Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

Growing up, I knew absolutely nothing about nutrition. I was obese most of my childhood. I was a tremendously picky eater; the only foods I liked were junk food. My parents were not health conscious; they served veggies every now and then. My dad has been obese for as long as I can remember and my mom is skinny-fat. My mom could have a large slice of pie for lunch and that would be it! I did not realize how bad their habits were, until I started gaining more weight because I took after them. In Elementary school, I was the fat girl. I was chose last for everything and I was called very hurtful names.

During my early teen years, my parents began their own businesses. I was usually in charge of supper for my siblings and I. I did not know how to cook anything but fry French fries and chicken nuggets and make macaroni and cheese. I usually chose French fries. I would gorge myself while watching TV. I didn’t even know when I was full, I would eat until it was completely gone. I was active in sports in middle school, but my eating was horrible! In high school, I no longer took part in the sports because it was so hard for me to undress in front of others. The coach did not like me because I was slow; she told me that I dragged the team down. During my sophomore year in high school, I tried to eat healthier, but it only lasted for a few days. I began to get into the dating scene. I met a guy whom I thought was kind and the one for me. Then, he moved to a town three hours away. I had a bad feeling and knew something was wrong. I wound up losing him to his past, to who he used to be, but I wouldn’t admit it. He would “forget” to call me and then remember when he was drunk at 3 in the morning. He’d call and wake me up, then I would be too upset to sleep. I would get up, eat a half a bag of the gigantic bags of trail mix, then go back to bed. I became a HUGE emotional eater and gained twenty pounds.

I broke up with him shortly after I graduated; I needed a new beginning. I started walking more and eating somewhat healthier. I wanted to show him what he missed. I would walk up to five miles some days, talking to God. I would go for bike rides, etc, but I never lifted weights. I am incredibly proud to say that I never gained the freshman 15. In fact, I lost that and more. I lost 30 pounds and 10 percent of my body fat. I loved the positive feedback I was receiving and wanted to do more, so I took it to the next level. I kept pushing myself harder and harder, not realizing what I was doing to my body. I was burning over 2000 calories 3 days a week and 1500 on the other days. I was doing 3 hours of intense cardio on top of P90X. While consuming only 2000 cals. I would binge at least three days a week because my body was so malnourished. Then, God definitely took charge; He is so amazing. I hadn’t heard from my friend Liz in over a year. She went to college with me, but had to stop attending because she got sick. I was at the point of hitting the wall HARD, when she called me. She did not know how hard I was working out or anything, but she questioned me! She asked me if I was okay and if I was doing too much. I just exploded; I cried to her and told her everything (I was mostly upset about the binging. I ate over 4000 cals for three days straight.) She then revealed her story to me. I now know why she quit school and it breaks my heart; she was doing exactly what I was. She has become helpless; there are some days when she cannot muster the energy to get herself a glass of water. If it wasn’t for her story, I would have been in the same situation, had it not been for her call.

I finished my first round of P90X in April. I took a week off after hitting the wall, then I did doubles later. Since I was still recovering from hitting the wall, I still had the urge to binge at the end of the day, which caused me to gain some fat. I realize that my round 1 results are not the best, but I learned so much through my journey. I am going to become a coach, so I can help others through this also. I had to really work to stop the habit of binging. I had to stop constantly thinking about food. I had to stop feeling like I was not doing enough by working out one or two hours.

I have stopped counting calories and I am learning to eat everything in moderation. I am not where I want to be, but I am determined to get there. I have worked incredibly hard at this. I have not binged since I finished the last round of P90X. Yeah, sure, I still make some mistakes, but who doesn’t!? I learn from them, I don’t let them get me down! I am so proud of who who I have become! I am improving each and every single day. I have become a positive influence on my family. They are now doing eating healthier and reading food labels. I am proud of them. My mom said wow the other day when I was changing. I gave her a questioning look and she goes, YOU’RE LEAN! That made my day. Each day, I get up and push play. I don’t even have to think about it; it’s a habit now. I never thought I would be able to do 414 manly push ups, but I did. I never thought I would be able to keep up with Dom in plyo, but I did. Nothing is impossible. Everyday, in everyway, I am getting better and better and stronger and stronger- emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

The message boards have encouraged and motivated me in numerous ways. I love my team and I love the incredible amount of knowledge I have gained. The boards are so inspirational! When you see others working hard and challenging their bodies to match their mindset, you just want to get right in there and bring it too! There are some truly amazing people on there! I love P90X, I love the new lifestyle I have, and I love the people I talk to everyday. P90X has changed my life.