SISU Transformation: Patrick & Jennifer Senescall

About Patrick and Jen

We have been together for 20 years, married for 12 years. We have two incredible daughters, Vivian (8) and Audrey (7), and a 1 year old mini golden Ivy Bean. Patrick works in commercial real estate and Jen is a hairstylist. We love spending time with friends and family, enjoying lake life in the summer and doing any project we can come up with in our home. We have always enjoyed being active together, working out and eating healthy. Jen was a fitness instructor in college, Patrick loved lifting weights and together we have completed 3 marathons. 

Finding SISU

Patrick: I had been a member at Lifetime Fitness, but in January of 2018, I wanted to try something new. I decided to give SISU a try and was instantly hooked. I went doing the same weekly lifting routine over and over to a full body workout that was challenging, fun and different every day. Not to mention coaches that motivated and helped me improve and a group of  incredible people that want to see you succeed just as much as themselves. I became excited to see what the next day’s workout was, and, though not a morning person, I even looked forward to getting up at 5am. I was seeing results in my body and strength in the first few months that I hadn’t seen previously from years lifting weights.

Jen: I watched Patrick love going to SISU for 8 months before he talked me into trying it. To be honest, it seemed like torture to me, but I was the heaviest I had ever been and wanted to give it a try. I was terrified. My first workout was max calories on the air bike, and I thought I was going to die, but Patrick convinced me to go back the next day. For the first month, I used the training bar or no weight at all and still barely made it through any of the workouts. I remember watching others in class in awe, thinking I would never be able to do half of what they were doing. And even though I was finishing last every day, I was still having FUN. The people were beyond amazing and the workouts were different and challenging every day. Instead of dreading going to the gym like before, I would truly look forward to it. 

Together we go to the gym 6 times a week and don’t miss unless we are out of town (and even then we find a local CrossFit gym). I guess you can say we are both obsessed.

Realizing It Was Time For A Change

Jen: I was the heaviest I had ever been before I started Sisu. No matter what diet I tried, or how much I worked out I slowly gained weight. I remember looking at pictures of myself noticing I was hiding behind people and I didn’t even look like myself to me. When none of my “fat” jeans fit me I refused to buy a bigger size and decided enough was enough.

Diving Into SISU Nutrition

Patrick: I had no idea what a macro was and never paid attention to nutrition labels. I never worried about how much food went into my body, as long as it was “healthy”. I mainly stuck to a lower carb, high protein diet. I primarily signed up for SISU Nutrition to support Jen. Once we started the program, I began weighing my food and enjoyed looking at all the nutrition labels at the grocery store. I couldn’t believe how much fat I was consuming previously, especially an abundance of peanut butter every day. I reduced my fat intake significantly and added carbs and started having more energy during my workouts. 

Jen: Like Patrick, I had eaten a healthy diet my entire life. Avocados, eggs, almonds and olive oil were staples in my everyday choices. I turned down carbs at any chance possible and ate a LOT of salads. Turns out I was consuming way too much fat and forgetting that carbs are important especially around a workout. I was such a skeptic at first but trusted (nutrition coach) Christina through the process. I couldn’t believe how many carbs I could eat and still lose weight. By the end of the program, she got me exactly to my goal weight, something I had truly thought that was an impossible task!!

Once Christina gave us our macro numbers to follow, we were all in. It was a fun game for us to hit our numbers every day. We learned over time that pre-planning our day was the key to success. We plugged all our numbers into MFP in the morning and stuck to a pretty simple meal plan. The 12 week program flew by for us.

Patrick: At first I was doing the program to support Jen, but couldn’t believe the results I was seeing in such a short time. I was feeling stronger in my workouts and had more energy than ever before. I was starting to enjoy the program just as much or if not more than Jen.

Jen: This entire SISU experience and community has changed my life. I am doing exercises at the gym that seemed IMPOSSIBLE only 5 short months ago. I am down 20 pounds and have never felt stronger with any fitness program and never felt healthier on any nutrition program. 

New Habits Going Forward

For us, this is our new life.  It is so much fun to work out together every day and motivate each other to do our best. It’s fun to come up with new foods that work into our plans. We enjoy the challenge of finding the best option at a restaurant and when your friends introduce you to a delicious tequila, we now prefer it over our old love of beer. We aren’t depriving ourselves, instead making a few small changes that make a big difference. 

We started SISU Nutrition for ourselves but have found that it’s also a great learning experience for our two girls. They are learning about healthy eating along with us and also seeing their parents making fitness and health a priority. The girls also love helping us cook and food prep, especially breakfast!

Thank you to all the coaches and all of the fabulous people in the Sisu community! To anyone contemplating SISU: start slow, don’t give up and just trust the process!