“In October of 2014, my best friend got really into fitness and talked me into going with her. Prior to that, I hated myself. I hated the way I looked. I was overweight and very self conscious. Also, as a young kid I knew I was different from everybody else, but I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I realized I was not straight. I was in denial for many years. In high school, I finally came out. Before I came out, everyone speculated that I was gay, which was hard. I got bullied a lot and people didn’t treat me right, so I found comfort in food. I gained a lot of weight throughout middle school and high school. After high school, I was finally comfortable with myself and my sexuality but I still wasn’t happy because I wasn’t healthy. So just shy of 2 years ago, I started working out with my best friend and once I got more comfortable with myself and with working out, I started going more often. Before I knew it, I started eating healthier too, and once I started seeing results, I knew I couldn’t stop. I’ve lost 55 pounds, but beyond that, so much has changed. Before I was really depressed and had bad anxiety. I would spend all of my time isolating myself. I used to be on depression pills and now I’m off of them completely. I’m in a better place mentally and physically. I’m more outgoing now. Exercise and living a healthy lifestyle has completely changed who I am. If it wasn’t for my best friend pushing me to go, I would’ve never went. One person can change your life. She changed mine. That’s all it takes. I hope my story can do the same.”