RICHMOND, Va. –The CBS 6 Healthy Lifestyle Expo is Saturday, February 6, at the Richmond Convention Center. One of this year’s big draws is Insanity workout maven Shaun T. Shaun T’s workouts have helped countless people take control of their lives and get into better shape. Becca Cottingham is one of those people. The Chesterfield woman has lost more than 100 pounds with Shaun T.
Becca recently shared her success story with the hopes others would be inspired to lose weight also.
I was always the girl that got made fun of in school. I was called multiple names, laughed at, and a target for bullying.
I remember being in a new school and we had some type of party where everyone brought items to pass out. As one of my classmates passed out her item, she by passed me and said “you do not deserve anything because you are fat.”
Becca Cottingham
As a child and even in adulthood, this has scarred me. I lost confidence in myself and have never liked what I saw in the mirror.
I put myself through what seemed like a million different types of diets to try and lose weight.
Quick Fixes
In college my friends were concerned because they did not think I was eating enough. Nothing stuck with me longer than a couple of weeks. I spent hundreds of dollars on quick fixes that I ended up trashing or just not using. I just kept giving up on myself. It was just like another job that I had to do.
There was nothing really motivating me to make a real difference.
My life was just miserable.
My asthma was getting out of control.
My weight had stayed pretty steady at well over 350 pounds.
I was not gaining any additional weight, but I was not losing weight either.
My best friend decided to start doing 5K races and I thought I was going to die when I completed my first one. I told her I would never do another. At mile one I was ready to say let me turn around and I will meet you at the finish line.
But being my best friend, she would not let me give up. I was the last person to cross the finish line, but I crossed the finish line.
Doctor’s Challenge
My doctor knew I was doing the races, but we still were not seeing a difference. So he dropped a major challenge in my lap.
I had three months to figure out why I was not losing weight. If I could not not figure it out, he was going to send me to another doctor to figure out what was going on. I accepted the doctor’s challenge. I knew that I could not afford to go another doctor. I knew there was nothing wrong with me, other than myself.
I started looking at what I was eating, how much I was eating and started to make changes.
Shaun T
I stopped going to Starbucks on a daily bases. I started making changes and noticed a difference. However, it was not until I found Beachbody and Shaun T’s programs that I truly started seeing the results.
I quickly learned that the key was eating healthy and exercising.
Becca Cottingham
There were a million times in the last year that I wanted to give up. I wanted to quit because thing were not easy. My muscles were sore, my asthma would kick in, and my chest would hurt from a prior accident.
This journey was by no means easy.
Becca Cottingham
It came with difficult choices and making a true effort to change my life to get me where I am at now.
My Life has Changed
My life has changed so much since I was introduced to these amazing programs.
I went to Universal this past fall and was able to get on a ride that I could not previously ride.
I was crying in the middle of Universal Studios and I am sure that hundreds of people looked at me like I had lost my mind. But the year prior I was unable to get on the ride. I have found that I have more energy and a drive to do more things.
I can spend time running around chasing my nieces and nephews.
My asthma has improved drastically since I started working out regularly instead of when I felt like working out. So many things have drastically changed and continue to change as I keep working towards my goals.
Becca Cottingham
I just needed to find a group of likeminded people who supported me.
That understood my struggles and where I was coming from. Once I truly found that group of people I felt like I could truly accomplish anything.
