Current Weight: 254.2

Steps taken to get ready:
“I have purchased a new food and exercise journal that includes sections for diet, goals and an actual journal section to record my thoughts and feelings. I have a feeling I will have lots of things to record.”
“I’ve also purchased new workout gear and my husband got me new aluminum water bottles and a new gym bag. I can’t wait to hit the gym with all my new gear.”

Thoughts from friends and family:
“My family and friends are so excited for me and they have been so encouraging and supportive. My husband and son surprised me with roses the day I found out I had been selected as a challenger. I think it’s going to be very important for my success to have such a great support system.”

Personal goals besides weight-loss:
“I would love to be in good enough shape at the end of the challenge to run in a 5K or even as crazy as this sounds at this stage of the game compete in a mini-triathlon of some sort. I enjoy bike riding and love swimming so maybe that will be something I will shoot for with my trainer.”
“I also would like to feel good enough about myself to not ever miss another photo opportunity with my two year old son, just because I don’t like how I will look in the picture.”

Feels she might struggle with:
“I am nervous that I am so overweight and out of shape that when I first start to exercise I will be really sore and also that I may not see the results I want quick enough and therefore get frustrated.”
“I’m also nervous about trying to change my eating habits. In all honestly that’s going to be hard for me in the beginning because I’ve eaten so poorly for so long.”

Most excited about:
“I’m extremely excited to start exercising again. I mean not just an occasional casual walk that I’d take in the neighborhood where I actually spend most of the “walk” talking to neighbors but rather the kind of exercise that makes me work up a good sweat and I actually feel like I have accomplished something.”

Why she feels she’ll be successful:
“I feel that I will be successful because I have my own team working with me. My nutritionist and my trainer are going to give me the tools I need to be successful. I also have such a great support system and being apart of this challenge through the magazine will make me determined not to let any of the readers down. Most importantly I don’t want to let myself down, like I have done so many times in the past.”

Justin Grinnell, Senior Trainer at the MAC on Amy

“The first step for Amy is going to be going through a functional movement screening and a full health history evaluation. This will enable me to make a more effective and individualized program for her. At this time we will also set our goals, wants, needs and a game plan to meet those goals. I’m going to have Amy start my “Maximum Fat Loss for Everyone” program right away. This is a step-by-step progressive program that focuses on the four pillars of health: movement, nutrition, stress management and sleep recovery methods. Our biggest challenge is going to be the entire lifestyle challenge itself. It’s going to be important that we keep a positive attitude and never give up. I can tell that Amy is really ready to make a change and with a little guidance she will be ready to take on anything.”

Melanie Stanczak,
RD Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital on Amy

“Amy and I are going to start with working towards making healthier choices at every meal. We are working on a consistent carbohydrate meal plan with an emphasis on eating lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, fat free dairy products and whole grains. I chose the consistent carbohydrate meal plan because of Amy’s past medical history of Gestational Diabetes. During our first meeting we discussed Amy’s current eating habits and ways to avoid the pitfalls she has recently been experiencing. For the first week she is focusing on becoming familiar with portion sizes at meals and snacks and adding more vegetables to lunch and dinner. Amy tends to make pretty good choices at meals but packs on the calories with unhealthy snacks between meals and in the evening. We have discussed some better snack ideas and portion sizes of snacks. I have also incorporated snacks into her meal plan so she doesn’t get too hungry and overeat at meal times. Amy came prepared with a food record she had been keeping for a few days prior to our first meeting. She is very intelligent and already knew the areas that she needed to work on. She said herself that she could probably “write a book about healthy eating” but just needed the drive to get started. She seems excited about the challenge and ready to make a serious life change. I hope to provide the motivation and enthusiasm to keep her on track over the next six months.”