As a former collegiate athlete, I had to ask myself how I became morbidly obese (335 lbs.) and what to do about it?

My challenge started about 5 years ago when I sprained my ankle and was no longer able to run, the weight soon began piling on.  Then, two years ago February, I was injured in a very bad car wreck.  I knew something didn’t feel right, but having a very high pain threshold from college football, I thought I just had a crick in my neck and I would be fine.  As it turns out, I suffered a Vertebral Artery Dissection (VAD) which later resulted in three strokes.  I guess God was looking out for me.  As I was waiting for the ambulance, I received a call out of the blue from Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) wanting to know how they could pray for me.  I said pray for a miracle as I headed to the hospital.  The first miracle was a complete recovery after having to learn to walk and talk again.

The second miracle was finding Life Time in South Austin.  The General Manager, Trystan McKeel, has built an incredible team of friendly, professional, knowledgeable and committed staff dedicated to changing lives every day.

The two years following my strokes (under my doctor’s strict orders not to do anything stressful that might rupture the artery again) I continued to gain even more weight.  I was on a heavy regimen of blood thinners and blood pressure medications, my doctor was telling me I was “pre-diabetic,” I had nerve pains and blurry vision, I couldn’t sleep at night, and I had no energy.  Once I was finally cleared for physical activity I joined Life Time in South Austin, mainly for the pool at the time, as I wanted a low-impact way to work out.  While I was starting to lose a little weight, I still struggled to be truly successful. That was until I met the South Austin team of Life Time Personal Trainers, in particular Josh Pruitt; the experience was nothing short of incredible.

Josh did a thorough review of my health history and mapped out a diet and a low impact workout routine to get me back on track without risk of re-injury.  Once I began working with Josh on this plan, I quickly lost 35 pounds.  This was when, at Josh’s suggestion, I decided to join the 60-Day challenge.  It was amazing as I was continually learning throughout the entire process.  The best part of the 60-Day Challenge was working with Josh weekly to review my diet, workouts and what I was learning from the incredible resources provided online (this was life-changing knowledge that I can use for a lifetime).  With Life Time’s assistance I was finally able to make the diet break through as I learned what foods my body needs.  This coaching partnered with the Life Time D.TOX and GUT.FIX products was so helpful for me (so much so that this past Christmas I purchased both for my Mom who has suffered with some gut health issues and she immediately saw all bloating disappear and felt amazing). I had great meals and much more energy as a result.

A big challenge for me was the amount of business traveling I do. Josh even helped me plan the meals that I could travel with.  One week in particular, after I gained (not lost) eight pounds, Josh had me detail everything I was eating down to the ounce or tablespoon including what I was cooking with.  He was able to pinpoint that the avocado oil that I was using for cooking was soaking up in my broccoli, adding 3,000 calories per meal!   Josh on more than one occasion has told me to “Trust the process” and I’m glad I listened.

Well, I can say that now I am a firm believer. Life Time and the 60-Day Challenge process works. Life Time is the perfect partner for me.  I have yet to travel to a city where they didn’t have 2 or 3 locations to serve me.  I was in Charlotte, NC for the Christmas holidays and still kept my 60-Day Challenge workout routine with 3 locations to choose from.  In fact, the Golf Link Drive location had just opened.  I was greeted daily with a handshake and a smile from Johnny Groff, General Manager.  A special shout out to their great staff for making me feel at home for a week during my 60-Day Challenge!  I wouldn’t have made it without their support.

When I started the 60-Day Challenge, I wanted to get my health back. With Life Time, I was able to do just that.  When I started, I was pre-diabetic with nerve pains, blurred vision, no energy, couldn’t sleep at night and was on a high dosage blood pressure medication.  After the 60-Day Challenge, not only did these symptoms go away, but I am now completely off of blood pressure medication!  While I have more work to do, I’m looking forward to the next step, the 60-Day Transformation Challenge.  I have had a Life Time change of life, a lifestyle change fit for a lifetime. Oh, and did I mention, by following the Life Time 60-Day Challenge process, I was able to lose over 60 lbs. and 14 inches off my waist?