My story is a long one; I grew up as an overweight child, Super sizing everything by age 12. When I reached my teen years, I was determined to be like the fit “popular girls.” I got into the fitness world and lost about 30 pounds. While in college, I had to continue to eat healthy and work out. My weight has always fluctuated. It was so easy for me to gain weight if I wasn’t eating healthy and working out.

Now let’s fast forward to being married and getting pregnant with my daughter, Adah; I was 150 lbs before I got pregnant, and by the end of my pregnancy I was 200 lbs. I could not recognize myself when looking in the mirror; somehow the person in the mirror was no longer me. The person I was staring at was that child that would eat to be happy, and later cry in her bed because of the guilt. I got diagnosed with postpartum depression 3 months after having my daughter. My daughter was born missing a piece of one of her chromosomes and wasn’t developing normally, so I didn’t focus on myself at all. I wasn’t working yet and knew I needed to get out, and that is when I went to Life Time to take a tour. I met the Spa manager and started working at the LifeSpa.

In my mind, this was my way to lose the 40 pounds I kept on after having my daughter. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, but then 6 months into working at Life Time, and finally losing about 10 pounds, I tore my ACL. I had to have surgery and gained back the weight that I had lost. At this point, I was content with being the fat girl at the LifeSpa. So let me take you to 2 1/2 years later, still 40 pounds heavier. I heard about a Team Member at our club who won the 90-Day Challenge for the Team Members. Something sparked inside of me.

I felt like if this guy that I knew and worked with could win $1,000 and lose weight, then I could too. Doward, one of the PTs, gave me tips and helped by keeping me accountable. I started going to the 5:30am classes 5 to 6 days a week, and after the first 2 weeks I was hooked and the weight was coming off. I also attended all the Try It Tuesdays and learned a lot. I really enjoyed learning about how to eat healthier, and not calling it a diet but a healthy lifestyle change. Our nutritionist Meredith was super supportive, and I was able to go to a couple of her TEAM Weight Loss classes.

Around week 5 I hit a plateau and, after learning more about what we have to offer in the cafe to help boost our progress, I purchased the fish oil and the detox kit. I decided to wait until week 7 to start the detox plan. That purchase was the best thing I could have done, and I would recommend it to anyone trying to lose or get themselves to a healthier place. I lost a total of 23 pounds. I started at 188 and I’m now at 165, but I’m not done yet.

People come up to me and tell me that I seem so much happier and confident. I don’t see that sad little girl anymore, and I understand my relationship with food and how important it is to work out on a daily basis. I look at my daughter and feel blessed to have her, and I’ve stopped blaming others for my downfalls. Life Time is a family–it’s people who look out for one another. You really do have everything you need there to change your life for the better. I’m grateful to work for such an amazing company, and I hope that my story can help those that may feel resigned to being overweight.

Everyone has the potential to be great. The first step is just setting a goal, and the 60-Day Challenge has been amazing for me and my journey. I have already signed up for the next one because my story doesn’t end here. I still have 17 pounds I want to lose, and if I can lose more then that’s a bonus. If you haven’t already signed up, I hope this has given you a push. It just takes a little more energy and willpower, but in the end it’s all worth it!!!