At the airport on my way to my grandmother’s funeral, I collapsed. Instead of celebrating her life, I was on a bed in the emergency room, listening to sirens blare with IVs everywhere. The doctors told me that I was severely dehydrated and have high blood pressure. But because of my obesity, I became a candidate for Type 2 Diabetes. The doctors explained to me that if I did not do something soon, I wouldn’t be around for much longer. This was truly a low point in my life due to missing my grandmother’s funeral and receiving the unfortunate news about my future. I decided that if I wanted to change my future, then I needed to change my lifestyle.

Shortly after this, my eleven-year-old-daughter told me that she wanted to try out for the basketball team. I decided to get more exercise by helping her pursue her new activity. But, I took her to a local park to practice and I could not last for two minutes. I held a family meeting when we returned home and I told everyone that as a family, we were going to find a local gym. Our gym search began, and needless to say, Life Time was our first and only stop. We were blown away by the endless amenities, from the classes to the kids club. The gym was the perfect place for my family to work out and play.

As I began to work out at Life Time, my goals were small, and looking back on it, I had no idea what I was doing. I walked into Life Time club one evening and saw the advertisement for the 60-Day Challenge. I immediately went home, got online and registered for the Challenge. My initial weigh-in was with Michelle Moody, and I was completely embarrassed when the scale read 312 pounds. Michelle was awesome and encouraging from the start of my journey. I also met personal trainers Dillon Ponder and Mickey Hammer, whose encouragement and willingness to work with me kept me going.

The very first thing that I did was a Life Time D.TOX. The results were amazing and I felt great immediately. A lot of my meals came from the LifeCafe. And I tried recipes I received from the virtual 60-Day Challenge team. The Avocado Boat recipe was my favorite. The workouts were initially very tough, but Dillon and Mickey let me know that it had to be done. After only two weeks, I started getting compliments on my weight loss, which provided even more motivation. On top of that, my energy increased dramatically. At the four-week mark, I hit a plateau and my team introduced me to supplementation and how to keep cardio sessions in my target heart rate zone. My team also taught me how to count calories, which is something else I had never done before. It was only the fourth week and I felt my body changing before my eyes. Week six was the week that I saw upper abs begin to come in, which was another milestone I never reached before. My pant size went from a 46 -inch waist to a 38, and my shirts went from xxxl to xl. I can now shop at any store and my clothes fit better than they ever have. I’m now the healthiest I have been in my life. I plan on maintaining my weight through exercise, training sessions and portion control. I owe it all to Life Time Fitness and its staff. I gained a wealth of knowledge from my trainers that I will carry through the rest of my life. I now live a better lifestyle and I have an endless list of benefits from the 60 Day Challenge. My cholesterol is fine, I get better sleep, I have more self-esteem, my blood pressure is excellent and I am no longer a candidate for type 2 diabetes. Now I can finally play full court basketball with my daughter and I have decided to help coach my son’s flag football team next season. Now, when I tell my children not to give up on their dreams, they will know that I am an example of a person that did give up and my life changed for the better. My entire family says that I am an inspiration to them. I can honestly say that I am in better shape now, in my forties, than I ever was during my twenties and thirties. Countless people have asked me what have I been doing and telling me that I look great and I proudly tell them about the Life Time Fitness 60-Day Challenge that changed my future. I know I added years to my life for my family. Thank you Life Time Fitness!