Dear Lithe,
I have two loves in my life: my husband, Rich, AND you! (OK, ok... I
have others too, but there's no need to divulge everything.)
Where do I begin my love confession? You hooked me in February 2012 with
a LivingSocial deal. How does a money conscious, wedding-planning gal
say no to an offer like that? My then roommate and I were literally
floored by the two intro Lithe 101 classes and
couldn't believe the muscles that were worked in the mix of three other
classes we tried afterwards. Fast forward to the fall (through months
of inactivity due to an unfortunate injury) - I happened across the
FitHipHealthy Facebook post about the Lithe 10
Series. Just a few months away from our wedding (12.28.12), it was
indeed a splurge, but I needed that boost of healthy eating, fitness and
something for me. Happily reserving the last spot in the series, I
couldn't wait for it to begin.
October's Lithe 10 Series changed everything about how I viewed fitness
and healthy living. Training for the Philly Half Marathon but having
growing doubts that years of believing "running and spin" were the only
ways to trim that fat, I was ready to dive into
four weeks of Lithe. Always being the girl with some extra "meat"
growing up - aka "fluff" as I affectionately call it, I was shocked when
Lauren took our measurements during our last 10 series class. Somehow,
someway, Lithe had trimmed, toned and transformed
my fluff into a more "lithe" me - 9 inches lost in the 4 weeks of the
Lithe 10 series! This was something running and spinning classes had
never accomplished. And trust me, I was eating a very healthy portion of
everything on the meal plan. (Yes, ladies, I
eat like there's no tomorrow. You can ask my husband and blame the
Italian genes in me.)
What did these 9 inches result in? A new me ... a bride-to-be who felt
healthier, younger, fitter, sexier and more excited about each day. I
went from a dress size 12 to a dress size 6, and still have my beautiful
curves. And it gets better - if being told
you lost more inches (2"+) in the two weeks that passed between your
first and second dress fitting isn't a true testament to the
transformation of Lithe on the body, then I am not sure what else can
convince you that Lithe is truly AMAZING.
Unfortunately, and fortunately, there is a twist to this story - my
transformation resulted in a bride's worst nightmare and a complete 180
three weeks before our wedding as I realized the wedding dress I
purchased in April 2012 was no longer the right dress
for me. My seamstress continued to alter the dress to fit my ever
shrinking waist and hips, but I continued to drown in the gown. All the
glowing, happiness, and liveliness that was typically "me" was being
swallowed up by the dress and I began to dread walking
down the isle in dress - I no longer felt like me in the dress, or
recognized the person looking back at me in the mirror.
My mind kept going back to a different dress (one I also tried on in
April). I loved it but at the time felt too "curvy" to wear it. It was
the dress I never forgot and I realized I had to make a very difficult
decision - a decision that broke a lot of hearts
in my family (especially for those who helped pay for my original
wedding dress). A few sleepless nights, and many tears later - with the
support of my now husband and two very close friends, we made the drive
to the other bridal shop. Moments later, I found
myself twirling in THE DRESS and crying pure tears of happiness and
joy.
Although I said yes to the dress twice, the most important thing is that
on our wedding day I married the man of my dreams and felt wholly happy
and myself. I wore the dress that was meant for me, the dress that made
me feel like the most beautiful bride there
could be and couldn't stop smiling all day.
Thank you Lithe for helping me achieve a feeling of pure beauty,
strength and confidence that shines from my eyes every day. I've never
had this feeling before, and I know I owe it to you. I continue to live
the FitHipHealthy mantra - eating healthy, thinking
healthy, and participating in classes at Lithe three days a week. I
look forward to being a Lither for life and cannot say enough how
grateful I am for finding a new true love: Lithe.
~ Amanda Carlock Burns
Images via John Barone Photography
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