Devon will be documenting her experience as she goes through our body transformation package! Stay tuned for her results and story! Go Devon!!! This is her first "Lite Lesson"LITE LESSONS
I have spent the majority of my life on a quest to be “lite”. When I was younger, being lite meant flying higher in gymnastics. In high school, it meant being picked for the top of the cheerleading pyramid or being quicker on the tennis court. In college, I dreaded gaining the “freshman 15”, and once I graduated and landed my first job, I wanted to fit in smart, professional, business suits. During this quest, I have done a variety of crazy, intense things to make it happen. Some were a success and others were giant fails!
As a child, growing up in Georgia, most of our food was made with butter or mayonnaise and a side of potatoes, black-eyed peas, and fried green tomatoes counted as the veggies. Food was a big part of southern life, and love was expressed by eating a second helping of my grandma’s fried chicken.
During my teen years, trying numerous fad diets, and upping my exercise kept my weight in check. In 10th grade, I whittled down to a scary 97 lbs. I couldn’t keep up that strict dieting and exercise regiment and hovered around 115-120 by graduation. Unfortunately, I had developed terrible self-confidence and had a low body image (that’s what years of competitive gymnastics and being a cheerleader does to an adolescent female).
College late nights with pitchers of beer and pizza soon was replaced by lunches out and happy hours with co-workers. My new work and social life and inconsistent exercise habits lead to a 35 pound weight gain in my mid twenties. I joined a gym, hired personal trainers, and became more conscious of my eating habits. By the time I moved to Los Angeles in 2002, I was around 140 and definitely firmer, but I still thought I was fat, especially around the Hollywood types.
I was diagnosed with severe depression in 2006 and attended regular therapy sessions. I no longer was on a quest to be “lite” but on a quest to feel right. I saw multiple psychiatrists before finding one I liked, and a cocktail of anti-depressants that worked. My outlook began to improve, but the trade off was that the scale now read 210. I am only 4’11” and that officially placed me in the very obese category. I was mortified.
In 2010, I reached my turning point. I was lying in bed, with terrible pains in my chest, and literally thought I was going to die. It wasn’t a heart attack, just really bad heartburn, but it gave me the scare I needed. That next day I promised I would make a change. I joined Weight Watchers online, started using my gym membership again and lost 7 lbs. I invested in some small group training sessions at a new, all women’s gym within walking distance from my apartment and lost another 10.
I was back on track, so I thought, but life decided to intervene once more, and I got laid off from my job. Poof, went the semi-private training, down went my motivation, and up went the depression. I had to give up my big, no longer affordable, West Hollywood apartment and move into a small, no frills apartment with my mother in the Valley. The pounds lost started to find their way back to my body.
My mom and I decided to attend Saturday morning Weight Watcher meetings and started walking during the day with my dog. After 10 months of searching for a job, I found one, and finally had steady money coming in. Gilt City must have caught wind of my good fortune and emailed me about a deal with a new boutique gym in Hollywood called Cyclelates (previously Spinlates).
The gym featured a hybrid class of both spinning and pilates. I use to love spin classes and always wanted to try pilates, so I made the 30 session purchase. I booked my first class, and found myself intimidated, on top of this medieval, torture device that the instructor called a reformer. I panted, sweated, and maneuvered my pudgy body on the carriage while glancing around to make sure my moves mimicked the leaner participants’. After 35 minutes drenched in sweat, we moved to the spin bikes for 20 minutes of Spin Remix (which I concluded, is just a synonym for the word extreme).
I stuck with it though, and 30 sessions later I lost a combined 8 inches overall. Also, within that time period I trained and finished walking in my first half marathon. I felt great but the scale didn’t really reflect my same enthusiasm. Bambi, the owner, recommended I participate in “Educated Bites”, a new nutritional program they were launching with David Kimmerle, renowned fitness model and body builder. So here I go once again, returning to my quest to be lite, but this time for improved health and forever results. Make sure to check out my blog every week for a new lite lesson.
Devon Sasser resides in North Hollywood with her mother and fur roommates. She considers herself a recovering pessimist, and her favorite pastimes include cynicism, smart arse remarks, and telling funny stories.
CARDIO SPRINT PYRAMID
. This watch is cheaper and easier to deal with, still very functional. There are also several other manufacturers of monitors and some of them are probably even cheaper.