My name is Mette and I am 42 years of age. I love Zumba, it is my passion and some of my friends call me the Zumba queen :). Here is my story on how I lost 12 pounds (approx. 6kg) in 30 days with the help of Sveta of Dance4Ever with Zumba and healthy eating.
A friend of mine asked if I wanted to come along to a Zumba class last year sometime and I loved the idea. I had no idea how much I would love it and it would become such a big part of my life. I met Sveta of Dance4Ever and I loved her enthusiasm and love of dance from the first time. Next session my friend couldn’t make it but I loved it so much I went on my own, something I would not usually do. After a while I added another lesson and I also started having a weekly private lesson.
I went home to Denmark in May this year for my nieces wedding. I wore a lovely dress and though it looked pretty OK. But seeing myself in a photo made me realise it did not look as flattering as I thought. I knew then that I had to do something serious about focussing on a healthier lifestyle.
I spoke to Sveta about my determination to loose some weight before my summer holiday in Denmark (August) and she offered to help me, support me and encourage me in return for my dedication. She suggested a period of 30 days in which I would go to as many classes as I could, so I managed to increase classes to 5 times a week ( Monday- Zumba Fitness, Wednesday – Zumba Gold in the morning and Fitsteps in the evening , Zumba Fitness on Thursday and 1 private lesson). It was a challenge and I was really up for it. I asked my husband to set up my Jawbone UP24 which would help me count steps and work out calories burnt in class and during the day. Having done many diets before I was so determined that this would not just be another diet – it would have to be a proper change of life style.
We started on the 15 June 2015 and every day I had a lovely personal note from Sveta with words of encouragements – sometime recipes, sometimes articles from health magazines, all to help me. They are all up in my kitchen on the cupboards as daily reminders of the support Sveta gives me. She would text me and message me over the weekend, and when we had private lessons we would often chat after and I would feel very empowered and positive.
I started a food diary and each day I would write down in details what I ate, everything would be weighed, calories would be counted, steps were measured, calories burnt in my classes etc. Also drinks were written down – but NO alcohol. This was a little tough for me as I do like my wine and would often have a glass or two. But I knew I had the support of my family and friends and also Sveta and I didn’t want to let anyone down especially Sveta and myself. I even enlisted my children – if I was talking about having something that I should not they would tell me not to do it. And it worked 🙂
It was by no means easy, it was (still is) very hard work, but I was so determined that this time it was going to work. I would start the day with muesli and later on I added some seeds (pumpkin and sunflower). I would then have some fruit mid morning ( I never used to eat fruit) lunch would be a sandwich with ham or eggs and some salad, or salad with ham and eggs ( I never used to eat salad) there is a theme here 🙂 More fruit in the afternoon and dinner would be either chicken or fish with loads of vegetables and a small amount of carbs if I was doing exercise in the evening but no carbs if staying in. As I am getting more comfortable with all the healthy foods I am trying to add new things. This is also great for my children who now eat a lot more fruit than they used to. Even my husband often has a fruit salad after dinner.
I was amazed at how much can be done and how many calories can be burnt. Although the weight loss seemed slow it was absolutely perfect with 3 pounds per week which is a healthy sustainable weight loss and because I am not on a diet but changing to a healthier life style there is not chance of it coming back on. Below are the amount of calories I burnt in the different kinds of Zumba that I have been doing.
Gold: 473 to 525 calories.
Fitsteps: 603 to 699 calories.
Sentao: 651 to 742.
Fitness: 675 to 947
As I mentioned over the 30 days I lost 12 pounds, approx. 6kg and you can definitely see a difference especially in my face and my shape. Also clothes wise – many items are now too big but some of my older, smaller sizes are fitting me again which helps me feel better about myself.
I feel amazing. I am so much happier, have so much more energy. I am always looking forward to my next Zumba session and on the rare days I do not go I really miss it. Even if I have a little dip in moods once I get in that studio I am ready to go and forget everything else in life.
Although this was a 30 day trial, I am not going to stop. I have worked too hard to let it slip. I am very much looking forward to seeing my family again in August and for them also to see my great results. My next goal is another 5 pounds (approx. 2.5kg) before I go home to be under that xx amount of stone in weight 🙂
I would like to say a huge thank you to you, Sveta at Dance4Ever, for all your encouragement, positive attitude to everything and always being there for me. You are such an inspiration and a great motivator. Even when I was feeling very low you managed to get me to smile, laugh and dance. I could not have done it without you. I am eternally grateful to you.
THANK YOU 🙂
Sveta : Thank you so much Mette for sharing your success story! It was a pleasure to work the 30 day program with you specially as I could see your determination. Keep at it!
