My name is Jennifer Leighty (JennyL8y on the TaeBo boards), and I would love to give my testimony for what TaeBo has done for me. TaeBo and Billy Blanks have changed my life. Only 3 ½ years ago, I could barely drag myself out of bed each morning, let alone keep up with my active children. I was tired of feeling like that. Little did I know, but it was as much of a mental problem as it was physical. Yes, I was unhealthy on the outside, but it was my mind that was stopping me from living my life to its fullest.
I could tell you all about how I lost weight through healthy eating and exercising almost daily with TaeBo. About how I lost 60 pounds and went from a size 14 to a size 4. About how I found the energy to keep up with my active children by doing TaeBo. However, the changes that I have made by doing TaeBo and listening to what Billy says during the videos and on his website are much more profound than the number on the scale or the inches lost. I submitted a testimonial for the Capture the Power infomercial, but looking back at that testimony, I see that I only concentrated on the physical changes. For this testimony, I want to tell you about what has happened to me on the inside by doing TaeBo and listening to Billy speak.
When I first started losing weight, I concentrated on the scale. I counted calories, exercised almost daily, and the pounds were coming off quickly. After about 2 months, I realized that I was not as happy about losing the weight as I thought I would be. Yes, I enjoyed being thinner, but there was a piece to the puzzle that was missing, and that was my mind-set. I still ‘felt’ fat on the inside, and lacked self-confidence. At this point, had someone told me that I couldn’t lose weight, I would have believed them. I know this in my heart.
I started to journal my thoughts, and I concentrated on the inner me…not the outer me. After each journal entry, I went back with a red pen & crossed out all of the negative words like “can’t”, “won’t”, and “ugly”. I re-wrote my journal entry to include ONLY positive words. The TaeBo videos showed Billy looking into the camera saying things like, “One more set” and “You can DO it”! He is always positive – I loved Billy’s attitude and wanted to be more like him! The positive influence from him was infectious. I started feeling better about the inner me, and my outer results took a ‘back seat’ in my life. I learned to be happy on the inside, and it was an awesome feeling. It was much better than any results I saw on the scale.
People started noticing the smile on my face, the positive attitude, and the weight loss. I couldn’t count how many people said, “You sure do have a pretty smile!” It made me realize how much people noticed little things like that, so I kept smiling! I started to reach out to other moms who seemed down, and I encouraged them to be positive. I think that a positive attitude can help anyone overcome mental obstacles. It’s like Billy says in his new videos – the mind is a powerful thing!
The new BootCamp videos talk even more about the non-physical side of becoming healthy. I have learned so much from them, and Billy’s encouragement in these videos is beyond outstanding! I would love to see more of a ‘mental’ workout in future videos. The more people that I meet and talk to, the more I see what Billy is talking about with our mind. There are so many people out there who are in the same place that I was – having a negative attitude about their weight-loss and only looking at it from a scale or number’s point-of-view. They get lost in the numbers & physical results, when they truly need to look inside for the results they’re looking for. My goal is to reach out to help others the way Billy has reached out to me.
I now know that if I want something, I WILL achieve it. If I believe in something or set a goal, then I can and will accomplish it. There is no stopping me. I pray daily that my children learn how to develop a positive self-esteem to keep for life. I have taken the word ‘try’ out of their vocabulary, and have them re-word negative sentences. It’s an attitude that I will have for the rest of my life, and I owe a huge thanks to TaeBo and Billy for helping me to find the person I am today. Thank you!
Start weight: 196
End weight: Around 132
Weight lost: 60 pounds
Height: 5' 6"
It took me from January 2002 until August 2002 to lose the weight. I also had a baby in August 2004, and lost 20 pregnancy pounds within 3-4 months after having her.
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