Biggest Loser Update: Find Your Fight

Ralph Miller, who is a certified massage therapist and a colleague of mine at South Riding Wellness Connection, has graciously agreed to add to this blog by relating his personal experience as a participant in the Biggest Loser community challenge. This is the start of his journey. ~ Sarah

"This is not my first rodeo with weight loss. Nor is it for most of the other participants in the Biggest Loser challenge. Nor is it possibly for you. On this particular journey, however, I am discovering something about myself that is different from other weight losses I’ve had in the past. I hope you can see some of yourself in my story, which will help you change yours…

Most of us have struggled with our weight longer than we realize. Each pound lost was a small victory, while each pound put back on was so discouraging. The up and down, I’ve found, really messes with my head.  At one time, my cholesterol was in the 300s, I weighed 265 pounds and my blood pressure was bad enough that my doctor put me in his “5 percent group” (5 percent chance of surviving a heart attack). And don’t get me started on my sugar! Mountain Dew could’ve been one of my food groups.

The last time I lost weight was in 2007, when I lived in Virginia Beach. Regular workouts, yoga and using my brain brought me down under 200. I truly felt like I was looking hot! I moved back to Northern Virginia, which to me feels like the stress capital of the country, and within two years, I had gained 35 pounds. As a massage therapist, I’ve learned that environmental factors play a big role in stress and likewise weight control. I’ve decided it’s up to me to take back my life despite the things trying to take us all down—the bad-for-you food, bad traffic, bad work hours (yours or your spouse’s) and others’ occasional bad attitudes.

So here I am. To date, I’ve lost 17 pounds, on my way to a total of 35. This time I’m going to make it stick. Confidence is a funny thing. When you have it, you can take on the world. When you don’t, it takes you!

Don’t be a part of the status quo. Start your own journey, and know that you are worth it. Find the motivation that will keep you moving forward—your family, your health, your desire to look and feel good again. It’s in there somewhere!"