By Stephanie Jullien, Member of Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek
Hi, there! I’m Stephanie and this is the beginning of my Rev32 journey.
I’m a nurse in a pediatric ICU department and a busy mother of four in a household that both my husband and I work to sustain. Because countless other things take priority, taking care of myself tends to sink to the bottom of the list. Like many women, it’s the gained and unlost baby weight that brought me to Rev32. Let’s stop here for a second and rewind it back to give you the full story.
In high school, I participated in sports, which kept me in good shape. I graduated and went on to attend the University of San Francisco. (Go Dons!) A nice rec facility opened up my first year there, so I was able to work out regularly and can proudly say that I avoided the dreaded freshman 15.
After graduation, I began working at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) as a nurse in the pediatric ICU. And so night shift work began. I initially was able to maintain my diet and weight, then, at 28 years old, my husband and I welcomed our first child.
Post-pregnancy weight loss was unbelievably easy for me. At six months post-pregnancy, I was actually skinnier than before getting pregnant, which I attribute to breastfeeding. Two years later, we were blessed with twins and that’s when things changed. I gained 55 pounds during that pregnancy, which is about normal for a mother carrying twins. Our daughter weighed in at 7 pounds and our son 6 pounds 12 ounces. Yes, big babies! I remember thinking to myself that I would lose the baby weight even faster this time because I’d be breastfeeding two … but that wasn’t the case at all. I was hungry all the time and had to eat a lot to keep up with feeding both babies. With a two-year-old and twin babies, I couldn’t find much time to work out or focus on my nutrition. I returned to work part-time, putting in two 12-hour night shifts a week, which meant less sleep as well.
I realized how unhealthy all this was, so when the twins turned one, my husband and I joined Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek. I was committed to losing weight. I tried a few group training programs with little success. Over the next several years, I was a yo-yo gym-goer — good for a couple of months, then I’d lose motivation and stop going before picking it up again.
Four years ago, we welcomed our fourth child. So with a very busy household of four children and both of us working, taking care of myself was the least of my concerns. But after 15 years of this, I finally said enough is enough and really committed to shedding the weight. I realized that changing my body wouldn’t happen overnight, so slow and steady became my motto. I explored my options at ClubSport and inquired about Rev32. I was very interested in joining the program, but it wasn’t part of our financial budget at that time — as I’m sure is the case for other people, too — so I began my “Weight Loss/Get Fit Journey” on my own.
I downloaded new music to my iPod and began working out regularly at ClubSport. My nutrition was already somewhat healthy to begin with, but I tweaked it to increase my protein intake and decrease carbs. I’m 100 percent Italian, so cutting back on carbs — that wasn’t an easy thing to do. I became a fixture at the club and every time I worked out and saw the Rev32 group, I would tell myself that I’d be a part of it someday.
Well, that someday has come. I just received my Rev32 binder from the Rev32 head coach at and I’ve already looked through it. One of the first things I noticed was the shopping lists from Costco and Trader Joe’s and I was happy to see that many of the items on there are items in my shopping cart regularly. One thing I already realized, however, is that I don’t eat the right amount of food at the right time of day. I think this type of nutritional information and counseling, along with daily food logs that will keep me honest, will be the biggest key to my success, especially when it comes to eating properly during my night shifts.
I can’t say how excited I am to begin this program. I’ve lost 14 pounds since July of 2015 and can feel myself getting stronger, but my goal is to lose 25 pounds and I know Rev32 will get me there. More than the number on the scale, it’s the changes in measurements that I look forward to. In September, I took three pairs of pants from the top shelf on my closet that don’t quite fit and I tried them on as part of my weekly “weigh-in” at home. I now fit into one pair and I hope to fit into the other two by the end of Rev32. Oh, and I also look forward to my shopping spree once all my clothes are too big; it’ll be my reward for all the hard work.
My 32 workouts are on my calendar. The shopping has been done and the fridge is stocked. I’m ready for this.
