*continued*

I started to diet, but not much just enough to say I was doing it. I was a size 16 pants, sometimes an 18, I wore mens sweatshirts, and xxl t-shirts. I needed to take care of myself, I needed a change, fast!  At the same time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  She was back and forth out of the hospital, so it was time for me to hang up my ears and head back to Staten Island to be with her.  Unfortunately, she died a month after I came home after a tough, struggle that left my sister, my brother and I parentless and waiting for something good to happen.

People say with every bad there is a good and I was determined to make things better.  I was drained, overweight, tired, burnt out and needed uplift in my life.  I needed to find a job because I was independent now. My friend worked at a health club, and she called me to come in to interview for a position in customer service.  There I was thinking to myself, would I fit in with all those beautiful people? Will they really want an overweight person who eats bacon, egg, and cheese every morning for breakfast working in a health club?  I wanted a life change. With my father dying of a heart attack, and my mother of cancer, where does that leave me? My life needed to change quick, so I took the job!

There was no cotton candy, no pretzels to snack on, not even the fresh smell of popcorn, but instead, personal trainers teaching me how to eat, protein shakes, multi vitamins, workout equipment, group exercise classes, and protein bars.  I never thought of cutting our carbs, but I learned really quickly. I wouldn’t dare to bring a slice of pizza into the club while working, because everybody would check to see if I was eating healthy. Slowly day-by-day, the pounds were diminishing and I didn’t realize it. The atmosphere and positive energy that I was drawn into made such an impact on my life that I wanted to change.  It is not often a person gets this chance in life, especially in a job.  The trainers would tell me to drink lots of water, at least 6 bottles per day, to take a vitamin, walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator up. I listened, I absorbed, and I worked harder and harder each day, until I dropped 40 pounds. The stress of my life, the headaches, and tiredness were coming to an end. 

Now, thanks to my “lifestyle change”  I am 134lbs, I have a healthy diet, eat at least 5 times per day  and really take care of myself as much as possible since I lost the weight approximately 6 years ago!!  I continually work out, study the latest diets, and try to incorporate it into my everyday life!! 

Due to the amazing results that I have seen in myself, I have decided to share it with the people who also need motivation.  I am now a certified cycling instructor, and boot camp instructor, where I train, motivate, and coach hundreds of people a week who are in need of some change in their life.  They look up to me as a role model, and take my accomplishments very serious!!  They also see a light at the end of the tunnel because they see that I did it, and I am able to maintain it!  People come up to me everyday for advice on eating, working out and staying healthy, and that makes me feel great that I can help them, and actually touch them in a very private way!

You can say my life is like an Amusement Park, where each day is a roller coaster ride. On my ride, I have had my ups and downs, but thanks to my new lifestyle, and health, I am ready to conquer anything that comes my way!!

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