success stories: catherine st romain

"I have finally attained my goal."

	before	after
weight	230 lbs	130 lbs

my challenge

When I catch my reflection in a mirror or window, I still have to look twice to see if it is really me. There is definitely less of me to see. If you met me a year ago, you'd never guess I was 100 pounds heavier.

It was Friday morning, two years past by 40th birthday, and I was well over the body weight for 5'1, topping out at 230 lbs on my home scale. I was disgusted with myself.

That's when I realized how negatively my weight affected everything. I realized just how unhealthy I had become. I thought of the array of diets I had tried: hospital recommended diets, Atkins, weight watchers, raw diet, ph diets, and even going to a ladies only gym. I had lost and gained; letting a divorce and depression be my excuses for 11 years of making bad food choices.

I knew I needed help – someone healthy, a tough motivator, someone very knowledgeable in health and fitness, and someone who could help me take back control of my life. I began interviewing health experts but no one seemed to have what it would take to increase my motivation and keep me focused.

After a casual conversation with co-workers and my boss about health issues, my boss offered to pay for a gym membership and personal training. With my new 24 Hour Fitness membership and training sessions in hand, I scheduled a meeting with my trainer. I first met Jordon Kliarsky on April 9, 2004 for my diet consult. I was feeling pretty skeptical, wondering whether this man could help me do anything different from what I had done before.

my training

There he was sitting behind the desk, a big smile on his face and ready to dish out his recipe for success in the world of health and fitness. I listened intently to every word he said and answered all of his questions. He wrote out everything he expected from me.

Jordon told me his expectations from me when I was working out in the gym – with or without him. I was amazed at how sure he was that all this was going to work. I remember being angry and frustrated about being overweight, and I told him I just wanted to lose 100 lbs. Jordon assured me that if I would be honest with him and myself about my diet and exercise, this would work. His famous last words, "it's your results; you get out of it what you put into it."

I walked away thinking I finally found the kind of person I needed to help me through this. Jordon seemed really tough but he was exactly what I had wished for.

Jordon had the difficult task of recommending a diet for someone who had become lactose intolerant, did not eat read meat and was terribly anemic. After reading over what my diet included, I was really impressed. It was "normal food" and following this food plan really seemed doable for me. I knew this plan had to be something that I could maintain and do for a lifetime, not just during this time of losing weight.

I learned that when I ate was as important as what I ate. This helped turn my metabolism back on again and did wonders for my energy levels. At Jordon's request, I started a journal and kept track for everything that went into my mouth. These journals were a wonderful tool for review and helped him make adjustments to my diet as needed.

Now that I have this great customized support system and a great coach, it was time to get into the gym. This part was really scary because I had never lifted weights. Surprisingly, Jordon was not the dictator I thought he might be. We started off working out 2 to 3 times a week. He was very calculating and carefully determined the number of reps and amount of weight on each machine and would always explain exactly how it benefited me. There were times he had to "encourage" me to push a little, but it was a necessary part of my training. He had more faith in me than I had in myself.

my results

A lot of my progress was due to the supplements Jordan recommended. In the beginning I didn't want to take anything but when I began to drag each day and stopped making progress, I agreed to try the supplements. Within a few months I really started to notice what a difference they made. I probably should have listened to him sooner, but I was stubborn about it.

I don't think Jordon knew when he became my trainer that he would also become my rock, my solid foundation on which I would depend on. No matter what was happening, he has kept me focused on my health and my diet during all my difficulties. He has helped me maintain my strength when I needed it most. It was something for which I was always grateful.

As I look back on this past year, I'm amazed at how many personal storms I've weathered. Through it all, I managed to stay focused even though I could have easily lost it. Every traumatic event of this past year taught me a lesson about being fit and staying healthy. I have finally attained my goal and can truly enjoy the benefits of all the hard work I have put in this year.