Before I started the 60day, I felt hopeless and helpless. I was grossly overweight, and I thought that I was just going to stay that way for the rest of my life. I had tried to lose weight in the past, but I always seemed to gain it back, and each time I would get heavier and heavier. I needed help! I needed someone to show me how to have a healthier lifestyle.

Around this time, my job was offering to pay a portion of the gym membership fee for employees who wanted to get in shape and improve their health. I decided to take advantage of this offer and scheduled a tour to visit the local Life Time Fitness.

Right away I knew that Life Time was a special place. Everyone seemed so friendly, and knowledgeable, and focused on helping people to improve their health and fitness levels. I met with Mike, an account manager, who introduced me to the Life Time philosophy of know it, nourish it, and move it and gave me a tour of the whole facility. Then I met with Naz, a personal trainer, who told me about the classes and services that Life Time offers and about the 60day that was just getting ready to begin.

Naz was so motivational, that I said to myself, “I got to sign up. I got to do this for myself and for my family. This is my moment and I’ve got to seize it.” So, I decided to sign up for the 60day. My goal was simple. I wanted to learn how to eat right, learn how to exercise to lose weight, and learn how to develop lifelong habits that would help me to maintain a healthy weight.

Naz told me how important proper nutrition and eating right was, for weight loss and suggested that I meet with Emily, one of the Life Time nutrition coaches, to help come up with a nutrition plan that would help me. Emily was great! I will never forgot one thing she told me, “you can’t out train a bad diet.” During her sessions with me she stressed the importance of eating clean and proper supplementation for weight loss. She told me that the ideal meal for me would consist of a lot of veggies, some healthy protein, a small amount of whole grains, and some healthy fats. She advised me to avoid processed foods, and sugary snacks and drinks, and to stop eating at least two hours before going to bed.

She also recommended that I get a good multivitamin, some Omega 3 fish oil, and a good protein powder source to help me recover after my workouts. It was exciting to have a meal plan and supplement package that I could follow. Emily even gave me a discount code to save money on my purchase at the LifeCafé Life Time Health Store. I was so excited for the step by step advice that Emily shared with me, and I determined to follow her recommendations right away.

Before I left that day, I caught back up with Naz, and he suggested that I sign up for his group GTX Burn/Cut classes. He told me that they were great for beginners like me and that they would help to keep me motivated with my exercise on a weekly basis. I needed a class like this, one where I could be held accountable and could work out with other likeminded individuals who were trying to lose weight, just like I was, so I decided to join the GTX Burn/Classes, and I started going 4 nights a week.

Naz was a fantastic trainer! He was always so upbeat and positive, and focused on helping us to perform the exercises correctly. Week after week he would tell us that “your goal is worth fighting for,” and that “we had to believe in ourselves,” and that “we were worth it.” He was a great motivating force for me, and he deserves a lot of credit for the progress that I made. When I started the 60day, I weighed 239 lbs and now I weigh 209 lbs. I lost 30 lbs and I couldn’t be more pleased!

Emily taught me how to eat and Naz taught me how to exercise, but what I learned from both of them, was how to stay focused on a goal and put in the necessary work to achieve it. I have by no means, lost all the weight that I want to lose, but thanks to Emily and Naz, I have gotten my “fight” back and learned that my ideal self is worth fighting for!