Stacey, Before and After
In the last two years, 24-year-old Stacey Lembo has lost an amazing 60 lb. She’s a member at Lucille Roberts Massapequa and has accomplished these great results all on her own, with the help of our classes–and with a lot of determination! Here’s her story.
Lucille Roberts: What made you decide to start working out at Lucille Roberts?
Stacey Lembo: I knew I was overweight, and I needed to make a change.
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LR: Which classes are your favorites?
SL: Zumba, Kick Some Abs, and Cardio Circle, which the gym does every once in a while.
LR: Describe your typical weekly workout routine.
SL: I am currently a full-time graduate student, and I work full-time. As a result, I try my best to make it to the gym at least 4 days per week. I try to change it up; some days I do classes, and some days I will go on the elliptical or go back and forth with running and walking on the treadmill.
LR: How have you changed your diet to help you lose weight?
SL: I have learned many healthy habits during my journey. The first thing I think thats most important is moderation. I feel that if I were to deprive myself of certain foods, I wouldn’t stick to it so instead I know that when I make an unhealthy choice, I balance it out with lots of healthy ones. In addition, I learned a lot of substitutions that I like. For example, I now will go for a yogurt or a fruit when I want something sweet. Also, substituting little things such as skim milk instead of whole milk, frozen yogurt instead of ice-cream, light salad dressings, I can’t believe its not butter spray rather than butter etc.
LR: How do you feel now compared with how you felt when you first started working out?
SL: I think dropping the weight has changed every aspect of my life. Not only do I feel better and more confident but even my day to day life has changed tremendously. I used to try on outfit after outfit, always feeling horrible about how I looked in each one and finally settling on a pair of sweatpants and a loose shirt to cover myself as best I could. Now, the process of getting dressed is a breeze and I feel comfortable in my clothes. Prior to loosing the weight, I would never have had the motivation to just go roller-blading or go for a bike-ride but now I feel that keeping active has become part of every day life. In addition, I feel more concentrated, I am not always in my head worrying about what others think about how I look because I feel good.
LR: What words of encouragement or advice would you offer to other Lucille Roberts ladies who are trying to get in shape?
SL: Don’t loose sight of what you want in the future for what you want in the moment. There may be times that you don’t feel like working out or times that you want to eat everything in sight but you can’t let those “in the moment” feelings get in the way of your ultimate goals. Also, keep in mind that weight loss is a journey. No journey is going to be perfect; you may not lose weight each week or make it to the gym as many times as you wanted to in a week, but you can’t give up. You have to remember to get right back on track when you feel yourself wanting to give up. It’s definitely hard work, but believe me, it is worth it.
