Each winner invested $20 and won $352 plus self confidence, health and priceless confidence from the last 12 weeks. For more information on our No Excuse Mom Fitness program, you can visit our program rules or purchase The No More Excuses Diet book.
Thank you to our panel as well as our online admin Mia Foster, and online manager, Shannon Link, for making this happen.
Region One: Kelly James
My name is Kelly. I am 34 years old and a Mom to 2 amazing boys age 5 & 8. I work 60+ hours a week as a LPN and I am a den leader for my sons Cub Scout pack! I have always struggled with my weight, but things had gotten way out of control! . It is hard to believe that at 34 years old, I struggled with so many daily tasks such as taking the stairs, keeping up with my kids, putting my shoes on without sitting down, and suffering with knee and foot pain on a daily basis. I struggled with overeating and food addiction. I was constantly tired and had no energy. I was scared, felt defeated and really felt like if I don’t change something I’m not going to be around to watch my kids grow up… It hit me hard as I realized that I was killing myself slowly! I wanted and needed to get healthy. and now! I have tried so many different diets and they all work temporarily, but I always gain the weight back. I was ready to set all of my excuses aside and make a change for good!
This No Excuse Mom challenge has helped me to take a different approach. This time it was about staying committed and changing my lifestyle it was about teaching my boys healthy habits and getting our bodies moving more! It was not so much about the number on the scale, but feeling healthier and not giving up! Since starting this challenge I have gone on 3 hikes with cub scouts and had a blast! This is something I used to dread, but not anymore. It’s actually a lot of fun and a great workout! I work out at home several days a week and my boys even sometimes join me! I also meet up with one of my sisters at the gym go to Zumba on Saturday mornings. I need that accountability! I take the stairs at work every day and my knee pain is gone! We are all eating much healthier and drinking more water. I didn’t think that I would ever be able to drink this much water and be okay with it (I used to drink Diet Pepsi all day long!) I have lost 15 lbs and my clothes ae feeling loose! I am not going to say these past 12 weeks have been easy, but it has all been worth it! I have learned not to give up on myself. I have created lots of new and healthy habits and I feel better than I have in a long time! I want to say thank you to my NEM leader Jennifer Dillon for encouraging me along the way and convincing me not to give up! and to Maria Kang! You have helped to save my life! I have a long way to get where I need to be, but I am ready to take on the challenge!”
Read about our No Excuse Mom program HERE
Region Two: Liza Fiebert
“Where do I begin? Grew up dancing and cheering, developed severe anxiety at a young age which developed into anorexia and binge eating depending on my stress at any given time. I never had a good body image, when I was in my 20’s I got down to a size 00 and I thought I was fat, I had no self esteem and no self respect. These feelings continued to wreak havoc on my life through adulthood. My weight always ranged from 110-220 depending on my eating disorder at that time. This has been my continuous cycle.
In 2006, I meet a man and things moved quickly. I moved in within 2 months, and was pregnant by month 3. He was horribly physically, mentally abusive to both me and our son. I left on my sons 1st birthday with nothing but the clothes on our back, because I knew we both deserved better. Fast forward a year later when I met my husband, again another whirlwind. We got engaged and moved in within the first year of meeting eachother. We lived with his two kids, and my one, in a farm house in rural NJ. Everything was great for a few weeks, until Heath’s eldest child, then 13 began, having headaches. One day he had a Grand mal seizure and was rushed to the hospital where we discovered he had a peach sized tumor in his brain that required emergency surgery which caused him to loose almost all of his vision. It was a long road to recovery in which Heath stayed at the hospital almost 24/7 for weeks while I held the fort down at home. The stress caused my anxiety and binge eating began. A few months later, Heath was let go from his job and remained unemployed for 2 years. We were on the brink of losing everything when he received an offer for a job, which he still has today.
Fast forward 5 years and 1 new baby later, I stumbled upon the NEM Facebook page. I remember Maria from TV, so I decided to follow the page. I was the heaviest I had been in years, wore a size 22/3x and couldn’t even walk due to my knee pain. I knew I had to make a change, but I had no idea where to start. I had spent so many years taking care of others and holding things together that I never invested time in myself. I saw a post regarding the 12 week challenge, and I knew that this was going to be the thing that changed my life. I invested in fitness books and DVDs and dove in on August 31st. I never allowed an excuse to get in the way of my success. Each day, I pushed myself a little harder than the day before. Most importantly, I did not give up on me. I have finally developed a healthy relationship with myself and for that, I am forever grateful!”
Read about our No Excuse Mom program HERE
Region Three: Debbie Miladinovich
“My name is Jennifer Aranda and I am a 35 year old single mother of 3 children, ages 10, 8, and 21 months. I have struggled with my weight since I was a kid and I can always remember feeling self conscious and insecure about my body. Even members of my family would make comments about me being too fat or eating too much. I believe it was all my insecurities that led me into a somewhat promiscuous lifestyle in my mid to late teens and early twenties. I wanted to feel loved and validated by a man because I didn’t feel it from my own heart. It wasn’t until I was about 21 that I finally discovered exercise and healthy eating.
I was 170 lbs on a 5’1″ frame, and I was ready for a change. I lost over 30 pounds and I was so excited about my weight loss that it drove me to take courses at a local community college to become a personal trainer. My body had changed, but the inside of me hadn’t had a chance to catch up yet. My heart and mind were still insecure and I ended up meeting and marrying an emotionally abusive man less than a year after my transformation. He had made me feel that because of my sexual past that no one else would ever want me. I bought into that lie and we were together for 5 years, having two children together. He was not supportive of my love for fitness and even accused me of cheating on him whenever I went to the gym to workout. He once told me not to set my goals too high when I shared with him my desire to run a half marathon. Not only was he emotionally and verbally abusive but I ended up finding out that he was sexually abusing our daughter who was only 4 years old at the time I found out. I went through a 3 year court battle with him and it finally resulted in a divorce, him signing away his parental rights, and pleading guilty to a lesser charge. During that time, and afterwards I turned to fitness again as a way to deal with the stress and anxiety I felt. Read her entire story here.
Region Five: Andrea Iseman
Growing up I was athletic, in all honors classes, had a great group of friends and a wonderful family. It was the recipe for high self-esteem and confidence. I received a full ride volleyball scholarship and continued being fit and strong throughout college. After college I had a great career, advancing through my company for 10 years then being recruited to a prestigious investment company. I was also married to a wonderful man. Everything was going my way. My confidence was high.
After 6 knee surgeries throughout my 20’s and early 30’s, I began to gain weight. Then follow it up with three beautiful babies (2011, 2013, and 2014) and an appendectomy (2011). I was heavy and had severe diastasis recti causing me to look 9 months pregnant for over a year after my youngest was born. Having people ask if I was pregnant when I was not demoralized my self-esteem. My once stylish wardrobe had been replaced with baggy clothes to try and hide my body. My confidence level was at an all-time low. Read her entire story here.
I grew up on a farm in Indiana. I was always very active with the farm life and sports. My mom always cooked our meals, we very rarely ate out.I joined the Air Force when I was 17 years old. I went to Iraq shortly after joining. I remember eating alto while I was there. I believe that is how I dealt with what was going on. When I returned from Iraq I was extremely depressed and attempted to commit suicide. I ended up getting diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from many of the events that happened while I was there (mortar attacks weekly, deadly riots, etc.) I met my husband after returning from Iraq. He has been there through my mental and physical recovery. I would not be here if it were not for him. He has been extremely patient and motivating.Read her entire story here
Region Seven: Cami Jo
“I have never felt more alive than what I do right now.
In 2008, when I turned 18, I was told by my school counselor that I “would never amount to anything if I was going to continue to be a fat and lazy person.”
I was 180 pounds.
Flash forward to 2011, when I met my husband and we started talking about having children. Going to the doctor, I was one again told “you need to lose weight. You won’t even make it to 25 like this.”
I weighed 230 pounds.
At the start of the NEM challenge, I weighed in at a whopping 310 pounds. Size 28 pants. Size 60+ waist line. I was miserable. Read her entire story here.
When I learned about the 12 week challenge, I immediately said no. I can’t diet, I’ll dry up and not be able to nurse any more. It was totally an excuse. The name of this group is No Excuse Moms, and there I was making yet another excuse. I signed up and wasn’t really planning on telling anyone, so if I failed no one would know. I realized that I HAD to tell people because I needed others to help me stay on track. Read her entire story here.
I was hovering at 202 lbs. after giving birth which was more than I had ever weighed! On the 18th of August 2015 I was crying to my husband, worried that he no longer found me attractive.
“I don’t care what size you are or how much you weigh” he said, “what I find most attractive is you working towards your goals and making progress each day no matter how small!”
His words seriously changed my life that day.
The next day on August 19th I began my journey. I took photos and measurements, began working out and eating better. I was far from perfect with my nutrition and I struggled with my workouts, barely being able to get them finished before feeling like collapsing.
I battled on, one day at a time…Read her entire story here.
The challenge on August 31st, motivated at the most and with a lot of hope, I start, I was just
“clean eating” but I improve I learnt to eat and to cook food the existence as the gourd of which I did
not even know “gourd spaghetti or lenses coral”. I learn not to eat anymore “stupid things” and to
cook myself, me look at the labels of food and I select my products, thing that I would have before
never made!
The sport is more and more present in my life and even if my weight me gene still a lot I stay
completely on my objective: find a body firm and healthy that my man and my children are proud of
me, more not to cry by going shopping and to find the insurance that I lost by gaining weight.
I resumed work on September 7th, it is not always easy to manage everything, mom of 4 children I
manage the everyday life of woman and mom, that of the job but now in more that of sports woman
and I like it! Read her entire story here.
“I joined this challenge because I was sick of making excuses for not exercising with three boys one in school , one in kind and one full time at home it was always imp to exhausted , I don’t have the time or my leg can’t handle it. And to change my bad eating habits of just surviving on coffee all day till dinner time. I also wanted to love/find myself again and get back my confidence after having my boys I hated my body and felt ashamed , I also needed to regain strength back in my right leg after having a tumor removed from my thigh while I was 29 weeks pregnant with my youngest ,the tumor went from my hip/groin joint all the way into my knee cap between both muscles crushing my main blood supply and nerves when they removed it they had to take some muscle too so my leg has been really weak. I also wanted to lose some weight and tone plus be fit for my up and coming jaw surgery. After starting this challenge vie made time for myself vie been getting up at 4.40am to hit the gym at 5am 5 days a week and taking the kids along to the no excuse moms workout sessions , as well as running 3-4 kiss a few times a week at night.Read her entire story here.
OVERALL WINNER: Angelina Steward
“My name is Angelina Steward and I am a recently single mom to two amazing girls ages two and five; both being my biggest inspiration for everything I do. I am a general manager of a restaurant and I work 60-70 hours a week with an hour commute to work everyday. So like many women in this group I have plenty things that have always been my excuse for not taking care of myself.
February of this year I was with my best friend shopping for my bridesmaid dress for her wedding. I could not fit any dresses in most stores. Wearing a size 22 at this point and weighing in at 260 pounds at 5’5. I decided that day when we found the dress I ordered it in a size 16 and said I would be in it by the wedding. When August rolled around I tried it on, and the dress was too big! I ended up ordering in a 12, talk about a NSV. (non-scale victory Read her incredible story here.
OVERALL WINNER: Amanda Rose
“”No, thank you. I’m on a diet.”
I remember the first time I ever spoke that sentence: I was at my best friend’s house and was offered chicken for dinner; I turned it down in favor of my dry salad.
I was nine years old.
I didn’t need to go on a diet. I was a skinny little girl going on a diet in order to emulate her mother, who had been “on a diet” her entire life. Jenny Craig meals filled our freezer, Slim-Fast stocked our refrigerator. We had a scale in the garage with a calendar where her weight was carefully tracked every day. We had a treadmill that became a clothes hanger. A weight bench that gathered dust and rust.
She wired her jaw shut and went on a liquid diet. She bought wire clippers and cut the wire herself a week in.
My father once ripped a lollipop out of her mouth and threw it in the street. He was “helping.”
She finally had weight loss surgery and lost everything she’d been carrying quickly — except the emotional baggage that led to her overeating to begin with…she gained all the weight back.
I learned everything I knew about my body from my mother.
I went on my first diet when I was nine and I never stopped. Puberty hit, I grew and filled out, and the vicious cycle began…
Gain 70 pounds.
Lose 50.
Have a finger amputated.
Gain 25 pounds.
Lose 20.
Leave an abusive partner.
Gain 30 pounds.
Atkins, casual bulimia, grapefruit, cabbage soup, MasterCleanse, 1200 calories, survive on Diet Coke and Adderall.
Cardio all day, every day.
Read her incredible story here.
OVERALL WINNER: Keeley Connely
“Before having children, I didn’t take fitness seriously. I easily lost weight just from ditching a night out with friends or going for a walk. I was also happy with my curvy body – it was tight and cute. After the birth of my first son, everything changed for me drastically. My stomach completely detached from my stomach muscles, and I gained over 50 lbs. They did not go away from breastfeeding either. I struggled. When I finally started to see a difference, I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd son. I made a game plan. I kept on meal planning, going on long walks and working out for as long as I could handle it. I had some minor set backs such as sciatic nerve issues. I never was a runner or a weight lifter, but I researched and read all of the success stories about how weights helped with weight loss. Once I got approval from my doctor, I started a clean eating meal plan from Oxygen magazine paired with a weight/circuit routine. I saw results
immediately. I was incredibly happy. My weight was lower than it had ever been. Then, my second child learned how to walk. My eldest started to get angry about sharing his toys. Breastfeeding issues began. The sheer stress no change to my diet or work out plan. I gained 15 lbs. I was heartbroken. I looked at my stomach, at how it sagged from my navel, and at all the excess skin from both weight loss and the detachment issues. I felt like all the work was for nothing. I couldn’t wear a bikini. I didn’t even feel attractive anymore. My work out group started to diminish as the months grew colder. I lost motivation.
Read her incredible story here.
