Marissa Prieto’s amazing transformation!

LBC Testimonial. No more extremes, improved self-image, no more good food vs bad food lists, no more rebounds, and finally the achievement of balance.

“I want to thank you Erik for guiding me to where I am today, I have definitely come a long way than from where I was before we started. The obsession about my body image has stuck with me as early as age 12. As I got into middle school, it got worse. I began starving myself only allowing myself to eat maybe a piece of fruit all day. I started drinking my older sisters “fat loss” beverages. Enter high school and I started diet pills, purging, and doing excessive exercise. After high school, I tried all the latest fad diets to lose weight, hired a personal trainer, and continued with low calorie diets and excessive cardio. I decided that I really needed to learn about proper nutrition and to help not only myself, but others as well. So, I decided to go to school to become a Registered Dietitian.

My diet improved, I began to decrease my time in the gym to 1 hour, and I starting to notice some really great changes in my body. I felt like I had finally found something that was working for me. Three years later, my new obsession was to compete in my first figure competition. I hired a personal trainer and of course spent 1-2 hours of cardio per day cutting carbs significantly low the week of the competition as well as dropping water. I ended up placing 1st and overall in both competitions, but it was not worth what I going to have to go through the upcoming year. I ballooned up 25lbs! I did everything I could to get back to my contest weight. Extra cardio, diet pills, low carb diet, depression as well. As a dietetic student, I felt so embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I gave myself a couple of months to rest from the gym.

After passing my RD exam I was back at it doing 60-90 minutes weight lifting and 60 min of cardio. I managed to drop 10lbs and I maintained it once I joined a Crossfit gym. For 6 months I did Crossfit, and then I decided to give competing another try. This time I would have a plan ready, so I thought. I would gradually increase my calories after the competition to prevent rebound weight gain and keep weight training. After the competition, I gained 15lbs of excess weight. I was so frustrated. I stuck to my plan and it didn’t work. I failed once again.

Finally, after spending day after day web surfing about rebound weight gain post bodybuilding competitions, I learned about metabolic adaptation. One evening I landed on the LBC forum page. I created an account and spent hours and hours going through all the posts. All the information was unbearable! I was getting overwhelmed with tons of people’s recipes, learning about fun PWO meals and much more. I was hooked on the LBC page. I emailed Erik and I explained my situation. It was not what I wanted to hear, but was what I needed to hear. I was in a non-stop dieting cycle. I was added to his waitlist. During my waitlist time, I cut out my cardio and began lifting heavier in the gym, and gradually increased my calories up to 2000 per day. I was happy that I was able to increase my calories and only gain a couple of pounds and be able to put those calories to use in the gym.

At last I got the LBC email to begin my plan! I learned about balance. Thank you, Erik. I no longer have that mentality of labeling foods as “good or bad,” or for example that I can’t eat white rice unless post workout, things like that. I absolutely love the LBC philosophy. I especially love PWO meals! Also, thank you for teaching me the proper methods for training and cardio. I have had great improvement mentally as well as physically. I would like to come back to LBC and help coach me through training for another figure competition. This time successfully, with balance, and no rebound weight gain or metabolic damage. Thank you for starting this body transformation journey with me. I know I am off to a great start in the right direction.”
Marissa Prieto, El Paso, Texas