How This 45-Year-Old Woman Lost 16 Pounds In 8 Weeks

             
By Jenna Bergen Southerland, Prevention
  

"Overworked and overbooked" is how Christine Szpynda described her life when she signed up for our new Fit in 10: Slim & Strong—for Life! program. The 45-year-old wife and mother of three was juggling a career as an executive director at a large financial services company with a busy home life. Her nonstop schedule—combined with the fact that her weight had steadily been creeping up since she'd hit her 40s—left her feeling tired all the time. 

[post_ads]The evening run she'd done on and off for years had been "off" for longer than she'd like to admit, thanks to her achy knees, and she needed a simple routine she could do in the morning before the craziness of her day started. "My days only seemed to get busier as they went on, which made finding the time to exercise really challenging," she says. "I'd tell myself I'd start working out on Monday, and then it would be Wednesday and I still hadn't done anything. It was this big, depressing cycle."   

              

              

Despite her crazy life, Christine knew she had to start putting her health back on her priority list. "My goal was to lose weight—especially lose belly fat—and to feel better. I felt tired all the time. I wanted to find a way to improve that and get some of my energy back."  When Christine started using the Fit in 10 program—which combines easy and delicious 10-minute meals with 10 minutes of simple sculpting exercise a day—she discovered that she didn't have to work out for an hour at a time to see results.

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"I felt a difference right away," she says. "I thought, Wow, I can work out for 10 minutes before I leave the house to catch my train to work, and even if I do nothing active the rest of the day, I can feel proud that I got a workout in. It felt so positive and made me feel like I was moving in the right direction." Christine also noticed that she no longer felt as tired during the day, and she had more energy to do more of the things she loved. She also began to see inches falling off her belly.  

            

                        

Even though her kitchen was in the middle of a renovation and Christine wasn't able to make as many of the Fit in 10 recipes as she would have liked, the recipes she did try were family hits. "They were keepers," she says. "Everyone enjoyed them, and started asking me to make them."

Christine says she also found the Fit in 10 eating guidelines especially useful. "I learned how to eat clean and portion control, all things that I kind of got away from over the years," she says. Soon, she was making smarter choices that were just as satisfying, trading processed carbs like pizza and cookies for salads and salmon. "There were plenty of healthy choices I could make when I went out to eat," she says. "I didn't feel like I was on a diet at all and I never felt hungry or deprived." 

[post_ads]Within a few weeks, Christine started to notice changes in her body. Her belly started to shrink and she had to start pulling her "skinny" clothes out from storage. By the end of 8 weeks, she had lost 16 pounds a total of 21 inches. "I can go shopping in my closet again," she laughs. "Things that used to be tight on me are suddenly loose. I feel like my old self again. Fit in 10 taught me that getting and staying in shape is really just about three things: knowledge, commitment, and consistency."

Why Christine Loves Fit in 10

            

                  

It gives you a doable plan.
"I was at a point in my life where I wanted and needed to make a change, but I was kind of frozen and I didn't know what to do. Fit in 10 showed me exactly how to live the life I wanted."

It sheds belly fat fast.
"I see the weight loss mainly in my tummy area the most, but I noticed toning all over too, which is so great. You can't ask for anything more."

It reminds you to take care of you.
"Everyone has a crazy life; we need to remember to step back and value ourselves. What we eat and what we put into our body, and how we exercise our body is important, no matter how busy we are."

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