Success stories don’t get much bigger than the one Jenna Leveille has to tell.

During our time together, Jenna went from 270 pounds to 130 pounds. More importantly, she’s kept the weight off for over seven years and now inspires millions to do the same.

As with all good stories, we need to start at the beginning.

Jenna is a bubbly and energetic mother, wife, and successful businesswoman who has worked in the media industry for over 20 years.

Her job was based around connecting with clients and entertaining them with lunches, dinners, drinks, and good experiences.

 

Jenna is a life-long extrovert. Her smile and positive energy are contagious.

Yet she struggled for years to believe she could actually lose weight.

Years of business breakfasts of French toast, appetizers, bottomless bread baskets, and dinners capped off with a cocktail gradually led Jenna to gain weight.

Jenna was occasionally active. She’d routinely drop 20 pounds, only to gain 25 back. It was incredibly frustrating to make short-term progress, only to backslide into old habits.

“I’d failed myself so many times,” Jenna told the MyFitnessPal website. “But it’s different when there’s the possibility of failing others who are rooting for you.”

She tried everything:
• Weight Watchers
• The Zone Diet
• Atkins

(And just about every other diet you can name.)

Yet nothing helped Jenna accomplish what she really wanted: To lose weight, improve her health, and permanently transform her life.

Jenna hit a breaking point in August of 2013. At 270 pounds, she was ready for – and desperately needed –  a change.

Going it alone simply wasn’t working.

Fortunately, Jenna’s success began with a supportive environment. Jenna’s teammates were healthy, fitness-focused people who were making good decisions in the kitchen and the gym.

Jenna’s close friend and boss, Bach Performance client Fred Churbuck, connected us.

The Transformation

Jenna’s first workout was one for both of us to remember.

I was training clients at a high-performance facility – and Jenna’s first workout happened to be during an NFL player’s workout.

Slightly apprehensive at first, Jenna felt like a fish out of water. But after we got to work, she was floored by the supportive environment.

By the end of the week, she was working out and having conversations with the same players she saw play on Sundays.

Jenna says: “Having Eric helped me to stay accountable.”

In terms of workouts, we started small.

The biggest mistake most people make when it comes to losing body fat is turning every workout into cardio, trying to “burn” as many calories as possible.

We take a different approach.

First, you have to ensure your body is turned “on.” If your muscles aren’t properly firing, they can’t do their job. Joint stress and pain follow, and consistency goes out the window.

Second, you have to lift weights to build strength and muscle. Muscle is your metabolic powerhouse – when you build lean muscle, your resting metabolism increases. This means you’ll burn more calories at rest.

In Jenna’s training, we focused on exercises that were brand new to her:
Squats, Deadlifts (in the form of her nemesis the “trap bar”), Overhead Presses, and Rows.

Third, Jenna walked. A lot. She loves being outdoors.

Walking is perfect for fat loss. Because the intensity is low, it’s easy on your joints. You’re also burning a ton of body fat. Jenna regularly went for long walks outside of our workouts and soon became hooked on both the mental and physical benefits.

The first thing I recommend all my clients (regardless of their goal) is to add at least one 15-minute walk each morning. This step alone can help you lose 5+ pounds per month and reduce stress.

When it comes to training for fat loss, success comes down to the ruthless execution of the basics–not all the fancy high intensity interval training stuff you see popularized in major magazines. Sure, they can help–but they’re icing on the cake.

Jenna’s Diet

What is the most underrated component of fat loss?

Awareness. Without being aware of food choices, you can feel like you’re doing everything right – or everything right according to the internet – and still not get results.

Jenna started tracking her food.

When she did, she could objectively see the eating patterns and food addiction she struggled with for years.

The changes we made were gradual. Jenna focused on eating a high protein, low carb, and low-fat diet.

She didn’t realize it at the time, but we were implementing one of our key fat loss pillars:
Eat mostly foods that came from the ground or had a face.

Oh, and Quest bars. Jenna had lots of Quest bars.

Jenna’s weight loss wasn’t linear.

One week she’d lose 3 pounds. Then she’d gain 1. Then she would drop 7.

The real reason Jenna succeeded?

Consistency and her self-determination.

Whenever Jenna struggled, she reached out to me and her close friend, Fred.

The words  “You’re getting closer every day” centered her, and helped her stay the course even after she had a bad day or two.

Meal by meal, day by day, week by week Jenna made progress.

Over the course of 18 months, we gradually increased Jenna’s workouts, adjusted her diet to avoid plateaus, and pushed harder.

In 18 months, Jenna lost a staggering 130 pounds.

Her story has inspired thousands with her transformation featured everywhere from MyFitnessPal to Women’s Health.

Most impressive of all? It’s been nearly 7 years since Jenna and I started working together, and she’s kept the weight off.

Nearly 90% of people gain the weight back after significant weight loss.

The reason?

Even though they followed a strict diet and made progress, they never changed the underlying habits that led to weight gain in the first place.

Jenna committed to the process.

Jenna reached out for help to her support system and her coach.

Jenna focused on being consistent, not perfect.

And ultimately, Jenna succeeded.

Now, the same words that helped Jenna transform her body serve as inspiration for thousands with her business “Getting Closer Every Day.”

The ultimate reward as a coach is seeing your clients succeed and leave equipped to inspire and help others do the same.

So if you’d like to build a life that’s improved, not consumed by fitness, and permanently transform your body, then let’s chat: Click Here To Transform Your Life