Week 41

On Sunday, Briana was placed into a host home. The family seems very nice and Briana seems happy. When she came to see me, the first words out of her mouth were "We need to talk about my diet." "Okay," I replied. Let's get you started on the treadmill and we can talk. Once she got going, I sat down and she started, "You won't be happy about this. Last night, for dinner I had spaghetti." "Well," I said, "it was your first night in a new house so I understand." "You aren't mad?" she asked. "I'm not mad, Briana. We just need to sit down with your new family and talk about your diet. I will do that tomorrow when they pick you up." "Oh good," she breathed. "Since you aren't mad, I also have to tell you that I had a milkshake. An Oreo one with ice cream and milk." "Okay..." I said, keeping my thoughts to myself. "Then for lunch today I had peanut butter and jelly, a banana, and grape juice." Rather than saying "Are you kidding me?" like I wanted to, I said "I will sit down and have a talk with your new family and help them understand how important your diet is to you." Briana seemed relieved by this. I realized how challenging this transition was going to be and new I needed to act quickly to educate everyone so that Briana wouldn't suffer the consequences. My game plan for the week was to know exactly what Briana was eating. As long as I didn't get mad, she told me everything. By the end of the week she had eaten Taco Bell, spaghetti, an oreo milkshake, and pizza twice. She had consumed a lot of sugar through juices and jelly and desserts. She had a terrible week from a nutritional perspective. The only good news was that she was down another two pounds when I weighed her at the beginning of the week and emotionally she seemed like she was adjusting. Overall, she was happy but her healthy habits took a severe beating. Needless to say, I worked Briana extra hard this week. We did more cardio and I kept her moving with minimal rest. She was sweaty, tired, and sore. She did everything and only got mad at me once. At a minimum, I hope I helped her burn the calories she consumed. As we move into next week, I will continue to talk to her host mom and help her understand the high importance of a healthy menu for Briana. I pray that she will make the effort to get Briana back on track. I will also start educating Briana and let her know that she has to take a stand and advocate for her health. If they can work together, I know she will continue to get healthy and stay that way.

Week 40

Briana's spirit and drive continue to amaze me. With everything happening in her life, she definitely has more reasons to give up this fight than she has reasons to continue. I think of what the "average" person would do under similar circumstances, and I know that health and weightloss would take a backseat to everything else. For this reason alone, I am more dedicated than ever. This week, Briana was bubbling over with excitement. At the end of last week, she auditioned for the Be Beautiful, Be Yourself fashion show. This is the fashion show she attended as a guest in October 2011. At that time, she was too heavy to even audition. She would not have been able to fit into any of the clothes. After watching the fashion show, she was determined to lose weight so she could audition for it in 2012. I had the honor of being with her at the audition. She was excited and confident. She was the first person to audition then sat and cheered for her friends when they auditioned. When I saw Briana on Tuesday, she was giddy. "Oh, I hope they pick me," she said as she did her treadmill warm up. "If they pick me, I will be up on that stage and be able to thank everyone that loves me." She named the list of people who have been there to support her in her journey. "I sure hope my mom will be there to see me," she concluded. For Briana, the realization is setting in that her mom is very ill. She has been diagnosed as terminal and Briana understands what that means. In spite of that, she stays hopeful that her mom will have enough time to see her accomplish her dream and be there at the fashion show. This makes it even more important to her to be chosen. As we worked out that week, Briana was motivated to do her best. I offered more praise than normal and she lit up every time I said something to her. She pushed hard, never complained and stayed on task. "Briana, I bet they will pick you," I said at the end of our last workout. "You are working so hard and you are so amazing. I know the judges could see that," I assured her. "Really? You think so? I can't wait to find out!" she said as she headed up the stairs.

Weeks 33-39

There is a saying "it takes a village to raise a child." During the last six weeks, Briana's mom has been in and out of the hospital. As her mom's health is dwindling, I have seen a village of people gather together to support Brianna. Friends, family, neighbors, caretakers, and acquaintances have all stepped up to provide healthy meals and transportation, assistance with cooking, and support with hygiene and laundry. It is because she has had so much support that Briana has not missed any of her special activities or workouts and has continued to follow a healthy eating plan. In June, Briana was able to be a cheerleader with the Broncos cheerleaders, continue her classes at Pure Barre, and see me three times a week. We took a two week break from the end of June through the first week of July. During that time, Briana attended her first Hollywood Ball. I had the honor of being a guest. It was a treat to see Briana dressed in her gown, socializing with friends, and dancing to her heart's content. Following the ball, Briana left for camp. Her aunt reported back to me that last year Briana had a difficult time at camp. She was unable to do many of the physical activities and could barely find the strength to walk from one part of camp to the next. This year, she had strength and stamina. She was able to keep up with everyone. She rode a bicycle for the first time and loved it so much that she snuck away to do it on her own. When I saw her for the first time after camp, the first thing she told me was "I rode a bicycle all by myself!" Upon her return from camp, Briana was ready for her weigh in. After several weeks off, the Hollywood Ball, and camp, I was praying that she at least had maintained her weight. She had lost three pounds at her previous weigh in, bringing her total weight loss to 51 pounds one week before our break. Hitting the 50 pound mark was such an accomplishment for her. I didn't want to see her slide backwards. She needed to get some good news on the scale. When she stepped on, I tentatively glanced at the numbers. I promised myself that regardless of the news, I would let her know how proud I was and offer support to boost her confidence. When I saw 174, I asked her to step off then step on again. 174 showed up again. "Briana, you lost another two pounds!" I exclaimed. This brought her total weight loss to 53 pounds! I couldn't be more thrilled and either could she. She made her round of calls immediately and was beaming from ear to ear as she shared her news. As she got on the treadmill that day, she told me how she ate healthy at camp. "I didn't have dessert, not one little bit," she said with satisfaction. "I had a hamburger and french fries one time, just like you said I could, and that's it. I ate healthy!" I swelled with pride knowing that Briana is beginning to advocate for her own health. I feel confident that by the time the year is up, she will be able to choose wisely, exercise on her own, and live a healthy, active life. Briana's village has given her a quality of life she may never have known otherwise. I am so proud to be a small part of that village.