“Ya Gotta Wanna”
The quote in the title is one that a number of us on the Lean Bodies Fitness forum have gotten used to seeing – namely from one long-term LBC client and personal friend, Ileen Natic. It’s a quote she stands by in the pursuit of her physique goals and it’s powerful in its simplicity – if you’re going to achieve something, you have to want to achieve it. And really want it.
Rather than do Ileen any injustices in my sharing of her journey to where she is now – someone admired by many of her peers for her consistently strong effort and as a result, consistent payoff with results and physique improvements – I’m just going to post it in Ileen’s own words:
To date, I’ve lost close to 60lbs and gosh knows how much body fat. I was at at least 30% when I started tracking and heavier before I did that. Over the years, it’s been a slow and steady work of progress.
In April of 2002 I started to lose weight following Suzanne Somers plan. I found LCF/TOP2 in July 2002.
Oct 2003 – My first experience with weight training was BFL. I fell in love.
The slogan ‘Ya Gotta Wanna” came from a gal there. Sadly, she has never been successful in achieving her goals but that stuck with me so much that I adopted it and never looked back.
Through LCF, I met Cindy. (Erik’s note: I affectionately refer to Cindy and Ileen as the Dynamic Duo :lol:) We became friends after the get together and she took me under her wing. With her guidance and training experience (she’d competed a few times before), she helped me along. I mostly trained at home, with limited equipment, but would meet up with her every so often and train at her gym.
In April of 2004, I was advised to go seek an endocrinologist (from an online source – thank you Pam – aka NonstickPam.
She is the one who helped me through all my medical stuff. NO doctor ever found the need for me to do so.) My symptoms seemed to match that of hypothyroid disease. Despite all my efforts, my weight loss was so slow, my body hurt (like hell), and I had no energy to do anything. But I forced myself to keep on and not give up. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s in May of 2004. Years prior I was (wrongly) diagnosed with Graves disease (hyPERT) in 91 and went into remission after another pregnancy.
I don‚Äôt know why I‚Äôve never given up, but I’m damn stubborn and I knew what I wanted.
In 2005 Cindy and I signed on to work with a trainer at our gym. I (we) subsequently worked with him for one year.
In August of 2005, we were invited to visit BLC by another LCF member and by this time I’d been playing with weights for about two years. My friend Marianne suggested that my (our) efforts would be better spent working with none other than YOU.
Hense the last two plus years and my journey with you. I decided to hire you for my 44th birthday gift to me in May of 2006. You‚Äôve helped me transform into something I‚Äôd only dreamed possible. I’m living my dream.
I never really had a timeline to define myself; I just knew I‚Äôd be a work in progress. At 46 years of age, a busy mom of 5, and married to and with my best friend of 30 years, I’m the BEST me I‚Äôve ever been. You‚Äôre a huge part of that!
It’s been an awesome journey.
Ileen is the definition of determination.
A perfect example of what can be achieved … if you really want it.
