Losing Weight After 50! – INSPIRING 47 Pound Weight Loss Story!

Starting weight: 174

Ending weight: 127

Starting body fat: 47%

Ending body fat: 23%

“Hi, I am Karen. I am a 52 year old wife & mother of 3 adult sons, 2 of them twins. This is my transformation story.10 years ago, I was at my (then) heaviest weight. I lost a good amount on a popular diet plan with a little bit of fitness work but when I reached that goal, that was the end of it. I didn’t maintain the loss because my weight had changed but nothing else had. My mindset, fitness habits, food choices & my spirit were still the same. I slipped back into old habits. Over the next years the weight crept back on & I dug myself a deeper hole than before.I have been blessed to be a stay at home wife & mom for most of our married life and have loved being able to take care of our family from home. I have given birth to 5 children (2 sets of twins, one set living). As happens to many moms, my weight increased slowly after having kids. Busy with raising them, it wasn’t too bad for a number of years. However the weight crept up through the years. I didn’t see it then but now I understand that I was taking care of everyone else as they grew, putting myself in the back of the line & then floundering as they left for college & moved on with their lives. In the past 10 years the lack of being needed to do this & that for everyone else left me with time on my hands that I didn’t fill with activity. (No, let’s be honest here… it left me lazy). I could have filled that time positively but didn’t. I ate poorly, didn’t move much . My life was good, though. It was comfortable. I have a family & friends that I love & that love me no matter what. No drama, no stress. Something was missing though. It was direction. What happens when you don’t have direction? You stay where you are or meander aimlessly. Worst case, you get lost. It’s strange thinking of being lost and not even knowing that you are. I was lost. I kept a smile on my face, enjoyed my daily good, good life but had no real passion or purpose.In June of 2012 I had a bad fall & shattered my kneecap. After surgery to put it back together & a few rounds of physical therapy, I was resigned to the fact that I was never going to be the same. It was easy to give up & lose hope for anything else. I was already too sedentary in my lifestyle and really became a couch potato with the injury. The lack of ease of mobility was not as frightening as it was sad, as I thought about the future.I then had a health scare with some crazy symptoms that doctors were afraid was something serious. After a bunch of tests it, turned out to be a vitamin deficiency and easily treated. It was, however, a wake up call that my health is important. I made a decision. I needed to get some weight off to ease the strain on the knee and ensure a healthier future and eat better. I was a 51 year old woman who wanted to be around & healthy enough to enjoy a long life with my family.I started on the same weight loss plan that I had done before. It was my comfort zone & easy to do without really changing too much. (AHEM!) After a few months, I was doing ok but slowly realized that I needed to do something else. I needed to get fit. I needed to get HEALTHY. I needed a new attitude.My oldest son had purchased the Hitch Fit on line version a few years prior to get in shape. I didn’t know much about it other than how much he was eating. I considered asking him about it but just “knew” that he would say that it would be too hard for me. Then I remembered seeing Facebook posts by an acquaintance I hadn’t seen in several years. I checked out Brandi Wisdom’s page & the Hitch Fit page. The first pages of the Hitch Fit website, at that time, showed a bunch of hard bodies, competition pictures, transformations of men & younger (much younger) women… I kept looking until I found a few transformations that I could relate to a little bit more. Still, it took me about a week to get up the nerve to message Brandi & ask if she thought I could do it. Her response was a resounding “YES, of course you can. They work with all ages & shapes.” I still doubted her (correction: doubted myself). After all, I was not a young woman. I had a bad injury. I had never been in any kind of exercise plan. I was not a “gym” person. I was too overweight. And the list of excuses seated in fear went on. Still, I had this feeling down deep that I had to do something & wanted to do it. I asked my son & he said YES, do it. They were my first cheerleaders. I owe them so much. Then I saw a Groupon for Hitch Fit. “OK. This is it. I can do the Groupon to test it out. If it isn’t for me, I can walk away.”

When I made the first call, I was very nervous. I was afraid. Seriously? It’s just a phone call. I think I knew (correctly this time) that this was going to be life changing. I nervously told the man that answered that I was 52 & WAY out of shape. That I had a bunch of weight to lose. That I had never done anything like this. His words to me were truly life changing & encouraging. I will NEVER forget them. “Good for you for taking the first step to make this call. I understand how hard it is. You can do this and we can help you. ” The rest is a bit of a blur because I was fighting back tears. He would set me up with a trainer & have him or her call me. I hung up the phone & cried for 30 minutes. This was IT. No turning back.

Walking in to the HitchFit gym, I saw that this was not a big, busy intimidating place. It felt comfortable & personal. (Ok, maybe this isn’t too bad.) I met my transformer, Joel Salter. We talked about my history & goals, took measurements, etc. He was easy to talk to, non judgmental & positive. PHEW! (Groupon or not, I was now committed to this). We had a shorter but challenging workout. I got in the car & every muscle in my body quivered. My arms were spasming so much that I had to wait to drive. Strangely enough… I LOVED the feeling. My first full workout was a few days later. As I walked out the door after my hour, my knee gave out completely & my legs collapsed underneath me. Thank goodness I was around the corner on the ground before Joel walked out the door. I would have been embarrassed if he had seen me. It was about a month later when I confessed to him what had happened & was able to laugh about it. I guess the falling, getting back up & coming back for more is really a metaphor of how my journey would be.

When I started I could do so little. I could barely do 5 tricep dips or 10 squats. But with each workout I could do more & more. My knee hurt…BOY did it hurt… but then, everything hurt – for a while. With each workout & each week of great nutrition, I got stronger, felt better & became more confident. I was truly transforming. I took monthly progression photos for my own use & would recommend that others do too. That visual is surprising & very motivating. The monthly photos were great because not only did I see big changes in my body, I could see it in my face, my smile, my eyes. I was truly transforming but not just my body. I was not lost anymore. I was found. I am new. It took a bit longer for me to lose weight & body fat than for some people. Turns out that just as I started Hitch Fit, I was also beginning peri-menopause (Great timing huh?) . Regardless, this was MY journey…not anyone else’s. Everyone’s journey is different.
Often, people don’t recognize me now.. I wave at people I know or strike up conversation & can see them trying to figure it out. I forget that I look so different than before. They tell me how great I look & I thank them sincerely & humbly because, while how I look now is great, the most important is how I feel both physically & emotionally. I feel 20 years younger and my life has truly changed. I have transformed in more ways than I ever expected. Because of Hitch Fit & Joel Salter, my losses are significant and so are my gains.

I lost: an amazing amount of body fat weight & many inches,

9 total dress sizes (From an 18W to a size 2). I lost: being out of breath going up the stairs at home, mouth breathing & waking 4 to 5 times every night, plantar fasciitis.

I also lost: high cholesterol levels, neck & back pain, feeling tired. I lost severe knee pain (though it always aches).
I lost standing behind everyone in every picture, buying ugly clothes because it’s all that would fit. Crying in my closet out of frustration while getting dressed. And I lost being sad about the future.I GAINED: the ability to leg press 550 lbs. (YES, really!), the physical & mental ability to run a 5k after knee injury, upper body strength that I would never have believed I would have. I gained pretty legs & arms and a waist size smaller than my very slender husband. I gained a love of real & nutritious food, a love of being active. I gained truly restful, regenerating sleep and energy…oh, the energy! I gained a closet full of cute clothes in a much smaller size. I gained the confidence to buy & wear first bikini in 30 years! (YIKES! ) I gained new friends and people to inspire/support me & a humbling amount of support from old friends.Most importantly, I found a confidence & zest for life. I found more compassion, positivity, passion & deeper spirituality. I gained the understanding that I can and should help, inspire & support others. I found myself. Not the old me I thought I was looking for, but a new, transformed, better version of me.My gratitude goes first to God because my prayers for strength & guidance in this journey have been answered. He has blessed me beyond measure. My always loyal & quietly supportive husband; he loves me no matter what. He is no outward cheerleader but his quiet support & understanding through this transformation is just what I needed. I am thankful for the support of my sons. especially my oldest who has been my biggest cheerleader, my sounding board & my Jiminy Cricket conscience. I don’t know what I would have done without his unwavering support & kicks in the butt.To my Hitch Fit family, what can I say? From the women who unknowingly served as my inspiration via their own transformations to Brandi Wisdom who was the first to tell me that I could do this, thank you. David, who took my phone call and was so encouraging from the first minute, thank you. It is because of you that I knew I was in the right place. To the others who I have seen over and over again in the gym & always greet me with a smile & encouragement, you guys rock! And to Joel Salter, my incredible transformer & friend. The word “thanks” does not seem enough to express my appreciation for your calm, encouraging way of leading me during this journey to where I am no longer lost. Sometimes I am sure you wanted to yell at me (and I secretly wished you would have) but you never did. You were especially terrific at adjusting my meal plans as needed and dealing with a few setbacks in my workout routine. Because of you, I was never once tempted to give up.The dedication & effort you have to put in to make this transformation work, is hard. Being obese & out of shape is harder. Choose your “hard”. The journey was challenging, scary, eye opening, empowering and it was freeing. If I can do this, you can too! Take that first step… you’ll be glad you did and will never want to go back.”

Do you want to be a Weight Loss Success Story like Karen? If you are READY for your TRANSFORMATION

Contact Joel Salter at the Downtown Hitch Fit Gym

Contact Joel at [email protected]

OR call 816-753-8900 and request to train with Joel

Hitch Fit Overland Park is located at 7431 W 91st St. Overland Park, KS 66212 – at 91st & Metcalf, next to Whole Foods Market

Hitch Fit Gym Downtown/Midtown Kansas City, MO location at 3036 Gillham Road. If you are closer to Overland Park location contact us at 816-753-8900 to be set up with one of the trainers there.