Melissa’s Journey to a New Self – January 2012, Entry #1

You may have already heard about the New Self team's success in the Madison's Biggest Loser contest this past fall, but in case you haven’t, let me fill you in. During the course of the 12 weeks, our five contestants lost a total of 235.75 pounds and placed fourth in the overall contest. I’m so proud of all of our Biggest Losers and enjoyed working with such a wonderful, motivated group of people. You can see everyone's results here.

As she continues her weight loss journey into a new year, one of our team members has agreed to share her story with us over the course of the next few months. Melissa is a 33-year-old, stay-at-home mother of two who is on a mission to make serious changes in her life, not only for her own health and well-being, but also to set a good example for her kids. We hope her story inspires you, as it has us:

“I have been overweight my whole adult life, and have been on many diets and tried different fads to lose weight.  In recent years, I realized I need to change my eating and exercise habits to lose weight. I am a stay-at-home mom of a one-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy, who keep me very busy. I know getting in better shape will help me to keep up with them. I also want to be healthier so I can live longer and be around for my family for a very long time.

“Last summer, I began to attend a group to help me with those goals. I started to exercise and lost about ten pounds. Then I decided to sign up for the Madison’s Biggest Loser competition at New Self last fall. I was one of the lucky people that got picked. In the three months of the competition I lost another 53 pounds. I did not win the Biggest Loser competition, but the weight I lost, the confidence I gained and the insight it gave me into my eating habits made it a win for me.

“My hope is to lose at least a hundred more pounds. I am taking it one day and one work out at a time. I am so happy to be a part of New Self and to share this journey with all of you. Sharing my story helps make me accountable to my goals. Each week I hope to share my struggles and triumphs with the hope that it inspires someone else to make a difficult change in his or her life. I invite you to join me in my journey to a new self and I hope it inspires your own journey.”

As you can see, Melissa’s story is about more than the same annual New Year’s resolution so many make on January 1. She has embarked on a full-blown lifestyle change and it’s been exciting to be a part of her journey. Check back weekly for more insight from Melissa as she presses on into a new year.

If you are ready to embark on a life-changing journey of your own, don’t hesitate to contact me. I would love to hear your story, too.