Six Months. 115 Pounds. A New Life | By Eric Grider

The year 2019 has been a year of change for me.  

It’s been a year of learning to love myself and learning to be happy. These are two things I struggled with while growing up.  I’ve always struggled with my weight, which I feel led to low self esteem, zero confidence, and a bad attitude. I’ve always felt I lacked love for myself and others.  

Growing up with these feelings promoted some bad habits and routines. For a long time I felt that numbing the pain with drugs, alcohol, and food meant I could just forget the real issues and act as if everything was fine. 

The truth is…it wasn’t fine. Continuing down that path would surely end in catastrophe.  

I remember shopping for a winter coat in December 2018. I couldn’t find one that fit well. I knew something had to change, but making those changes scared me. I continued down my path of self destruction and not loving myself.  

During a work day at Pub Station in February 2019, I had to assist with a meet and greet with country artist, Cody Johnson. At the end of the meet and greet, he told me to jump in and get a pic. Reluctantly, I did. I’m not much for pictures and when I saw a full body pic of myself, I felt super low and absolutely hated what I saw. I remember thinking, “Wow. How could I let myself go like that?”  That picture was taken on February 2nd, 2019. I knew I HAD to make changes. 

The following Monday – two days later - I called Billings Last Diet and made an appointment for that week. I started their program Monday February 11th. I’m so grateful I made that call.  

 Over the last few months I’ve learned portion control, making smarter/healthier choices, and what I’m actually capable of doing. By the middle of March I could really start to see some results. I wasn’t just losing weight, I was losing body fat. I felt like I’d reignited a fire within me and I started to have ambition and drive again.  

Since starting in February, I’ve lost 115lbs and cut my body fat percentage in half. I’ve not only made physical changes, but emotional and mental changes as well. I can now say that I love myself and love others. I can say that my attitude and confidence are improving dramatically. I can honestly say I’m happy. For the first time in years I not only participated in, but wanted to do a run.  

What does my future hold? I’m not totally sure, but I know I plan to continue this journey of happiness and health. I’m also setting new goals for 2020. One of which is running a half marathon in Nashville, TN with a friend next fall. I might not take 1st or 2nd but I know I’ll be crossing the finish line with a smile and a happy heart!