I am 34 years old, married with two young boys (3 years old and 5 months old). I am a Marketing Director of Extra Space Storage, the second largest self storage company in the US.

I had my first son when I was 31 through cesarean and had a long recovery after my surgery. I had gained about 33 pounds during that pregnancy which is about average but I held onto a lot of the fat for a long time. I had always had a body type where it was fairly easy to stay in shape. I ate reasonably well and worked out consistently. I just never really had to worry about it until after having my first baby when I noticed my body had changed.

I worked hard to get back into shape and it took me about a year to get into reasonably good shape again but I never truly got back to my original physique. Not only did I notice a change in my body from the way I looked but I also started experiencing sleep issues and anxiety, which I had never experienced before. It was a very difficult struggle for me.

When I got pregnant with my second baby, I was now 33 and knew I would face the same struggles again if I didn’t have a plan. I had been friends with Sandy through Facebook for several years and would always see her updates and her before and after shots of some of her clients. Seeing these inspired me to get in touch with her to setup training starting 6 weeks after I gave birth which is when I would be allowed to start working out again. I had gained about the same amount of weight with my second pregnancy and gave birth through cesarean again to my second son on November 11th, 2014. I remember looking at myself naked in the mirror and felt gross and just knowing that I had setup a plan to start training with Sandy gave me hope that I would feel better soon. I started experiencing the same anxiety and sleep issues again almost right after giving birth as well.

I had to get myself back to functioning for the sake of my family, for my own mental health and for my work. I remember the day I started working out with Sandy, when I took my bikini pictures. I was swollen, felt fat and just not pretty at all. She was amazing, she was so supportive and gave me hope every step of the way. Sandy didn’t just push me to do unrealistic exercises right away. She gradually moved up the resistance and reps and then isolating muscle groups. I could tell that I wasn’t only getting back into shape and losing fat, I also felt that working out was giving me the balance I needed mentally to reduce anxiety and start getting some proper sleep again.

Although I learned so much from Sandy about training and working out the right way, the biggest thing I learned from her was nutrition. She started out by giving me meal plans, which were easy to follow. I just had to get used to preparing my meals in advance but once I got into a routine, it was easy. I was never hungry because I was actually eating 5 to 6 meals per day! She then started to educate me on not only what amount of calories I should be having per day but what kinds of calories and how much protein I should be having compared to carbs, etc. Once I learned that, I was able to be flexible with my diet while still keeping really good balanced eating habits. To me, this is the key because there are so many women out there trying so many different diets. Sandy sets you up with a realistic lifestyle that you can continue for the rest of your life so that you can aspire to look as good as her! It’s not about going on crash diets, its about learning how to work out properly and eat the right combination of foods to give you the best results while still allowing you to be realistic with what you eat.

I am now sleeping well, I feel good and I feel like I can keep up the eating and training that I’ve learned on my own. I have a trip booked to the Caribbean with my family this summer and I am looking forward to putting on my bikini. It took hard work and guidance from Sandy to get here but I feel empowered to step onto that beach with my two young boys and loving husband and feel good about who I am and I what I can accomplish! You can feel that way too.

I am so incredibly glad I made the decision to sign up for Sandy’s services. She is an inspiration for real women with real lives. Whether you’re a stay at home mom, have a full time career or are doing both, you can get back into shape and start feeling good physically and emotionally again. Signing up with Sandy has been the best gift I could give to myself. Thank you so much Sandy!

In 17 weeks Melissa lost 15.2 lbs. 16.5 inches total and 10.1% body fat

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