Brandy lost 55 lbs and 5+% body fat! Brandy Cramer If you haven’t learned how to boil a frog yet, let me enlighten you. They say you can’t just put a frog in water that’s already boiling because it has sense enough to jump out. You have to do it slowly; place it in cold water first and heat it up bit by bit so that it doesn’t realize that it’s cooking. And then voila—tastes like chicken! That’s how I ended up at 225 pounds, gradually and clearly in denial about what I was doing to myself. Now it didn’t help that I grew up eating a lot of microwave food and take out (my Grandma hated to cook), or that I reached for a bag of Chewy Chocolate Chips Ahoy every time I was teased as a kid. But for the most part I just told myself that eating that extra helping of potato salad, or easing my stress with a Vanilla Frosty couldn’t hurt anything. I mean, it was just a pound or two right? It wouldn’t make a difference anyway. Yeah. Sure. Right. Then last year I was forced to admit that I was a size 20. I was disgusted and tired of hearing myself complain about losing weight. I told one of my closest friends that I had to do something, and she encouraged me to join her in a salsa dancing class. Let me tell you, salsa is good for chips AND hips. I danced for a few months and knocked off 25 pounds. I also cut down on portion sizes and got rid of those emergency snacks. I found myself stagnant again however, when I accepted a job in another state and was without a salsa dancing class. The stress eating was just about to show when the ladies at my new job decided to ban together to do the South Beach diet. Bingo! Motivation. I learned all I could about South Beach and became what my co-workers lovingly call “The Diet Nazi”. Put down that brownie! Don’t even think about eating those fries! Here, have some salad. I went online to find some activities to get me moving and came across the PCOS Challenge. This group was exactly what I needed. They gave me guidance about a health condition I had struggled with for years (one that affects a myriad of things including energy level and ability to lose weight) and laid out the plain facts that proper diet and exercise were among the top things I could do to combat it. Sasha Ottey, the CEO of the PCOS Challenge, arranged for the members to join the Survival of the Fittest challenge that The Fit Solution was doing with Suburban Hospital. It was an opportunity I felt I would have been stupid to pass up. Those who participated were given advice from a registered dietitian, taught how to prepare healthy meals by a chef, and received weekly fitness training from a certified personal trainer. And, did I mention that the Survival of the Fittest challenge was FREE?! So I joined Yusef’s Challenge and did my best. I was off to a decent start when my grandmother passed away. Between the loss, the added family stress and the traveling I couldn’t take it. Cue the compulsive eating. Pizza, pasta, burgers, you name it I ate it for about three weeks. I felt a lingering guilt though because of how my grandmother died. She passed away after having congestive heart failure and several strokes brought on by her terrible diet, lack of exercise, and poorly managed diabetes. When I missed a training session with Yusef because I was sitting on my couch sulking with a carton of ice cream, I realized I had to stop or I was going to end up like Gram. I had a “come to Jesus” moment with myself and got on a treadmill. At the next training session I told Yusef that I didn’t think I should be in the challenge anymore. I had missed several training sessions and had gained back the little bit of weight I had lost. I asked if he’d still let me train though because I needed the support to keep motivated. I also appreciated the structure of the class and the added level of accountability it presented. He told me that I didn’t have to quit the challenge, and that the main goal was not to win but to keep pushing toward my fitness goals. So forward I pushed, working out 5-7 days a week, eating as healthy as I could manage, and completing my nutritional logs. Well between a neck injury (from straining while doing lat pull downs) and doing too much strength training (a misunderstanding on my part) I didn’t end up losing much weight. In fact I actually gained body fat by the end of the challenge. I tried to stay positive however, because I did drop a dress size and I felt better physically than I had in years. I continued to work out and eat healthy, and after a few weeks Yusef offered me the opportunity to do a personal challenge. This time I was ready to go! This time I stayed more on top of how foods affected my body. This time I put the scale away so I wouldn’t be frustrated by the slow progress my body seemed to make. With help from The Fit Solution, inspiration from my workout buddies, and encouragement from friends and family, I’m down to a size 10 and 171 pounds. And this time I lost 5% body fat!  In total I’m down 54 pounds since last year and I’m not done yet! Thanks everyone! I’ve jumped out of the pot and back into life! Next, I’m running a 5K. (No joke!) Weight Training: We offer a wide variety of high quality weights and exercise systems, including both free weights and weight machines. Our weight room also includes several abdominal weight machines and benches. Cardio Training: The Fit Solution’s cardio training facilities are second to none. Bikes, steppers, treadmills and elliptical trainers - we have a machine to fit all your cardio needs. With over 50 machines to choose from, we guarantee that you will never have to wait. Aerobic Classes: Aerobics, stepping, kickboxing, Tae-Bo, and spinning are only some of the aerobic classes offered at The Fit Solution. All of our aerobic instructors are highly qualified and have created unique aerobics classes available solely for our members.