Diana’s Weight Loss Journey

I have struggled with my weight for as long as I can remember & HATED exercise. I always used food as a reward or a comforting friend. I tried weight watchers & atkins diet countless times. In May 2009 I had the Lap-Band procedure done. It was going great & I had lost about 75lbs to about Nov. of that year until I found away to eat around it. For the next 3 years I muddled through my life, keeping the proprtion semi-under control but not the food I ate. I still felt so out of control like I couldn’t get my head on straight, not to mention back issues that were really bothering me almost the time. My best friend said why don’t you just try stopping eating pasta, rice & white potatos. She told me that she had ice cream or cake every once in a while that way she didn’t feel deprived. I thought to myself what harm can it do? I started to really feel good & wanted to propel my weight loss.

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I had wanted to try CKO. I had tried another kickboxing class before & had enjoyed the punching & kicking moves but the “calisthenics” had me so sore that the exorbent amount of money they wanted to charge me per month didn’t feel like it was worth it. So I figured let me try the trial class at CKO. My friend & I went to Nicole’s class on a Wed night. I have never sweated so much in my entire life really thought I was going to die, and felt that way for the next 3 days. I went back the following Monday night & met Melissa. She was awesome & encouraging. I still felt like I was going to die but I was proud of myself for going back. After about 2 weeks I started feeling a difference, I stared walking taller, feeling a little leaner. After people started noticing a difference & encouraging me I would ask myself before eating ice cream or cake, “do I really want to undo a whole class by having this?” Now, usually the answer is no. My daughter had started kindergarten & my husband became her primary caretaker since he worked night shift & was there to get her on & off bus, freeing up my time after work to take classes.

As my weight loss journey continued into 2013, I got so much positive feedback. My family & friends always encouraging me to keep going & then something unthinkable happened. My husband was diagnosed with a rare brain stem tumor. Very little research has been done because the type of tumor is almost always in children & usually results in death.  As my husbands treatment commenced, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my workout schedule and risk falling back into bad habits due to the stress of the situation.  Thankfully, it was almost the opposite. Since I still had to work full time, my family took my daughter during the week & my husband stayed with his family because his father was the one taking him to treatment Monday through Friday. CKO became my therapy & treatment, making it a huge stress reliever. Punching a bag & concentrating on what I needed to do at that moment made every day more bearable. I learned that I am a strong person because I can get right back up when dealing with all the crap life was throwing at me.

By the time my husband finished treatment in August I was taking double classes a few times a week. October rolled around & the 6 week challenge started. I added bootcamp in & started taking Melissa’s nutrition classes. I’m always learning about eating healthier & making better food choices to make the most of my fitness journey. With all my family & friends encouragement, I signed up & ran my 1st 5k in April . Now I am training to do my first OCR (obstacle course race) in August & Spartan Super in September. I hit a 90lb weight loss just recently & determined to reach my next goal. Also the “calisthenics” that I once hated, I now look forward to them since I know that they help me stay strong and fit.  I’m healthier than I have ever been and this journey is just the beginning.