Weight Loss Stories – Eleanora Lost 58 Pounds and 11 Sizes

Name: Eleanora
Age: 55
Family Status: Married
Occupation: Personal Trainer and Owner of Reeves Fitness Center
Hometown: Urbana, Illinois
Height: 5’5″
Starting Weight: 183 pounds
Competition Weight: 125 pounds
Current Weight: 145 pounds
Current Waist Size: 27″

Eleanora’s Weight Loss Interview!

How much did you lose?
I dropped 58 pounds going from 183 in powerlifting to 125 for figure shows. I went from an adult size 13 to a junior size 2.

When did you become unhappy with your weight?
I was not overweight as a child, however, with 11 plus years in the sport of powerlifting, I caught myself in the mirror and really took a good look at how my weight had grown more with each passing year. I had enough and I wanted to make a change. I did just that!

What made you decide to lose weight?
I knew I needed to take hold of my weight or I would soon be in trouble. I was not an overly heavy person, but I could see that I was quickly getting out of shape. This was due to years of heavy lifting, no cardio and no real control of my fork.

What were the most important changes you made to lose weight?
I decided to take control of my nutrition plan and eat a healthier diet. I also started doing cardio 7 days a week, 30 minutes a day with all different types of cardio exercises. Changing up intensity levels and variety with my cardio kept me from burning out on the same old cardio sessions. This kept it interesting to me and I was able to stay the course.

What was the most challenging thing you had to deal with during your weight loss journey?
I had to learn that I didn’t gain the extra weight overnight so I wasn’t going to lose it all overnight. I had to learn patience on my weight loss journey.

How long did it take you to start to see results?
It took about 8 weeks to really start to see some great changes.

How long did it take for you to reach your current weight?
I did it slowly and set a goal of stepping on the figure stage a year from the day I started my weight loss journey, and that’s exactly what I did. I walked on the figure stage at the age of 50 to celebrate turning the big 50 as well as reaching a goal I set for myself. It felt great!

How long have you maintained your weight loss and what are the most important factors for keeping it off?
I have continued to keep the weight off. I am currently at 145 pounds and have been at this weight now for almost 6 years. I keep my diet clean and will indulge in a treat here and there, but for the most part I stay clean about 80% of the time. I avoid soda and excessive amount of sugars. I focus on clean, whole foods, while staying active with exercise at least 6 days a week.

What keeps you motivated to continue your weight loss success?
I am an older personal trainer and I live to inspire other men and women. I teach them that they can feel younger and look younger with good nutrition and training as an essential part of their life. I feel it is up to me to “show by example” and this is just what I do. It is important to me to not only talk about nutrition and training and how important it is to one’s life, but to also live that life as well.

How has your life changed now that you have lost weight?
I am more confident in everything I do, both in the gym as well as outside the gym. I am able to reach others through my lifestyle and help them reach their goals as well. I live the life in which I talk about with confidence and with passion.

Do you have any advice for others who are trying to lose weight?
Yes, my advice is to start today! It will take effort, time, dedication, drive and determination. But you can and will do it, one day at a time. Surround yourself with a great support system. It is so important to understand it will NOT happen overnight but it will happen, so be patient with yourself. If you slip up once in a while with your training and nutrition plan, brush yourself off, pick yourself up and start again.

How did ShapeFit help you reach your weight loss goals?
I learned how others struggled to reach their goals and what steps they took to continue their journey. It helps to know I was not alone.

Eleanora’s Weight Loss Tips!

Weight Loss Tip #1:
Start with baby steps. Good nutrition starts at the grocery store, so avoid bringing food into your home if you cannot control it. An example is to avoid bringing in a gallon of ice cream if this is a weak area for you. Just go out to and buy a small 1/2 cup size serving and learn to enjoy that. Avoid larger portions than this or you will be tempted to eat it all.

Weight Loss Tip #2:
Start with walking if you are not ready for the gym environment. Get small hand weights and bands and do exercises when commercials are on while watching TV. Commercials run about 2 minutes in length, so this is a great time to do arm curls, shoulder overhead presses, side raises and different types of exercises.

Weight Loss Tip #3:
Start cleaning out your pantry and get rid of all the junk food. Remember, the longer the shelf life of your food items, the shorter your life.

Weight Loss Tip #4:
Try to find like-minded friends to go walking with. You can even go to the mall and mall-walk together.

Weight Loss Tip #5:
Just do it! Try to do something today. You will be so happy you did and the health benefits will be amazing.

Eleanora’s Weight Loss Eating Plan!

What do you normally eat for breakfast?
4 to 5 egg whites and 1 whole egg scrambled with a side of oats.

What do you normally eat for lunch?
Turkey burger with 2 cups of mixed veggies (green beans, broccoli, cauliflower) and 1/4 cup of sweet potato.

What do you normally eat for dinner?
Fish or chicken breast with a salad and brown rice.

What do you normally eat for snacks?
Protein smoothie with spinach, strawberries, flax or wheat germ and almond or coconut milk. Blend it all up and enjoy.

What type of nutritional supplements do you take?
Centrum for Active Individuals (multivitamin). BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) and vitamin B.

Eleanora’s Weight Loss Workouts!

What do you do for weight training (exercises, workouts)?
It changes depending on my powerlifting training or my figure preparation. I would say more reps and sets for figure while working out 7 days a week and training each body part twice a week. Powerlifting will be 4 days a week of heavy training in preparation for an event. I taper down my repetitions over the course of training until my event day.

What do you do for cardio training (exercises, workouts)?
I like to split my cardio workouts between three pieces of equipment. An example would be: 15 minutes on the bike, 15 minutes on the stair stepper and 15 minutes on the elliptical machine. Or, I do HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 45 minutes . Or, steady-state running for 30 minutes.

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