My name is Carmel. I am married to the man of my dreams who I met 12 years ago and we have been married for 9.5 years. We have 2 children, ages 6 and 4 who keep me very busy.

I had never had weight problems until I and had a miscarriage, but still gained all the weight.  After two years of emotionally and physically, I got pregnant with my son. I gained about 60 lbs. when I was pregnant!  When I got pregnant with my daughter I hadn't lost all of the from my son,  which just added to my previous weight and also caused me to develop hypertension (a very serious condition during due to weight gain).  After I had my daughter, I decided it was time to kick my own butt and feel like me again! I didn't want to be that frumpy looking mom I saw in the mirror. It made me feel so sad and horrible about myself...

Through the years I have tried many things. I tried eating Fat Free foods and Atkins, but I was so confused with all the different information out there. What was healthy? What really worked and most importantly, worked FAST! I had heard bad things about diet pills and didn't want to subject my body to that, so that was not an option for me.  I had purchased the book "Diet For Your Blood Type", but wasn't sure of my blood type...I felt so lost.  Dr. Phil had just come out with his book "The Ultimate Solution", and I saw that the people on his show had much more weight to lose than I did and they were do ing it, so I gave it a try. I respected what he had to say and knew he would be honest with whatever he was gonna put in that book.  It ended up being the starting point to my new, fit, ME!

After doing Dr. Phil's "Ultimate Weight Loss Solution" for about a year, I decided to take it a step further.  I researched a lot of different things and found "Body for Life".  I had seen this book in the book store when buying Dr. Phil's book and was really impressed with the before and after photos.  I bought the book and journal, curious to see just what they did to get such dramatic results!  That program taught me a little more in depth about the lifestyle I was on a mission for.  I joined a yahoo BFL Women's group that was based around BFL. Someone in the group mentioned an ebook called, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle". It turned out to be a very extensive book that taught much more in depth of what things to try to get that body I had always wanted.

Here I am today, 50 pounds lighter, 3 sizes smaller and with less body fat! To some people that might not sound like a lot, but to me it really is, just knowing how hard I have worked for it! My husband even bought me an itty bitty bikini on his trip and it and I look GOOD! Now THAT is the feeling I have been working for through this whole adventure.
 
I am currently trying new stuff all the time, just to keep things new and excited to keep me motivated. I have since became a ISSA Certified Personal Trainer so that I can help others achieve THEIR personal goals and feel better about themselves. I am here to help YOU and let you know it CAN be done!

~Carmel~

Check out my transformation below!