I’ve never met Kelly Sand in real life, but she seems like the kind of person who would be the first to give you a hug if you were down and make you a batch of tasty, low-fat cookies for your birthday. Kelly is an exuberant champion for weight loss and a health-conscious lifestyle, though she admits it was a long time coming.
Kelly remembers being aware of her weight when she was in middle school and was no longer able to share clothes with her smaller twin sister. She attributes the weight gain to simply being unaware of “how” to eat correctly. “I don’t think I ever really got a handle on my portions,” she explained. “I don’t think I stopped eating when I felt full. It wasn’t anything emotional; it just was there so I ate it and more than I probably should have.”
Later, an influx of new-ness into her life including marriage, the move to a new city, and a new job caused her to be depressed and withdrawn. Due to the lack of activity and poor diet choices, her weight crept even higher. While looking at Christmas pictures where she was sure she was, “sucking it in,” she realized that her current weight of 255 pounds could no longer be hidden. She had to get serious and make changes.
Kelly started her weight loss journey by purchasing an elliptical machine for the basement and carefully packing lunch for work instead of eating fast food. Though she saw a nice 20 pound weight loss, she quickly gained 10 of it back. A colleague at work suggested she try something different.
“I had a friend who was a student and instructor at Farrell’s Extreme BodyShaping and she kept encouraging me to try their 10 week program,” Kelly shared. “I decided to give it a try. I really enjoyed the mix of kickboxing, resistance training, and nutrition the program provided. I lost weight, toned muscles, and met wonderful people who I call my FXB family.”
“You have a choice. You can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat off your face.”
Many people battling weight loss come to a point where they hit a plateau or a barrier and through no fault of their own, can’t break through. They feel discouraged and some fall back into old patterns because of it. Kelly hit that wall but she forged on. Partnering with nutritionist, Matt Showalter, she was able to revamp her diet and restart her weight loss. Though she admits giving up her “cheat” day, (Matt doesn’t allow one), was tough, she realized she was probably over-indulging anyway.
Now she gets two “cheat” items per week and she always makes sure one of those is a cold glass of her beloved Diet Coke. “It is not about depriving myself,” she remarks. “It is about putting the best possible food in my body and using it as fuel.”
With 59 pounds down and 40+ to go on her journey, Kelly is more determined than ever. “I think the biggest moments happen when people start to notice a change in you and let you know,” she said. “It is always hardest to see it in ourselves.”
Kelly shared another favorite quote, “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.” We couldn’t agree more. Good luck on your continued success, Kelly!
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