Living LARGE: Patty

1.     How did you feel before DBC?

I was in a low place when I discovered Destination Boot Camp and the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. I found myself numbing my feelings with food. I had gained a lot of weight in very little time and I felt defeated, isolated, embarrassed. I was angry all the time and felt like such a failure because I could not stop eating.

2.     Remember when you started this journey? How does your weight loss journey now compare to what you thought going into it?

I think that like most people out there looking to lose weight, we always think when we start a diet, that if we just lose all this extra weight that we will be happy. But very early on in my Destination Boot Camp program, I realized that to experience true success (and happiness), this time I would also have to confront and conquer my inner demons. Following the diet and exercise plan, you will lose weight. But if you want to keep the weight off, you have to also do the mindset work.

3.     What has been your biggest “Aha” or breakthrough moment?

My breakthrough happened just a couple of days into boot camp. Dr. Holly was speaking to us in one of our classes and she spoke on “integrity to yourself”. She had us think of all the times we follow through for others and then asked if we did the same for ourselves. If you are trying to eat healthy and you suddenly find yourself alone in your kitchen and there is a plate of cookies on the table, how many times have you eaten a cookie even though it was not what you were really working towards? It is the integrity to yourself that matters most. If you want to be healthy, have the integrity to not eat that cookie even if there is no one around to know whether or not you ate the cookie. You know and that is what is important. This moment in class made a huge impact on me. It was my “Aha” moment that stuck with me for the rest of my journey at home.

4.     What are you most proud of/grateful for so far?

I am proud of the 50 pounds that I have lost. It feels great to be down 6 dress sizes and to have lost 30 inches off my body. However, I am most proud of the emotional weight that I have lost. It has completely changed the way I am looking at life every day. I experience true joy daily and for that I am most grateful.

5.     If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering this journey, what would it be?

My advice would be, rather than dreaming about the person you always knew you could be, you will become that person if you allow yourself to trust the process and honestly answer hard questions about yourself and your environment. Before this program, asking me to be honest with myself and do these exercises would have been right up there with asking me to cut my hand off with a dull spoon. This program gave me the tools to be honest with myself and really deal with my demons. It may sound scary, but without a doubt, it is so worth it.

6.     What has been the most valuable part of DBC?

The most valuable part of DBC for me has been the reconnection I have made with myself. I had lost a part of me over the years in being a wife, being a mother, being support to everyone else in my life. Through all of the journaling and mindset exercises, I have found a way to be all those things but to be me too. I have re-learned to be me and it has literally lightened me up!

7.     How has this journey changed your life?

Dr. Holly told us all at boot camp that our week there would be a life-altering event. She could not have said a truer statement all week! This will forever change who you are going forward. I realized at boot camp that I could no longer be who I was before that week. Her statement had a profound impact on me. It drove me to take her message to heart and embrace it. If this was going to be a life-altering event, I was going to grab the bull by the horns and hang on for the ride of my life. I will apply the knowledge of what I have learned at boot camp and in this year long program for the rest of my life.

8.     How do you feel now?

I am so grateful that I found the Anschutz Wellness Center, Dr. Holly, and the wonderful team of people she has working with her. This program has profoundly changed my life for the better. I have had to work so hard over the last few months, but the blood, sweat, and tears have been worth it. I feel uplifted, at peace, strong and joyful. I found myself and rediscovered my happiness.

Are you ready to rediscover yourself? Click here to start your journey of transformation.