in the past simply didn't work. Why did I think those plans would work this time? I had to fix what was broken, and mostly, it was my attitude that needed fixing.