by Josiah McMiller
Marketing Work Study

Going on a diet is hard. But when it comes to my health, more specifically my weight, it’s been an up and down rollercoaster for years.

Back in high school I had lost over 100 lbs. I had a glow of celebrity that stuck to me the first couple of days back at school. It was a gradual process (the weight loss), but when I ushered into my senior year I came back with a vengeance. The whole shock of having a new body was surreal to me.

People would complement me, which was new, but it wasn’t as bewildering as when they would gawk over me. Was my transformation that extreme? I also noticed more advances from some of my peers who in the past wouldn’t have even given me a second look. I was drowning in clothing I used to consider tight and for some odd reason someone at the school newspaper thought I was a big enough deal to write an article about me. It was only a high school newspaper, but that was still pretty awesome. I still have it.

But after all the fanfare died down and I enrolled into college, I was just one in a crowd of thousands.  I began falling back into bad habits like: late night snacking, eating to quail boredom, and finding myself in social situations where I would just consume way too much. And when it was all said and done I had gained back my weight, plus more.

Now I’ve tried countless times to return to my former glory but I’ve always fallen short, but this year will be different. I’m dropping the extra tire around my waist and I’m going to pursue my dreams.