Starting this journey, I was very hesitant because I have started it so many times in the past 10 years of my life. I am 23 and have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember. I was fairly active growing up being involved in multiple sports and extracurricular activities, but have never had a healthy relationship with food. I have struggled with trying to find a balance between starving myself and binge eating for the longest time. I started trying all types of different diets when I was in 8th grade and just couldn’t stick to any of them.

As life went on, food became my comfort. I started losing control over what happened in my life and my escape has always been eating my favorite meal and watching my favorite shows. The more I would lose control over what happened in my life, the more time I would spend watching television and eating. I would try to consume my time with work, but all I thought about at work was where I was going to stop on my way home and what I was going to watch while I ate what I picked up. My mind would be completely fixated on it every single day.

My main goal during this 60day was to make a lifestyle change. I didn’t know what I meant by that when I said it at the beginning of February, but I know I needed to change. It wasn’t like what you hear most people say about a flip switching in them. I didn’t have a sudden spark of motivation or burning desire to get this weight off. I was comfortable where I was and scared to make a change because I was sure I would fail as I did all of the other times. I was overwhelmed at where to even begin, but thankfully I am part of an awesome Life Time Team that helped me figure it out.

I am beyond blessed to have been connected through a mutual friend with an AMAZING trainer (shout out to KYLER EID) here at Life Time. I am not the easiest person to get to know, especially when trying to fix the deepest rooted issue in my life. I don’t like being put in vulnerable situations, and this is exactly what that was. But I can confidentially say that without him, I would NOT be where I am today. He met me where I was at and continues to do that every time I meet with him. One of my biggest pet peeves is people pretending to care when they don’t, which is why I have always been on the fence about the idea of personal training, but you can tell this guy is genuine about helping you reach your goals. Although I stare at him like he is an idiot most of the times he says things to me, everything he says and all the questions he asks have been a huge help for me. I can’t always answer his questions right then and there, but they linger and make me think, which has helped me figure out my “why” on why I want to make this change and helped me figure out my culprits. He has awesome analogies and quotes that have helped motivate me as well. He helped me figure out where to start and gave me suggestions on what he thought I should do. I ended up taking the Food Sensitivity Test and the Resting Metabolic Assessment, followed up by meeting with a Nutrition Coach (shout out to Ryan Kittelson) a few times a month.

The Nutrition Coaching has been huge in my journey, not because I can’t decipher that I should eat green beans instead of French fries, but more so because of having the support from a Nutrition Coach who holds me accountable and helps me strategize ways to make this change not feel like a temporary diet, but a lifestyle change. He doesn’t want me to feel restricted, which is what I have always felt in the past on the many diets I’ve tried then causing me to binge and eventually give up. Meeting with him a couple times a month has been essential to me staying on track. I haven’t been up on the scale since I’ve started yet!

This change has been the hardest thing I have ever done. However, it has not only made me stronger physically and mentally, but it has also pushed me to grow spiritually in my faith as well. My faith is something I’ve always placed a huge importance on in my life and a lot of the mental battle I’ve faced in this process has been a spiritual battle as well. The hardest part for me has been the mental and spiritual battle I have faced because my weight issue has been so deeply rooted in emotional issues I’ve struggled with the past 10 years. I’ve had to face things I don’t want to face and work through them with the Big Man upstairs. It is the furthest thing from easy, but with the support Life Time offers, it makes it so much more manageable.

Although the 60day has come to an end, I will not stop here. I have a lot more weight I need to get off and things I need to improve on. I will continue to maintain this journey at Life Time with my Trainer and Nutrition coach as long as I can. I have lost over 25 pounds during these 60 days! Without Life Time, everything I have achieved so far would not have been possible for me and I will continue to be forever thankful for Life Time and the community and resources it offers!