Real Women, Real Results

Where do I begin when talking about my experience with Ashley Bird and The BarBelles?

Well… I am 31 and I have struggled with emotional/binge eating my whole life and I have struggled with my weight since I was around 20 years old. I have gone through phases of eating “clean” and working out 7 days a week, but when I didn’t see results quickly enough, I would give up and revert back to my old habits. It just wasn’t realistic, not something I could maintain over any length of time.

By the age of 30, I had accepted the fact that I was just an overweight inactive person. Since I had tried so many things, I figured that I was stuck feeing unhappy, unattractive, and not liking the package I was walking around the world in. I thought it was my reality. And if I hadn’t met Ashley, I truly believe that it would have been my future.

I had a very unhealthy relationship with food. Eating was the most exciting part of my day. Food was my reward, it was what I looked forward to, it was my vice. I was addicted. The idea of weighing and tracking everything that went into my mouth was overwhelming and felt scary and super restrictive. Because of this mentality, I had a few “false starts” to my journey. If you ask Ashley, she might tell you that I was her biggest skeptic and most challenging case. My head was filled with all these myths and advice about how to lose weight from the tv, internet, magazines, friends, nutritionists, you name it! And some of the things Ashley was telling me to do went against everything I had been told but I had to forget all these things if I wanted to submit to the process. 

So naturally, being a skeptic, when I started on my customized nutrition program, I questioned EVERYTHING and anything. I had a slow start at weight loss. I was reluctant to trust what I thought was just another weight loss program. I finally reached a point where I decided that I had nothing to lose, and that I would submit to the process and put my trust in Ashley, just like that ladies on her poster had.

Once I made this decision, my body and life began to change. I started with Ashley in her 6 week group exercise program and nutrition program. I began sending off reports from week to week allowed me to see my progress even if I didn’t see it in the mirror or feel it. This in itself motived me to keep going. It showed me how much I was progressing and it made me excited to see where I could be by the next week.

While following my nutrition program, people would see what I was doing and they had all kinds of commentary for me, “you’re eating too much if you want to lose weight. Should you really be eating so close to bedtime? You didn’t work out today, should you really have that protein shake? You’re eating too much protein” and the list goes on. I had to ignore all these people and their comments. You can’t listen to them if you want success. With all this information and “advice” that bombards us from every direction, it’s no wonder that people feel discouraged. They have no idea who to believe, how to invest their energy, what is worth their money, or what to even put in their mouths. It can be paralyzing. I joke with Ashley, I said that if Ashley tells you to brush your teeth with your left hand, you brush your teeth with your left hand. I’ve learned to listen to what she says. She has the knowledge and the training. The proof is in the results of her clients’. Once you trust the process and commit to following it, that’s when the real changes start. And let me tell you, it happens so much faster than you expect. And I can’t emphasize that enough.

I know there will be women reading this and looking at my transformation pictures thinking “she’s just one of those rare weirdos who was chubby and is now addicted to exercise and just eats salad”. It’s just not the case. Number one, I don’t eat salad often lol, and I was exactly where you are now. Year after year I put on more weight, and I felt trapped in the jail that was my body. Then Ashley came into my life and now I am down 80 plus pounds, I am in the best shape of my life, and I am training for my third powerlifting competition.

Ashley takes all the guesswork out of weight loss and fitness. Ashley has been my cheerleader and my coach. I ask her questions constantly. She pushes me to be the best version of myself. She reminded me that I am an athlete. She has completely changed my life. And when I tell Ashley that she has saved my life, I truly mean it. I needed her to tell me what to do. I was stuck. She tells me to give myself more credit. But I could have continued putting effort into my same old attempts at weight loss and fitness and I would have been spinning my wheels and just watching the number on the scale climb year after year. If Ashley can turn me, an overweight, inactive, food-addict, into a muscular athlete who views food as fuel, she is truly a miracle worker.

People say that losing weight doesn’t make you happy. And they are right. But I can say that my physical transformation has become an emotional transformation as well. For the first time in over 10 years, I feel comfortable in my own skin. I have confidence. I feel strong, and I believe that I can conquer anything.

If I could go back in time to when I started struggling with my weight, I would tell myself that today is the first day of the rest of your life. Sign up and commit to the BarBelles program. It is an investment in your physical and emotional health. If you want to be an entirely different person even four months from now, put your trust in Ashley and you WILL achieve your body goals. Submit to the process!!