Reviews & Testimonials

Much thanks to Debra for her exceptional, comforting methods of teaching total fitness. It is not just about working out. When you spend a week or two or three with her, in her house, one gets into a routine of eating, resting, working out and education that carries you forward after you leave her house and return home. You will have the tools(and more importantly the desire) to continue on your own. When I started my program with Debra, I was 245 lb, when I left 2 weeks later I was 233 lbs.

Since I left her, using mainly her methods, I am now 212lbs and in the best shape I have been in for years. My eating habits have totally changed and I am feeling great. I am 74 years old and work out quite a bit, do some mountain climbing, ride my mountain bike religiously, etc. Point here is it used to be a chore to do all this work out stuff, now it is something I look forward to every day. From the very fit to the totally out of shape individuals, any one can benefit from her program. I suggest at least two weeks with her and even better 3 or 4 weeks if you have the time.

Dave Fuller

About a year ago I felt miserable, too heavy, barely any muscles, huffed and puffed walking and tired of feeling that way. Looking around I found Debra’s website. After contacting her I decided to go to her fitness and weight loss retreat for six weeks. I panicked just before I arrived, wondering what I had gotten myself into – but it was too late to back out. The first day I fell off a bike and could not get up. And the work began!

Today I weigh 30 lbs less, can hold a military plank for 74seconds (my age) and have at least two different ways I can get up. After a bad fall this past winter I started working with Debra using Zoom and am planning to return to her place for a month later this year. I am constantly thrilled about new “personal bests” I’ve achieved because of the skills Debra has.

If you have tried a number of times to lose weight and get in better shape without success, I say, call Debra! She is the consumate fitness instructor and brings fun and motivation to the workouts as well. I’m confident you, like me, will be happier with your body and be committed to better health and fitness after working with Debra. My heartfelt thanks goes to Debra!

Marilyn Lane

Debra is the standard by which all instructor/trainers are measured. Debra’s background, experiences, devotion and ability to have her students produce results are unequaled and everyone in town knows it. The benefits of training with Debra have truly been life changing for me. Through Debra’s assistance my body instantly started doing things physically that made my mind open up so I could stay out of my own way mentally and let my body go to levels way beyond what I had hoped for. Service and quality have become almost non-existent these days. What I have received from Debra cannot be taken away and will benefit me for the rest of my life.

Lynn Fuller

If you are serious about your workouts then Debra is for you. She is not some trainer who walks around for 50 minutes with a clip board. She is in there with you. I have used maybe 10 trainers in my life and she is by far the most knowledgeable one I’ve ever worked with. She knows her profession and understands the science.

Phil Griffith

Her desire for your success encourages you to strive to surpass your expectations. I recommend Debra Stefan not just as a “Body-for-Life” coach, but for any activity that requires a knowledgeable, dedicated and disciplined trainer.

Buster Renaud

Debra’s Fitness Retreat is a beacon of honest to god weight loss. With her, you will lose weight the old fashioned way: by working your butt off, while having fun and nourishing your body with proper nutrition.

Rocky Balboa’s “That’s how winning is done!” has a whole new meaning to anyone who spent any time with Debra.

I was looking for someone who would help me transform my lifestyle and living at Debra’s was just what the doctor ordered. I learned what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle seeing them juggle competing priorities while still ensuring that they eat right and exercise. I returned to my family with all the tools I need to complete a transformation of my body.

Y.S.

I am male, in my 50s and stopped exercise and really watching my diet a couple of years ago. After some half-hearted attempts this year I was about to go to Vegas for a short convention. I did a search and found Debra and the rest is history! Debra is a real pro who knows how to encourage and how to provide distinct instruction. I was not grossly out of shape, but she got me back to a good fitness level, I lost weight and showed me how to eat healthy again. (I knew but I was lazy.) Her program is inspiring since you want to succeed for yourself and Debra. In the months I have been home I have been able to maintain and broaden my exercise routine and diet, thanks to her.

Tony J

I was in town for a conference and had a 2 hour session with Debra. She took me through a phenomenal intense workout. She had me working every muscle in my body; I was feeling the muscle burn from the workout for 2 days. Debra gave great instructions and gave me a training regimen that I will be able to do in my own backyard or nearby park. Most importantly, Debra had a great atitude, was very encouraging, and was fun to work with.

Tommie D

She is very knowledgeable and her answers on this forum reflect an experienced pro who knows first hand and backs it up with video proof.

John Messer

Seen Debra several times I have been in town for conventions and she is a great pro, knows what she is doing and gave me a program I still stick with at home. I highly recommend her.

User

When I met Debra I never thought I’d be in shape, much less athletic again. I had gotten to the point where I couldn’t play golf properly, it was an effort to get up out of bed in the morning or even bend over to tie my shoes. Debra changed my life. She is a supportive, inspiring coach, mentor and teacher. There are a variety of exercises and routines to follow. If one routine doesn’t work for a client she finds another one to do that makes the same impact. She is there the whole time – a real 24/7 teacher and coach. She inspires you so much with her passion to make you achieve your goals, in my case, I couldn’t help but succeed. And she reminded me about what I forgot from my parents years ago about nutrition. If you do a lot of business travel you don’t keep a regime about what you eat. Debra gives you boundaries as what you can and should eat, even if you are on a busy schedule. This isn’t just a week, two or three course. Debra gives you lessons on how you should exercise, eat and live that are sustainable, and not just the latest exercise / diet fad. I recommend her highly.

John C

I had the great opportunity to visit Debra and get a tour of her program. She is dedicated to training and has vast knowledge in training techniques and health. She offers so many options for workouts and the city views are spectacular. She is one of the top trainers in her profession.

Bobby Barrera

I have been Debra’s neighbor for the last eight years and have enjoyed her workout sessions countless times. She is very well educated on all things fitness and nutrition, and knows the newest and greatest exercise and diet trends that are out there. Her workouts are fun and upbeat and always bring a positive kick of energy to my day. I highly recommend her program for all of your fitness and diet needs!

Denitza Larsen

I participated in the Live-In program which I attended 3 times with stay length 1-4 weeks. It is a beautiful desert setting with a lot of outdoor biking opportunities, which is one of my favorite things. I needed a place to reboot and get back on track with my nutrition and fitness and Debra provided that. I was not looking for a pampering spa trip and Debra’s program is very hands-on. I have always loved weight-lifting and Debra helped re-ignite that spark for weight-training that I continue with today. NOTHING changes your body like resistance training. A great place to shed fat and get back on track!

Ashley C

Debra has a great biking program that will teach riders how to ride correctly and safely – plus lose weight, get in shape and have fun. I’ve ridden with Debra on some awesome rides with spectacular views and challenges tailored just for my ability. Debra’s bike rides rock!!

Ray Shreder

I have visited Debra at her home in Las Vegas twice in the last few years. Each visit was 2-3 weeks-I came away both times feeling fitter and healthier. She varied the exercise routines daily to suit my age and needs and to ensure they didn’t become boring. I saw my fitness levels soaring in such a short time. Í learnt to eat regularly and make better choices so by the end of each day I just wasn’t hungry.

Debra’s home is clean and comfortable and she makes sure your needs and wants are catered for daily. By living in her home your health and fitness becomes your main focus and her priority. No getting sidetracked with everyday demands. When you need a boost to get your health and fitness back on track, this is the ideal solution. I will continue to visit USA to attend Deborah’s program because it works.

Debbie Arneman

I am a 52 year old guy who weighed 365 lbs when I started with Debra. I found her online because I thought my only option to break my unhealthy patterns was a supervised, live-in program. I felt like I had to to do that because I really didn’t trust myself to stay committed. Given the pandemic, and my level of obesity, I wasn’t willing to fly because I was too concerned about the virus. Rather than delay starting a live-in program until I felt things were safer, Debra and I agreed to try a highly personalized accountability and coaching program over the internet. I’m so thankful we did that. We held sessions twice a week via a web-meetings and I did a text-message based food accountability program.

Over 12 weeks I lost 37 lbs. This was a great weight loss pace for me because now I believe it’s sustainable. However, I don’t think the weight loss was the most important part of the success. With Debra’s help, I came to really appreciate finding ways to move my body that improved my flexibility, reduced my pain and regularly brightened my mood. Although the weight loss was a primary goal initially, it sort of became a fortunate byproduct. That really surprised me, in a very good way. Nutrition was always an important part of the program though. Debra kept me on track with food accountability. Knowing that I had to send her photos of everything I ate caused me to be thoughtful about food intake. Debra came to know my weaknesses and my pitfalls.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget the first text message I got that said “Mark did you eat yet?” She noticed my tendency to get caught up in work and skip meals, then binge. Tracking my food accountability, she knew I was late in my food report and really helped me stay conscious. So when I describe her involvement as being personalized, it is HIGHLY personalized and there is very detailed tracking on her part. There were so many kinds of life hacks delivered by Debra: the best kind of shoes for someone of my size and weight and foot type; heal risers for my bone spurs; under garments for my body shape; sleep habits, etc. The list could go much further. I view Debra as a general wellness coach, encouraging self-improvement in a broad sense, and well beyond physical fitness. She really listened to me, and MET ME WHERE I WAS. Then she helped me get to know my body in a very new way. She taught me to listen to my body and give it what it needs to heal.

When we started, I didn’t view myself as someone capable of yoga or using a fitness ball or being able to relieve my back pain. In just 12 short weeks, I discovered I am someone who craves time with my TRX system so I can feel stronger, someone who uses my instincts to explore new yoga moves and I am generally more confident. Those are gifts well beyond just weight loss. And while Debra would frequently remind me that I am the one making all this happen, she deserves so much credit for helping me find myself in that way. Thank you Debra!

Live-in Fitness Response – 04/20/2021

“Mark, your ARE the one making it all happen. Reaching out to me is where your journey began. Your ability to admit your weaknesses told me exactly what a professional needs to know. You prescribed your own success strategy. All I did was guide you through the discovery to begin the adventure. Thank you for choosing me for your fitness and weight loss success journey. I look forward to our continued progress together.”

Mark B

I am now a True Believer in powerlifting.

I reached out to Deb Stefan while trying to figure out how to get back in shape and what I could do. I’d tried so many things over the years and most of them I got kind of bored with and they weren’t always super effective.

So, I managed to come out for only three days.

I had a consultation with Debra online beforehand and she said after she asked me some questions. “What do you like to do? What do you not like to do?”

Then she said, “Oh my gosh! You’re a powerlifter. You need to learn how to power lift because you’d be great.”

So, I took a leap of faith.

I came out I was here for three days of training with Debra. After just three days I’m already seeing changes when I go up the stairs my knees don’t hurt anymore. When I do high-knee walking it’s not an effort anymore. It used to be hard and now it’s really simple and I’m just blown away.

I’m already seeing changes in my body and the best thing is that I’m actually really excited about it.

I actually feel like it’s going to be like a game to go and see if can I lift more today. What can I do now? Now I think this time its really going to stick and I’m excited to see the progress I can make.

Betsy Schamberger

Debra is persistent, disciplined, and compassionate.

Joe Boswell

Debra’s vast knowledge of various exercises and nutrition impressed me. I did not know what to expect, upon arrival and she instantly exceeded all my expectations. From the moment I arrived, Debra made me feel comfortable and very at ease. Her home is in the perfect setting for the outdoor activities and the upstairs has a GREAT workout room. Debra challenged me but never “pushed” me beyond my comfort zone, until I was strong enough and I requested she take me out of my comfort zone. The evening stretches were a life changer, for me. If you’re looking to lose weight, improve or change your current lifestyle or simply recharge/reset your battery…I highly recommend this retreat. You will leave knowing exactly how to take everything you learned with you and continue your healthier lifestyle in your everyday life.

Jennifer Richards