Leila
Bennett
"I’m an inspiration to many people at the gym and, most importantly, my daughters are very proud of their mommy!"
Age: 33
Heaviest Weight: 185
Current Weight: 107
My Journey:
I had always been an athletic person who was happy with her body. But after moving to the US, I just couldn’t control my weight. The food in America was just so rich!
After my second child, I weighed 185 pounds. I was heavier than I had ever been in my life and I was very uncomfortable. On top of the discomfort, I had high blood pressure and my doctor informed me that if I gained any more weight my tailbone would fracture. I was having a hard time even walking to the mailbox and I was so insecure I couldn’t stop crying. I felt as though my life was crumbling before my eyes.
I didn’t want my girls growing up embarrassed or ashamed of me because I was so large. My husband got a job in another state, and I decided I would use the move as a fresh start. I was going to get to the gym and start losing weight.
I hired a personal trainer who entered me in a figure contest as motivation to lose the weight. We discussed my bad habits with food so he wrote me a diet, but I couldn’t maintain it. I started researching better diets and bought some cookbooks but they were complicated and expensive to maintain. While discussing this problem at the gym, someone suggested I try your book, The Eat-Clean Diet®. I went out and got it right away.
I remember that the first recipe I made was your Almond and Date Biscotti from The Eat-Clean Diet® Cookbook. It was good enough to make me feel as though I wasn’t on a diet!
I’m now at 107 pounds, happy, energetic and proud of myself. I competed this year and I placed 4th in a very large show! I’m now looking forward to competing again in May 2010. I’m an inspiration to many people at the gym and, most importantly, my daughters are very proud of their mommy!
Thank you, Tosca!
Leila Bennett