Lisa’s Story

Lisa’s Story

I came to Nazafit when I was at my wits end. I had always been slim, but had struggled with disordered eating patterns in the past. I would cycle through periods of under or over eating, and under or over exercising.
Over the last few years, stress took its toll on me and I started to put my health on the backburner so that I could look after others. I gave up on myself completely, and unfortunately my health and weight suffered. I didn’t even recognise my reflection anymore.

I was so unhappy with my huge weight gain over the two years prior, due to spending most of my energy looking after other people, and completely neglecting myself. Like many women do! It became a major source of discomfort both physically and mentally. I felt lethargic, weak, down in the dumps, unhealthy, unfit and overall like a failure. I didn’t feel like myself anymore, and it impacted on my overall confidence and motivation in life. I was also starting to experience medical issues, such as joint pains.

I got sick of having to buy new clothes to fit! I started to always wear stretchy clothes, in an attempt to stay in denial about my weight gain, and I had a wardrobe full of small tailored clothes that I couldn’t bring myself to throw away. I think I just got to a point where I was sick of feeling so overweight and tired all the time.

I did have a long history of unhealthy dieting. I would often run for hours on end, and starve myself for weeks (sometimes months) at a time, until I was weak and unhappy, albeit thinner. The problem was, this was never sustainable. I was always at a low weight, but punished myself regardless.

And even though I was at a reasonable weight, I was so lethargic and unhealthy. I was always looking at food as the enemy, and I had stages in my life where I was afraid to eat anything except a few hard sugar free lollies, and a bowl of broccoli. I had “safe” foods, which I thought were ok because they were low in calories, and perfectly healthy “unsafe” foods which I never touched due to their calorie or carb content, such as bananas. I had a really unhealthy relationship with food, which set me up for a huge weight gain.

When I started gaining weight, I was in denial and eventually I realised how much damage I had done. By this point I had given up. I had never been in the position I was in before, so to see the massive change in me for the worst just overwhelmed me. I didn’t feel like I had the ability to change and get myself back on track, so I just didn’t try anymore.

I decided it was now or never. I couldn’t live feeling that I was continuously moving backwards rather than forwards. I realised I had two choices, I could continue on the path I was heading along and get worse, or I could attempt to make changes and hopefully reach a goal I was happy at.

I discovered Nazafit through Facebook, and ended up buying one of the two day plans from the website, after I read Michelle’s story. I was so inspired by the changes that Michelle had made in her lifetime.
Initially I was a bit worried about spending the money on myself. However I justified it pretty quickly. I realised I had reached a point where I really needed help, and support to get back on track. I thought about what I was doing with my money and realised I was wasting money on unhealthy food, soft drinks, and medical treatment! I wouldn’t think twice about spending money on a loved one, so why deny myself the opportunity to feel better? Nothing can beat the feeling of being happy, healthy and confident!

I probably found it a bit daunting seeing all these super fit bodybuilders, and thought I had no place attempting a program like this. However, after reading some of the other inspirational stories (including Michelle’s) I started to think that maybe I could do it too. Maybe this would help me.

Most of all I appreciated Michelle’s honesty more than anything. She comes across as authentic, caring, and yet so determined. The fact that she included her own progress pictures, made me feel more inspired to change myself. Instead of feeling ashamed and defining myself as ‘overweight and unhealthy’ I started to realize that my current state didn’t define me, it was just a bump in the road, and was something I could change.
I started testing out the recipes, and exercising again and noticed changes within days. My energy levels increased ten-fold, I had more motivation and overall more zest for life. I started to feel that maybe I could get on top of my health again.

Within a few weeks I had purchased a 12-week plan, and was hooked. The plans were so well tailored to my needs and likes, and were easy follow. The recipes were all amazing, and the exercise plans were great because I actually had a weight-training plan to follow. It did take me a while to get into the swing of things initially because I had so many emotional barriers blocking my own way that I needed to work through.
The fact that the programs are tailored to the individual was very appealing. I don’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so the majority of my meals were so easy to prepare and could be made in advance.

Sunday afternoons became my food prep time, which I enjoyed. Even though most of the foods included were to my ‘taste’ there were a few surprises on the plan that really helped me to experiment and widen my tastes. I used to shy away from herbs and spices, now I love experimenting with them!

I also think the support was something that I found helped me make the decision, as I felt I needed someone to be there and have faith in me, because I had lost all faith in myself.

My greatest challenges have been learning how to deal with stress effectively. There have been periods of really high stress, as most people have experienced, and I needed to change my default reactions to stress. I was in a vicious circle of falling off the wagon, beating myself up more, and therefore causing me to fall of the wagon even more. I had to realise that I was worth the time and effort! I was so focused on other people, that I had forgotten how to care for myself.

ragazza in spiaggiaI needed to get rid of old habits and negative thinking patterns, and cultivate new ones to create my lifestyle change. Along the way Jehanne has been a blessing. She has been so patient and encouraging, that I was able to regain motivation whenever I allowed stress to get in my way.
Michelle has always been available to answer questions, and has never made me feel stupid no matter what I asked! Her encouragement and support has been unwavering, which has been vital in my success so far. 

If it wasn’t for Jehanne’s acceptance and understanding, I wouldn’t have been able to get back up whenever I fell down.
I tried to notice small things along the way. Such as being more consistent with exercise, and noticing my fitness level and strength increasing. I was wearing so many stretch clothes at the time, that I didn’t notice my clothes getting baggier for a while, but the pictures along the way really helped me to see a visual of my progress.

I’ve had so much fun on my plans! I still have a long way to go to my goal, but I am happy to have made this much progress. I have learned so much about nutrition, and general health. Some of the knowledge was already there, but with all the faddy diets and programs out there it can get confusing and disheartening not knowing who or what to trust!
I think just seeing my progress pictures side by side. When I look at myself in the mirror, I can’t always see any changes and I still have “fat” days even though logically I know I have lost weight. So referring back to the pictures makes me go “wow, I did that” and makes me more motivated to keep on keeping on.

In the third month, I started to really notice a difference in myself and I was amazed by what I had achieved up to that point. Another point has been more recently when I have seen my clothes become baggy. I was also amazed by my increase in strength and stamina over the time.

I can definitely attest to the fact that Nazafit has helped me clear up so many of my questions and fears, and I now have confidence in maintaining a nutritionally balanced diet, and sensible exercise program.
The program really made me think about the negative ways I was thinking about myself, and how much I was holding myself back in so many areas of my life. I really had to learn to stop hating myself, and start taking care of myself again. I really had to learn that I was worth it – which is something I’m still working on.

You never know your limits, until you push yourself to them! It’s easy to become complacent about where you are in life, and get stuck in a rut of hate. It takes courage and strength to realise that you can change, and to take steps towards doing that! It’s also important to be patient with yourself. When you have so many bad habits to break, and so many emotional barriers to overcome, it can take you a while to get into the swing of things. If you continuously beat yourself up when you fall off the wagon, it makes it so much harder! You just have to learn to forgive yourself, pick yourself up, and get back on. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get to your goal, as long as you keep trying and keep improving, you will get there!

No more endless hours of cardio! I feel so much fitter, happier and healthier than I have in years and I can’t thank Michelle and Jehanne enough for their ongoing support and encouragement!
My friends and colleagues were happy for me! I think they noticed that not only had I started to lose weight, but I also had clearer skin and a more positive outlook. I started to wear clothes that I liked more, and make an effort to do my makeup and hair again. They also started getting curious about what foods I was eating, as I always had something fresh and yummy at work!

I would strongly recommend anyone who is even considering, to just try out a plan and allow yourself to be amazed. It is hard work when you have a lot of bad habits to change but it’s certainly not impossible.
I’ll have to go with the Nike slogan here and say – JUST DO IT! It may seem really daunting at first, but the support and knowledge you get during the programs are worth the initial discomfort, and price for sure.

I have learned so much about general health and nutrition, and most importantly about myself. I’ve really enjoyed the program, and my confidence has increased so much. The support that Jehanne and Michelle have given have been THE BEST, and I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without their patience, perseverance and unwavering support and belief in me. I didn’t believe in myself, and their faith really helped me to learn to love myself again.

A huge THANK YOU to Michelle and Jehanne, for all the unconditional support I’ve received throughout the program! Your positivity and faith in everyone’s ability is inspirational! I’ve really enjoyed my plan, and have learned so much. I’m so glad I took the opportunity to go ahead with a program, and I have so much knowledge about myself and my health, which will benefit me now and in the future.

*At Nazafit we respect everyone who comes to us for help – and many are working toward a fresh start in life. So while their stories are true, client names and images may have been changed to protect their privacy. Thank you for understanding.

 

For more information about how YOU can make a difference in your life, please contact Michelle here: Contact

For more information on the program visit:
https://nazafit.com.au/shop/12-week-custom-total-body-transformation-program/

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