My story:
Growing up, I was always on the thicker side, but it wasn’t until after college that my weight really became an issue. To get back on track, I joined a weight loss program, but success was always short-lived, and I rebounded with more weight gain. I spent years yo-yoing back and forth in my journey, trying, then failing as I would cycle between different programs and weight loss techniques.
When I started my job in the events industry, weight loss only became harder. Working long, busy days, my health was put on the back burner because I didn’t have the time to be healthy. My job was stressful, and I would use food to reward myself or to relax after a long day. I used to think that eating whatever I wanted was saying “I love you” to my body. Eating was the only thing that brought me joy, so it became my form of self-care. In addition to eating for comfort, I was also struggling to find time to exercise because it just felt like more work. Working out felt like a punishment for being fat; and it was always difficult, even torturous, at times.
Things changed when the COVID pandemic began. My industry took a big hit, and much like the rest of the world, I was out of work. I thought now is the time to prioritize my health. A friend and I joined a weight loss program and began exercising together. It was hard to get started, but as time went on I was doing better, and I was happy I could shift my focus to my health for the first time in a long time. As the world began to shift back towards normal, things started to go downhill again as my work schedule began to pick back up.
My doctor knew I was doing everything to get healthy— spinning, walking, and eating well, but after returning to my busy schedule, nothing was working. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle with myself. One day, a friend shared that she was on weight loss medication, so I asked my doctor if that may be an option for me. Knowing that I did not have health insurance, my doctor recommended CONTRAVE, which had a discount program, CurAccess, which really aligned with what I could afford.
On CONTRAVE, I was doing everything I was doing before, eating healthy and exercising, and I was seeing success! I could keep up with my weight loss program and started to enjoy new forms of exercise. These new healthy habits became my new form of self-care. Spinning is fun, going on walks is my happy place and yoga allows me to disconnect and relax. I feel other changes have come with losing weight like being more positive, feeling more confident, and being in awe of myself and what I’ve achieved. CONTRAVE helped me lose weight and keep it off. It was the solution to my struggles with weight that I had been seeking for a long time. I used to be in a constant battle with myself, climbing up a mountain and always sliding back down, and for the first time ever, I don’t feel like that anymore.
