The bigger picture

My warrior journey did not begin in a vaccuum. Two planes of my existence evolved to bring me to the start. These two planes, my physical self and my emotional self, seem separate, but in reality are totally intertwined.

I have been overweight since age 6 or so. I have let being fat define me my entire life. It's painful limitations are obvious to all, and the solution to everyone is so simple. The reality is, once you are fat, becoming thin is not simple. It is hard, really, really, damn hard. I became fat as a child, sadly, because food was my only friend, comforter and parent.

I met my partner, who also was fat. We love each other and understand each other in ways that people who have never been though the pain of being fat can comprehend. Through our strong relationship, we decided that we needed to conquer the fat that would eventually kill us. Losing weight/becoming physically healthy became our joint number one goal. We each have shed over 90 pounds.

Besides changing our diets, we trained. Weight lifting three times a week. He trains twice daily for triathalons. I learned to run for the first time in my life- and ran both a 5K and a 10K.

My body is now my source of pride, not something to be hidden. I am learning to stand tall, instead of trying to make myself smaller. I have conquered the shame of my body. It is not perfect, not even close. The most important thing that has happened to me in the last two years is the empowerment of turning my shameful body into a powerful, strong body.

This empowerment, allows me to turn the impossible dreams I had before into realities. It has unleashed my warrior within.