Jessica Greichunos

Dear Tosca,

At 20 years old I felt fat, sluggish and had very low self-esteem. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired! My junior year of high school I started working in fast food, and that made it easy for me to eat it every day. My diet was terrible and was taking over my life.

My father had been diagnosed with high blood pressure because of his poor diet and my mother had bulimia ever since I could remember. My family would constantly put me down and tell me I was going to be just like my parents. I had to prove them wrong. My mother suggested I come to a kickboxing class with her. The way I felt while punching and kicking to the music helped me relieve so much stress and feel so awesome inside I was determined to return.

About six months later, the instructor informed me that she was having surgery and offered to train me if I would take over her class. I was shocked! At the time I was still very heavy, wearing t-shirts and sweatpants, with no intention of teaching a kickboxing class, but I took the position anyway. Since I was now working at a gym and my own students who were twice my age looked better than I did, I knew I had to step it up.

I humbly asked a student of mine for a realistic diet regimen. She suggested I pick up a copy of Oxygen magazine. That’s when I found out about you and The Eat-Clean Diet®! Not only did I get a copy of Oxygen magazine; I ordered a subscription as well as a copy of The Eat-Clean Diet book! This is when my life really began to change. The Clean recipes in the book were everyday dishes but with the right substitutions, which made it very encouraging and easy for me to stick to.

The Eat-Clean Diet has helped me change my life for the better and for good. I’ve lost over 65 pounds, the right way! Eating this way has given me confidence and self-esteem. I feel satisfied and don’t have a desire to eat fast food anymore.

For the last four years, I have dreamed about getting where I am today. When I wake up in the morning I feel so good that I could cry tears of joy. You are such an amazing woman, and your stories have really helped me get through some tough times. The best part is I can relate to you like any other real person.

Exercise has also played a major part in helping me reach my goals. Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand: you can't have one without the other! I've been a personal trainer and group exercise instructor for five years now. Not only that, but I’ve also competed in two figure competitions. It’s a dream come true to see how far I have come.

The best part is that I have motivated others to transform their lives for the better along the way. I love lifting weights; I look forward to a hard sweat in the gym and then a hearty Clean meal when I get home. I can share it with my not-so-healthy-eating family and they admit they like it too. I know I have motivated them to eat better also, one day at a time.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share my story with you. I hope it will encourage others to transform their lives the way your success stories changed mine.

Jessica Greichunos