My story starts a few years ago when lack of sleep and weight gain slowly crept into my life. Before I knew it I was a wreck and that’s putting it mildly. Diagnosed with sleep disorder, and the onset of obesity was devastating beyond believe.
As I was already a shut in, one of my goals was to try and get out each day. While I was in the mall I decided to be brave and look into the gym there. What a blessing that was!
I joined the next day, and signed up for the 10 Weeks to WOW! group program and personal training as I really felt intimidated by the equipment and didn’t want to get hurt but wanted to be able to use everything that was available to me. I needed all the support I could get and boy did I get it. The WOW Weight Loss program was easy to follow. With Terri’s understanding, support and education coupled with the best Personal Trainer I changed the way I chose foods and became strong and was no longer frail.
I started to feel better in only a few weeks and my clothes started to fit me differently. My pictures really tell a better story. I want to thank Terri and Susan (two new friends) that have encouraged me beyond belief. I still see both of them to ensure I keep to my new goals of life – happy, healthy and strong. I have new weight loss goals after losing 16 pounds, Terri and Susan will ensure I get there.
PS My kids are glad to have their Mom back, but best of all WE EAT TOGETHER and share everyday.
16 lbs later
I have always battled with my weight. I was always the “big girl” in the group. I have tried many things. Things I am not proud of like starving myself, living off of only crackers and water and taking diet pills. None of those things worked, in fact they did the polar opposite.
I also was working out at the gym all the time. I would go 4 times a week, thinking that this is the routine I needed to get myself to where I wanted to be. It wasn’t working. I was getting frustrated and began to feel even more low. AND then I met Terri and thought she was one of the kindest and inspiring people I had ever met. I gravitated to her honesty. I told her what my situation was and she told me that she could help me and show me the piece that I was missing from my routine, MY EATING HABITS.
I was 156lbs when I first started to see Terri and trust me it was not an easy journey. It took a lot of self discipline and admittance for me to get to where I am. It was hard at the beginning but Terri was always there. She was there on the phone, in a text or an email. I needed that. Terri helped me to see that you don’t have to go so drastic to get results. Extreme dieting and loathing is going to get you no where fast. You can have that handful of chips you, just have to balance it out somewhere else in your day. Getting angry and hating yourself is going to cause you to retain belly fat and be miserable, not fun. I learned to love myself again. I was very lost and through the amazing work of my amazing personal trainer and my amazing nutritionist, I have become the Amber-Leigh that I love and respect so much.
I can remember (and this brings a tear to my eye) texting Terri and telling her that for the first time in a very very long time, I was able to try on anything I wanted and not be scared or have that feeling of doubt. I felt free, that’s the best way to describe it. I felt so beautiful and so free.
Now I am proud to say that I am 129-130lbs and love it. I have so much energy, I work out 3-4 times a week and eat and laugh and live everyday of my life.
Amberleigh
Before starting WOW! Weight Loss, I was nearly 200 pounds and completely unhappy with my body image. At 17 years old, that’s a place where I did not want to be. I knew that something needed to be done about my health, and I figured that the summer before my final year of high school would be a good time to implement change. I had seen Terri’s ads for WOW! Weight Loss and decided that I would try the program. I can honestly say that it is one of the smartest decisions I have ever made.
Terri created a program that was easy to follow and gave me helpful hints to eating healthy in a busy lifestyle. I can still eat all of my favourite foods; I’ve just learned to control the portion sizes and to keep track of what I eat. Terri taught me to eat high-energy foods so that I was never left hungry, and now I crave fruit instead of high-calorie sweets. I know that I’ll continue to eat healthy and monitor my serving sizes well into the future, as this way of living is now a habit to me.
Now, almost 40 pounds lighter, I am so much more pleased with my body image. I have more self confidence and I no longer feel the need to hide my body under sweaters all the time. Throughout my journey, Terri has been a constant supporter and friend. I can’t thank her enough for everything she has helped me with – without her help, I would still be unhappy and unhealthy. It feels so good to know that I took initiative and did something beneficial for myself and for my health.
MCGC – Cintra
I had been trying to lose weight for so long! I would eat small amounts of food daily and exercise constantly but the weight would not come off. A girlfriend of mine suggested I call WOW! Weight Loss. I knew she had done their program through her gym but she did mention that they also had an “at work” program. I was able to get a few other work colleagues signed up and since then my life has changed. I didn’t realize that I was starving myself and that my body was actually storing fat and attacking my muscle for energy. I was able to get a customized plan for myself based on me, my height, my weight and my body fat percentage. I thought this was great and was not a “cookie cutter” plan, it was specially designed for my body.
The group loved the 10 Weeks to WOW! program so much that we decided that since some of us had not reached our goal weight that we would do another 10 Weeks to reach those goals. My life has changed! My kids even noticed that I have less headaches, I can stay up longer and I’m not always complaining how tired I am. It’s amazing when you have a constant supply of nutrients in your body how much better you feel.
I think what surprised me the most is how much I learned about our food in the grocery store. The deception, the marketing ploys and the amount of crazy chemicals added to food to ensure freshness and a longer shelf life. When I go shopping now, I shop around the outside of the grocery store. I make sure that I fill half my plate with vegetables and reach for fruits for a healthy snack rather than cookies and chocolate. I look better, I feel better and I cannot believe how much energy I have.
Thanks WOW! Weight Loss you changed my life forever!
Marlene at McGraw-Hill:
I was at the lowest point in my life and at my highest weight ever. Tired, sad and out of shape; I joined a gym with a friend and was fortunate to meet Terri Patterson, co-founder of WOW! Weight Loss. We worked together for several months on a nutritional program she put together for me; as a result I learned so much about food, the food industry, healthy choices and looking after myself. Terri is caring, an amazing listener, knowledgeable, down to earth, honest, firm but not harsh in her approach. I lost weight, but most of all I changed so many bad eating habits thanks to Terri. My belief in her was so strong I brought her into our office to run her program there. Our group enjoyed many, many successes over several months. I personally feel 100% better, have lost more weight, gained bounds of energy and now a group of us get together weekly to try and maintain a healthy lifestyle – Terri is there in spirit; as I quote and recommend her on a regular basis. Anyone looking for a no-nonsense approach to a healthier lifestyle need look no further then WOW! Weight Loss. I am fortunate to have crossed paths with you Terri. Thank you!
Below are just some of the clients who have achieved success with WOW! Weight Loss. We put just a few pics so you get the idea. WOW! Weight Loss works!
Lost 10lbs in 12 Weeks!
I am so glad that I joined WOW! Weight Loss as it allowed me to FINALLY lose those last 10 pounds and quite effortlessly too I might add. I found that because the weight started coming off quickly, I was motivated to stick to it, and now I wouldn’t consider eating any other way for the rest of my life.
I have struggled for the last three years to lose that last little bit of weight. I never really connected or understood that 80% of weight loss and weight maintenance is achieved through diet. I was putting that 80% into my exercise regime and although I was eating very healthy, it wasn’t until I started balancing my meals as per the WOW! Weight Loss suggestions that I lost those pesky pounds very quickly.
At first I was very overwhelmed and frustrated that I had to account for every portion and serving but once I did and wrote it all down it became second nature and measuring and counting became obsolete.
I really enjoy working out and always have, so to me attending the gym four or five times a week is not a problem. I lift weights three times a week and cardio four or five times. I have a lot more energy now to do this because of the way I’m eating. Prior to WOW! Weight Loss, I was often crashing and feeling exhausted by the late afternoons, and now because I eat so frequently I don’t feel this way anymore.
I would say for anyone starting out on this diet, (I hesitate to use the word diet as it suggests deprivation and this is not the case at all, in fact I was told to eat more), don’t get too caught up in the exact grams. You’ll never balance it perfectly and once you write down everything you eat and measure for a few weeks, it’ll become second nature to you and you’ll just automatically start balancing your meals. I took all the recipes that my family loves and revamped them with all the wonderful suggestions for better choices that Lori taught me. I’m having fun being creative with recipes. Don’t feel that you have to totally change everything that you eat and that you have to live on chicken and egg whites alone. I found that I have plenty of variety. The most important thing I do to keep me on track is to always have the right foods in the fridge and pantry. So if for example I make chilli or soups, etc., I always have leftovers to snack on at any given time.
I am pleased to say that my jeans are a bit loose on me now so I think I’ll just have to go out and buy a new pair, a size smaller of course.
Lost 9lbs in 10 Weeks!
I started WOW! Weight Loss in mid March and by the end of June I had lost 9 pounds. What I really liked about WOW! Weight Loss was that it didn’t just focus on losing weight. It centered around making nutritious food choices to help develop muscle, strong bones and prevent diseases. Each week Terri provided articles related to various health issues such as heart disease, cancer, vitamins, minerals, and additives/preservatives. Now I am constantly reading the list of ingredients not just the labels on foods.
If your goal is to lose fat, I think one of the best pieces of advice that a client of Terri’s gave (and that helped me not get too discouraged) is to stick with the eating plan and exercising even if you don’t see changes each week. There will be weeks were your body seems to plateau but then all of the sudden the scale drops without having done anything different that particular week. It takes time, so be patient. Just stick to the program as best as you can and the results will come.
For me the eating plan is a lifestyle change, not just to lose fat, but to make sure my body is getting all the necessary vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to live a healthy life. I found the sessions very educational and would recommend WOW! Weight Loss to anyone.
Lost 22lbs
Lost 22lbs
How has this program influenced your life?
This program influenced my life in two ways. First it taught me how to eat healthy and second, it taught me how to get the most out of my exercise routine. Using my eating plan helped to make me feel full throughout the day so that I don’t have much desire for unhealthy snacks between meals or after dinner. I feel like I’m full and satisfied throughout the day. I am eating more often than before and I still manage to lose weight. It’s really easy to eat what you’re suppose to when you’re not that hungry in the first place and have no cravings for bad foods like donuts, chips, etc…
Has this program changed your family’s eating habits? If so, explain how?
This program has changed my family eating habits. Since my wife is cooking the meals, she is cooking the healthier meals for all of the family and not just me.
What did you like most about the WOW! Weight Loss program?
What I liked most about the WOW! Weight Loss program is that it doesn’t make you starve; it actually makes you to eat more often and gives you a long list of healthy choices. It doesn’t just change the way you eat but change the way you exercise and even teaches you how to sleep better. The other thing that I like about WOW! Weight Loss is it allows you to set your goals yourself; you can make realistic goals; goals that you know you can achieve.
What did you learn from the WOW! Weight Loss Program?
I have learned a lot from WOW! Weight Loss. I’ve learned how to eat healthier food and how to exercise more efficiently and even how choose healthier food when you are shopping.
Would you recommend this program to a friend or family member?
I would definitely recommend this program to all my friends and family members. I’ve lost desirable amount of weight, my stomach is flatter than it’s been in a long time and I’m sure that I will achieve my ideal weight in the near future.
Lost 24lbs
Lost 24lbs
How has this program influenced your life?
The WOW! Weight Loss program has influenced my life greatly; first and foremost I have lost 24 pounds thus far, and I am continuing to lose. The biggest influence of this program though, really would be how my eating habits have changed. I am eating the same foods, for the most part, but I am eating more than I used to of some things and far less of others. I am more conscious of what I am eating and when I am eating it. I also am getting more exercise and I have way more energy.
What did you like most about the WOW program?
Well the losing weight (and inches) part of course, and also the fact that it has given me a way to eat for the rest of my life so that I am able to stay lean and healthy.
What did you learn from the WOW! Weight Loss Program?
I learned numerous facts about nutrition, the how`s and why`s of losing weight and keeping it off and a new way of eating.
Would you recommend this program to a friend or family member?
Yes, yes and yes!! In fact, I completed the program with two of my sisters and it was wonderful to learn and grow together. I must add one additional thing, the instructor, who also created this program, made the entire experience; she was knowledgeable, helpful, fun and approachable.
