Sheri Lynn. 42. My quest for fitness began in my mid-twenties when a friend of mine, a competitive bodybuilder, took me on as a project and began weight training with me. I caught the bug, and was amazed at the changes in my body once I began tweaking my eating. Every change I made in my eating habits was reflected in my physique within days, and I was fascinated.

I began practicing on other people. I’d train whoever would let me train them. If an old friend came for a visit, they’d be in the gym with me. No one was safe. I’m so grateful for all the guinea pigs!!

In experimenting with humans and fat loss, I hit upon several critical factors. One was the importance of eating clean fuel. I continued to refine what "clean fuel" meant – both for myself and for the folks I trained. Another factor was the level of exercise required to keep a body in shape, or to invoke change. A final factor was the metabolism. I learned quickly that those who’d dieted and overdid the cardio were more difficult to take fat off of – and through my research learned this was metabolically related. I became pretty good at maintaining a strong, lean body.

Then I met Damon. In the flush of new love, we wined and dined. For about 3 months, we cooked rich flaky crusty things, ate without thinking, and generally wreaked havoc on our bodies and metabolism. And when I saw what was happening, when I saw that extra 30 lbs, I put the brakes on, well, nothing happened. I had tanked my metabolism, and I was tired and felt weak. My finest efforts yielded nothing. I spent months and months adjusting my calories, adding more cardio, cutting fat, cutting carbs, and trying new methodologies. I couldn’t believe I could take fat off my clients yet my own weight wasn’t budging.

Fortunately, I discovered precision eating. I tracked every bite that went into my mouth. I began to slowly raise my calories to bring my metabolism back up. I quit doing cardio. This was difficult to do, but I started feeling better and better. After my calories were good and high, I rotated my caloric intake, was careful with adding cardio work, and took the weight off. With the help of my trainer, I got into the best shape I’d ever been in. I took that body to the stage and competed in my first figure contest, winning first place. I was 42 at the time, and a grandmother.

The biggest lesson I learned is that it’s all about physics. Nothing is ever in stasis. Our bodies are always in constant change. We are improving or declining, there is no in-between, no resting place. Incredibly, whether I am improving or declining, they both take the same amount of effort!