Start weight: 313 pounds (Jan 2007, high school)

Current weight: 185 pounds (Sept 2010)

Realization of my weight problem hit me hard when I was forced to step on a scale while shopping one afternoon. As I tipped the scale, an "Error" message filled the screen. It was not a joke. In utter embarrassment I continued to read the manual of the scale, only to discover it did not exceed 300 pounds. A doctor's visit later, and I soon faced the truth that I weighed 313 pounds.

In what was probably my 20th attempt to lose weight. I started using a glider workout machine in the privacy of my own home. On the third day of continual use, I protruded forward and broke the machine. The handle bars plunged forward and broke off the body of the machine. At this point, I was faced with two options. Option 1 was to go back inside and eat my sorrow out of a pizza box. Option 2 required me to throw on some tennis shoes and do something I had not done in years: run. I chose the latter. Not wanting people to see an oversized teenager attempting to run, gasping for breath, I would go out late at night. At first, I could only go a block without having to stop. Progress seemed impossible, but the drive of hope I had for myself carried the weight. With time and patience, I outlined distances farther and farther. Blocks turned into miles, and before I knew it, 5 miles became a breeze.

All the sweat and effort I put into running emphasized the importance of dieting. I cut out the things that were killing my health. These things included liters of soda, fast food, and candy! I would eat a healthy breakfast and portioned lunch and dinner at my discretion. I was nourishing myself without overindulging.

With my improved health, I enjoyed daily workouts for a tennis team I was on at the time. Following practice, I would utilize my evenings to run. I was developing a healthier lifestyle for myself and the idea of it was refreshing. Substitution for healthier alternatives is key. Mastery of this skill comes with the willingness to do so.I learned to enjoy a bottle of water instead of a liter of soda.

With my continual weight loss, I began to enjoy new things like ultimate frisbee and cycling.  My body needed to tone up some after losing 130 pounds so I started lifting weights. Weights helped create definition my body was able to mold. The exciting thing about weight loss is that it makes the opportunity to exercise so much more exciting. Yoga, pilates, cross-training. You are able to partake in anything of your liking.

I should note the most important thing to my weight loss was motivation. If you do not have a catalyst to achieve weight loss, how can you achieve it? The activation energy for this catalyst must come from the source, ultimately within one's self. Weight loss can be modeled by the idea of a dip. The natural slope of the dip expects you to give up at one point. When you can overcome this obstacle, you differentiate yourself from the drives of other people attempting the same thing. You gain a sense of achievement and can correlate and direct the same efforts in any way of life.

I was a 46 inch waist size and I was embarrassed of many things: finding clothes that fit, trying to fit in seats, hearing the creaking of a chair trying to hold my body weight, etc. The overall tole of this was a low self-confidence in myself. I would stay inside on weekends and became a bit of a recluse. I wanted to be more social and go out and be in the stories I heard all my classmates experience. More importantly I wanted to experience life!  This was the biggest test of my lifetime. Not only was it a test, but more importantly, it was an opportunity! Losing weight is not an easy thing but the experience itself reveals a lot about your character. I saw perseverance and dedication in myself I had never seen before.

I currently am a Senior at Pepperdine University, majoring in business. I have become an ambassador for a local children's foundation, XXI Kids First Foundation,  that helps at-risk youth with eating and living healthy. I currently work in the Athletics Division at Pepperdine, and have found a passion for sports and business.Without my weight loss experience, I truly believe the path I outlined for myself would have never been possible.

I have proven that weight loss is possible, and most importantly, it can be maintained. I am currently training to run my first full marathon and have become an avid early morning runner.