As a child I was very active. I was involved with swimming, hockey, ringette, and baton just to name a few sports. By the end of high school I was swimming about 20 to 40 hours a week and I was in very good shape. Then came college. I moved away from home and became very inactive. On top of the inactivity, the food choices I made were horrible. I gained 40lbs in the first semester; I was out of control and did not pay any attention to it.

By the age of twenty I was over 200lbs and, since then, I have not been under that weight for over 20 years.

Kerrie – After

I used to bounce around from 230lbs to 250lbs but as I got older everything became more difficult to do then I crept up to 260lbs then 270lbs and by the time I was 40 I was 299lbs. I am sure there were days when I was over 300 but I never went on the scale on those days.

One day you feel enough is enough. That day was June 18th 2010 for me.

I was at the mall feeling good about myself. I had on makeup, I was dressed nice and my hair was done. Then I walked by a window and saw my reflection. The reflection did not look at all like how I felt inside. I was huge, who was I kidding.

This realization made me feel horrible so as I walked to my car I decided to just walk into the GoodLife in the mall and get some information. I had been to gyms before and had been overwhelmed with their lack of interest. I was turned off by extreme fitness levels, the perfect bodies and the tight outfits, but I thought just deal with it and see what they have to say.

Well I have to admit, I was impressed. I was greeted right at the door with a smile and it seemed everyone was happy.

They gave me a tour, talked about Group EXercise classes, Personal Training and my goals. I knew I needed this.

I signed up for a GoodLife membership that day and bought a six session Personal Training starter package which I felt was very important to help me become committed. It helped me get familiar with the gym. My trainer, Peter Wright, talked about classes, nutrition and goals during these sessions. He helped me realize how important each component was in order to be successful.

Kerrie – Before

I loved the experience I was having and really wanted to be successful but my 6 sessions were almost done. I talked to my trainer about my options. I am a single mother of one so, as you can imagine, any commitment would be difficult but we discussed goals and they were realistic. Let’s face it I had a lot of weight to lose.

So I made a one year commitment and never looked back. This was for me and I needed it.

I did have one major issue to deal with. Due to my weight, about two years prior, I had torn my meniscus in two places in my knee and I was going to be having surgery in just a few weeks. Peter had told me that was not an excuse to stop it was only one limb and I could still work the rest of my body. Now I knew there was no turning back.

I had my knee surgery on July 23 2010 which was a Friday and was at the gym (crutches and all) on the following Tuesday. Personal Training has kept me on track and accountable to my goals. Peter monitored my progress with weight checks and measurements and tons of positive reinforcement. I will say in the beginning it did seem so time consuming but very soon the gym became a priority and fitting time in for the gym was no longer a challenge. I wanted to be there. We worked on different parts of the body with different resistances and interchanging programs over the year. I worked with Peter three days a week for one hour sessions and did my cardio three other days in the week. I was working out a total of six days a week. I loved seeing the transformations in my body (like fitting into a smaller pair of jeans!).

By Christmas I had lost 50lbs and I was feeling great. My energy level was back and I was swimming in the morning and spinning in the evening. Now this is where the one year commitment was a huge benefactor for me. I was thinking I had my lifestyle under control then I went to my relatives for three days over the holiday and gained 12 lbs. I really think if I did not have the next appointment with Peter booked I may have lost the battle right there. I am glad that I had that test and I am glad that I had the tools in place to continue with my success.

Now it has been a full year I have done my first Try a Triathlon and loved it.

I am now training for my first half marathon in October. I have learned how important all aspects of exercise are, resistant training and cardio, to be as strong and as healthy as I can be.

I have lost 90lbs and over 54 inches of my body and I feel fantastic. I now ride my bike 23 kilometers round trip to work and a year ago I could not even get on a bike.

I went from a size 24 to a 16 and sometimes even a 14 I can shop in any store and know there will be clothes that fit. I can sit comfortably on an airplane and not get that dirty look when someone realizes I will be sitting next to them. I am not perfect and I don’t have to be, but I am definitely enjoying the high of feeling good. It is called Goodlife for a reason and I am really glad that my trainer taught me how to enjoy it.

Kerrie is one of our Success Story winners for October. If you are interested in working with a Personal Trainer and overcoming some of your own health challenges, sign up for a free consultation today.