Fit After Baby
Mother of TWINS Gets Her Body Back with Hitch Fit
Moms, pay attention!! Today’s story is going to be especially inspiring for you! Stephanie has an incredible story, she wanted children badly, and after fertility treatments was blessed with Twins!! But the blessings weren’t done yet!! Stephanie ended up having two more beautiful daughters. As a mother of FOUR, needless to say, she dedicated herself 100% to raising her children, then one day she realized that she needed to start taking better care of herself, in order to be her best for them. Inspired by two former Hitch Fit transformation, Amy G. and Amy I. Stephanie tackled her Hitch Fit program, committed herself to getting where she wanted to be! Her journey was not an easy one, but it was a worthwhile one. Her family supported her, and she is healthier, happier and more energetic for them and of course for herself. Amazing job Stephanie!! You are an inspiration!!
Stephanie’s Stats:
Starting weight: 137.5
Ending weight: 127
Starting body fat: 26%
Ending body fat: 15%
Stephanie’s Story:
“To truly understand what lead me on my Hitchfit journey, you need to look back at my past as they say, “your past is what shapes your future”. Growing up, I was always in pretty good shape and “healthy” by society’s definition. I was active in track and softball and as a young adult, I walked/ran the hills of the University of Kansas (which was no small feat). I thought who really needs to work out when you are running all over that beautiful campus trying to earn a degree? I successfully completed my degree in Human Biology in four years. After college, I followed life’s typical progression. I got a great job as a scientist, got married and bought a house. I had a strong urge to become a mother and knew that I wanted to start a family right away. After trying to conceive for several months with no luck, we sought testing. I always suspected I might have fertility issues due to the way my body worked. When the results came back and confirmed I wasn’t ovulating, my extensive and grueling journey into the world of infertility and treatments began. This journey sent my hormones on a roller coaster ride. Due to the treatments, I gained weight but found that it was all worth it when I received the phone call and heard the words, “Stephanie, are you sitting down? You are pregnant and it is quite possible you are pregnant with multiples.” A few short months later in December 2006, I was blessed with beautiful twins, the most perfect son and daughter.
Throughout my pregnancy, I only gained 25 pounds. After seeing me from behind, people would gasp in surprise when I would turn as I carried most of my baby weight in the front. Most would comment saying it was unbelievable that I could be THAT pregnant. I checked my stomach daily and moisturized religiously. I never saw any stretch marks. I thought I was one of the lucky ones. You can imagine my surprise when I found the entire front of my stomach to be a road map of stretch marks when the babies were born. My thin skin had stretched so far that the marks had not been visible. Post-pregnancy, my body began carrying its weight differently than it had before which caused my self-esteem to plummet. As a result, I threw myself into “mommy mode” and stopped caring about how I looked. Now, the most important thing was caring for these two precious children that I had worked so hard for and gone through so much to have in my life. I just stopped caring about myself. In retrospect, I realize that this is something no one should ever do but unfortunately, it is a common issue a lot of mothers struggle with. Somehow, I lost the majority of the weight I had gained by breast-feeding and thought there may be a chance of getting to a place where I felt comfortable in my clothes. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out just nine months after having the twins, I was pregnant again. I had always wanted a large family and the fact that this had happened on its own, without fertility treatments, was a miracle.
In July 2008, I was blessed with another beautiful daughter. After this pregnancy, I found it a little harder to shed the weight but with three children in 18 months, I had little time to think about myself. I tried not to focus on it. I focused on them, not on me. I loved my family but deep down I wasn’t happy with myself. I became someone else. I had always been a trending, stylish woman who loved clothes and I began wearing t-shirts, jeans and tennis shoes every day. I didn’t like what I saw in the mirror so I hid behind the baggy t-shirts and blamed my un-kept look on being a mom. In January 2010, I made the common New Year’s resolution to get back in shape. I started running and began to feel better about myself when I started losing weight. Just when I thought I was making some progress, in April 2010, I received another surprise. I was pregnant, again. I was shocked and thrilled at the same time. I know, I know… how can I continue to be shocked by these pregnancies? I really thought my second daughter was a miracle. My body still didn’t work quite right so another pregnancy seemed an impossibility. But, there I was, pregnant again.
I stopped working out again. I’m not exactly sure why. My kids were so small so finding time was difficult. I was sick for the first 14 weeks of this pregnancy and I always had the unrealistic fear that exercising would jeopardize the pregnancy. I was told during my first pregnancy that I wasn’t allowed to exercise so I believed that was true for the others I guess. I realize now that these were all excuses. In the end, I was blessed with another adorable little girl in December 2010. I lost the weight quickly this time but I was still holding on to all the extra pounds I accumulated during the last four years. I’ll be the first to admit, four children in four years is pretty crazy. During this time, my son was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. Between working with him and his therapists and taking care of four children, I had no time for myself… or so I made myself believe.
In August 2011, I had had enough. Everything in my life was falling apart. I was very unhappy with the way I looked and dressed. I hated mirrors. I hated pictures. I finally realized that while I had no control over some of the things happening in my life, this was one thing I could control. I started one of those fad low carbohydrate/high protein diets and, to my surprise; I lost 25 pounds by December 2011. Looking back, I think I ended up losing a lot of muscle and not necessarily fat. I decided to start running and soon ran my first 5K in January 2012. I loved running. It brought to my life competition and the constant need to improve myself. Running was going well but when I looked in the mirror, I still didn’t like what I saw. While my weight was at an acceptable range, I wanted to be toned. I watched my friend Amy G. go through her Hitchfit transformation and talked to her about her program a few times but wasn’t ready to commit. Another friend, Amy I., went through her Hitchfit program and also had an amazing outcome. While I really wanted to have the results they did, I still wasn’t ready for the commitment. Meanwhile, my workouts were growing boring and I was lost and unsure about what to do at the gym. I had friends at the gym that would help me occasionally but I needed more guidance.
One Saturday night in June 2012, I attended a party at an old coworker’s home. As we all sat around his gorgeous Infinity pool, I watched Amy G. step out in her swimming suit. She looked INCREDIBLE. I decided right then and there that if I was ever going to get to where I wanted to be, a commitment had to be made. My friend Jenny H. and I decided to start a Hitchfit program as a couple to motivate one another. I started my program on July 9, 2012. Within the first two weeks I lost 4.5 pounds. By the end of week four, I had lost two inches in my waist and two inches in my hips. I was a believer in Hitchfit. I could see my body changing and so could everyone else. I was stronger and I was toning up just as I had wanted. The nutrition, while limited, wasn’t that bad. My kids even started asking to eat the things I was eating. I had oatmeal, Ezekiel bread, eggs, chicken, fish and veggies galore. The workouts were tough but doable and it became physically easier every day. The hardest part was the time commitment. I had spent the last five and a half years of my life completely focused on these four amazing kids. Now, almost every night I was asking them to play in the gym daycare for over an hour while mommy was doing her workout. Honestly, I found that they didn’t mind. They were making friends and having fun yet I was still feeling guilty. Around week four, I realized that I wasn’t asking them to do this forever. It was only a 12 week program. I made a point of making the time I spent with them to be high quality time. I knew I needed to do this for myself and for them. I had to set the example. They all needed to see that you need to take care of your body and your health. I wanted them to learn to love themselves. I needed to show my girls that they could grow up to be strong women both physically and mentally. And finally, I needed to take care of myself. I have four children counting on me to be around for a long time, and even more importantly, a very special little boy that might possibly depend on me for the rest of my life. I need to make sure that life is a very long one.
Hitchfit, Diana and Micah have changed my life dramatically on so many levels and I will be forever grateful. This is a lifestyle change that I plan to continue forever. After having my twins, never did I think I would show my stomach to anyone EVER AGAIN but here I am, proudly baring it for all to see. It is less than perfect but those imperfections are reminders of the four blessings my body carried and brought into this world. I would be so happy if my story inspires just one mother to change her life and the life of her children for the better. Oh… and this isn’t the last you’ll see of me. The Bikini Model program has my name all over it. This is just the beginning of my health and fitness journey. Hitchfit is my family for life.”
Stephanie’s Program Choice – Lose Weight Feel Great
See the transformation that inspired Stephanie! Amy G!
…and Amy I.!
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