This transformation not only helped me shed 13.5 lbs. – bringing me just half a pound away from my wedding day weight of 130lbs. It made me more organized and productive in other aspects of my life, because I needed other things around me to be taken care of before I thought about taking

an online class that benefits only me and not the whole family (this attitude evolved too, by the way, I no longer think that my workouts benefit just me – since my improved productivity and attention to remaining parts of my life benefited them as well, and everybody enjoyed healthy meals for over a month and a half!!)

Even my husband dropped 10lbs as a byproduct of my journey, and that’s with his unlimited once a week pizza on Football Sundays.

But all of this didn’t happen right away. It took time for things to organically fall into place. I even found time to clean up my home office (over a week ago) and I no longer dread walking in there. All this was achieved among lots of unpredictable things (kids did get sick once, not too bad though) and stress over accidentally discovering that our new house foundation has a one-inch horizontal crack across the entire backyard wall! The demolition and repair process is under way, and the old me would have definitely quit fitness in stressful times like this to focus on the issue and therefore have an excuse to forget about my needs. Ironically though, having the strength from SBF helped me navigate through this problem without destructive panic.

By becoming an SBFer I could actually accomplish more tasks in my everyday life and at the same time achieve a better physique – more toned than I have ever been!! It sounds almost impossible, but I feel like I unclogged my life! See the analogy to Jonathan Bailor’s “Smarter Science of Slim”? By undertaking this fitness challenge (having more on my metaphoric and literal plate) – I was able to complete more things almost like I was on fire (as in burning more fat in Jonathan’s smart method!!)

Thank you to Suzanne Bowen and all the advise from the experts! Thanks to Bethany for talking me into participating when I emailed her a calorie question. Now I understand the calorie myth and I am no longer thinking in these categories.

Food guide played a huge role in it, too! Spaghetti squash and walnut crusted salmon are staying on my menu forever:). Veggies, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts and fruits are my favorite snacks now and while eating with a purpose, I literally visualize those rich nutrients feeding my cells – this makes me ecstatic and fills me up to unprecedented levels of energy!!

Great work and I am looking forward to learning more from you and spreading the knowledge to all my friends, family and the world!