Inspirado

*If anyone knows where I got the title of today's post, you get 2 sugar-free, fat-free cookies. :)

There have been many weight loss success stories that have truly inspired me. Well, ALL weight loss success stories inspire me, but only a few have really touched me and made me get my ass in gear. I thought I'd pay a little tribute to these people today.

Ross Mathews (aka Ross the Intern) - Ross started out as an intern on the Jay Leno show. He did hilarious correspondent pieces and quickly became a favorite on the show. When his status as a celebrity started rising, he took part in Celebrity Fit Club on VH1. Now, I love this show. I've loved it since the beginning. But I never really looked at it as an inspiration. I always thought it was cool to see celebrities get out there and make a change and accept their issues in front of the whole world. I think it takes a lot of guts. But it wasn't until the season Ross was on that I really was inspired to get off my duff and do something about it. Not only did Ross supercede his initial weight loss goal, he did it TWICE. I believe his total weight loss was a little over 60 lbs. He is fit and trim and has made such a huge effort to maintain his success and shares it every day on his own blog, which is linked above. I tune into his blog daily and gather so much energy, motivation, and hope from this guy. I wish he knew how much he has inspired me.

Amy and Corey from MTV's True Life: I'm Obese - This show hit me hard core. I watched these two people struggle so much with their weight - more than I ever have or could ever dream of. 400lb Corey suffered constant abuse from people his age, his own inner criticism, and truly believed that gastric bypass would be the end of his troubles. Amy was over 600lb, had severe lymphedema in her legs and feet, could barely walk, and completely relied on her loving husband to get through each day. Amy's gastric bypass actually did take place on the show and that was my first true glimpse in to the world of weight loss surgery. By the end of the show, we got to see a glance of Amy's progress. That show aired in 2004 and I always wondered what happened to them. Thankfully, MTV did a follow up story in 2007 (linked under Corey's name) and OH MY GOD. Corey was able to get approved for his surgery and was down to a svelte 185 lbs and on his way to becoming a police officer. Amy had lost a whopping 400 lbs and had encouraged her husband to have the surgery and he lost 200 lbs. The sheer willpower it must take to make a change like that is amazing and gives me hope every day that this LapBand will be my saving grace.

I've often heard people say that a person's weight loss success is shadowed by the fact that they allowed themselves to become morbidly obese. This statement not only angers me, it saddens me. Everyone has their own reason for becoming the way they are, whether it was abuse as a child, depression, a disease, or some little glitch in their DNA that forgets to tell them to stop eating. At times, I am embarrassed and humiliated at what I've let myself become. I feel bad for putting my family through it. But I'm damn sure going to be proud when I become healthy and nothing will overshadow that.