The Galveston County Daily News

Ten years ago, Frances Field was at a doctors’ office when she realized there had to be another way.

Suffering from chronic fatigue, the young, single mother of four was astonished when her doctor recommended medication to counter the negative effects of one she already was taking.

“Wait a minute; stop the madness,’” Field recalls thinking.

Field left the doctor’s office with a mission to resolve her health problems on her own.

“I was going to find a way to heal myself,” she said.

What she learned about changing deeply ingrained eating habits not only became the impetus of a dramatic transformation but also would inspire one of the fastest-growing fitness organizations in the county and Clear Lake area, with more than 400 members, two TransforMe Fitness studios and another planned for Pearland.

Field, now 40, can count clients of all ages and from all walks of life, including doctors, prominent pastors and stay-at-home moms.

Each week, Field, the author of “Faith in Fitness: The Power is in You,” receives unsolicited e-mails from members who say her programs have changed their lives by helping them reverse disease, gain self-esteem and wean themselves off medications.

‘Habits You Learn’

Field, a small-town girl from Texas City, has come a long way since that bleak day at the doctor’s office and still marvels at how her life has changed.

“I was sick and was trying to feel better, to get up in the morning and take care of my children,” she said. “I had no idea my life would evolve and unfold this way.”

Field was raised by a widowed mother who worked hard but didn’t have time to prepare healthy meals, much less teach her children healthy eating habits.

The family subsisted on drive-through food, processed meals and Hamburger Helper, a now lean and muscular Field said in an interview as she prepared to lead a class at her fitness studio in La Marque, 12003 Delany Road. Heart disease was prevalent in her family, she said.

By the time she was a mother, working as a surgical assistant at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and raising four girls on her own, Field also was repeating familiar patterns, resorting to fast-food, typical Texas meals such as chicken-fried steak and convenient fare, she said.

“You have habits you learn as you grow up,” she said.

What most people don’t realize, however, is that the Standard American Diet was making them sick, she said.

Clean Eating

While Field was by no means obese when she walked out of the doctor’s office a decade ago, years of bad eating had taken its toll, she said. Along with fatigue, her hair was falling out. She had myriad other health problems.

“We are the most overfed and malnourished nation in the world,” she said.

Field bought books and studied nutrition.

She immediately cut out all fried and processed foods, refined sugars and turned to whole, natural foods — fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.

She began to increase the intensity of her cardio workout program and weight training and began to eat six, small meals a day. Eating more frequent meals allows your metabolism to function more naturally, helping you to lose weight at a healthy but quick rate, she wrote in her book “Faith in Fitness.” The meals were low-glycemic, a measure of how fast and how much food can raise the blood glucose levels.

Stepping It Up

The new eating habits energized Field, making her feel better each day, she said. But she wanted to take it further. To be a true, clean eater, she cut out those popular protein shakes, which sometimes contain hydrolyzed protein, which Field argues is unhealthy.

By 2000, Field was working full time at Mainland Medical Center in Texas City and received certification to be a personal trainer, which she began doing part time. The woman who just months before was struggling to climb out of bed decided to step it up, training for a figure competition with intense workouts between jobs. She consulted with a trainer who was skeptical, asking Field: “Do you know what those women look like?” Field was unfazed. She placed in the top 10 in her first competition in November that year.

Business Proposal

By February 2001, Field knew she had found her calling, she said. She began working full time as a personal trainer and part time at the hospital. By 2002, she began her personal training Body by Frances boot camp, leaving hospital work altogether. Field’s physical transformation didn’t go unnoticed at the mainland gym where she trained. She quickly had a following and a waiting list of clients.

But she knew some couldn’t afford her $70 an hour fee. So she decided to teach boot camp in groups. Members pay about $144 a month for boot camp sessions, nutritional guidance and spiritual support.

‘Growth Potential’

Shellie Long took one of the classes two years ago and was hooked. Long, 34, was always athletic but had gained 54 pounds during her second pregnancy. She lost some but still had 30 stubborn pounds to go when she signed up for Field’s boot camp.

A stay-at-home mom at the time, Long saw immediate results. She now weighs 120 pounds. She also saw the way clients responded to Field’s approach.

“It profoundly affects me, it’s very rewarding helping people,” Long said of the boot camp. Long sent Field a business proposition by e-mail. Long would help take over some of the managerial parts of the business so Field could reach more clients. Field accepted, and they’ve worked together since. Long also teaches some classes. Through the partnership, the women offer more than 30 classes a week.

Along with Field’s trademark boot camp, TransforMe Fitness studios continue to grow, offering such group classes as Pilates, cardio kickboxing and boot camps for children, among other classes.

Velvet Boot

TransforMe members receive training in aerobic exercise, weight training, a guide to a nutrient-dense diet of natural foods, help with setting goals, motivation and tools to help build a positive self-image.

Although “boot camp” conjures images of military-style physical training, complete with the screaming drill sergeant, Field’s style is more nurturing, Long said. Clients are encouraged to go at their own pace, Long said.

April Lendo attends boot camp sessions at the new TransforMe studio, 803 E. NASA Road 1, in Webster. When she started the program in March at a smaller Clear Lake studio, Lendo saw results quickly, she said. In only 12 weeks, she dropped 15 pounds, lost 23 inches and 11 percent body fat, she said.

Lendo had tried diet pills and other programs, but the weight always returned, she said.

With Field’s guidance, she cut refined carbohydrates and increased meal frequency and the amount of water she drank.

‘Responsible For Our Bodies’

Although Field hopes to motivate and guide, she said she tries to instill in clients that the power is within them to change and reverse disease. People just have to change their habits and way of thinking and know they can take control of their own health, she said. Faith is an important part of the program, Field said.

But people must do more than pray to become well, she said.

“People will go to church and say, ‘Jesus heal me’ and walk out in the foyer and get a doughnut and coffee,” Field said. “We’re responsible for our bodies; God gives us the power.”

What makes the program so successful is that it keeps clients accountable, Field said.

All denominations are welcome at the boot camp, she said.

‘Live With Joy’

Robert Miller, who is pastor of First Baptist Church in Texas City and began attending Field’s boot camp in September, said accountability makes the program appealing.

Field’s class pushes him harder than he would himself, he said.

The program also changed his eating habits. Miller, 55, said he stopped drinking Dr Peppers and cut way down on sweets.

Miller said he no longer needs medication for diabetes.

One of the most rewarding parts of her job is watching others change their lives, Field said.

“People can live with joy, not sickness and disease,” she said.