For several years I was unhappy with my weight and, as a result, suffered from low self-esteem. It was a stressful time in my life and I finally had enough. In January 2007, I made the decision to take control of my life and make some much-needed changes. I had never been into any type of exercise equipment and preferred the relaxation of swimming laps. Out of frustration and a sudden desire to change, one morning I decided to try out a Gazelle that was in my basement. It had been purchased by someone else after seeing their relative’s success with it but sat gathering dust until my curiosity got the better of me. I quickly read the manual and watched the DVD that came with it. It seemed simple enough so I grabbed my mp3 player and decided to give it a try. I figured if I didn’t like it, then that would be it. I had nothing to lose. I started with a 15 min workout. Well, I was hooked after just a few minutes. It was so simple to use that you really didn’t have to concentrate heavily on what you were doing. It felt like I wasn’t even working out. I lost myself in my music and let my mind wander. I felt great afterwards and decided I would try it again the next day. As the weeks passed and I continued working out on the Gazelle, I found my stress levels dropping and my energy levels increasing. I began to look forward to my workouts each morning and after a month increased them from 3 15-min workouts a week to 4 20min workouts. At the 6 week mark, I began 30-min workouts 5 times a week. I hadn’t really noticed much weight loss but felt so good inside that it was motivation enough to continue. I stared including some arm-work with 3-lb weights into my workouts once I was comfortable enough on the Gazelle to workout without using the handles. After 8 weeks, I was working out for 40-min, 5-6 times a week. It was then that my body started its? transformation. People began making comments on how happy I seemed and I told them I had started using the Gazelle. After about 6 months, my weight had dramatically started to change and people were stopping me in the halls at work to ask my secret. I felt like a spokesperson for the Gazelle and my friends joked that I should start doing infomercials with Tony. I had to keep buying new clothes every couple of months and didn’t even mind spending the money. It was such a great feeling to go into stores I hadn’t been able to shop in for years. It boosted my self-esteem and I found myself truly happy for the first time in a very long time. It was astounding to take things into fitting rooms and have to ask for a smaller size. It was more astounding that one little piece of equipment did all of that. In summer of 2008, after about 18 months, I had steadily dropped from a size 22 to a 14 and my jean size went from a 42 to a 33? I continued with my workouts and in September of 2008 I had dropped down again to a size 12/32 and that is where I have remained into the summer of 2009. I still look forward to my workouts and love that quiet thinking time before I start my day. For the last 6 months, I thought about sending in my story to say “thank you” for helping me to change my life. The more I thought about it, the more I decided that it would be even better if I could help just one person find the motivation to change their life. So here is my story. Thank you Tony! Tracey-Lynne - Ottawa Ontario, Canada