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Member Stories: How Angela Petroline Learned to Balance Nutrition and Exercise to Achieve Results

FFC Park Ridge member, Angela Petroline, shares how she lost 100 lbs with the help of a registered dietitian nutritionist and the FFC community.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you made a change to your health.

I recently turned 49 and am a CPA for a private company. I have struggled with weight all my life, in fact, this is the second time I’ve lost 100 lbs. The first time I was 25 and was able to keep it off for seven years, but after getting married, I got comfortable in my life and the weight slowly crept back on again.

When I embarked on my weight loss journey for the second time, I Initially thought if I simply exercised a lot, I could eat whatever I wanted. However, I quickly realized this was not the case as I continued to gain weight. In December of 2021, I twisted my knee walking upstairs and ended up with a slight tear in my meniscus – which meant I had to stop exercising altogether.

With exercise temporarily out of the picture, I decided to hunker down on the nutrition side of things and really hold myself more accountable with my food choices. This pushed me to join FFC where I sought help from Alicia Edwards, a registered dietitian nutritionist.

When I first met Alicia, I completed a Resting Metabolic Rate test to understand how many calories I should be eating to successfully lose weight. I logged my food in an app to help monitor my macros and ensure I was staying within the recommendations. Simultaneously, I started going to physical therapy for my knee and was using the FFC pool for additional exercise. Once I discovered this balance between nutrition and exercise, the weight just started falling off.

From January 2022 – March 2022 I was losing 8-10 lbs a month. After physical therapy ended in March of 2022, I was cleared to get back on the elliptical, and I started incorporating more strength training into my routine to provide better and stronger support for my knee. I also continued to see Alicia once a month for nutrition guidance.

I steadily lost weight each month, and by April of 2023, exactly 1 year and 3 months after starting my journey, I hit my goal of 100lbs (which was the same timeline it took me to lose the weight at age 25).

Now that I’m 49, I’m more motivated than ever to keep the weight off for good.

Angela Petroline weight loss transformation

What made you decide to join FFC?

I have been exercising at gyms ever since I could afford a membership, but my previous gym closed during Covid.

I did shop around when looking for a new gym – at one point I was a member of Life Time Fitness, but it became too expensive. I also tried out xSport Fitness, but it really lacked the amenities I was looking for. That’s when I landed on FFC; it has as many amenities as Life Time Fitness without the high ticket price, it’s close to home and I love all of the fitness options and community events the club has to offer.

I enjoy singing in my free time, so I have really loved participating in karaoke nights at FFC. I’ve also gotten more into self care so I now treat myself to a facial once a month right at the club to help unwind and decompress. FFC has become a one-stop shop for my health and wellness needs.

Since you’ve become a member, you’ve lost 100 pounds! What did you do both inside and outside of the gym to achieve these results?

The biggest thing for me has been incorporating weight training into my routine alongside cardio. Once I was released from physical therapy, I began using the elliptical in the gym every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Then on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, I’ll complete at home strength training and step aerobic videos to start building more muscle.

Since my injury, my knee is officially 100% pain free! I’ve started slowly getting back into jogging by practicing three minutes of walking followed by three minutes of jogging for 30 minutes. My goal is to eventually replace the step aerobic workouts with a jog after I finish weight training.

Every time that I’ve felt a workout has started getting too easy, I have upped my intensity one way or another. Continuously challenging myself to take it to the next level has really helped me get to where I am today.

What motivates you to continue to work toward your goals?

Right now what motivates me is just feeling healthy. In 2020, I lost my only sibling to cancer so I’m the only child my parents have left. Not only do I need to stay healthy for them, but also for myself to have a better quality of life and be ready and prepared to handle whatever life throws my way.

You work with Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Alicia Edwards. What is the biggest takeaway you have from working with Alicia?

My biggest takeaway from Alicia is that she helped change my perspective on food and weight loss in general. Before meeting with Alicia, my idea on weight loss was that it was 80% exercise and 20% diet, however, Alicia helped me learn it’s really the opposite of that. She’s also always prepared with good suggestions on habits to change or caloric adjustments to make when I hit plateaus to get me back on track to hit my goals.

What are your keys to success?

My keys to success are persistence, perseverance and simply never giving up. Before I lost the weight I was battling depression so my workouts were sporadic and oftentimes I’d choose sleeping in instead of working out. But now, I don’t allow excuses to get in the way. I have trained myself to get out of bed every morning to do some sort of physical activity, no matter what. Even when I’m feeling a little under the weather, I listen to my body and swap my normal routine for something less strenuous like yoga or a walk to still incorporate a little activity into my day. Simply being consistent goes a long way.

What advice would you give to someone who isn’t seeing results yet from their efforts?

Check in with your diet – one thing I learned that I didn’t know in the beginning is diet is key. If you haven’t already, consider getting a Resting Metabolic Rate test to understand your body and how many calories it takes to maintain your weight at rest. Watching your calorie intake is important for weight loss, so this test will provide a baseline for how many calories you should be consuming to be in a deficit and lose weight. I’d also highly recommend consulting with a registered dietitian for continued guidance and support throughout your journey.

My final piece of advice would be to keep it simple. As humans we naturally tend to overcomplicate the process in our minds thanks to the endless advertising and marketing out there. But remember it doesn’t have to be hard – simply monitor how much you intake and burn and find the right balance that works for your body.

Post written by FFC Member Angela Petroline.

by Sydney Meyer

Member Stories

Member Stories: Conquering The Roller Coaster Weight Loss Story

FFC Old Town member Bryce shares her inspirational weight loss story: triumphs and trials, her experience finding a trainer that fit her needs and everything she learned along the way.

Ever since my senior year of college I have been on a roller coaster of gaining weight and losing weight. I couldn’t go a season of being the same weight. In the summer of 2014, my sister got engaged. I knew that if I wanted to look good in the bridesmaid dress, I needed to lose the weight. I joined Weight Watchers for what would have been the billionth time and joined FFC Old Town for the first time. By the spring of 2015 I had successfully lost almost 50 pounds with the help of a trainer and nutrition plan.

That July I was let go from my job due to budget cuts and essentially gave up and returned to my old ways. I stopped eating healthfully and returned to fast food; I also stopped going to the gym. Within 16 months, not only did I regain the weight I’d lost, I gained an additional 25 pounds, for a total of 75 pounds. It was like a BOGO sale – ‘gain back 50 plus half more!’ You would have thought the pain in my joints walking short distances, falling to the floor with a large thump while squatting to play with my then 6-month old niece, the fact that people at Jimmy/Papa John’s knew my order by the sound of my voice or the realization that I was barely one size away from only plus-sized clothing would have encouraged me to lose the weight, but it didn’t.

One Foot in Front of the Other – The Journey Back to Healthy Habits

It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom and was fed up with my situation that I finally faced the facts and stepped on the scale in November of 2016. I should also mention that one of the main motivators to lose weight was due to my plantar fasciitis. I had been experiencing pain since September and when I saw my podiatrist two months later, he confirmed the diagnosis. I have flat feet and have been wearing custom orthotics since I was a child. The excess weight only flattened my feet more and contributed to the diagnosis. Once I stepped off that scale I was mortified and disappointed to learn I had gained 75 – making me now over 200 pounds. Seeing ‘2’ as the first number was extremely painful. I joined Weight Watchers the next day and entered a grocery store for the first time in forever. I didn’t want to rejoin the gym, though, because I was embarrassed to walk in and show that I’d gained back all the weight, plus more.

With the persuasion of my mom (because she knew I was so successful on my last weight loss journey) and the fact that it was a good stress reliever, I rejoined the gym in December that year at 13 pounds down. I signed up with a trainer (I’ve had 3 since I restarted). In my mind I was going to have a good connection with my trainer because I’d experienced that the last time, but sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Trainer 1 never ‘got me’ or understood my limitations (especially with my plantar fasciitis). I don’t think he ever thought I could successfully lose the weight; in some ways I don’t blame him, I wasn’t full committed, partially because I wasn’t the biggest fan and he didn’t motivate me. Every exercise I did was painful. I couldn’t walk over 3.2 mph on the treadmill without feeling winded; using the elliptical was nearly impossible. I felt truly defeated – it wouldn’t be a lie to say I hated the gym. After a little more than a month with Trainer 1, I started working with Trainer 2. I liked her more, but didn’t feel 100% comfortable with her. She was passive aggressive and I am the opposite; I avoid confrontation at all costs. She also spent more time looking at herself in the mirror, talking about herself and cleaning up the equipment than helping me. I never shared my concerns because I thought that was the best I was going to get and I avoid confrontation at all costs. She moved away and in December of 2017 I began training with Trainer 3, Eric, who met my needs.

Eric is by far the best trainer I have ever worked with – he is kind, attentive to my injuries and motivating. Before every session he greets me with a, ‘Hi champ – how was your day?’. He also has the ability to put me in my place, and I truly appreciate it. Professionally, I work with kids with special needs, and often am utterly exhausted when I get to the gym. As soon as he sees me, if he notices my face/attitude look defeated, he tells me to ‘fix my face and walk back in’, which totally changes my attitude. It’s the kick in the butt I need.

Overcoming Obstacles and Seeing Sustainable Success

As soon as I started working with Eric, I started enjoying the gym. I once noticed someone deadlifting and told Eric I wanted to do that one day – he said I could, but I didn’t believe it. He gave me the tools and I am forever grateful. The very next session we started using kettlebells to work up to a deadlift. After that, I practiced my form on the bar. Finally, he put weight on the bar, and I officially did my first deadlift. Over time, I was able to create a bond with Eric – he not only was my trainer, but became a friend as well.

Eric is by far the best trainer I have ever worked with – he is kind, attentive to my injuries and motivating. Before every session he greets me with a, ‘Hi champ – how was your day?’. He also has the ability to put me in my place, and I truly appreciate it. Professionally, I work with kids with special needs, and often am utterly exhausted when I get to the gym. As soon as he sees me, if he notices my face/attitude look defeated, he tells me to ‘fix my face and walk back in’, which totally changes my attitude. It’s the kick in the butt I need.

When I first started my weight loss journey, walking was the only exercise I did outside the gym. I used my Fitbit as a motivator to see how many steps I could get in a day. I would walk back and forth down the halls at my school during all my breaks and even at lunch. At first, I think my coworkers thought it was weird, but when they noticed I had lost weight, they would root me on and ask how many steps I was at. We did a Fitbit challenge to see who could get the most steps in for the month of April in 2017 – I won. It was during that challenge that I became motivated with Myzone.

I remember going to the gym and getting on the treadmill because I wanted get the most steps for that challenge. I remember looking at the Myzone display screens and for some reason I was dead set on burning 1000 calories. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Maybe I just wanted to see how far I could go. Well after an hour and forty-five minutes of walking fast on an incline on the treadmill I hit that 1000 calories. I was so proud of myself I took a picture of it because I was in shock that I was able to do it. I have used my Myzone as a motivator to add more movement to my day. Before my sessions with Eric I’ll dance around my apartment, walk back and forth down the halls at school or climb stairs to gain MEPs. I have participated in three Myzone challenges. I was never motivated to actually win – the motivation for me is to be healthier and to be the best I could be.

As I said earlier, I have never been able to maintain my weight. This time I am keeping the weight off. Part of it was knowing my “why” and “how”. My ‘how’ is through my workout and nutrition. I would like to think I eat pretty clean. I love fruit. Now, I’d rather have fruit than a candy bar. My fitness goals now include continuing to get stronger and add more tone. I am proud to say that so far, I have lost 80 pounds, and for the first time since I was a senior in college have been able to keep the weight off for many seasons.

My why is because I couldn’t keep riding the roller coaster of weight changes. I realized I needed to make my health my priority I needed to take care of myself. Now, I feel better about myself. I have more confidence and I carry myself differently. I am a happier person.

Post written by FFC Old Town member Bryce L.

I remember going to the gym and getting on the treadmill because I wanted get the most steps for that challenge. I remember looking at the Myzone display screens and for some reason I was dead set on burning 1000 calories. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Maybe I just wanted to see how far I could go. Well after an hour and forty-five minutes of walking fast on an incline on the treadmill I hit that 1000 calories. I was so proud of myself I took a picture of it because I was in shock that I was able to do it. I have used my Myzone as a motivator to add more movement to my day. Before my sessions with Eric I’ll dance around my apartment, walk back and forth down the halls at school or climb stairs to gain MEPs. I have participated in three Myzone challenges. I was never motivated to actually win – the motivation for me is to be healthier and to be the best I could be.

by Fitness Formula Clubs

Tips

How I Meal Prep Lunch for a Week Plus Helpful Tips for Meal Prep

My friends and coworkers often ask me about weekly meal prep. I am very passionate about healthy eating. In multiple conversations with friends and coworkers, I have noticed most people want to do it, but find it difficult to justify the time and question the cost savings. As someone who has prepped meals for years, I am a firm believer that it saves time, money, and provides many health benefits.

Here are the common questions people ask me about meal prep:

What do you make during meal prep?
How long does it take to cook?
Does your food taste good at the end of the week?
Is it cheaper than eating out?

As a member of corporate America, I find myself constantly influenced by the dark side of donuts, candy, and/or some sort of processed food. In the beautiful city of Chicago, it’s even more difficult, having restaurant upon restaurant within blocks of my apartment calling my name with cuisine from around the world. I believe that life is short and you should enable your body to experience these great restaurants.

Notice that I used the word “enable” versus “treat myself.” What I mean by this is that I believe there’s always a balance between treating yourself and eating too much of the wrong stuff. With that said, I feel that one meal we can take control of and help us throughout our day is lunch. Lunch is the meal that creates the break in our work day. Regardless if you’re in corporate, hospitality, or health care, you need to eat lunch. It is far too easy to go with what everyone else is having (hamburger, processed sandwich, etc) and let this meal get away from us.

This is where meal prep comes into play and making a healthy choice can really be easy with weekly meal prep. Meal prep enables your body to truly enjoy cheat meals (I’ll explain that later) without the guilt. The purpose of this message is to not only answer the questions above but outline them in a way that logically proves that meal prep is worth your time and money.

Though you can meal prep for any time of day, I will keep this overview to lunch – as it’s the most common meal everyone asks about. Lets get started!

What do you make?

The answer to this questions depends on the type of food you eat. Personally, I prefer the Paleo lifestyle and my food choices are limited to lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts & seeds, and healthy fats. I look for a balanced portion of a protein, greens, and carbohydrates for lunch. This allows me to have my break during the day and be able to get back to work without the afternoon dip.

Here’s what a typical lunch may look like:

How long does it take to cook?

I start with skinning the sweet potatoes and throw them into the oven since they take the longest. I time the broccoli start time to end the same time as the sweet potatoes. Once those two are complete, I move onto the chicken and grill it outside, which takes roughly 30 minutes. The food prep and cooking time will take you roughly 1.5 hours in total.

Meal Prep = Time Saver

I always like to compare this to the alternative. Let’s look at both scenarios of going to get food and bringing it back to your desk versus eating there. I did time trials by walking with coworkers to grab their lunch and I found that the average time was roughly 15 minutes to go there and back. Total time throughout the week is an hour and 15 minutes. Ok, we’ve saved some time!

In a different situation, let’s look at how much time is saved in comparison to when you eat at a restaurant. I began timing this trial from the time we sat down and began to eat. I excluded any sit down restaurants that included a server since the lead times varied by person and restaurant. I came to the conclusion of an average 15 minute eating time. Combining that with travel time, you’re looking at 2 hours and 30 minutes saved per week.

Does your food taste good at the end of the week?

This one intrigued me for a while as I did notice that my chicken would become rubbery or not taste as good toward the end of the week. A trick you can use to help your food last and taste better longer is with your freezer. I do my meal prep on Sundays and put Monday and Tuesday’s meals in the refrigerator. The rest goes into the freezer and I pull out one meal each day throughout the week. Monday, I pull out Wednesday, etc.

Is it cheaper than eating out?

Yes, meal preparation will save you money. Below is an outline of the cost comparison between purchasing groceries vs. eating out. Please note, I am measuring groceries for a single person, using the chicken/broccoli/sweet potato meal outlined above.

If you go out to eat each day, lunch costs anywhere from $6 (typical fast food options) to $10 (Chipotle, Panera, etc.) depending on where you go. Add a sugary Coke, that’s another $2.00. The numbers speak for themselves.

Final Thoughts on Meal Prep

Regardless if you’re training for a race, show, or looking for ways to be healthier, I am a firm believer that meal preparation can bring value to your day and life. You will not have to worry about answering the question, “What should I eat for lunch?” You have the opportunity to learn to cook new meals and try something new every week. Not only will meal prep save you money on a weekly basis, but you’ll get more out of your day. We can’t get more time in a day, but we can make the most of it.

For more about meal preparation and fitness, follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Post written by FFC Union Station member Omar R.