For most of her life, Lori Wengle battled with her weight — and though she finally found her “skinny” — she said the physical change didn’t happen until she made a mental one.
“People like to focus on numbers, as in the number of pounds they need to lose in order to feel better,” she said. “For me, it wasn’t about a number on the scale; it was that feeling of fitness and strength. Many times Americans either live in excess, eating too much or not eating enough and looking too skinny. The truth is neither of these types of people actually feels good. They are focused on the image in the mirror. I want people to realize that it’s not about how you look, but rather, finding that feeling of fitness. When you’re fit, you just feel good, and it may have less to do with the number on the scale than it does in the feeling in your heart.”
Wengle, a personal trainer and author of Fat Princess No More, A 107 Pound Success Story (www.changeyourworldfitness.com), said she feels fit at 133 pounds even though the scale tells her that 120 pounds is where she should be. Her journey of losing 107 pounds and then keeping it off for 8 years and counting is how she came to the conclusion that people shouldn’t pay attention to the numbers.
“Finding your ‘skinny’ is a personal thing,” she said. “It’s not the same for everyone, and it shouldn’t be dictated by numbers and arbitrary goals. At the end of the day, we make these goals so we can feel better about our bodies and our lives, so why let the numbers dictate that goal? We should be focused on the things that make us feel fit and healthy, which is why we need to discard all the static from the one-size-fits-all fitness gurus. We need to chart our own path.”
Wengle’s tips for finding your “skinny” include:
Change your Perspective — It’s not a number on the scale. A University of Pennsylvania study on healthy habits included data on four women — two of them were 120 pounds, but did not work out and were essentially couch potatoes. Two women were 180 pounds, but they worked out 4 days a week. Which set of women are healthier? Of course, the two women who work out. If people eat healthy, exercise, perform cardio and live their lives, the weight will come off. They may never weigh 120lbs, but they will find THEIR skinny.
Don’t be Fooled by Quick Weight Loss Schemes — If you lose one to two pounds a week, that’s extreme weight loss. A lot of other companies pushing pills and powders and expensive equipment will say otherwise, but just about any doctor will tell you differently. The quick weight loss schemes don’t take into consideration that losing the weight is only one goal — keeping it off is the ultimate goal. Working at a pace of one to two pounds per week enables your body to adjust to healthier habits and you’ll have a far better chance of keeping the weight off once you lose it.
Weight Training Can Reshape Your Body — Resistance or weight training will sculpt your body, tighten certain areas and make cellulite less noticeable or cause it to disappear completely. For every pound of fat in your body, you can only burn one calorie when you’re body is at rest. One pound of muscle developed through weight training will burn 35 calories per day when your body is at rest. Moreover, you will continue to burn calories for up to 72 hours after weight training. That’s how your body changes shape.
“I didn’t know where I was going when I started my journey — and I made a lot of bad choices throughout — but when I arrived, I knew it, because it felt right,” Wengle added. “And it had nothing to do with the number on the scale. It was all about how I felt.”
About Lori Wengle
Lori Wengle lived life more than 100 pounds overweight for years, and after all the poor dieting choices and weight loss programs, she finally learned the balance between diet and exercise that helped her find her skinny. Along the way, she became certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise, so she is now helping others find their skinny, too.
To request a review copy of Fat Princess No More, A 107 Pound Success Story, or to get a Personal Trainer in a Box contact Russ Handler at (727) 443-7115 ext. 206 or email [email protected].