Obesity and eating habits are complicated. My relationship with food and dieting is not excluded from that. Dieting and food issues led to anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating, as well as fluctuating sizes throughout my life. It lasted for decades and started when I was in the 6th grade. My dad was dying, and coupled with a mother obsessed with my weight and eating habits, I began searching for something in my life to control.

Dieting gave me the approval from a mother who made me feel my value came from a number on a little square thing I stood on and also gave me some weird sense of control of my life when it felt so out of control as a preteen and teenager. That once sense of control later led to many years of out of control eating, yo-yo dieting, up and down numbers on the scale, years of struggling with my weight, my relationship with food, my self-image, and my self-esteem.

No one, not even my husband, knew the turmoil existing inside of me. I carried so much trauma and shame that I never talked about it to anyone. I can proudly say that I finally have a healthy relationship with food, but it took help and 38+ years to get here. It started when I picked up my first weight and started strength training. I liked being strong. Then I changed how I looked at food. I looked at food as fuel to give my body what it needed to do what I was asking it to do in the gym every day. I surrounded myself with people who taught me how to do these things. They were my cheerleaders. They fought for me and with me. Without my therapist, personal trainer, and dietitian, I'd still be ashamed of my food struggles, and I would still be chasing skinny.

The impact of this journey and my personal trainer inspired me to leave my 23-year teaching career to become a personal trainer. I want to be the person who fights for you and with you! Let me help you stop chasing skinny and to start being strong. Strong > skinny!