My lifelong struggle with my weight brought me where I never imagined I would be. Co-hosting a health and fitness show and a (former) NASM Certified Personal Trainer were never on my list of future careers, but I achieved both after losing 155lbs and finding my true path in life.

My weight began to fluctuate at the age of 8. My pediatrician suggested my parents take me to the Weight Watchers Youth program and so began my introduction to weighing and measuring my daily intake of food and water. An active kid, I was involved in dance and loved riding my bike, playing on the monkey bars and running around my house like I was the fastest athlete in town. But my weight continuously became the focus and struggle of my childhood and adolescent years. Kids can be cruel and I eventually self-fulfilled the prophecy that I was “fat”. Some excess baby weight and “chubbiness” turned into over 300lbs throughout the course of college and beyond.

My weight held me back from pursuing my dream of being on stage. I always felt as though I was meant to be an entertainer, but I constantly felt insecure in the Theater world. I felt comfortable with my friends, family & peers, but I didn’t feel I had what it took to make my dream a reality. I always said I would go for it after I lost the weight.

The opportunity to be on The Biggest Loser presented itself in 2007. This seemed like the perfect chance to lose the weight while being in the spotlight and to see if I could make my entertainment dream a reality. I made it to the final round of casting twice, but obviously I was meant to take a different approach to losing the weight and going for my dreams.

In September of 2008, after years of failed fad diets, cleanses and false starts – I finally embarked on my journey to losing 150lbs. My goal was to prove that it could be done without surgery or unhealthy measures, and I am proud to say that I proved that theory. When I started, I never realized the process that it would take to get where I am today. I originally gave myself a time limit, but once life changed course, I learned that there is no short cut to changing your life for the better. The process takes as long as it takes and in the end the journey is what matters, not how long it took to get there.

As of today, I am still on the journey. Keeping off 155lbs has proved a struggle at times and extreme weight loss left me with a lot of excess skin. One day, I'd love to transform the body that losing so much weight has left me with, but for now my stretch marks will have to prove as the scars of my success and how far I have come. I may never have the perfect body, but this experience has given me so much more meaning in life than the perfect body ever could.

I find it an honor to inspire others with my story. My most recent dream has been to host my own health, fitness and wellness talk show on network television with my partner Lisa by my side. I feel as though there are so many that can benefit from our experience and that need to know that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. There is a sea of information to weave through in the world of health and fitness and we hope that our experience will help others to find their own path to success.

I am here to share my experience and help others in any way possible. If you would have told me that I would be where I am today, I never would have believed it, but I couldn’t be happier to share this journey with all of you.