Our journey began as a challenge to get in shape for an
upcoming trip to the British Virgin Islands. If I had to
describe this process in one word it would be Metamorphosis.
Metamorphosis is defined as:
A complete form of change in appearance, character and circumstances.

It was Thanksgiving 2007. Julia and I were robotically eating leftovers from the feast we
had enjoyed just hours before as we planned a sailing trip to the BVI. For various reasons,
both of us had packed on the pounds over the years. Mindless eating, goblets of Bailey’s, pregnancies, overcoming eating disorders, careers, unexamined habits, lack of physical
exercise all led, pound by pound, to two unhappy ladies. We both knew better and were disappointed in ourselves. Previously, we had been runners and advocates for eating healthily, 
but we had gotten lazy. Portion size meant nothing to us, or the fact that there is a holiday in
every month of the year which means celebration, which means food and so we ate. It was a 
senseless cycle that we found ourselves in. 

 
The thought of going to the BVI looking and feeling like
stuffed pork sausages was too much for us and so after
a few bottles of wine Julia suggested that we create a
body makeover challenge for ourselves. We had 14 months
to take on this herculean challenge. Herculean because
both of us had emotional baggage associated with our
bodies and food, not to mention the underlying fat our
bodies possessed.

We began by setting goals and creating vision boards for motivation and inspiration. We developed a weekly accountability chart and committed to chatting once a week and taking monthly photos of our progress.

       

With little knowledge or understanding of how extensively nutrition impacts the body, we began educating ourselves. We really had no idea how different exercise modalities change metabolism or that exercise had anything at all to do with metabolic rate! Daily, we would chart what we ate and drank and how much exercise we participated in. Additionally, we determined that along with the physical transformation, we craved a spiritual transformation. Each week we came up with a ‘Soul Food’ quote that we focused on to help guide us thru the next seven grueling days. At the end of the seventh day we would chat on the phone, sometimes for hours, about our physical and emotional highs and lows as well as what we had learned that week. These accountability chats proved to be a major source of our success.

We kept visions in our minds of who we wanted to become and then brought those ideas to life on our vision boards. We adorned the boards with cards, quotes and photos. Many times we would e-mail each other with motivational tidbits and send long discourses as encouragement. Our desire for a flat, toned stomach and lifted butt was only part of the picture. We knew that we needed to find equilibrium and incorporate balance into the system that we created. This sense of balance was always fleeting though and needed a lot of managing! Self-doubt also crept in as part of the process. It was never invited but somehow always showed up. Learning to respect and love ourselves had become crucial.

We put tools in place to ensure that this balanced lifestyle and spiritual mind-set was firmly rooted. We incorporated challenges within the challenge i.e., 5 k runs, trying a new exercise class or reading the same book and then discussing the chapter that we had read during our weekly chat. Since we live 2,500 miles apart we would also make sure that we got together about every 3 months to re-energize each other.

The BVI trip came and went and so did 54 weeks of charting, sweating, doubting, achieving, losing and keeping one another sane. Throughout those weeks we went through more personal struggles, pregnancies, career challenges, residential moves, and graduations. Life just happened, and as it did we grew stronger and wiser. To keep the challenge exciting we participated in Figure and Bodybuilding Competitions, continued our education and expanded our careers.

Once we started this journey, one of our goals was continued growth and learning and we never want it to end. We want to take all that we have learned and pass it on; share it and allow it to morph into whatever shape it takes. Who we have become has been a result of our insightful and loving husbands, the unending support we gave to one another and the system that we created. However, without the Spirit of God and the courage and desire He placed within us, none of this would have come to fruition. As each goal was accomplished there was elation and relief but also present was a shadow of a peculiar sadness and uncertainty. The sadness resulted from wanting to relive the experience. The uncertainly was translated: (heavy sigh) What next? What can we possibly do to top this?

         

Our new challenge is to inspire, educate and assist every person who has the same desire for a complete change in appearance, character and circumstance. We would be honored to help you each step of the way. You may only need to lose 10 pounds; you may need to lose 150 or more. Whatever the amount, the feeling
associated with losing that weight is the same in every single one of us.
Are you having difficulty formulating goals?
Maybe you can make the goals but you sabotage yourself in the process and give up.
Do you secretly dream of taking part in a figure competition?
Do you need direction in creating a healthy and sustainable lifestyle?

                              

Whatever you’re longing for, whatever challenges confront you, you certainly don’t need to face them alone. The system we created can work for anyone. We’ll help you remove the obstacles that have been blocking your true identity.

There is nothing special about a caterpillar that would lead you to believe that it’s going to become a beautiful butterfly. We challenge you to become the butterfly and fly along with us. You’ll be astonished by what you learn and who you become. We began as two ordinary sisters with heavy thighs, back fat and saggy butts. We thought, “Nothing special about us.” Boy, were we wrong!