Kirsten Tucker Houston, Texas Certified T-Tapp Trainer kirsten@t-tapp.com Prior to T-Tapp, I had what I refer to as an “Accordion Body.” Depending on the diet du jour or feasting season/cycle, I was big, then small, then big, then in between, then big again… and on and on. I can’t even tell you how many sizes I kept in my closet. I could always seem to lose weight and inches, but I could not keep them off. My first memory of being overweight is from grade school. Classmates often teased me. As an adolescent, I only become more aware of my plumpness. The summer before my sophomore year in high school my mother and I decided to lose weight together, using hypnosis and joining a gym. We kept each other motivated. By the time I returned to school, my classmates thought I was a new student. I was ecstatic! I managed to keep the weight off through high school until my early 20s. Then, it came back. I had reached a size 16+ (although I refused to buy anything bigger than stretchy 14s) around the same time Phen-Fen was introduced as the latest diet wonder. After watching a friend's success, I jumped on the Phen-Fen bandwagon. I lost 25 pounds in 2 months, which, at the time, I thought was great. I never even thought about eating. But, within a year, 20 of those 25 pounds returned. I remained a 12/14 for several years after that. I was always unhappy about the way I looked, but I felt I couldn’t do much about it. It's an all-to-familiar cycle. The larger I got and the more time that went on, the more powerless I felt. Getting started with something new seemed impossible – where did I start? What if I failed again? I felt doomed.
In early 2001, a group of my co-workers and I joined one of the national weight loss programs. I have always done well with structure and the program certainly gave me that. I learned portion control, how to give up my 6-pack-a-day diet soda habit, and how to drink water. I lost 35 pounds in 5-6 months. I had started the program at a tight size 14 and ended in size 8. I was thrilled! I was determined to end the “Accordion Cycle.” I would not gain the weight again. I would not suffer the health issues that I saw others around me facing. I was not going to tolerate an immobile, unhealthy future. I *knew* that what would make the difference, keep me healthy, and keep the weight off was exercise. Even though I didn’t really like to work out, one step at a time, I stumbled down the road to making exercise a permanent part of my life. Some days were good; others weren’t. I tried running, and my knees quickly said, “Um, NOT!” I tried step aerobics with light weights and knew I’d overdone it when I couldn’t lift my arms overhead without pain. But, walking seemed to always be doable and fun. One evening as I was walking on the treadmill and watching the evening news on television, a segment came on about an exercise program called T-Tapp. I was interested enough that when I got off the treadmill, I went to my computer and found the T-Tapp website. After taking a good look around, my initial impression was complete skepticism. The videos seemed expensive, and the website was claiming some pretty amazing things. I was thinking, "Yea, right!" I started doing some research about T-Tapp by posting questions on different online forums. Every response I received was positive. After much internal debate, I ordered the Total Workout. When it arrived, I committed myself to giving it a fair try. My goal was to maintain the loss I had achieved, and I figured I could go back to walking if it did not work or if I didn't like it. After six weeks, T-Tapp took another clothing size off my body. But, I didn't lose any more weight - I lost inches! I noticed that I was beginning to develop muscle tone I never had before. I was even eating more – my metabolism was changing! Another surprise was that the chronic pain in my right shoulder and neck (from a high school car accident) completely disappeared. I had lived with that pain for years, and it was just gone in 6 weeks! T-Tapp improved my confidence and outlook on life, too. I began to frequent the T-Tapp Forums. Then, I began attending T-Tapp form clinics and retreats. At these retreats and by reaching out to others on the T-Tapp Forums, I met wonderful people from all over the world who also achieved amazing health and fitness results. After five years of working with the T-Tapp program, I am more knowledgeable about fitness than this exercise-hater ever thought she would be. My body is still changing, too! I am still developing muscle definition and core strength. And, in 2005, I gained an entire inch from rib-to-hip! I continue to build a strong body that will carry me healthfully through the remainder of my life. As a senior T-Tapp Trainer, my goal is to educate and to help others reach their full potential. I have committed myself to sharing my T-Tapp, health, and motivation knowledge with students across the country. As “the Travelin’ T-Tapp Trainer from Texas,” I’ve held workshops across the country from Portland, Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts, even reaching less urban areas such as Fargo, North Dakota and Oneida, New York. I have also had the privilege of mentoring several T-Tapp Trainers-in-Training that are now certified instructors. If you have any questions, I can often be found on the T-Tapp forums and can always be reached at kirsten@t-tapp.com.