In January of 2018, I made a trip to my home-country, India.
I was extremely excited to reunite with my friends after 7 long years; and I would of course take pictures with them, but when I returned home I deleted every single picture with myself in it!
Imagine, you meet up with your friends after 7 long years, and you don’t want to keep ANY pictures on your phone, simply because you strongly dislike the way you look.
Yeah, so that trip to my home-country was an absolute eye-opener for me.
During my plane ride back to the U.S., I was talking myself down, thinking about how I would only give myself water and no food as punishment, and I actually did that for a couple of weeks.
Then, I met a young college student who was coaching other students so I decided to ask him for help. However, by the time I started to see results, it was time for him to graduate and he left the state, so I lost all of the confidence and gained all the weight that I had lost and more.
Unfortunately, that’s usually what happens when there’s no one to follow up with you or to look after your journey/progress.
Though in my mind, I did not lose hope. I knew that I needed someone to teach me how to be strong-minded and to not give up on the process. I knew that resting and quitting were not the same.
So, one night I was sitting with my laptop and typed, “Personal coaching near me,” and the Breakthrough link popped up, indicating that there was a 14 day kick-off program.
I dialed the number and a young lady with a sweet voice explained what Breakthrough is all about and scheduled my workout sessions for two weeks with Breakthrough.
But before I started my first workout with Breakthrough, I sat down with the owner, Chris Gray, and he asked me three questions: what were my previous struggles before walking into Breakthrough, my current eating habits, and my future goals. These three questions made me re-think my purpose.
After hearing these questions, I knew that I couldn’t lose 25% of my body fat in two weeks so I turned my 14 day commitment into six-months!
During the meeting, I told Chris that I didn’t eat most vegetables and I often had midnight dessert cravings. I was also very physically inactive and mostly ate out because cooking and preparing meals just wasn’t my thing.
After joining, Chris asked me to start a food journal because he said that we won’t see any changes in our bodies without being mindful of nutrition.
At first, I didn’t see the point and I thought to myself, “Who’s going to read my journal?” However, two days later, Krista, one of the strength and conditioning coaches messaged me saying, “Jessica, can we please add protein to your breakfast?
Krista’s follow-up on nutrition really held me accountable for my actions and I became cautious of what I was going to eat for the next course.
Since that day of realization, my life has not been the same.
All of the coaches of Breakthrough are very welcoming and they made me feel like one of their own! Not only are they supportive and knowledgeable, but they always make sure that I am responsible for my actions.
Why should I blame hereditary, or past circumstances? If I change my attitude, I can really do the impossible and be an inspiration for others around me.
As a result of changing my eating habits, another amazing benefit I have received from Breakthrough is that my acne problem has vanished!
My excessive eating habits had not only caused weight gain but had made me feel very embarrassed of my skin, but since I’ve gotten my attitude and nutrition under control, my skin has been glowing and I feel amazing!
I want to, once again, thank all of the coaches for their time and efforts to invest in my health. Even my family and friends have been asking me about this drastic change, and I cannot tell them enough about the hard-work and consistency that are being taught at my gym, Breakthrough!
I have also made some lifetime friends here at Breakthrough and I know that I can count on them for motivation on the days I don’t feel like exercising.
Recently at Breakthrough, we had a bring-a-friend-month, and so, I invited a few of my friends because they had been really curious about my weight-loss and the overabundance of great things I had to say about Breakthrough!
I am proud to say that I have lost over 25 pounds within a year and I am no longer ashamed of being in a group picture!
Finally, I would like to say that the Breakthrough coaches and my workout buddies have changed me completely, and they gave me a new perspective on making food choices and enjoying exercises. I learned to not just drag myself through a workout, but do it like you own it!
It’s never too late to start from the beginning, or in my case, it’s never too early. In my early 20’s, I don’t want to walk around feeling ashamed and I am happy that I found Breakthrough at the right time just when I needed it.
I am grateful that Breakthrough has transformed my messy lifestyle into a lifelong message!
At last, keep smiling! ☺
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