50-year-old gets ripped, drops A1C to healthy levels

Joanne Willits joined our 12-week body transformation as a way to get in better shape. She had recently turned 50 and wanted to look her best. In addition, her A1C had risen to pre-diabetic levels and she knew she needed to take action, so she called and signed up but was still a little skeptical about hiring a personal trainer.

“In the beginning, I thought, ‘I don’t need to have a trainer. I can do this myself. I just need to be told what exercises to do and I’ll be OK,’” said Joanne. However, it wasn’t long before she realized she made the right choice.

Joanne thrived with the structure of the program and her weekly session with a trainer. She quickly began to see the benefits and accountability that it provided.

“I’m so glad I chose to work individually with one-on-one sessions, because it allowed me to ask questions, see the exercises weekly, and to be coached and corrected with proper form. It made all the difference,” she said.

Because of this, she quickly began to get amazing results.

“One of the first things I noticed was that I no longer craved sugar – I just didn’t need it anymore,” she said.

In addition, because of her hard work and dietary changes, she began to lose an average of 2 pounds a week, and by her Week 6 Bod Pod test – body composition assessment – we knew she was on the right track. Joanne had lost 12 pounds in six weeks and still had half the program left. Her clothes were getting looser and she was feeling great, and because it was working so well, she changed her initial goal from losing 20 pounds to 25 pounds before she finished the transformation.

When Joanne reached the final week, it had become obvious that she had dramatically changed her body. Even her daughter told her she was jacked and was in the best shape of her life. In addition, she needed an entire new wardrobe because nothing in her closet fit her anymore. Joanne exceeded her ultimate goal by dropping a total of 27 pounds, but more impressive was her change in body composition. She started the program at 29% body fat, but dropped to 16.7%, putting her firmly in the elite lean category. To put this in perspective, at age 50, she was in better shape than most people half her age, and she did it in just three months.

Even more exciting was the fact that she was no longer pre-diabetic, as her A1C dropped back into normal levels. And it was accomplished with hard work and proper nutrition instead of committing herself to a lifetime of medication.

When asked what advice she would give to anyone trying to get in shape, she said, “You can do it; anyone can do this. You just have to stay on track, stay focused and find the right amount of support.”

It has been two months since Joanne finished the transformation, and her goals are slightly different. “I just want to maintain, keep this body and make sure I stay on the right path nutritionally,” she said.

Joanne has done an excellent job accomplishing these basic goals. Since the end of the 12 weeks, she’s gone on vacation, had weekly cheat meals and occasional drinks, and she still lost two more pounds. Congratulations, Joanne, your story is an inspiration to anyone looking for the motivation to change their life.