I refused to get on that scale. No way was I admitting to myself that I was that heavy. I knew the scale was tipping beyond the place I said I’d never get to. Still, in my mind, I was fat and I kept getting bigger. Jeans felt tight and I found myself unbuttoning my jeans to give my gut a bit of relief and then I’d hide the fact by wearing an oversized sweatshirt. I outgrew my fat jeans.

Fast forward to my first few weeks of Power 90 I was not noticing any budge in my waist line, but I told myself I was just going to commit to the 13 week journey and prove this wouldn’t work (even though I was hoping it would reverse my obesity trend).

Well, 35 pounds and three belt notches later I was facing some pretty baggy jeans that just hung on me. I wouldn’t commit to buy a new pants though. As a matter of fact, a whole year went by before I went to Kohls to buy a whole new wardrobe thanks to completing P90X.

That day I spent a little over $1200 (that’s a lot of clothing at that store). I was so thrilled to buying a 32 waistline as opposed to the 38s I was just about to search for.

Over the years I maintained that waist size and eventually my fat clothing went to donation centers. I hung onto one pair up until this past year. I wanted to have something to remind me of a place I never wanted to be again. I didn’t hold on for that obligatory weight loss photos (although I wish I would have taken one of those). I held on to remind myself of the hard work I put in to live a healthy, fulfilling life. I wanted to remind myself of the reasons why my story helps inspire others to show up day by day and improve their health little by little. I wanted to have a trophy that was testimony that anyone can improve themselves if they just commit and stay consistent.

So, while my fat jeans are probably providing clothing for another, please know that you too can commit to developing a better version of you no matter where you are. Maybe you already have. I would enjoy hearing your journey. Together we can help others.