My Story

In 2007 I was dying. I was successful in my professional life and seen as an expert in my field, but I weighed over 400 pounds at 30 years old. At least I think I did. I couldn't find a scale with the capacity to weigh me. I wore size 52 jeans. I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and couldn't walk a block without gasping for breath. I was so heavy that when I fell on an icy sidewalk in 2005 the impact tore the tendons connecting my quads to my kneecap off, requiring surgery that left me with arthritis in my knee. Being fat was killing me, and I wasn’t even 30 years old. The statistics said I was going to die. People don’t come back from back from where I was.

This was me then:

 

 



But I did come back. I beat the odds. Now I’m over 220 pounds lighter, my blood pressure is perfect, and I’m a triathlete. I recently completed a half Ironman triathlon. Next year I’ll compete in Ironman Wisconsin.








This is me now:

So how did I do it? Through small, gradual changes. I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I will lose 200 pounds.” That goal is too big. Instead, I committed to eating healthy one meal at a time, getting some exercise each day, and making each small choice a healthy one in the moment. Slowly, over 3 years, the weight came off as I walked a path that leads towards the person I am supposed to be. I’m still walking that same path today, with each day and each choice hopefully becoming a better version of me, one healthy decision at a time.