305 lbs. Changing my Mind Changed my Life

It took me about three years to get my act together.  I spent the first year doing a couple of juice steadfasts, and I lost about 80 pounds.  After that I gained 20 pounds back and spent the next two years losing the same 20 pounds over and over again.  It was a little discouraging, but I continued to search for answers.

I started going to some exercise classes at the community center.  They helped me to maintain my weight.  I was also slowly improving my abilities.  It was nice to have some “workout buddies” that were focusing on the same goals that I was even if we were all at different fitness levels.

When January rolled around, I signed up for the Commit to Get Fit program again.  A lady from one of my exercise classes also signed up for it, so we became a team.  Teams competed for most weight lost and prizes were given out at the end of the program for teams and individuals.

I showed up for our first session with our trainer not knowing what to expect.  My trainer for the next twelve weeks was a very young man named Cole.  He was about the age of my son and about his stature, so I felt like I was being whipped into shape by my kid!

During our first time together, it was me and two kids right out of high school that didn’t want to be there.  I found out later that their parents bought them the class as a Christmas gift.  It was the only time I ever saw them.  We started out on the treadmill, and during that time Cole asked me some questions that got me to thinking.  He asked me if I was the competitive type or if I needed encouragement.  Sadly enough, I didn’t know the answer to that question right away.  I knew the answer by the time I left that day, but I’m sure Cole knew the answer long before I did.

After the class was over that day, Cole took me aside and asked me more questions.  Why was I doing this?  What was my goal?  It started a conversation where I told him about my weight loss, that I had a small child, and that I wanted to be able to keep up with her.  A few tears came to my eyes.  Cole then told me his story–he had once been where I was at that moment.  He choked back the tears and we hugged.  Cole gave me his cell phone number and told me that he was available anytime I needed him.  We made a connection, and this has made for a lasting relationship.

Cole was my personal trainer/terrorist for twleve weeks.  We met once a week, but I still spent about five days a week in the gym going to exercise classes, pumping iron, or both.  My teammate was out of town for at least half of those sessions.  I had the luxury of having Cole all to myself and therfore, having the workouts customized to me.

I was impressed with Cole.  He knew just what my abilities were.  Not only did he make me work extremely hard each week for twelve weeks, he gave me something to think about too.  My mind was getting just as much of a workout as my body.  By the end of the twelve weeks, my teammate lost nearly 40 pounds and was the woman that lost the most weight.  Our team came in third even though we were competing against teams of five and six people.  I lost several pounds, even though I had hoped to lose more.  By the end of the program, Cole had convinced me that I could do anything I set my mind to.  I didn’t realize it then, but changing my way of thinking about myself was going to change my life!

By Lori Camper