For years, Holly hid behind her business suit. The jacket covered the places she didn’t want to show and the power she felt wearing it made up for the insecurity she felt on the inside.
Weighing 242 pounds,* she always knew that the person who showed up at the office wasn’t the “real” Holly, who was a formerly athletic “popular girl” in high school. But her false reality never sunk in deep enough for her to recognize how far away she had strayed away from her former, confident self.
Then, she discovered Isagenix® while maintaining her high-stress (and high-paying) job in the corporate environment and became curious about the business side. She admits she was actually grateful when she was laid off from her job so she could pursue her Isagenix business full time.
Unfortunately, while she often lost 20 pounds* on the products here or there, she still never believed that she could create a lasting, transformative change and accomplish her health and weight-loss goals.
Frustrated that her business seemed to be stalling, Holly turned to an Isagenix Beyond Courage personal development course with Chief Training Officer and Senior Vice President David Wood. It was there that she had her “light bulb moment.”
“He told me ‘Holly, when you decide to lose the weight and be a product of the product, your business will explode,” recalls Holly of Minnesota, who was a 1-Star Silver Circle at the time. “I thought for a minute and realized that he was right.”
Little did she realize that by simply committing to the products under the pretense of growing her business that she would literally change the course of her life for good and rediscover her formerly confident self.
After committing to the 2010 IsaBody Challenge®, Holly hired a personal trainer who worked with many fitness competitors and was one herself, Lori H. Taking each day as it came, she focused on the products, listened to popular advice shared by top leaders such as Susan S. and began to watch as the scale dip backwards 10 pounds at a time, until she reached 52 pounds* lost during the Challenge. But, she still had one more goal to accomplish that she never thought was possible: compete in a fitness competition…in a bikini.
“I decided in January that I could have the bikini body I wanted and could look hot in one,” shares Holly. “When I competed, it was a dream. I never thought in a million years I’d be doing a bikini competition.”
She stuck to a strict training regimen that included running up to 15 miles a day, helping her to even overcome her previously-held belief that she disliked running.
“I’ve never really been a runner, but now I’m a runner,” admits Holly. “Now I’ll be out running and literally do a check—does my body hurt? No. Am I breathing hard? No. That means I need to keep going. I really feel it’s because of the products.”
When she finally walked across the stage in a teeny-bikini at her fitness competition in Florida, she says the experience was “awesome.” Now she’s committed to competing in even more fitness competitions and already plans to do another one in a few months in Las Vegas.
Now 90 pounds lighter and seven dress sizes smaller,* Holly says she was able to cut out toxic relationships along the way and realize that she was also her own biggest critic and needed to drop her negative self-talk. The dream board she has posted in her room features the toned, athletic physique of a fitness model (accomplished) and the goal to reach 5 Star Golden Circle (now at a 3 Star Golden Circle).
Crowned the 2010 IsaBody Challenge Grand Prize Winner and the first-ever female winner, Holly says she’s proud of what she’s accomplished and knows she’s on the pathway to accomplishing and creating even bigger dreams.
“My world has literally changed,” says Holly. “Everything that has happened has given me the confidence to do what I want and make it happen.”
Name: Holly DeMott
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Age: 33
Height: 5’6.5”
Was: 231 pounds
Lost: 52 pounds* and 4 dress sizes*
Additional Weight Lost
Since the Challenge:
38 pounds and 3 dress sizes*
As Of: September 2010
Holly’s Tips For Weight-Loss & Health Success Tips
- The secret is in the snacking. Mid morning, have a snack such as a SlimCakes®, and then mid-afternoon, have another snack with protein, like half of an IsaLean® Bar Eating 5-6 times a day keeps your metabolism going.
- For your meal and your snack, always include a lean protein. The more active you are, the more protein your body needs to burn fat.
- Take IsaCalcium® right before bed and take as a warm tea or blend it with ½ scoop of IsaPro® and ice and water. It helps with deeper sleep.
- Working out—your body can do more than you ever thought your body could.
Favorite Products:
- IsaLean® Shake in Natural Creamy Vanilla with Isagenix Greens!™
- Ionix® Supreme
- IsaDelight®
- Ageless Actives™