Success Story - Barbara Eckonen
Written by Adam Stark Wednesday, 16 June 2010 20:31
BEFORE (January 2007) AFTER (January 2010)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 169lbs Weight: 116lbs
Chest: 36 Chest: 32
Size of Pants: 13 Size of Pants: 03
How I got Started
I always felt embarrassed to be overweight, but I never tried to get in better shape because everybody used to say that I was cute and had pretty face. Over time I began to overlook the size of my waistline. One day it hit me – I was fat!
In May of 2006 I met my husband, Troy. Troy is gym owner, personal trainer and Natural Pro-Bodybuilder – he led a healthy lifestyle to say the least. Before I knew it I was attending bodybuilding contests and assisting Troy with his preparation. Helping Troy was my pleasure but it didn’t take long to get me thinking about my body and how I wanted to look and live. Being around all of those fit bodies and Troy always being in amazing shape really got me thinking. My 169lb body was no longer going to cut it – I had to make a change!
The wonderful husband he is, Troy never said anything about my weight. Instead, he was proactive and slowly began to teach me how to cook and eat clean, how to exercise right, how to have patience for results and he motivated me to do my cardio - always a torture for me.
How I did It
With Troy as my trainer, I began working out a few days a week with 30-minute cardio sessions 3 days per week. The first few months were really hard for me - I didn’t quite understand how the diet and my body work together. After a while a started to lose weight and had a better understanding of what works for me.
When I started I was 169lbs and wearing a size 13 and I was on two anti-depressant medications. Now I am 124lbs and wearing a size 5, I no longer take medication for depression and have never been so happy in my whole life! My hair is silky and shiny and my skin is clear and blemish free. Troy was my motivation and now my old fat pants are my motivation too. Once a month I put my fat pants on to remind me of where I was and where I never want to be again.
My Nutrition
My old diet was terrible. It consisted of pizza, pasta, sandwiches, sodas, ice creams – my options were endless. I ate anything I wanted and never considered how many calories or carbs were involved.
When I moved in with my husband that all changed; my first question was "Where is the salt?? And about the sugar?" I didn’t understand how you could cook good food without those ingredients. A few short months later I was drinking water and eating clean like Troy. But the weight wasn’t budging. One day Troy told me to make a smaller portion of food - after that day I started to lose weight.
Now, my diet consists of 5 to 6 small portion meals per day. Each portion is about the size of the palm of your hand. For breakfast I enjoy oatmeal with fruit or egg whites with spinach and tomato with whole-wheat toast. A typical snack would consist of a protein bar, yogurt, rice cakes or some fruit. At lunch and dinner I usually have a small portion of carbs, protein, healthy fats and water. Marinated chicken with whole-wheat pasta and mandarin orange segments is one of my favorite meals! I also make my own hamburgers with 7% fat ground beef, one egg and breadcrumbs. Cook the burgers with olive oil and top with a slice of fat free cheese and you’ve got a delicious, healthy serving of protein. I’ll either have asparagus on the side or make a sandwich with one slice of toast, tomato and pickles.
Once a day I drink a protein shake. My favorite one is SYNTHA-6 from BSN. In the blender I mix water, two scoops of chocolate powder, strawberries and ice. Blend and you’ve got a delicious, protein packed smoothie.
Sample Meal Plan for the Day
6:30am: Portion (size of palm of your hand) of oatmeal with half scoop of protein, strawberries and 4 egg whites omelet.
10:30am: Protein Shake (Mix in the blender: 15oz of water, 2 scoops of protein powder, 1 banana, strawberries and ice).
1:30pm: 6 oz of Chicken Breast (lemon and pepper marinade), one serving of brown rice or whole wheat pasta and salad.
5:00pm: Protein Bar or Yogurt.
8:00pm: 6 oz of Chicken Breast (lemon and pepper marinade), asparagus and mandarin segments.
10:30pm: 3 rice cakes.
My Training
I prefer a circuit training style workout. It takes me between 30 and 45 minutes to complete this workout and I sweat a lot! After my circuit workout I’ll go for a 2 mile run which I totally love!
I would suggest doing 30 to 45 minutes of cardio 6 days per week and then doing my circuit workout 3 days per week.
"CIRCUIT TRAINING STYLE TO LOSE WEIGHT"
I always do 4 or 5 sets of 20 to 25 reps using light to medium weight. Choose 5 to 6 exercises for your circuit. Do not rest between exercises.
Monday: 30 minutes of cardio, back and chest
Tuesday: 30 minutes of cardio and abs
Wednesday: 30 minutes of cardio and legs
Thursday: 45 minutes of cardio
My Advice to Others
Always listen to somebody better than you - I always listened to Troy because he was the only person that I knew who had an amazing body and a healthy lifestyle. A lot of people tried to make me sad, to stop me or just gave me bad energy... I had some very bad days but I never gave up. Some days are really hard (specially for us women and our hormones). We want to see the changes in our body in one month and that is not how it works. Work hard, eat clean and keep the good energy around you – and I’m sure you will achieve your goals!
More details of my Transformation and Biography at:
www.tropicalgym.net