"Hi, my name is Brandi, I’m 37 years old and have struggled with my weight all of my life.  Both sides of my family struggle with weight issues and illnesses that come with it, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.  I was chubby as a kid, transitioned to being an overweight teen to an obese adult. 

 

My weight gain began during my college years; my freshmen 15 turned into a freshman 50. 

It feels like I’ve been on a diet my whole life, and have tried everything under the sun such as diet pills, liquid diets and starvation, with “success” only lasting temporarily.  I guess you can say I’ve tried every way but the right way. My focus was never on getting healthy through nutrition and exercise, I wanted immediate results. 

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In September 2011, my world was forever changed.   My father, whom I was extremely close to, passed away.  Over the following 2 ½ years, my weight spiraled out of control even more, and I felt trapped inside my own body.  Something had to give, and I didn’t want it to be my life.

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I made a commitment to myself  to change my life.  I was through with dieting and quick fixes, and started on my journey to wellness.  With a starting weight of 399 lbs., I began working with Gail from Fit & Fabulous and have not looked back.  She taught me that in order to reach my goal of 165 lbs., nutrition and consistent physical activity had to go hand and hand. 

 

I started eating five meals a day (every three hours), increased my water intake to at least 64 oz. a day, and began working out at least four times a week (two of those days with Gail). I was use to eating once or twice at the most a day, so initially, I didn’t understand how eating more throughout the day would help me lose weight.  I decided to listen to Gail’s suggestions, follow the plan she put me on, and approximately 4 months later, I am 50 lbs. lighter and counting!  Although I am not where I want to be, I’m not where I was and have never felt so healthy.

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Brandi Sheldon/ MSW