Prior to making and keeping my Year 2000 New Year’s resolution, I wore a size 30 Women’s. From January 2000 until I began my first T-Tapp bootcamp in September, I lifted weights and walked on the treadmill. In September 2000, T-Tapp and the occasional walk became my total workout regime, and by the spring of 2001, I fit into size 12/14 Tall.

I’m 44 years old, and for the first time since puberty, I have maintained the same weight and size for over a year. Thanks to T-Tapp, my entire life has improved in ways that I never dreamed possible.

I was a very active child and teenager who rode every day and competed in horse shows regularly. When I stopped riding, my on-going fight to lose 10 – 20 lbs. became a more serious issue in my life.

In 1982, I participated in a residential diet program in Durham NC, the “diet capital of the world”, and lost 80 pounds in 5 months by following a 800 calorie per day diet and walking up to 20 miles per day. I was super thin and super fit aerobically, but my muscle tone and flexibility left a lot to be desired.

I eventually gained back all of that weight plus more, even though I had developed an interest in aerobics. From 1988 – 1990, I owned and managed an aerobics studio for large women. I taught up to 3 classes per day and was in pretty good shape, although I still wanted to lose weight. After I closed the studio, due to issues with the aerobics studio franchiser, I obtained my American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certification as a personal trainer.

In 1991, I returned to my career as a systems analyst and project manager and, except for short, sporadic periods of working out, I fell off the workout wagon completely. My ten year marriage ended in 1993, just as I was starting an intensive 2 year Executive MBA program. After I finished my degree and obtained my divorce, I embarked on a rocky four year relationship. During those years, I rarely exercised and, when I did, my fitness regime was always short-lived. I became larger than ever. I ate whatever I wanted, in large quantities. I was an emotional eater - caught in the vicious cycle of eating to dull the pain while my climbing weight caused more pain that I ate to dull.

Fast forward to January 2000. I was finally ready to get myself in shape. I wish that I had measured myself then, but all I know, for sure, is that I was 5’11” and a size 30. I began my fitness quest by following a cardio and weight training regimen and lost several sizes before starting the T-Tapp Workout program in September 2000. Once I started T-Tapping, I gave up everything else except for the occasional walk.

From the start of my fitness journey, I was determined to shape up with help from no one. I wanted to be able to say that I had accomplished this transformation on my own. After discovering T-Tapp, I decided that I would let one person help me. That person is Teresa Tapp. I met Teresa in December 2001, at a T-Tapp form clinic in Washington DC. She was nicer, smarter, and more knowledgeable about exercise physiology and its impact on women’s bodies than I had expected. Since that time, I’ve attended many more T-Tapp seminars and form clinics, and I continue to learn about and appreciate T-Tapp more and more. I appreciate the fact that Teresa has done her homework and can interpret the science that backs up her program.

I have worked hard and accomplished many things, but I have never worked as hard as I did to transform my body. I consider this my greatest accomplishment. It’s sad that so many people are looking for a quick and easy fix. When friends and co-workers ask me how I lost the weight, I always say that it was mostly through exercise. 90% of the time, the questions stop there, because everyone is looking for a miracle diet. It doesn’t exist!

T-Tapp has shaped my body like no other exercise program ever could. I no longer live by the numbers on the scale, because I have so much long, lean muscle weight, my weight bears little relation to my size. The last time I wore the size I wear now, I was 30 pounds lighter! My body is better-proportioned, stronger and more flexible than at any time in the past.

After losing so much weight, I was left with a lot of loose skin. I didn’t begin to brush my skin until after I had lost many inches, so I don’t know whether I could have avoided this issue. I made the decision to have my loose skin removed surgically through an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), thighplasty (thigh tuck) and brachioplasty (arm tuck). I think of it as reconstructive surgery. My surgery was major; I was on the operating table for seven hours, but I wasn’t at all nervous; I was happy and excited. Recovery was extremely painful, but every moment of pain was worth it. Yes, I have major scars, but for me the trade-off was worth it.

I have told very few people about my surgery, but I’m ready to help other people understand the consequences of a large weight loss and give them hope that there are ways to correct loose skin problems.

I feel so strongly about the power of T-Tapp to transform lives, I’ve taken a risky move. I have resigned from my well-paying job to become a certified T-Tapp trainer. People who know me believe that I will be very happy. People who don’t know me think I’m crazy. I’ve given up substantial financial rewards, but I’m going to find the kind of success that can’t be bought. I’m going to help people find the happiness that I have, and there’s nothing better than that.

I want people to know that there is hope. There is a way out of the painful existence that can come with being overweight, out of shape and unhappy. I live my life with no regrets. I’m glad that I had to live with the pain that ultimately brought me to this point in my life. I appreciate my body and my life so much more than a person, who hasn’t faced my struggles, ever could. I love my life! My worst day, as a strong, healthy woman, is better than my best day as an unfit, overweight woman. For the first time after losing weight (and I’ve lost weight so many times before), I’m living free of the fear that I’ll gain it back. I T-Tapp for my mental, emotional and physical health, and as long as I do that, I’ll be fine.