5 years and almost 100lb

Last week I had dinner in Houston with these beautiful souls; close friends I get to work with and play with together. I would have never met them if I didn't decide last year that my health was more important than anything else.

I found Steve when I was looking for a triathlon coach last year. One of my criterion as I interviewed almost 18 coaches was that they would be sensitive yet encouraging and would always have my back. What I found was all that and more. Steve saved my life- literally- as my health was at the worst it had been in 5 years. He coached me through a nutrition system that has changed my life and made me so much healthier once again. Through Steve I came to know his beautiful partner Michelle. I love Michelle for all that she is and she continuously inspires me to step up and out and be that much better yet with feminine grace. She is the Ironman I aspire to be. And through both of them I came to know Stella who has become such a close friend whom I adore. We've shared lots of laughs and tears together and although we've known each other only a few months, it feels like an eternity.

During dinner I shared what was on my heart- goals. Big goals for myself, my health, and my business. The night we had dinner I was exactly 200 days away from stepping up to the start line of my first Ironman. It was also that same exact day that 5 years ago I decided I was tired of being morbidly obese and decided I needed to do something about it. It was the day I signed up for Lifetime Fitness with the intention that I was going to get healthy again. Healthy I did with massive weight loss and a new-found passion for clean eating and physical activity. But that night last week represented one more... a reset. If I could make a change 5 years ago, then it was time to make another change again. So with the 4 of us seated around the table, I declared that I was focusing again on my health but I need them to hold me accountable.... I need everyone reading this to hold me accountable. I'm going for my 100lb weight loss and I intend to get there by this summer. 5 years in the making, a few years of being stuck at a plateau and a year of weight gain from stress induced comfort eating.

I can't do this alone and I have a support team around me. This is where it gets so exciting... I'm not perfect. I get the emotions, insecurities, doubt, and frustration that anyone who has ever tried to get healthy again goes through. I've been there, done it, am going through it, and have the t-shirt to prove it. But this is the gift I bring to the table- the complete understanding as someone who's been in your shoes. This is what makes me excited each morning; it's not the workouts I have on my schedule but rather the work-throughs, the break-throughs, the coaching, and the encouragement and support that I get to offer people I get the permission to work with.

We can't do this alone. The journey is not meant to be taken alone. We all need some Stevens, Michelles, and Stellas in our lives. I hope to be one of those people in your life or the life of someone you know.

#Houston #friends #100lb #triathlon #Ironman #goals #journey