About ME!

I began my health and fitness journey in an effort to learn how to live my best life. 

I grew up in a Mennonite community in southern Manitoba. My mom raised me and my siblings from the time I was 8, supporting us on welfare and relying on food banks to feed us.

We received basic food supplies like flour, oats, beans, cereals, and some canned foods. This went well with the mennonite diet of bread, noodles, & cooked beans. Vegetables? What are those anyway?

As a young teenager, I was very conscious of my weight. My favorite magazine was Young and Modern and I wanted to be a model.  I was tall and skinny (in fact my BMI was under 18), but my measurements were more than that of the models in the magazine. I grew up feeling and thinking I was fat.

I got married at the young age of 21 and gradually put on weight. By my 30’s, I was 50lbs heavier. I got pregnant with my first child and ballooned up to 230+. (I don’t know what that final number was, I was too scared to look at the scale.)

I started my first workout and eating program called P.I.N.K. when my son was just over a year old. I lost over 30lbs, but I remember being so hungry. ALL the time. The diet didn’t include any fat and I ate a lot of baby carrots!

During my second pregnancy, I went back up to 210+lbs. From then, I hovered between 185-199. Then in 2019, I jumped onto the KETO bandwagon. In a few short months, I dropped down 30 lbs. I felt amazing! I had no sugar cravings, tons of energy, and I looked great.

That’s when, I decided to start fasting. And I jumped in head first! At first it went really well. Then after too many extended fasts, my energy started dipping. I felt fatigued. I watched TV all day and ate after my kids went to bed. 

I saw an ad for Fit Chicks Academy and joined, not quite sure what I had done or if it was even legit. I went through the course, inhaling as much as I could. I’d like to tell you that it’s been clear sailing from there but no. I still thought carbs were “bad”.

It wasn’t until I signed up for another exercise and nutrition program, choose a gluten-free meal plan and then followed it, that I felt good. I had energy. Less mood swings. Could everything I learned in my fitchicks course actually be true?

Now here I am, fulfilling my dream!

Susie Friesen