Christy T.

“Coming Home to Myself: A Journey of Health and Healing”

I didn’t start my weight loss journey because I hated my body. I started because I wanted to live inside it fully. I wanted to make sure I was energized for the next phase. 

For years, I put myself last — consumed by work, caring for others, running on fumes. Fast food on the go, never working out (the gym? I’d rather die), and constant stress were my routine. My body was carrying the weight of everything I wasn’t saying no to.

But it wasn’t a number on a scale that woke me up. It was waking up tired and unready to take on the day. Every morning. It was sitting in an office all day. It was prioritizing what I know now are simple carbohydrates over fresh clean fruit and vegetables. It was being too exhausted to finish out a day without laying down. It was the nagging thought: What if I’m not around long enough to enjoy the life I’ve built?

 I worked with staff at Total Body Wellness and came to the realization that what I put into my body mattered. How I moved my body mattered. It wasn’t just about consuming less food, it was about the food I was consuming.  So I started small—water instead of soda, protein shakes to begin my day.  Focusing on ingesting vegetables, fruit and lean protein. One day, I had a serious hard talk with staff at Total Body Wellness and really found that body movement was going to be key in keeping weight off. It truly scared me as I’ve never been athletic. I’ve never been a fitness person.  The owner of TBW offered to take me to my first Orange Theory class for she was a member.  This motivated me to keep going back. When I am at the gym I work out. Hard. I challenge myself each time. I think of the gym as a form of self care- like my skin care routine. I am taking care of me. When I leave I am proud of myself. I’m doing something I’ve never done before. Morning stretches instead of scrolling. I have stopped looking for shortcuts and started looking inward.

I didn’t follow a trendy diet. I learned to listen — to hunger cues, to energy shifts, to what made me feel grounded versus what made me feel like I was running on empty. Food became fuel, not a punishment or reward. Movement became a celebration, not a chore.

The weight started to come off, but more importantly, my stress lessened, my sleep deepened, and my confidence grew. I no longer felt disconnected from my body — I am starting to  feel at home in it.

This journey isn’t about chasing thinness. It’s about choosing vitality. It’s about honoring my body as the vessel that carries my spirit — and learning to care for it like I would for someone I love.

Total Body Wellness did not simply help me with managing a medication- they took time with me and helped me to process where I was at holistically with my own personal wellness. I’m still on the path. Some weeks I miss the mark. But now, I walk it with strength, grace, and gratitude — and I carry no shame, only self-respect.