Alison Agan knows success doesn’t happen on accident; it’s the result of daily choices made. Choices like: Hitting the snooze at 4:36 a.m. or getting up for a fitness class; saving time by eating processed food, or taking time to prepare healthy meals; keeping treats stocked in the cupboard, or buying them for special occasions.
Making these right choices hasn’t been easy for Sully resident Alison Agan. But it’s been worth it. She’s lost more than 135 pounds in the past two years of making many lifestyle changes.
“Giving up may have been an option at the beginning, when I wanted to lose half of my body weight,” Agan said. “But once you start seeing those results, they become addictive. While sometimes it’s tempting to skip a 4:36 alarm or a Monday of meal prep, my week is better if I get up and show up.”
Samples of the "clean" eating options Agan makes.
As owner of AllyCuts Salon & Tanning, Agan is a familiar face around town. She’s been pretty public about her weight-loss journey, helping to hold her accountable while at the same time inspiring others as well.
THE WEIGHT OF THE PAST
Agan has struggled with her weight her whole life. Though she grew up on a farm, she describes her younger self as more of an “inside girl” who liked spending time with her mom, cleaning, cooking, and baking. She began wearing plus-size clothing in junior high.
The weight issues followed Again into her adult life, when she tried all sorts of diets – none of which helped keep off the weight permanently. The most successful diet was when she did Weight Watchers after college. She joined a gym, dropped 80 pounds, and kept it off for about a year. Then she met her husband, Shelby.
“We had fun, ate out, and both loved food!” Agan said.
When the two started a family, Agan began to concentrate on her kids: Kyler (now age 10), Boston (8), and Merrick (4). She let making time for herself slip – and the pounds started coming back.
Eating healthier has become a family affair involving all members of the Agan household, from left, Boston (8), Alison, Shelby, Merrick (4), and Kyler (10).
The big issue was their eating habits, which Agan described as “junk.” They ate out a lot and had an abundance of processed food and desserts. They also didn’t eat many vegetables.
STARTING SMALL
Agan knew something needed to change. She still remembers the exact moment about two years ago when something clicked, and she decided to change her life. She had gone out to eat at a Mexican restaurant and, like usual, had eaten too much.
“Feeling uncomfortably full, I said, ‘I don’t want to feel like this anymore,’” she recalled. “Shopping for clothes was impossible, I couldn’t keep up with my kids, and my body hurt, all the time. I had seen a friend have success by cutting out pop, watching portions, and exercising at home. I texted her and made the decision to start that next day!”
The commitment began with small changes and not even a drop of pop for more than six months. Agan still doesn’t drink pop often, enjoying it every so often as a treat.
She also started adding more exercise into her day.
“Two years ago, a short walk was all I could do; it was how I started into my healthy lifestyle, though,” Agan recalled. “I moved into trying home fitness, doing T25, TurboFire, and other home workouts. I did these for about a year. These were a great place to start for me! It allowed me to do my best at the weight I was, and gave me the groundwork for my second year in fitness.”
Agan decided to branch out to exercising in person with others. With much anxiety and fear, in May 2014, she joined a fitness class led by instructor Tashia Ehresman, who is now director at the Diamond Trail Fitness Center in Sully. Ehresman knew of Agan’s fear of exercising in front of others and said it’s a fear many women have.
“It took me months to convince her to come to class,” Ehresman said. “She knew many of the women who attended, which helped a great deal in convincing her. It was heart warming and emotional to watch her blossom after that. Within a month, I could see her confidence increasing as she became stronger and willing to try more things in class.”
Agan herself was surprised at how her fear of the classes was replaced by enjoyment.
Alison Agan before (on left) and after (on right)
“What I found through these classes was an amazing group of encouraging ladies, most of whom shared similar fears!” Agan recalled. “A friend said to me, ‘I’m not looking at anyone else. I’m too busy trying to keep up. No one else has time to look or judge either!’”
REACHING GOALS
With support from others, Agan has been able to reach a couple of exercise goals in the past year. One was a month-long burpee challenge through her fitness class in which she did 100 burpees every day for a total of 3,100 burpees. The other, more long-term exercise goal was to become a runner.
“A little over a year ago, I could barely run a block or two at a time,” Agan said. “In May 2015, I ran the Klompen Classic in Pella, my first 5K, without walking and with good friends beside me cheering me on.”
Fast forward to November 2015 and Agan ran another 5K with a friend. Her summer of running had paid off as she took over four minutes off her time. The success she’s had in running has spurred her on to set yet another exercise goal.
“Call me crazy, but this girl – that one who couldn’t run a block a year ago – I want to do a half-marathon!” Agan said.
Hitting new fitness goals, fitting into smaller clothing sizes, and getting new clothes – these have all helped provide that extra drive when the going has gotten tough. Agan also cited the decrease in long-term health risks as another big incentive for her. Another one of the biggest motivators for her has been inspiring others to make positive changes in their lives.
“Having others see those changes in me and wanting it for themselves is so motivating and is great accountability for me,” she shared.
At the fitness center, Ehresman has seen first-hand people being inspired by Agan.
“Sharing her story of trials, setbacks, and accomplishments has helped others find the courage to step out of their comfort zone as well,” Ehresman said. “Alison has such a caring heart! She shares her recipes and encourages others around her in class and even in her chair at AllyCuts. Exercise, healthy eating, and positive friends really can change your life! Just look at the glow in her face and eyes, and you'll see a beautiful, energetic lady who is optimistic, dedicated, and continually striving to accomplish her next goal!”
THE FOOD FACTOR
As important as exercise has been to her weight loss, eating right has played an even bigger role for Agan. She has turned to eating “clean” snacks and meals as well as controlling her portions.
“Hands down, the most difficult thing for me is eating correct, specifically emotional/stress eat-ing,” Agan said. “Eating out of stress, boredom, and emotions is always going to be a struggle for me, but finding the balance is what I’m working on.”
Thankfully, there are plenty of resources out there for healthy living. Agan said she had to learn to put in the effort to try new things and to figure out what works for her and her family.
For example, planning and preparing meals early in the week has been helpful. On Mondays, she makes a bunch of meals and snacks, which she divvies up into appropriate portions so she and her husband can just grab them and go for their lunches.
Agan has also kept a food journal. At a couple of points during the past two years, she has turned in her food journal to Ehresman and other friends. This helped her to learn what foods she needed less or more of. Knowing someone was going to see her brutally honest food journal was also extremely effective in helping Agan control what she was eating.
With her family members witnessing the changes Agan has made, they’ve also gotten on board with the health steps and have been very supportive.
“Once I started changing my eating habits, I saw how much my kids gravitated to those choices!” Agan said. “While my family’s changes have been slower than mine, we have all focused on making healthier choices.”
It hasn’t been a perfect journey for Agan. There have been times when she’s gotten off track in her eating. But a look back at how much her life has changed these past couple of years helps her stick with the new lifestyle.
“I used to struggle with soreness after standing at work all day or keeping up with my active kids,” she shared. “I don’t want them to even remember the old me. While I was happy with my family, I wasn’t happy with my body, my clothes, or my energy level! It's those things that I think of when I need to get back on track.”
IN IT TOGETHER
In addition to her family’s support, Agan is also grateful for the encouragement she’s received from her fellow workout friends at the fitness center. Though motivated by the goals she has achieved in the past, Agan did share that a big part of her love of fitness comes from the love she has for her friends at the center.
“The ladies I meet at the fitness center every morning are the reason I’m there at the crack of dawn, rain or shine,” Agan said. “They are right beside me, pushing me to squat lower and jump faster. They are crushing their own goals right alongside me. They are the reason for my love of fitness!”
Agan also has some cyber “fit friends.” Though she’s never met them in person, they’ve also played an important role in her journey.
“I have been a part of many online accountability groups on Facebook,” Agan said. “They have been amazing and motivating me with weekly weigh-ins, daily goals, and recipe sharing. Some of these girls are from across the country and are all at different places on their journey, but we all have the same goal – be healthy!”
To those looking to start a fitness journey, Agan advises it’s the small changes that add up – adding in more veggies, drinking more water, walking a mile each day. “All of these changes are small, but they soon turn into big results,” she said.
Though she’s already seen big results in her own life, Agan knows there’s still quite a road ahead. She lost over 100 pounds the first year of her weight-loss journey and 17 pounds the second year. She has more fitness goals she’d like to accomplish and is confident she will reach them. “I just have to be patient,” she said.
In her weight-loss story, Agan said she knows she can’t compare her chapter 20 to someone else’s chapter 52. Everyone’s struggles vary so much. For her, eating right will always be a test of her self-control. But with a support group around her and successes to build off of, she knows she can overcome future hurdles.
“This is my journey,” she said. “Mentally, food will always be a constant battle. It's fighting that battle and winning the war that counts.”
