Cambridge Training Spotlight Sunday: Sam Lambert

 

 

Welcome to our first edition of Spotlight Sunday at Durbrow Performance Training. Every month we give out a Client of the Month black t-shirt to our most deserving client but I wanted to showcase a bit more of the success our clients are seeing.

This is not just a workout, these folks are changing their lives. Every week we’ll feature an inspiring story from one of our very own. Our first spotlight comes from one of our favorite people, Sam Lambert. Check it out. 

My story is probably a very familiar one. If you aren’t me, you know someone like me. I started life young….

Met my husband at 19 and a size 5, and he was already a Dad to an amazing little girl. I then gave birth to my daughter when I was 21. I had an instant family and as happy as I was, it was overwhelming at times. I worked nights, opposite shifts from my husband and we were happy. He’s an amazing guy. We were trying to make ends meet and doing the best we could…. And I probably don’t have to tell you, the food that costs the least is usually not the healthiest option. A dinner of mac and cheese (yes, the blue box kind) or pasta and jar sauce was very typical. And I usually ate it after I got home sometime around midnight. I am going back to this point in my life because this is where things had gone south in my weight, health and confidence.

 

Fast forward a few years…. I worked hard and after a few promotions we were doing much better. I was sick of how I looked and felt at a size 14/16 and headed to weight watchers. I did great and got down to a size 10. I went back to the first love of my life, dancing and was working full time in addition to teaching children and adults at a local studio. I was healthier, but still struggled. And then I was pregnant. I was overjoyed and immediately abandoned all of the positive food choices I had been making because I didn’t know how to adapt it to my current situation. I continued dancing and taught my last class at 8 ½ months pregnant.

 

My hard work continued to pay off and I earned another promotion. I returned to that position when my son was just 3 months old and dove into a career requiring 50-60 hour work weeks. Some of this work I did at home, but after my daughter broke down in tears one evening when I opened my laptop and said she hated that thing “the most in the world”, I would only work after the kids were in bed. Recipe for disaster. I felt horrible about not being there for my kids and I didn’t feel good about myself, my relationship with my husband, my family…. The list goes on. So back to Weight Watchers I went…

 

I did okay again. I was a solid size 16 when I started and was a size 12 when I got my 30th birthday present….

I was having another baby. I knew this was my last pregnancy and last baby and I was determined to cherish every second. It was a really stressful time and I had a new boss, my landlord was selling and the inspector found lead paint in our home and an ultrasound diagnosed my unborn son with a heart condition. Weekly ultrasounds and non-stress tests were required to monitor him. I will fast forward a bit here, but you don’t have to guess that I gained a LOT of weight with this baby.

I am happy to say that he was born healthy on January 8, 2010 and though he has had a few medical hiccups with his heart and digestive tract, he never required the surgery the Drs. believed he would. I was happy, at home during maternity leave when my phone rang and I got the news… my position was eliminated, along with several others.

 

As someone who defined success by my career, I was devastated, lost and depressed. I was home with only little people to talk to. I was trying to figure out how to be a full time Mom and a full time job seeker all at once. I lost some of the weight I had gained from my son, but still had a long way to go. I was lucky if I bothered to put on anything other than yoga pants and a t-shirt. XL in both.

I went back to weight watchers and employed the same strategies I had learned before. I lost pounds, but not sizes or shape. It was weird. The scale was telling me something and my body was telling me another. I started walking with a good friend in the morning and I was feeling better, but I had my sister’s wedding coming up and didn’t want to be in it. Sleeveless dresses and photographs….. Nightmare. I was embarrassed. Then my friend called me and sent me a link that changed my life. I’m not being overdramatic here….

 

A Living Social deal for a 3 month bootcamp. I didn’t want to do it. Well, I did, but I was scared. I was embarrassed. I didn’t think I looked THAT bad, but I didn’t look that good either. She made me do it and pointed out that I would get 5 weeks in before my sister’s wedding. The price was right (still unemployed!) and I figured 3 months… I will learn what I can and then use it at home, no way am I paying more. The week I started I had one pair of jeans left that fit me… size 16. My wardrobe still had several pieces of maternity clothes mixed in. What did I have to lose???

 

Ok, so maybe I went for all the wrong reasons…. Vanity, clothes sizes, fear of being photographed… but I went. No more watching the Biggest Loser with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in hand, I was at Durbrow Performance Training. And I was seeing results. I was feeling results. I was keeping up with my kids. There are 4 of them, in case you lost count, now 16, 11, 4 and almost 2!

I went from a pretty high percentage of body fat ___ to a proud moment last week when I was measured at 18.7% body fat. I don’t pay too much attention to the lbs on the scale anymore as I found the fluctuations really impact me emotionally, but I can tell you, last January I was 189 lbs. I weighed in at 142 last week.

I push myself, I try to get out of my comfort zone, as tempting as it is to feel strong using a lighter weight, I want to struggle with the heavier one. The ropes are my therapy and I love that my abs are becoming defined. I just missed my first week since June due to a trip and couldn’t wait to get back. I’ve made friends. My trainers inspire me. And it’s really cool to say you have a trainer 🙂

So, I’m still unemployed and searching. It’s been tough. I feel guilty sometimes that I take this time and money for myself. I always put my children first and sometimes this doesn’t feel right, but then I remember the depressed, overweight, frumpy Mom they used to have and know that I AM doing this for them. And sharing clothes (size 6!!!) with my 16 year old is pretty awesome too ;-).

Go for the right reasons, go for the wrong reasons… just GO. Get rid of the stash of “fat” clothes you hold on to just in case. Put on your new body. It’s an amazing feeling when you see yourself in a picture and don’t realize it’s you…. And you realize you look good. It’s a great feeling when you wake up in the morning, dancing, feeling strong and embracing life and whatever it throws at you.

It’s an awesome feeling when you have the last 5 seconds of a really hard circuit and you’re slipping and you hear “You got this, Sam, hold on” and you do. You can. I love my trainers and I love the people I train with. You will too, promise. So hopefully I will get to battle some ropes with YOU, soon!

Here’s Sam’s most recent photo in her “big” jeans and she’s officially rocking a size 6….way to go Sam!

A lot more weeks..