that loss. After the surgery, I started working with a
nutritionist until I discovered that I had hypothyroidism.
My nutritionist told me she could no longer help me, and
I was devastated. I tried everything: weight-loss drugs
that had to be monitored by my doctor, Weight Watchers,
the Paleo Diet, boot camps. I tried nearly every workout
plan and diet out there, but nothing worked.
In May of 2012 I saw an inspiring story about a disabled
veteran who overcame his weight issues and disabilities
by turning to Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) Yoga. I posted
on Facebook to see if any of my friends had tried DDP
Yoga, and a friend commented that she hadn’t, but she
had a group of friends who worked out at a yoga studio.
She arranged a pass for me, and off I went. After my
practice and weight loss took a devastating blow in
December when an extra bone was found inside a major
ligament in my foot. My choices were to either ignore
it and hope that it wouldn’t continue to damage the
ligament or have it removed. In reality, however, there
really wasn’t a choice. On January 3, 2013, the doctors
removed a 4-inch bone from my foot. Recovery took 8
weeks, and I was prohibited from placing any weight on
my foot in order foot to give the ligament time to heal.
However, immediately after being medically cleared, I
started working out again.
In April of 2013 I was finally released to work out as I so
desired. I hired a trainer, returned to yoga, and started
cycling. I hit a plateau on August 1st of 2013 after
26.5 pounds of loss. I decided to join the Clean Eating
Challenge posed on Facebook. I lost 2 pounds, and my
world began to change. I joined a different challenge
group, one which required that I select a Beachbody
workout. I was admittedly scared and apprehensive;
I had heard stories of people injuring themselves
with some of these programs. So, I had a lengthy
discussion with my coach who knew their programs.
She asked what my fitness goals were, and she ended
up recommending Focus T25. Despite my fear, I actually
loved the program. I found it easy to work its 25 minutes
into my daily routine.
doctors told me in April of 2013 that I would never run
again; I told them, “Watch me.” I have compl