Monkey See Monkey Do – Part II

It’s pretty amazing the transformations people are able to effect over themselves and in their own lives.  I must admit that when I see those typical “before and (ridiculously different) after” shots on infomercials, I grimace.  I subconsciously and suspiciously take them with a grain of salt.  ARE THEY SERIOUS, they’re trying to make it look easy!! Transformation is hard, almost an impossibility it seems!  I mean I know that! You know that! Doesn’t Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Herbal Magic know that?  If I order this video now I can look like what?? Better yet, if I order it in the next fifteen minutes I’ll enjoy the special offer too?? Bah! (eyeroll)  There’s certainly a disconnect from seeing results on tv and buying into those seemingly fictitious stories.  But seeing it in real life is a whole other story, believe you me, seeing is believing!

Meet my EFF Christa Krywiak-Parenteau 

I call Christa my EFF because she’s my eternal friend forever (you have to appreciate the sentiment beyond the redundancy). Christa has always been like a soul mate to me, someone I met back in high school and immediately connected with. We share so many silly and serious memories together. Despite our periods of physical disconnect, neither time nor distance seems to ever deter the incredible bond we share.  I wasn’t physically present in Christa’s life when she put on her excessive weight, but her pictures leave me speechless.  Christa successfully lost 80 pounds in just nine months!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait a minute, did you really catch that?  It isn’t smoke and mirrors, this is real:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRIGGER: Christa’s breaking point sits heavy on my heart. It’s ironic how people unintentionally kick us while we’re down, or how someone’s mindlessness can  so unexpectedly hits us like a ton of bricks.  Often though, the worst times of our lives, prove to be for the best.  This is how she explained her breaking point: “I was sitting in my chiropractors office, with no idea that the next 5 minutes was going to, literally, impact the rest of my life. The doctor walked in, looked at me and said “Wow. I wouldn’t have recognized you, you’ve gained so much weight”. I was shocked and mortified. That was on Monday March 6, 2006. The following Monday I made a major ‘lifestyle change’, and lost +80 lbs over the next 9 months. And have proudly kept (most) of it off, now, over 6 years later.”

ROAD TO SUCCESS:  Christa’s commitment is really almost unearthly!  Like flipping a coin, she managed to flip around her entire lifestyle in a weekend!  She began running every morning, without exception and followed a strict diet for the nine months it took her to lose the weight.  She describes, “A typical day for me, meal wise, was a protein shake with fresh fruit for breakfast. Fruit or vegetable for a late morning snack. A sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch. Fruit or vegetable for a late afternoon snack. Meat and vegetables for supper. and more fruit for an evening snack. Every meal had to have between 90g-120g of protein. no more, no less. And absolutley NO refined sugar of any kind. Pasta’s, BBQ sauce, ketchup, white bread etc”.  Christa generally focused on her healthy consumption of fruits and vegetables, limited her whole grain intake and ensured she physically weighed and consumed 90-120g from a protein source.

STAYING ON TRACK:  Similar to Lisa, what kept Christa committed to her plan was noticing the little changes she was experiencing and letting that momentum carry her, “I weighed myself every Monday morning. No more, no less. Seeing the weight come off every week, helped me stay focused and excited about what was happening to my body. That was all I needed to stay ‘in check’ and not go back to my old ways. And I was in such a routine with exercising and better eating habits, that after a while, it was like second nature to me. That being said, it wasn’t an easy thing to do. But definitely worth it in the end.”

SUSTAINABILITY:  Christa has come to a comfortable and great place with her body and is able to loosen the restrictive reigns but still stay in control, “I still eat very similar to the above. The main changes I have made are I have increased the amount of protein per meal and allow myself to eat refined sugar if the mood strikes.”

GREATEST SUCCESS:  Chris ran her first half marathon this year, coming from a girl who couldn’t sustain mere minutes on the treadmill! Chris is proof that anyone can condition themselves to be in any shape they want.

Again, I commend Chris on such an amazing and really no short of MIRACULOUS transformation!  Love you buddy (forever!)

Stay tuned for Monkey See Monkey Do – Part III featuring my friend Nancy

6 Responses

  1. Oh my buddy! You never cease to amaze me 🙂 Kudos to you again for another wonderfully written article. Also, Krista, congratulations for keeping the weight off and being healthy!

  2. What a beautiful story to tell the world, it is so inspiring to read and maybe push a few of us to do something about it. I’m so proud of her , my son is so lucky and what a exemple for my sweet grandchild.A very proud mother-in-law.

  3. ♥♥ this! Christa is such an inspiration for everyone that feels like their goals are impossible to reach. I know that no matter what, even in the frigid Edmonton winters, she runs. All her hard work has more than paid off and I can’t think of anyone I’m more proud of. She’s the poster child of never giving up, of never saying “I can’t” and I aspire to reach her level of dedication someday soon.

  4. Christa is an inspiration, I adore seeing her every week but what u adore about her the most is that her daughter is apart of her active lifestyle and she is a very active child. Christa is wonderful is many many ways, and teaching active living is a fun part of life to her family is very important. Xoxoxox well written!

  5. WOW Christa! I obviously missed the “before”….were we maybe not on Facebook back then yet? What an amazing change you made in your life!!!

  6. Beautifully written Betty! Yay Christa! So proud of you!!! Always an inspiration! Ps. You look super hot in that black dress!!!

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