Traci overcame her lifelong struggle with her weight after meeting a woman who showed her a world of possibilities.
Traci's Story
"I'd always struggled with my weight growing up."
My family would always tell me, "Traci, you have a beautiful face." They didn't understand that it hurt me, but it did. How could it not?
I always wanted to act, but I didn't think that I could because I was so insecure about my weight. I was always cast as the best friend and never the lead, and I felt like it had something to do with my weight. Eventually, I became dispassionate and disillusioned with the whole thing. So in college, I completely put it off. I changed career paths and when I graduated, I moved to New York for that whole big city experience.
"I had tried everything, but nothing seemed to be great."
I had been on every diet, taken every diet pill, worked out and even stopped eating. I ran the gamut of trying to do whatever I could to lose the weight. I'd lose a pound here, lose 5 pounds there, and always gain it back. I didn't actually believe I could lose weight; it seemed impossible for me.
I found out that there was a gym in my new apartment building in New York, which was amazing for me because it was freezing outside! I started talking to this girl who worked at the front desk of that gym. We were talking about acting, because the desire to go after it had recently sparked inside of me again. I had been cast in a supporting role of a production, but I wasn't thrilled about it. I was still very insecure and unhappy about the way I looked. The girl told me about an amazing personal trainer she had worked with, and at that point I realized that if I wanted to get roles I'd be excited about, I'd have to try again. I had nothing to lose.
"My trainer literally changed my life. I owe her everything."
I started working out two days a week with my trainer, Donna, and she not only gave me the tools for how to work out but also how to eat. Most importantly, she taught me to believe that what I wanted from myself was possible -- kind of like "The Secret." My two-day-a-week workout turned into three, then four, then turned into me cutting back on certain foods like bread, rice and sugar. I started eating tons of fruit and vegetables, and I noticed that I felt better. I came out of that depression-like state I had when I first went to New York. Fruits, vegetables and proteins, combined with increased workouts, pushed me through my initial weight loss. Within five months, my body was completely transformed.
"I'm an all or nothing person, and she didn't let me fail."
Donna weighed me every week and measured me every month. She wouldn't take no for an answer; it wasn't even an option. Having someone there for you and being held accountable is the absolute, most important thing. Whether it's Weight Watchers, a trainer, or anyone, having somebody there to recognize your wins and losses puts that necessary pressure on you.
What Donna taught me is that if you really want to lose weight, just do it. Don't have something to fall back on, don't make excuses, get it done and then go straight to maintenance.
"Now, I see so many possibilities, and I've learned so much."
I was able to experience what losing weight feels like, see what it looks like and understand how to do it. I learned how to eat and how to keep challenging myself in new ways. I learned how to express myself in new ways, both physically and emotionally. Working with Donna allowed me to stand in a different way, walk into a bar in a different way and order from a menu in a different way. I finally feel comfortable and confident with myself.
