Specializing in Weight Loss and Maintenance
When does twenty-eight
pounds equal twenty-eight minutes?
A true story by Ken Strickland
Several years ago, at the age of forty-eight, I was challenged to compete
in a sprint triathlon. Because the challenge was issued from my girlfriend…I
had to accept. Since that original triathlon I have competed in numerous
events per season. I do this now not due to challenges but for intrinsic
desire.
As the “tri’s” came and went I found myself not improving
on the overall times. My training program was as prescribed by many publications,
as well as, an enormous amount of hard work. I thought that this lack
of time reduction must be a factor of my aging. During the 2008 season
I had turned fifty-one, surely age was a viable excuse. What happened
next, however, threw the age factor completely out the window.
The same wonderful person that challenged me to triathlon competition
now had challenged me to altering my physical well being. This is when
Laurie Conrod and Silva’s Life Steps entered my life. I had always
felt that my diet and active lifestyle were appropriate and, in my best
interest. After an hour phone call on Friday afternoon, January 2nd of
2009, I knew my life was going to change. Laurie Conrod helped me understand
what my body’s true needs were and how to re-think years of incorrect
diet. Please don’t misunderstand, Laurie did not outline and place
me on a diet. Laurie helped me establish a diet for my body and my lifestyle
(a big difference between the word usages).
In the late summer of 2009 I competed in my best triathlon sprint. My
training program was the same as years before. My competitive attitude
was the same as before. One exception was the clothing was several sizes
smaller. My competition time was an incredible twenty-eight minutes less
than the previous season. I had reduced my overall time by twenty-eight
minutes. As I was driving home that day I keep wondering how I could have
accomplished that great of a reduction in overall time. The answer to
that question finally came to me “that is the same amount of pounds
that I had lost” with the new lifestyle that Laurie Conrod and Silva’s
Life Steps had help me develop. Twenty-eight pounds equated to twenty-eight
minutes.
Now it is 2010, and I am another year older. I have maintained my target
weight and I am loving life. I will always fuel my body in the manner
that I have learned. I will also always remember Laurie Conrod and how
she helped me understand what is important to one’s body. As for
the wonderful woman that has inspired me in so many ways, she is a “keeper”
and that is what I plan to do.
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Ken - Then |

Ken - Now |
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More Life-Stepper Testimonials:
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From Brandi: |
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Working with Laurie over
the past six months has changed my life. Not only have I lost over
95 pounds I have also gained the knowledge required to keep it off
for the rest of my life. I have realized through my sessions with
Laurie that there is no magic pill, no one is going to do this for
me, and my health is a direct result of the decisions I make.
Silva’s Life Steps program has given me the tools I need
to live a healthy more fulfilling life. At the beginning my goal
was simple, I wanted to be free from back pain and have more energy.
To say the least, the program has more than exceeded my expectations.
I look forward to continuing my work with Laurie and I am grateful
to have a coach with such knowledge, compassion, and understanding
to help me through this transition. |

Brandi - Then |

Brandi - Now |
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An email from Marty
to his many colleagues that asked him: "How did you do it?" |
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Subject: Healthier Lifestyle
This email is going to colleagues and friends who have expressed
interest in hearing more about the healthier lifestyle my wife and
I have adopted. Over the period August 17 to Thanksgiving, this
new lifestyle (and diet) have enabled us to lose a lot of weight
and feel great (~50 pounds for me and Terri surpassed her targets).
This program works and it is clean and sustainable living.
Following is the contact information for our coach, Laurie Conrod.
Laurie has adopted this program for herself and has maintained a
significant weight loss for several years. She leads by example.
She has lots of good advice, information and data to share with
you. If you are interested at all, do not hesitate to reach out
to her. She can describe the program and has very affordable prices.
She already has clients around the US and Europe and is effective
doing phone coaching.
Good luck, Marty
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From Cookie: |
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Well, Laurie as I sit
here and reflect on our “launching” conversation earlier
today, I have to say, I could not have made it without you. When
you and I started together in January, my goal was to go from 178
pounds to 140 pounds to enable me to get off of some medication
that I had been on for years since my cancer diagnosis. Not only
have I done that and more (currently at 135 pounds), more importantly
I have developed a healthier lifestyle and feel great. My clothes
look better on me, I look healthy and have plenty of energy. Although
I would never have believed it, I actually look forward to doing
some form of exercise every day. (Remember when I started and you
told me 2000 calories a weeks of exercise is a must – I told
you – “It’s not going to happen”.)
What sets you apart is your coaching style – your optimism,
patience, focus on setting realistic expectations and your gentle
but stubborn insistence on following the principles – and
you get results. And what continues to be remarkable to me and everyone
I talk to is we have done it all virtually! I have on my to do list
to drive up to Hartford and have lunch with you one day and I will
do that. Thank you for everything!
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From Anonymous: |
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I can remember being a
compulsive overeater ever since I was 13 and am now in my 40's.
After over 30 years of "yo yo" dieting and struggling to fit into
our culture's image of what a real woman should look like, I am
finally tackling my weight issues one day at a time with the help
of Laurie Conrod and Silva's Life Steps. Dieting for so many years
really did a job on me in terms of having an "all or nothing" mentality
involving severe guilt and shame around overeating. After working
Silva's Life Steps for over 2 years I am 20 pounds lighter but 30
years richer in mental and physical well being. I am still 19 pounds
away from my goal weight, though with my newfound patience and Laurie's
patience I can truly honor my own pace to losing the weight, while
continually improving my life style through weekly coaching. I totally
recommend this program for anyone who struggles with his or her
weight, body image or diet related health issues.
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From Nancy: |
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Dear Laurie,
I have often wanted to ask someone to let me report my weight periodically
thinking that it would help me to lose weight. Now I know that what
I was looking for was a coach...Thank you! |
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Laurie Conrod,
Certified Lifestyle Management Coach |
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