"Well, my story is similar to many women out there. I've always been active physically, and I've been exercising since I was fifteen years old. Thankfully I built that foundation and love of exercise early on, and it carried me throughout my twenties and through the birth of my first son. I was still doing step aerobics when I was 8 months pregnant!

After my first son was born, I lost the weight quickly and stayed pretty lean for 5 years. Then came the second pregnancy, where I gained 50 lbs and didn't work out at all. Dumb move on my part, for sure. Needless to say, the weight did not come off quickly or easily. So I tried Atkins, which worked fairly well for me, but very slowly. I lost only 12 pounds in six months! And of course I gained it all back, and discovered that my cholesterol had jumped to 226!

I saw a commercial for Body for Life and began researching it on the internet. It looked like a solid plan, but there was no customization and it included lots of expensive supplement products. While searching for more information, I happened upon Tom Venuto's E-book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. It was similar to Body for Life, but was completely customizable, with no need to buy expensive supplements, bars, shakes, etc. I knew that I was headed in the right direction. And thankfully, Tom's website led me to the GHF website.

After browsing the GHF website for a while, it seemed like an excellent program. But I wanted to test out their customer service so I emailed Chad a question about the program, thinking I'd hear back from him in a day or so. When his response arrived in less than half an hour, I knew the program was for me, and I signed up right then and there.

First, Chad helped me get started creating my diet plan, and I was able to customize it not only according to my age, weight and activity level, but also to the foods that I liked, which is so important! I knew I wouldn't succeed if I was forced to eat things that were unappealing to me.

Next, Dani Myers helped me design a workout program that included my favorite exercise videos and my weight lifting equipment. I had been using my videos for a couple months, and I really enjoyed them, so I was particularly pleased that I'd be able to continue using them in a rotation schedule that would maximize my fat loss and help me to become more toned.

I started the program at 133 lbs, 29.2% body fat, and cholesterol of 226. Seeing my before pictures was completely nauseating. I mean, I knew I'd gained a few pounds, but who was this person in the picture?! This was not the "real me" for sure, not the high ideal I'd set for myself. I did not want to be the stereotypical 37-year-old mother who just basically gives up, accepts she's fat and doesn't do anything about it. I knew that I had the ability and drive to get back to where I wanted to be, and to do it in a healthy, safe manner. So I dove in head first and followed my diet and exercise program religiously. Having a specific plan was so important for me. I knew what I was supposed to eat and what exercise I needed to do that day. It was just a matter of executing the plan.

Was it difficult? Yes and no. Once I put my mind to it, it was easy to stick to the plan. But of course I had my days where getting up at 5:00 a.m. to exercise after tending to a sick child in the middle of the night didn't seem too appealing, to say the least. But I just made myself get up, and afterward felt so much better. I missed a few workouts in the course of the 12 weeks, but I didn't beat myself up about it. I just tried to do better the next day. For the most part, the diet went very smoothly throughout the week. Every Saturday night, I let myself have whatever I wanted for dinner, plus dessert. This was critical to my success. I knew that I could eat properly for 34 of the 35 meals of the week, and then have something wonderful to look forward to as a reward.

The weight came off at a very steady pace, and I noticed my body getting leaner and stronger. What a great feeling it was to see the fruits of my labor in the mirror. My upper and lower body were both gaining some nice muscle definition, and the gut was steadily shrinking. I'm still working on finding my abs, and I know they'll surface after losing a few more pounds.

Now, after 12 weeks, I'm excited to report that I'm down to 119 lbs., and my body fat is down to 23%. And just as exciting is the drop in my cholesterol levels. My total cholesterol went from 226 to 155, a whopping 71 points! My LDL (bad cholesterol) was 155 and it is now 86. What a huge difference! I feel so much better about myself. My energy level is up, as is my confidence. I'll be sporting a bikini this year at the pool, and I hope to be the best-looking 37-year-old there! And one of the best parts is that I did it naturally and sensibly, with healthy food and exercise, not by following some crazy diet or using expensive supplements.

Throughout the first 12 weeks on your program, you all have been such a huge help to me. Whenever I had questions or concerns, or just needed someone to share a success or even a failure with, someone was always there to motivate and encourage me. The website itself is a wonderful resource full of so much important, relevant information. From the recipes, to the motivational tools, to the workout programs and so much more, there just isn't a better place to go!

Also, because of my success and positive experience with this program, I'm now in the process of studying to become a certified personal trainer so that I can help to motivate others to achieve their own personal greatness.

I'll be continuing on my diet and exercise program because I still want to lose more fat. I'd like to get down to around 20% and see those abs! And I have no doubt that I can and will achieve that goal. Thanks so much to everyone at GHF for creating such a fabulous program!"

Suzannah Standley suzannahbanana@yahoo.com