Here is Donna’s story from the Fat Loss Project.  I am especially impressed with the 5.5 inches of combined fat loss from her hips and waist (which is very evident in her photos), as these are traditionally very stubborn areas for women to lose body fat.  For a woman of average height to lose 2 inches from the waist is usually equivalent to about 15 pounds of total fat loss.  So yet again, we see the importance of using measurements to track fat loss rather than the scale alone.  Well done Donna, very good work!

Starting
Weight: 157 lbs; Height: 5′ 6-1/2″
Bust: 37-1/2”
Waist: 31”
Hips: 41-1/2”
Thighs: 23-1/4”
October 26

After
Current weight: 144 lbs
Bust: 36-1/2” (lost 1 inch)
Waist: 28” (lost 3 inches)
Hips: 39” (lost 2.5 inches)
Thighs: 21-3/4” (lost 1.5 inches)

My 6-Week Fat Loss Essay

I discovered out about Coach Rylan’s program last April through a random Internet search. Two years ago I weighed about 240 lbs. By April I was down to about 160 lbs, 20 lbs shy of my goal weight, but I had clearly plateaud as my weight had been around 160 since January. Also, I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the results because I had a lot of flabby, sagging areas, particularly my arms and abdomen that I was still having to camouflage. Just prior to finding the Go Sleeveless site, I’d spent a month searching for a flirty, sexy cocktail dress and a formal gown with long sleeves (or a nice jacket) to wear to my first ballroom dance event, with little success. I found tons of sexy, flirty sleeveless or short-sleeve dresses, while the ones with long sleeves/coordinating jacket looked very matronly.

Frustrated by my dress search, I wanted to do something even if it meant surgery. I started searching the Internet for info. on help for flabby arms or how to lose arm fat, including cosmetic surgery options, and came across the Go Sleeveless site.

I had wanted to do the coaching program for a while, but it wasn’t quite in my budget, so when Coach Rylan posted a request for guinea pigs to try out a new 6-week program for only $100, I responded right away. As an added incentive, I had already committed to participating in my dance studio’s Ballroom Showcase and wanted to look and feel my best for that.

I was a little skeptical about the program at first. I worried I might not be able to stick to the program, particularly the menus, and I wasn’t sure what kind of results to expect in six weeks. Ultimately, I decided if I didn’t do anything, it was certain that my body wouldn’t change.

Six weeks later, I’ve lost 13 lbs—seven shy of the 20 lbs I thought I wanted to lose—and a total of 8 inches from my hips, bust, waist and thighs. I’ve become very disciplined about what I eat and staying active. I’ve also learned quite a lot over the course of six weeks about the difference between weight loss and fat loss. I don’t want to just lose weight, which is likely how I ended up with the saggy skin on my arms and belly, I want to decrease my body fat and build nice muscle tone.

I’ve been weighing myself weekly, but try to focus more on inches lost avoid being overly concerned about the number on the scale since I’ve learned from Coach Rylan that number fluctuates during the course of a day or week for a host of reasons that may have nothing to do with fat loss. For me, going from wearing a size 8 (and sometimes 10) to a size 6 is a much more tangible measurement, besides my measuring tape. So, I’m also pleasantly surprised at losing 13 lbs and even more pleased about losing 3 inches off my waist and 2-1/2 inches off my hips.

I would, and have, recommended this program to my sister and several friends. I love the interval sets and will incorporate many of the strength exercises, like the squats, lunges, burpees, bench dips, even the jackknife, into my exercise routine from now on.

It’s difficult to place a dollar value on the results achieved. What dollar amount could I place on not only the fat loss, but the confidence I gained by having done things I didn’t think I could, like full body pushups or more than 10 burpees, or wearing a size 6 again. There are still some areas of my body where I would like to see more fat loss and tone, my arms primarily, but the program has certainly convinced me cosmetic surgery is not my only option. I feel hopeful that next summer, I’ll be able to wear a tank top without a cover-up and it won’t cost me $5,000 to $10,000 in liposuction or other surgery costs.

I have four more weeks to my Showcase performance and I’m planning to stick with the exercise program and the menus with a few tweaks (like sweet potatoes, occasionally), because I know I can do it and it does work.