This Mom Lost 48 Pounds and Won $500!

Rachael Reddies lost 48 lbs. with FOCUS T25, 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix EXTREME, and P90X3. She entered her results into The Beachbody Challenge, and won the $500 Daily Prize for January 9th!
Rachael is an independent Beachbody Coach.

Tell us about your life before you started the program. How did you feel about yourself and your body?
I was miserable before I started this program. I was depressed and ashamed of how I looked. I felt frozen. I knew I needed to do something, but just couldn’t seem to move. The more I thought about it, the more I ate. I didn’t even want to leave the house. Attending my children’s sports or school functions was so embarrassing. I knew something had to change. I felt like I couldn’t do anything outside of the house, because all I wanted to do was hide at home. I was sick of it. I wanted so bad to experience and enjoy life with my kids. I was not allowing myself to be involved in anything, because of a poor health and self-image. I knew I was missing out. I had a list of things I wanted to do or what I thought life should look like. But I wouldn’t allow myself to do those things, because I was not in the right shape to enjoy them. Vacations, biking, hiking, etc.

What inspired you to change your life and begin your transformation journey?
Last year, I went on a trip out of town with my kids to Denver for a baseball tournament. When we had some free time, we went to a water park. I was so overweight that I couldn’t find any sort of outfit that I was even semi-comfortable to participate in with them. So I ended up hot and sweaty in jeans and a T-shirt, watching from the side while they had fun. I was miserable, and it was disappointing for the kids, because I couldn’t participate with them. I promised them that by the same time next year, I would have my body together so I could enjoy the water park with them. We got back, and I kept putting it off. Then, I started getting heartburn that would not stop, and my insides were on fire. The doctor wanted to put me on daily medication, and I was not on board for that solution. I knew medication was just a bandaid for the real problem. The natural solution was to change my diet and lose weight. I kept seeing the ads for T25. As I watched the “before” and “after” pictures and listened to the people’s stories, I started getting hope that maybe a healthy life was possible and that I could make the time for it. One day, I was stuck at home and so miserable. I was fat and overweight, and didn’t want to move. I was just sick of all of it. The T25 ad came on the TV, and I knew I had to try it. I couldn’t be worse off than I was at that point. I had nothing to lose.

What is the greatest challenge you faced before beginning the program? How did the program and Beachbody help you overcome that challenge?
My biggest challenge was staying motivated. I would start a program, and give up for the first reason I could find. I would quit believing that achieving my goal was possible. The first bump in the road, and I would fall apart and go completely off track. Beachbody helped me stay motivated by providing real people with real Success Stories, so I could keep believing success was possible. Second, if you have success with Beachbody programs, you can win money, prizes, and trips. I needed all three of those. Then, after I got a Coach and got into a Challenge Group, it just worked. Some days I would be unmotivated, but if I didn’t check in, I knew my Coach would check in with me. Or another day, I would see someone else’s post of their hard day and see that they still worked out, so it would inspire me. My Coach was readily available to help. And then Shakeology delivered what it promised. It curbed my hunger and increased my energy, which makes it a lot easier to lose weight and get healthy.

What in particular did you like about the program you chose?
The program I have had the most success with was 21 Day Fix. I love everything about it. I love the workouts with Autumn. It is real exercise for everyday people. That is what got me hooked. I started following Kat (the modifier), and still lost weight. And then I moved up to following Autumn. The eating was incredible. You actually get to eat more, because it is clean food. I wasn’t hungry. The best part about 21 Day Fix is the habit it creates. There is no monthly fee to figure out how to eat every month. You pay one time, and learn how to eat for the rest of your life. The exercises deliver amazing results. I can’t believe the changes it has made in my body. I have definition I have never in my life experienced.

Describe the results you achieved with your Beachbody program. Which achievements are you proud of?
Besides losing the 48 pounds, which you can clearly see on the outside, my insides changed too. Once I saw how good it felt to eat this way and exercise, I was hooked! Getting stronger is an amazing feeling. It blows my mind that I am not at beginner level anymore. I can do harder workouts. I feel strength throughout my body. Before this, I never ate fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Now I look forward to them every day. They are treats! Having the encouragement in my Challenge Group and all the tips transformed my mind. I am not depressed. I am happy. I feel like Beachbody saved my life. All of the negative, unhelpful thoughts were replaced with good and positive reinforcement. I am a completely different person, and I like who I am.

How has your life changed since completing your Beachbody program?
My life has changed so much that my children say they don’t even remember me being overweight. That is huge! Instead of running to food for comfort when I am stressed out or emotional, I work out or listen to personal development. New habits are established in my life. Food and binge eating are not my fallback anymore. Instead of spending money on junk food, I am shopping for new exercise programs, trying new healthy recipes, or doing 3-Day Refresh. I love my life and who I have become, and I look forward to the future. I have respect for myself. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for the future of living healthy.

How did participating in a Challenge Group help you reach your goals? How did your group support you and keep you accountable?
Being in a Challenge Group created this healthy environment that my personal life had been lacking. I could not have done this on my own. This community in my Challenge Group keeps me committed to being healthy, because they inspire me with their posts every day. The Challenge Group participants lift me up when I have had a bad day, and encourage me to keep going. They celebrate with me when I have a victory. We share recipes in our group for eating and Shakeology. The daily check-ins were the biggest help, because they kept me accountable. I felt like I was on a team, and I needed to do my part. That kept me committed to working out and eating clean.

How did your Team Beachbody Coach support you on your journey?
My Coach never let me give up. She was always there to ask the right questions to lead me in the direction I needed to go. She drilled in my head that consistency pays off and to just keep working on my diet. She treated me like a real person. Even though she was not overweight, I knew she had a genuine interest in me and cared about my success. She invested in me, and that made me want to do the same. I couldn’t have gotten this far without her. All of her tips and advice was instrumental in me getting to where I am now, and I will forever be grateful. The biggest thing I learned from the Challenge Group and her is that I don’t have to be perfect. The biggest expectation is that I do my best, which completely turned around the emotional roller coaster that I used to be on. Now, if I have a bad day, I just get back on the horse and keep going. It’s life-changing!

*Results vary depending on starting point, goals, and effort.