Off the Couch Special: Kelsey Byers and Rita Catolino

Cover Girl Quick Facts: Kelsey Byers

Age: 30

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Height: 5'-10"

Looking at her now, you may never have guessed that our cover girl, Kelsey Byers, wasn’t always happy with her body or her lifestyle choices. “At my heaviest, I was a size 14 and always felt uncomfortable. I never felt I looked good in clothes, so I shopped a lot. I remember always shopping, hoping to find the perfect outfit to make myself feel better. But I never did,” says Kelsey. She knew intuitively that she had to make a change, but couldn’t find the motivation she needed to do it. What it took was an entirely new environment.

She moved to a new city where she met a man, now her husband, Kent, who introduced her to the power of lifting weights. “Once I started to see real change to my body, I didn’t look back,” she says, calling Kent her biggest source of support from day one.

Kelsey, a marketing director for a transportation company, is almost finished her master’s degree in business administration and looks forward to the day she can devote all her energy to fitness and her next Bikini competition. She attributes all of the changes she’s made to surrounding herself with positive people and setting small, attainable goals.

“You need to start thinking of yourself as the person you want to be. As motivational guru Tony Robbins says, ‘Divorce your story.’ Ignore your past. If you want to make a change, do it!”

Calculated Fuel

Kelsey’s discovered her formula for staying lean: a protein-packed diet paired with plenty of healthy carbs. Here’s how she balances her daily meals.

Favorite Recipe

Kelsey is a big fan of our “Easy Does It” expert Tiffani Bachus’s Peanut Butter Protein Balls. She puts her own special touch on these by mixing some Lean Body for Her Delicious Soft Vanilla Ice Cream protein powder with a little water to make icing. “This is a great way to add a sweet taste to the protein balls or any muffin. Delicious!”

Tiffani Bachus’ Peanut Butter Protein Balls Ready in 5 minutes • Makes 14 servings

1/3 cup natural peanut butter 1/4 cup honey 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder 3 tbsp ground flaxseed 3 tbsp dark chocolate chips Instructions: Mix together all ingredients. Should be the consistency of Play-Doh. Roll into 14 small balls. Refrigerate to firm them up, overnight for best results. Enjoy! Nutrients per serving (1 Ball): Calories: 84, Total Fats: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 28mg, Total Carbohydrates: 8g, Dietary Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 6g, Protein: 4g, Iron: 0mg

Penciling It In

Like many people with a career to work around, Kelsey likes to tackle cardio first thing, then hit the gym again later in the evening for a good iron session.

Playlist

Check out the tunes that help Kelsey push through the last set at the gym:

1. The Motto (feat. Lil Wayne) / Drake Download Download 2. Walk That Walk / Dorrough Download Download 3. Man Down / Rihanna Download Download 4. Sail / AWOLNATION Download Download 5. Part of Me / Katy Perry Download Download 6. Beez In the Trap (feat. 2 Chainz) / Nicki Minaj Download Download 7. Sweat (feat. David Guetta) / Snoop Dogg Download Download 8. Ho Hey / The Lumineers Download Download 9. My Chick Bad / Ludacris & Nicki Minaj Download Download 10. How Low / Ludacris Download Download

Cover Girl Quick Facts: Rita Catolino

Age: 32

Hometown: London, Ontario

Height: 5'-7"

Our cover girl, Rita Catolino, has proved that it takes hard work and drive to go from feeling “blah” to feeling fab. After taking on a fitter lifestyle, she’s almost 30 pounds lighter and has enough energy to keep herself – and everyone else – going.

Rita never thought she’d get to know, much less train bestselling author and columnist Tosca Reno. But the day she picked up The Eat-Clean Diet® Cookbook was also the day she made up her mind to take a different path. “That book changed my life,” says the now slim and toned Rita, Tosca’s personal trainer, who takes the author through her paces as she trains to get back on stage in October. Motivated by Tosca’s book, Rita made clean eating a part of every day, filling her own cooler with fresh veggies and grilled chicken, and bringing it with her to the gym. She even became an eat-clean advocate, walking the talk with her clients, friends and family.

Tosca’s book gave her a much-needed plan she could map out. It also instilled in her the confidence she needed to get on stage. Venturing into competition Rita has competed in 11 contests to date. “Because I know where I’ve come from, I don’t ever want to be there again,” says Rita of her determination to never go back to her former lifestyle.

Today, Rita keeps busy training clients, traveling and entertaining. Despite the large part that training plays in her life, she still enjoys gathering in her home with family and friends, and bonding over a delicious meal. “I love to cook – you need to enjoy your food!” says Rita.

What you don’t need to do, she says, is continue to make excuses for not being the person you can be. “You must envision what you want and then set the goals that will get you there – and follow through!”

Rita’s Day of Fit Fuel:

Rita stays energized from morning to night with her frequent nourishing meals.

“Oh So Yummy” Non-Grain Pancakes with Fruit Syrup • Makes 1 serving

1 free-range egg 3 egg whites 2 tbsp coconut flour or almond meal Dash cinnamon 1 cup berries (Rita likes a blueberry/raspberry mix – “I go berry picking and freeze them for year-round goodness.”) Instructions: Blend first 4 ingredients. Make 4 to 5 small, thin crepe-like pancakes on a griddle over medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds, then flip to cook the other side. Boil down berries in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Pour over pancakes and sprinkle with more cinnamon. Nutrients per serving: Not Available.

If you push, I push:

Training others all day, Rita still fits in her own workout and certainly doesn’t take the easy route. Here’s how her week of sweat time is divided.

Playlist

Give yourself a push from “Coach Rita” with her motivating workout tracks:

1. Levels / Avicii Download Download 2. Titanium (feat. Sia) / David Guetta & Sia Download Download 3. We Run the Night (feat. Pitbull) / Havana Brown Download Download 4. Blow Me (One Last Kiss) / P!nk Download Download 5. Where Have You Been / Rihanna Download Download 6. We Own the Night (feat. Luciana) / Tiësto & Wolfgang Gartner Download Download 7. Scream / Usher Download Download 8. Feel So Close (Radio Edit) / Calvin Harris Download Download 9. Whistle / Flo Rida Download Download 10. Escape Me (Radio Edit feat. C.C. Sheffield) / Tiësto Download Download