Member Success Story: Meet Jude

Nothing makes us happier than celebrating member success stories.  Seeing regulars around the club day after day is already a treat - but to see them get the results they work so hard for is really something special.  This week we met up with Jude, a longtime member of PEAC, who has lost 104 lbs since January.  

After photo from June 2018

Tell me a little about yourself.
Hi! My name is Jude Martin-Cianfano.  I have three beautiful children and have been happily married for 25 years.  I ‘m the Director of Events and Membership for the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce.  
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​How long have you been a member at PEAC?
I joined PEAC back in 1997. I was living in Hamilton when I first joined, but would make the commute to PEAC (which was then PAC) because none of my local gyms came close to comparing.  Eventually I moved to Pennington and was here almost every day until 2012 when I sustained a knee injury. 
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​​Tell me a little bit more about your fitness journey. 
My weight has always fluctuated. For me it’s genetic – my mother died of obesity at age 36 weighing 350 lbs.  My father currently weighs 650 lbs. Needless to say; I am consciously trying to break that pattern.  When I hurt my knee, I had to get cortisone shots which unfortunately caused me to gain weight. Once it began to heal, I started to get back into my fitness routine.  At that point I had also been looking for a metabolic doctor to help me with my weight loss.  I ended up finding Dr. Chung at Capital Health through another member right here at PEAC. 
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​How has your metabolic doctor helped you?
It was through Dr. Chung that I began the New Direction meal plan.  After undergoing various tests, I was put on a meal plan that was customized to my body and lifestyle. My meal plan required me to eat a bar for breakfast, a bowl of soup for lunch, a shake for a snack, and a cooked meal for dinner.  I was also told to consume 150 ounces of water a day.  On top of following this plan religiously, I learned a lot more about my body through Dr. Chung.  She taught me that my water retention was a huge factor affecting my weight fluctuation.  Certain foods (chickpeas, sweet potatoes, black beans, etc) were causing my body to retain a lot of water weight. When I started this meal plan, the first 27 lbs that I lost was entirely water weight.  When I started this program in January of this year, the first available appointment they had for me happened to fall on the anniversary of my mother’s passing.  I knew this new direction I was taking was meant to be.  By the first week of April I had lost 50 lbs – and best believe I rewarded myself with a Skinnygirl martini.    

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Jude was known as the "warrior" among her New Direction friends.

​What do you attribute your weight loss success to?
Dr. Chung has absolutely had a tremendous impact on my weight loss, but I also have PEAC to thank.  The community and staff here have been incredibly supportive of me throughout my journey.  The group exercise classes in particular have been awesome for me.  I can safely say I am addicted to barre classes – so much that I attend three every week! I also love the Jump & Pump and TBC classes.  Tamica’s class had me a bit nervous in the beginning. Seeing how hard she worked the class intimidated me.  However, I eventually bit the bullet and ended up loving it.  The group exercise program here is truly awesome.  The classes are challenging but allow me to go at my own pace.  I got to a point where I was taking three classes on Saturdays on top of my regular weekly routine! 

​Would you recommend PEAC to other people?
Absolutely - I’ve been a member since 1997 for a reason! The community here has been more than supportive.  Megan, the Group Exercise Coordinator, Kara, the Director of Operations, and Doug, the General Manager, have been my BIGGEST cheerleaders. They knew about my weight loss goals and would check up on me anytime I passed them in the gym.  I can still remember the day I exceeded my 100 lb weight loss goal.  It was September 22nd and everyone was so excited for me.  One time I was even stopped in the parking lot by a member who recognized me from around the club just to tell me how great I looked.  Talk about making someone’s day! Overall PEAC has been an incredible experience for me.  The facility, employees, and community feel really make it unique.  I also really admire PEAC’s involvement with the local community.  Part of my job at Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce is to connect small businesses so that they can support each other locally.  Needless to say I recognize that effort when I see it – and I see it at PEAC!  ​ 

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Jude and her son, Tim.

​So what now?
It has now been ten months since I’ve started the New Direction meal plan and my new fitness routine here at PEAC.  I have lost a total of 104 lbs and could not be happier.  I highly recommend Dr. Chung at Capital Health and PEAC’s group exercise program to anybody who is struggling to see results! 

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