Monday, July 29, 2013

Meet our Member: Heather

When Heather came to us at Square One, she shared an inspiring story of how she had already lost over 300lbs ON HER OWN! Heather is an amazing gal, and now that she's a member we asked if she would participate in a monthly blog post to follow her journey with us. She has happily agreed, and below you will find her first post. Please extend a warm welcome to Heather!
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My blogging is going to be about my journey. I feel this is the best way for you all to get to know the "real me".

My journey began 8 years ago when I was in a very bad place in my life. My marriage had ended and I was now a single mom weighing in at over 600lbs. My dad was battling cancer at the time, and my world completely flipped upside down. 

The day my life changed everything hit home. I went to stay with my sick dad so my mom could have a break. We were sitting there in the gloomy, dark hospital room, and my dad looks at me with tears in his eyes and I asked him what was wrong. He turned to me and said "Heather, getting cancer was a HUGE wake up call for me. I look at my children and am so scared that they may pass away before I do.... Heather I'm petrified that you won't be here to raise your son, you need to change your lifestyle. I love you, you're an amazing mom and daughter. I don't want Seth to grow up without you."

That conversation changed my life. The next day I walked into the Y and asked if they had financial services to help me get a membership. I was determined to be a healthier, better mom for my son. I met with a personal trainer and he put me on a diet and exercise program. I did very well for a few months, but then I was laid off from my job. 

Once again I found myself being an "emotional eater" and I turned to fried, sweet, fatty foods to comfort me. I went to the gym every day asking if there was any type of volunteer or possibly paid position I could come into. I landed a position there shortly afterward and that is where I met Marty & Amy Wolff. I did their Shape Up program and in my first week I lost 26 lbs. I was motivated and excited for this journey - finally something caught my attention and was keeping me focused on chasing my dreams to be healthy and fit!

During this program I got injured and had to leave the program. I was devastated, thinking "how am I going to lose this weight on my own? How I going to reach my goals?" 

After my injury was healed I was determined to make my dad proud. I made a bet with him if he did chemotherapy for one year & fought this battle I promised to lose 100lbs. I was motivated and so was he; I lost 163lbs and my dad beat colon cancer in that year. 

I was still on my journey; I wanted to lose another 163lbs. A year later our family got the news my dad had stage 4 liver cancer and I knew I had a purpose to make a difference for myself and my family. I continued my journey and I am still on it today. 

To date I've lost 353lbs. I lost my dad to his battle April 28, 2008, but I continue to honor his memory by moving forward with my weight loss journey.  My goal is to help others on their journey to be healthier, happier, and more powerful individuals. 

Thank you for allowing me to share my story. I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you all. God bless.
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Want to know more about Square One? Check us out at www.square1club.com . Stay tuned next month for another great blog post by Heather! 

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