"For me, it all started just over two years ago when I realized I was not the "thin" woman that I used to be nor was I the thin woman I thought of myself as being. I had changed jobs from a very active physical one to one where I sat in front of the computer 8 hours a day. My doctor had put me on a medication for some female problems, with one side effect being weight gain. I had just passed my 31st birthday, and I had crept up to 145 lbs and 30% body fat before I realized it.

My first mission was weight loss. I started by going to the gym where I had paid dues for several years but had only been a handful of times. For the past two years I had been doing strength-training with sporadic cardio workouts, and I was feeling pretty good about myself, as I was down to 135lbs and 25.79% body fat. But I still had that last little hump that I needed to get over. I continually struggled with my cardio workout as it was always the first thing that I cut from my day and the last thing I wanted to get out of bed for.

But then I found global-fitness.com, joined their online fitness program, and hooked up with one of their wonderful experts, Dani Myers. I was never so glad to "meet" someone in my whole life. What a godsend!

I never realized how ignorant I was about nutrition until I joined GHF. I learned so much! And the workouts were designed to very easy to do on my own...and extremely effective! There is just so much knowledge on the GHF website, and I love all the personal support and guidance. The GHF site is by far the easiest to get around, and most of the programs, resources, and experts at your fingertips, 24 hours a day.

So my new mission was to enter GHF's 12-week fitness contest and get between 16-18% body fat. With the Dani's help via GHF, I planned my strategy. I would continue with my 3 day/week strength-training, do a regular cardio workout 3 hrs/week, and modify my diet. I took my before pictures and I forged ahead. I noticed changes in my body very quickly and at the 6-week mark, I had dropped to 122 lbs and 20.16 % body fat -13 lbs and 5% in 6 weeks! It was just mind-boggling to me that I could make these kind of changes so quickly. I couldn't wait to see what the next 6 weeks would hold.

I was actually getting these little lines in my stomach (a dream come true). I checked my body fat and weight weekly to make sure that my lean muscle mass was not dropping and that it was just fat that was decreasing. At the end of 12 weeks, I had achieved my goal: 17.3% body fat and 115 lbs. I lost a total of 20lbs & 8.5% of fat. I have never felt this fit or healthy in my life, ever. People in my office building keep stopping me and asking me how I made these dramatic changes and I'm always happy to tell my story. I had two people in one week refer to me as an athlete (I had always thought of myself as an indoor girl) - what a compliment!

I am going to keep my hard-earned body and I'm happy and confident that GHF is there to help me do it. Thank you, GHF, for everything, I really appreciate your wonderful web site and all the wonderful programs, knowledge and support! And a very special thanks to GHF's Exercise Expert, Dani Myers, who helped me be the best me I can be."

Trina Merrell TrinaM@biinc.com