As far back as she can remember, Pam had always been the chubby girl who struggled with her weight. While she was growing up, eating food became the way she tried to cope with the pain of being abandoned by her father when she was a baby. During moments of insecurity, she reached for food to pacify her feelings. Over the years, she developed what she refers to as the fine art of masking her body fat with carefully crafted outfits. With a knack for layering, Pam would camouflage the rolls that seemed to be multiplying on her body. She tried every diet plan and exercise program out there, but nothing seemed to work. When she finally was able to maintain her weight, she started having children the whole cycle started over again.
It wasn’t until Pam reunited with her father that she found a sense of security, and finally began trying to get control of her bad eating habits. Shortly after the birth of her first child, Pam’s father was so eager to meet his first grandson and introduce Pam to her new brother, who had been born with Down syndrome, that he flew both of them out to the Philippines for a visit. At this point in his life, Pam’s father had reached a turning point. Watching her father pour all his love and energy into his new son really helped spark the healing process for Pam. As their children grew, so did their bond, and not long afterwards, Pam’s father moved to Las Vegas to be closer to his family. Just when things seemed to be falling into place, Pam’s whole world turned upside down.
About a year ago, Pam was on the way home from work when her cell phone rang. It was her husband. Their 14-year-old son was suicidal, and she needed to get home right away. All the air had been sucked right out of her. It was all she could do to keep the car on the road. As she fought through tears and sheer panic, she received another call only a few minutes later. It was her stepmother her father was terminally ill, and she needed to be with him in Nevada. Pam says that she’s never felt so torn in her whole life. As she struggled through the following months traveling back and forth between Nevada and California, she fell back into her old habits of using food to cope with the pain. On bad days, she would sit in front of the TV, in a fog of despair, and eat an entire family-size bag of peanut M&Ms. Two of the most important people in her life were on the brink of death, and Pam felt hopeless.
Early one morning, while waiting to catch a flight to Las Vegas to see her father, Pam saw an infomercial for Slim in 6 ®. At first, she was just simply too tired to change the channel, but as she watched the testimonials, something clicked inside her. She jumped on the phone and ordered the program right away. As soon as Slim in 6 arrived, Pam started Pushing Play. Although she was so out of shape that the first 25-minute DVD exhausted her, Debbie Seibers made her feel like she could do the program. She dedicated herself to the workouts, determined to reclaim some control over her life by working out no matter how down she felt. Not too long afterwards, Pam’s father passed away. When she returned home after the funeral, her son returned to school and began attending outside therapy. At this point, she realized that to “do right by” her family, she was going to need to “do right by” herself.
Since committing to a healthier lifestyle, Pam has lost 35 pounds. 2 months ago, she completed her first 5k run something she never thought she would be able to achieve in the past. She now has bags of clothes that don’t fit anymore, but more importantly, she can smile and laugh again. The best part of Pam’s story is that her son wanted to start working out with her. Watching her son battle depression through working out with Tony Horton has truly been a godsend. Pam’s road hasn’t ended, but she knows now that no matter what life throws at her, she can handle it.
