Hey guys! Its Danny-J.. I have something to get off my chest…
Sighhhhh I don’t even know where to begin here, but I guess I’ll start with a quick re-cap of my situation:

Prior to Sweaty Betties, I was in a different facet of the fitness industry. I competed and modeled did whatever it took to attain the “look” that I thought was marketable for fitness modeling.
I was in the quest that many women find themselves in– the quest for the “PRO CARD”
When I started competing, at the end of 2006, I thought a Pro Card would just make me “more legit” as a trainer, as a professional. It would add to my resume and help me get more clients. As I started to learn, it was really more about who you know, to get you anywhere in the industry and I was luckily successful on my own right, without the competitions. However, in 2009 I decided to go ahead and compete again. I hired a new coach at the last minute, 6 weeks out from my show, so the diet was a little more drastic. I ended up looking the best I’d ever looked onstage and I also saw the new bikini division and wanted to give it a shot. So, thus began a diet that started in May and continued until the end of November. At the time, I thought the diet was extreme, and it was nothing that I would ever give my clients, yet, I thought, I’d try something new, it seemed to be working!

Fast Forward to 2 weeks after the competition– I had gone from being able to do Level 10 on the stairs, to trying Level 5 and having to stop and catch my breath to picking up 5lb. dumbbells and barely able to lift them AND gained 8lbs. over one weekend and steadily gaining. So I tried to crash diet, took all carbs away again, did 2 hours of cardio a day for 4 days and I GAINED 2 lbs. I didn’t understand. Why was I doing everything I did before and gaining???

Add on a year of this– trying to crash diet and another cycle of gaining. Fear of eating ANYTHING because I’d gain weight so easily. I’d cry and not want to train my clients, because I thought that they would see me getting fatter and no longer want to train. I’d get jealous of my clients who were successful and I wasn’t.

I finally started to realize this was bigger than just a thyroid issue and I was finding other women who were experiencing the same things!

Here are some quotes from the emails of just a FEW women going through this, unfortunately, the phone conversations I’ve had and the stories I’ve heard are painful and sad.

“In almost two years, I think I could count the number of times I had a cheat meal on both hands.  I was “allowed” to eat on my wedding day, but only a meal…I’m crying as I write this, because I know a lot of other women suffer from the damage”

 “I am so sick of not wearing shorts or going to a pool … lol. This certainly is a much bigger struggle than any comp prep that is for damn sure.”

“Such a big part of me, while I loved the transformation and good times of competing, wish I never did bc of what it has done to my head.”

“I too, have been to so many docs with lots of $ spent, and no progress.”

“I truly think unless you have gone through it, you have NO IDEA what it feels like”

” I have avoided several of my friends (not even competitors) and many social get togethers, along w vacations bc I am so disgusted w what I look like. Then I get pissed for putting so much of my self worth into my body… It is all such a mind fuck. There are many days I think this may be what Im stuck w but then I keep thinking if we keep fighting we can beat it and be better for it”

“I just all of a sudden have been experiencing so many symptoms and am miserable. I have also gained 17lbs out of no where, extremely fatigued, legs and ankles swell, shortness of breath and extremely weak. “

“I am doing Paleo at this time afraid of eating anything so I won’t gain more weight! But even with exercise I can’t loose any! Ugh!!!!”

It is my mission to FIND a solution. I am currently reading, reading, reading, and working with some professionals on a protocol. I hope that this blog/video will help someone become aware of what is going on, help someone feel like they aren’t crazy, or stop someone  from even going down this path. (FOLLOW-UP BLOG IS HERE)