Grand Prize Winner
More to Lose Category

Ally H.

“In all things, moderation”, a smart man once wrote and wiser words may never have been penned. I found out about T-Tapp in July 2002 but it wasn’t until I started applying this age-old adage that I finally understood T-Tapp. I’ve always been one of those all or nothing type people. If I set out to lose weight, I had to start on a Monday (preferably the 1st of the month at that). I’d go guns a-blazin’ into my diet and exercise plan. I can not tell you how many journal entries of mine start with the sentence, “Today is the first day of the rest of my life…no, I really mean it this time.” That gung-ho attitude would last until about 6 pm that first night (if I was focusing more on dieting, errrr, starving myself) or until I pulled a muscle (if I was focusing on the killer workout part) usually within the first week. I wasted a lot of years of my life in that routine.

I had Tapped on and off since July 2002, never with the consistency required to make any lasting changes, until this contest started. I started Tapping consistently with a 4-day Boot Camp on April 1st and I joined the 90-Day Contest on April 11th. I had heard about the T-Tapp MORE Workout for weeks prior to that but I shrugged it off as being like the other T-Tapp workouts, and therefore good, just not for me. I just never really got the knack of it all though I surely tried occasionally. Two trainer friends of mine (you know who you are!) kept nagging me about how different the MORE workout was and how much I’d love it if I’d just give it a try. Finally, to get them to shush I agreed to try it. I am not really one of those ‘love at first sight’ or ‘light bulb moment’ types. I rarely believe anyone that tells me they’ve had such an experience so if you don’t believe me now, I’ll understand and I can only suggest you try it for yourself and see. The first time I did the MORE workout I knew that I had found the answer for me.

I started this contest in size 24 pants and with WAY too many rolls of flab covering my otherwise very sexy 5’11” frame. I have the good fortune to be born with Dutch heritage (Teresa calls this one of the supermodel lineages) and a combo body meaning I have good bone structure and I gain weight evenly all over. No one ever believes me when I tell them how much I weigh because I look proportionate. However, anyone that has had the pleasure of wearing size 24 pants and having them get tight can tell you that proportionate or not, this is not fun. Shopping becomes so tedious as you are left to decide between the dazzling sequined-swan hunk of cloth or the brown and pink horizontal-striped turtleneck and accompanying stretch pants that don’t stretch in the right places and for some maddening reason zip in the side or back.

I am only 28 years old and I’m blessed to have no serious health problems. It was the shopping that motivated me to lose some sizes but if I had let a few more years pass I would surely have ended up diabetic and with compromised health like my dad. So the contest started, and my love of the MORE workout continued. I lost a size in the first two weeks and I was only doing the MORE workout every other day along with some light walking on my in between days. As soon as my 22s fit comfortably, I took my size 24s and did things to them, bad things. No way was I going to keep those hanging in my closet just in case I needed them again one day. Mark my word, I will never again wear a size 24!

I continued in the contest, taking my pictures and measurements once a month. I do not weigh myself as I personally believe the scale is an evil box sent up from the depths of Hades. The number on that box does not interest me in the least. As I continued Tapping, I started several fun challenges adding in a few extra moves mainly to amuse myself but also for the benefit of anyone on the forum that wanted to join me. But mostly I was doing MORE every other day as my main workout. I’d throw in Basic Plus once a week to crank it up a notch. That’s it. I only did the one 4-day Boot Camp at the beginning and then in my last month I did another 7-day Boot Camp alternating Tempo Torso or Tempo Arms with Hit the Floor. That is what got me into my 20s.
By the end of the 90-day contest, I lost two sizes and 53 inches overall! I did not spend hours a day working out. I did not adhere to some crazy diet. I tried to follow Teresa’s GM/MM way of eating until I reviewed my food journal and realized I had more MM days than GM days. Then, I stopped worrying about that and simply tried to make better choices like oatmeal for breakfast instead of a muffin, grilled or broiled fish instead of fried. I didn’t count, measure, weigh, or exclude anything from my diet (except ice cream because it really is like crack for me—once I start I just can’t put the spoon down).

I also noticed improvement in areas that you simply can’t measure by numbers. I am currently gearing up to start my last year of law school. I also work a full-time job. My stress levels are awfully high. Before this contest I was continually wondering why I felt so bad all the time. I read every post on the forum and thought, me too, I must also have _______ disease. The truth is that I had nothing wrong with me physically; I had just stopped Tapping. My mind got all cluttered and weighed down with unnecessary things. I never made the connection between working out and mentally feeling better before. Now I know that T-Tapp is as much a workout for the mind as it is for the body.

I also did the CRT brushing and noticed how much softer and tighter my skin was because of it. My digestion and what happens after digestion are greatly improved as well, not to mention these lean muscles that keep showing up in cool places. When I Tapp regularly, my stress is manageable. I can handle all of my responsibilities so much easier. A set of Hoe Downs in the middle of the afternoon or between classes or right when I am ready to doze off reading law books at midnight does the trick. It really is that simple. I also think I have developed what is known as the T-Tapp Glow. Someone actually told me that I looked radiant. Now that is a compliment.

I owe it all to myself for finally following my own advice and just Tapping, to my friends for inspiring me by their words or actions, and to Teresa for bringing T-Tapp to all of us real women. It truly is the best tool one can be given to take charge of their own health and well-being and make lasting changes. I entered the contest so I could improve myself as well as be an example to others with way more than less to lose that it is possible with less than 40 minutes a day a few times a week. I followed Teresa’s instructions and I did it! I know the remaining sizes I want to lose will be gone just as quickly as these first few sizes. All I have to do is Just Keep Tapping!