cover story
become used to. She began meal-prepping
at the beginning of each week, focusing
on lean meat and vegetables, like chicken
and broccoli. The drastic nutrition change
was hard at first, one of the hardest parts
of the whole process, but she stuck to it.
Her boyfriend was still eating as they had
before, which added temptations, and the
transitions she’d made, like cutting out sugar,
gave her headaches. “I was feeling really
sick,” she remembers, but the sickness
eventually subsided.
Paige trained with Ron twice a week
and found that he was different from the
trainers she’d had before. He brought that
connection and personalization that she
never had with her other trainers. “Ron really
she’s accomplished. Her trainer is proud,
cares,” she says. “He wants updates, too – I
too. “[Paige] made a conscious decision
text him saying, ‘I’m this much today,’ and
to focus on exercise and a healthy eating
he’s really proud of me.”
lifestyle, along with good-old-fashioned
In just a few months, Paige had lost
hard work and consistency to achieve her
25 pounds. “To get to 170 was probably
goal,” Ron says. “She has truly transformed
the hardest five pounds of my life to lose,”
not only her body, but her whole mindset
she recalls. “I hit a plateau during the
as well. Looking at her before and after
holidays.” She indulged in all the sweets
pictures side by side is absolutely mind
she used to love. “Between November and
blowing! I am so
December, I didn’t lose
extremely proud of Paige
any weight, and it was
and am honestly amazed
really discouraging. But
by her transformation.”
when the New Year hit,
Paige has learned
I got right back on top
so much about herself
of going to the gym,
throughout her weight
coming [to HAC], eating
loss journey. Ron pushed
right.”
her out of her comfort
By the time summer
zone, which she
2017 was approaching,
admits she
Paige had met her goal.
hated him for
She lost 50 pounds! It
at first, but
had taken her months
she realized she is stronger
of hard work and came with periods of
than she ever thought she
frustration, but losing the weight was
was, physically and mentally.
really motivating. “It’s a nice feeling,” she
“When I was 200 pounds, I had
says. When she reached 50 pounds lost,
very low self-esteem,”
she dropped to training with Ron once a
she says. “I really
week and set a new goal of losing 10 more
disliked the way I
pounds, supplemented by working out at
looked. There were
her apartment. She had gotten a part-time
many tears
job working at a restaurant, and, as she puts
throughout
it, “I couldn’t keep the weight on.” She was
the
eating as before, but she was moving so
process,
much – sometimes 15,000 steps in one shift
but
– that she kept dropping weight. 14 pounds
later, and Paige had lost a total of
64 pounds.
She has truly
transformed not only
her body, but her whole
mindset as well.
There were many
tears throughout
the process, but I’ve
become so strong.
I have fallen in love
with myself.
Paige & HAC
Personal
Trainer, Ron
Shoop
I’ve become so strong. I have fallen in love
with myself. I am more confident than ever,
and I am beyond proud of myself for setting
a goal and sticking to it.” Before, she would
wear bigger clothes to hide her weight and
avoided stepping on the scale, but she’s
excited to be wearing clothes that actually
fit her, and she even gets on the scale
regularly.
To those looking to start their own
weight loss journey, Paige urges to focus
on nutrition and what you put in your body.
“The healthier the things you eat, the better
your results are going to be,” she says. “This
is going to be one of the hardest things you
are going to do, but it is going to be worth
it. It's okay to have a cheat day on your
bad day, and it’s okay to cry when you are
feeling defeated because at the end, it is all
going to be worth it.”
NEW PAIGE
At her new healthy weight,
Paige feels like
a whole new
person and is
proud of what
enhance magazine | JANUARY 2018
23