About four years ago, I took a job opportunity which relocated my life from Southern California to Sydney, Australia.  That decision changed everything.  I met "Mr. Right" (he was my new manager's step-son!), we got married and now I'm living in Sydney, happily ever after. 

But life in transition wasn't always a fairytale.  With all the drastic changes came a lot of stress, and I would often turn to the one thing that always brought me a sense of comfort: FOOD.  Except I wasn't choosing healthy food.  I ate junk and LOTS of it.  I would find myself escaping into large cups of iced coffee shakes, french fries, banana bread, and toasted ham & cheese sandwiches.  And when I felt really down, I would often bake to cheer myself up with cookies and brownies.  I was basically living the polar opposite of the Lean Body Diet!! Yikes.

I didn't realize what I was doing to myself because it was all happening so gradually.  Then one day, I saw a photo from one of our holiday trips, and I did not recognise myself.  I looked like a sad, fat little chipmunk.  That's when I decided it was time to make a change.  Years ago, I had a personal trainer, and I remembered how he always made me lift weights.  So I started looking online for a program that incorporated strength training and free weights. That's when I found out about Shin's MAX Workouts.

The more of Shin's articles I read about fat and why it's critical for women to lift heavy, the more I was convinced this would work.  There's just so much crap advice out there about weight loss, nutrition, what works, what doesn't, and it can start to feel really overwhelming and confusing--but when I read about the MAX Workouts program and what it involved, it all made sense.  It was honest, straight up information, and I knew all I needed to do was follow it.

So in March 2011, I finally purchased MAX Workouts.  Unfortunately when I started, I wasn't prepared to fully commit to all of the changes it required.  I ended up doing 80% of the workouts, and about 5% of the Lean Body Diet.  Surprisingly, I still saw results, but they were minimal.  I didn't realise how long it would take for me to change mentally--and by that, I mean give up my bad eating habits, deal with the issues that were causing it, and change my lifestyle for good.  That process took about two years.  Fast forward to April 2013…I'd been going to the gym 3-5 times a week and eating healthier.  The changes were happening but I wanted to accelerate my progress.  And that's when I remembered I had MAX Workouts.  I told myself that this time around, I would commit to it 100%--no excuses.  I was looking forward to seeing what could happen if I actually pushed myself.

Then I received the email about the upcoming contest so I decided to enter.  I started MAX Workouts for the second time on May 20, 2013.  I compared my stats (weights/reps/rounds) from the first time I did the program, and I was shocked to see how much I had changed since 2011.  I could lift heavier (used 12.5kg weights instead of 5kg), and I felt stronger and more energetic.  I also noticed how my body felt lighter because of what I was feeding it this time around--real food!  I even felt bit more flexible which I didn't expect.  My husband bought me a PVC pipe from the hardware supply store, and the rolling exercises actually did help my muscles recover more quickly!

I'm still on my journey, but I'm really excited to know that this program has helped me change for the better.  It's challenging and fun, especially as a woman.  It makes you feel strong and quite honestly, a little bit gangster every time you lift.  There's something empowering about lifting.  I'm a bit surprised at how strong I actually am! And I liked how the routines changed every day, so I never got bored.

If anyone out there is like me and wondering if it's worth a try, I encourage you to just go for it.  You'll surprise yourself!  Big thanks to Shin for your honest advice and your kickbutt program.  I'm a firm believer in MAX.

STATS

Date:        (May 20, 2013)          (Aug 10, 2013)

Chest: 39.5 inches           36 inches

Waist: 35.5 inches           32.5 inches

Hip:        40 inches                   37 inches

Thigh: 23 inches                   21.5 inches

Arm:        12 inches                   11 inches

Weight: 70.9 kg (156 lb)           67.7 kg (149 lb)