Tara Burgess, never saw herself as someone who had a cheese problem. But after she stepped on the scale and saw a number she wasn’t happy with, she decided to make changes. It started with her love for cheese, Tara had to admit to herself that the amount of cheese she was consuming day to day was unnecessary. Why cheese you ask? Well, lets learn from her own story.
In our series covering #RealWomen in March, lets check out Tara Burgess’ incredible story in an exclusive interview with Women Fitness below.
Women Fitness:
When did you realize that you needed to lose weight?
Tara Burgess:
For most of my life, I have always been a little bit overweight. I am not one of those people that are naturally thin or muscular. I have to work for it. I started realizing when I was a bit overweight and not exercising/eating right, I was in a bad mood and not enjoying life as much. Once I made the connection to how I felt mentally with my diet and exercise regime, I knew this had to be a permanent lifestyle shift.
Women Fitness:
How has your weight loss journey been? What were the milestones that you had to overcome?
Tara Burgess:
Honestly, there have been a lot of ups and downs. There are some months it feels like 1 step forward 3 steps back if I get busy at work or have to travel a lot. But I think this became more of a lifestyle when I stopped giving up after I stumbled. It’s okay to have a bad week but don’t let that bad week turn into a bad month or a bad year. Start back up again on the first day you feel ready.
Women Fitness:
What is your fitness regime like?
Tara Burgess:
I have a peloton bike that I love. I try to do that 3 – 4 times a week (anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how I am feeling and how much time I have that day). Ideally, I get two 1 hour training sessions in with my personal trainer Laurent Amzallag who was named as one of the country’s top 50 trainers by the President’s Council On Physical Fitness and Sports. Laurent has a personal motto ‘a body will always follow a motivated mind.’ With this motto he believes you have to start with small habit changes, so you don’t shock the mind and the body = success.
Women Fitness:
In a typical day, what do you take for breakfast-lunch-dinner?
Tara Burgess:
Typically skip breakfast, just a black coffee. If I get hungry before lunch I will have a piece of fruit. Lunch is typically a salad from somewhere like chop’t or sweet green where I load it with veggies and add egg whites for my protein. If I get hungry in the afternoon, I may have something nuts if I am craving something salty or another piece of fruit if its more on the sweet side. Dinner is usually an Ezekiel English muffin, 3 egg whites, wilted spinach and tomatoes, with some hot sauce. I will add an avocado in a few times per week as well. This is also my go to weekend breakfast/lunch.
Women Fitness:
Who/What do you consider the greatest motivation behind your healthy weight loss journey?
Tara Burgess:
Genetics. On both sides of my family we have problems with heart disease, with women as young as 28 having heart attacks, and everyone has blockage in their veins. I am determined to not let that happen to me. I want to be healthy. Also, how I feel. My husband calls me a well-oiled machine. If I get too far off my routine for too long I start to feel awful – tired, weak, stomach issues. I don’t want to feel like that so it reminds me to make better choices every day.
Women Fitness:
What is your 2018 New Year Resolution to maintain a healthy & fit lifestyle?
Tara Burgess:
I am trying to further refine my diet in 2018. My guilty pleasure is cheese and we have cut it to 1 time per day. At the start of Lent (Feb 14) I have cut cheese all together. I am hoping to see an even bigger shift in how I am feeling.
Women Fitness:
What would be your fitness tips for women struggling to lose weight?
Tara Burgess:
Find something you love to do. Find a buddy that likes to workout and also struggles like you. Schedule workout sessions. I live by my Outlook calendar at work and it’s good to put workouts on the calendar too. Set micro goals with a small reward at the end (i.e. Lose 5 pounds by X date and treat yourself with a new outfit; Complete 10 workouts in two weeks and grab a massage). Keep yourself accountable with something visual to track your progress – (Apple Watch is a big go to for me, My fitness pal is great for tracking calories, and then the calendar sticker reward system)
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