Laura Hyman is proof that it's never too late to make a change.
After losing both her mother and mother-in-law in short period of time, the 54-year-old grandmother decided it was finally time to lose weight.
“My mother was only 70 years old [when she died] and I was 50 years old. I got scared and I did not want to miss out on my kids and my grandkids,” said Hyman, who was used to “taking care of everyone else but myself.” At her heaviest, she weighed 264 lbs.
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A self-described "emotional eater," Hyman started the Isagenix weight loss program with her husband Myron in September 2015. Swapping fried foods and carb-heavy meals in favor of organic foods like chicken, quinoa and vegetables and enjoying the program's shakes helped the retired Indio, California-based couple lose 100 pounds each in less than a year.
“[Isagenix] gave us a time schedule for our meals and snacks,” says Hyman, who now weighs 161 lbs. and eats five times a day: two shakes, two snacks and one full meal. “This system taught us that not only the food we are eating counts but the timing of when we are eating is so important.” Now after dinner, Hyman says, “the kitchen is closed.”
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The couple also started the IsaBody Challenge, a 16-week body transformation program, at the beginning of their weight loss journeys.
“It became a great support system through the Isabody Facebook page,” says Hyman. “I could go on there daily and get workout ideas and meal ideas, and when I put my first before-and-after pictures in there, I could not believe how much love and support I got. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced.”
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Since October, Hyman has also amped up her workouts, hiring a trainer and going to the gym 3 to 4 times a week. “I’ve gained 8 lbs. of lean muscle, which is different because I’m used to the scale going down,” she says. “But now it’s going up and I’m seeing where it is, in muscle. I’m still able to get rid of the visceral fat with the system and it’s amazing.”
Now on her sixth IsaBody Challenge, Hyman was just picked as a finalist out of more than 30,000 applicants Myron received an honorable mention, and she feels better than ever.
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“I fuel my body and don’t eat for emotional reasons,” she says. “I feel better than I did in my 20s.”
And being able to do it with her husband has made it even more rewarding.
“We’ve both invested in each other, cheered each other on and never let the other feel like a failure,” says Hyman. “Accomplishing this weight loss together has made our relationship so much stronger.”
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