My weight loss journey to be healthy and fit started in June 2007 when I was 178 pounds. I’m 5’6” tall. I realized I was tired of looking in the mirror and seeing an unhealthy, overweight and miserable person. All of my life, I have been athletic and very active but somehow I lost my way and lost site of what it was like to be and feel physically fit. I needed to lose the weight in order to feel better about myself again! I had tried so many diets and was always unsuccessful with them. I even visited my doctor and tried to persuade him to prescribe diet pills but he refused and recommended exercise and the whole healthy eating bit. At the time, I was disgusted to hear those words because I wanted instant results. But, after visiting my doctor and listening to what he had to say, I gave it some thought and decided to attempt what he recommended just to see where it might lead me. This is where the work began. I began running (walking a lot more than running since I was unable to breath (ha, ha) with friends 3 miles per night in June 2007. I lost 10 lbs before winter set-in. It became too cold to walk/run outside so I decided to join a local gym called Club Fit in Russell Springs, KY. Club Fit has an array of fitness opportunities. I started out on the elliptical and was unable to go 5 minutes when I first started but then I moved up little by little increasing endurance, time, etc. I then learned that Club Fit offered a Tuesday/Thursday Thai Bo class and a Saturday kickboxing class. I immediately started attending those classes as often as I could. In April 2008, the instructor, Ron Bertram invited his Thai bo class to a bigger gym in a nearby County to undergo a course with certified trainers to see where we were physically. I was not, at all happy with the results. I was still unable to run 1 mile without stopping, my body fat was 30.3% and I weighed 160.6 lbs. This was an eye-opener. I realized that even though I was working out and losing, I still wasn’t getting the results I wanted. This is when I truly became focused. I started going to the regular classes and continued the elliptical on off-nights. I fell in love with the kickboxing portion and the instructor/my now trainer began working with me privately after Thai bo classes and in another county on Monday nights. I have since become to love the whole mixed martial arts side of it. I am now training in Muay Thai Kickboxing, Ju Jitsu some Thai Kwon Do, boxing and continue to do the Thai bo classes. I also began counting calories, portion control, eating mostly low fat and fat free foods, in addition to the exercise. The smart food choices took time and happened gradually but once it did I knew what to eat, what not to eat and set aside some “cheat” time (of course). There are no shortcuts or magic pills, it’s a lot of hard work but I did it and I’m very proud of myself! I’m enjoying the many compliments I’m getting; they are a great weight loss motivation for me! Everyone is different so everyone should find something that works for them and STICK TO IT AND NEVER GIVE UP! Everyone has the power to change their physique to stay focused on a goal and the results will slowly but surely come!

I have since lost 44 pounds and am no longer in a size 14 but a size 5 (3’s in some brands!!). And my life is amazing! I’m a whole new person outside but the same (but more confident) me on the inside!