JULY 2013

Name:  Annette Miller
Age:  33
Occupation: Audit Senior Associate for Cigna-HealthSpring

As a young child, Annette let someone else's words define who she became.  At age 30, Annette finally decided to move past the hurtful words and become the woman she always wanted to be. 

"You're Too Fat"

At age 10, Annette came home from school with a permission slip to play on the basketball team.  Instead of getting the required signatures, she was told by her own family that she was “too fat”.

The words “You’re too fat” kept Annette from playing basketball and followed her into adulthood.  The words kept Annette from participating in sports, from seeing herself as someone with athletic potential, and ultimately from ignoring her overall health.  By the time she reached 30, Annette was 385lbs.

Motivation

In 2011, Annette’s twin sister was in need of a kidney transplant.  Annette should have been the obvious candidate, but was not even considered to be a donor because of her weight. 

“That was the kick in the pants.  I decided then and there, that I would not be ‘too fat’ to do anything else.”

Annette changed her diet, started going to the gym, and entered a contest to become one of six members of CNN’s Fit Nation team. This time, no one told Annette she was “too fat”.  Annette was invited to join the team, and started training for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.  Talk about life-changing.  Talk about courage. 

As of July, 2013, Annette has lost over 187lbs, though she says: “I’m not finished yet.  I feel myself getting stronger, but there’s still a 10-year-old little kid in here, that wants to play.”

Annette lost an incredible amount of weight, and has gained a healthy perspective on nutrition and fitness.  No crash diets, no surgeries, just hard work, dedication, and the right mental attitude. 

Annette's Advice

“Make your goal to be healthy not to lose X amount of weight and set milestone goals along the way.  Knowing you have 200+ lbs you want/need to lose can be daunting.  If you don’t see the changes on the scale then it can easily discourage you.” 

Annette’s Milestone Goals:

• run a 5k on January 1^st 2013,
• run a half marathon April 27^th 2013
• complete a classic distance triathlon September 8^th 2013

“Using the physical tests as goals set me up for success.  I’m not just eating right and working out to look good or be lighter, I’m doing it to live a healthier happier life.  As a result of training for my milestone goals I’m losing the weight.”

Therein lies key to Annette’s success: the right mindset and the right goals.  She is not chasing a dress size or a number on the scale.  She’s after much more, and as a result she has gained so much more.

“I’m more confident.  I carry myself a lot prouder and my head is held higher.  When I get off work, I go do something instead of going home to lay around because I’m so worn out.  I would’ve always considered myself happy, but I didn’t know how much happier I could become after losing 187 lbs now (I dropped below 200 last week).  I see everything & everyone completely different now.”

Annette is determined to be healthy enough to participate in life in a way that she never has before.  When she looks in the mirror I know she is proud of her changing body, and she should be.  But I also know that when she looks in the mirror she sees a body that is capable and strong.  This is, and always should be, the true source of pride and motivation.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself through this journey.  One of the biggest things is ‘comparison is the thief of joy.’  Sometimes we as people tend to think we are less because we don’t think we measure up to other people’s successes.” 

As our Fashlete of the Month, and in honor of her commitment to health and fitness, Annette is receiving a customized sterling silver charm from Fashletics.  I hope this necklace reminds Annette of how far she has come, and of the mindset she has developed to get there. We are proud to welcome Annette Miller to the Fashletics family!

Annette will be participating in her first triathlon on September 8^th, 2013.  Good luck Annette!