“You know you’re like really fat, right,” said a stupid boy to me in the 8^th grade

That was an ouch. The thing is that boy probably doesn’t even remember that he said that to me, but I will never forget. Other moments I can’t forget are; when a different boy said the same thing to me in 5^th grade, when my mom wouldn’t let me buy a bathing suit because it didn’t look right on my body, when Knoch cheer gave me two skirts because they didn’t have one that was big enough for me.

I never really cared about what I looked like, but I just always felt bad. I had low energy, low self-esteem, and felt like I would never be successful in dance or cheer. Little did I know that this was my biggest blessing in disguise.

After being weighed by the school nurse Dec. 2^nd 2016, I had decided I’d had enough. I remembered my mom doing the 21 day fix a couple years back, so I asked her if I could borrow it. For those who don’t know, the 21 day fix is a diet and exercise program.When I told my friends I expected them to support me, but I guess I was wrong there. A lot of people were quickly cut out of my life.

“Lol you’re not going to stick with it”

Oh that’s what you thought.

I was already super active with cheer and dance. It was honestly super easy. I ate healthy and dropped like 8 pounds before Christmas. I got off track during Christmas break then I got right back to it in the New Year. I felt more energized and started to become more excited for life.

I began counting calories and tracking macros in March 2017. At this point I was down 10 pounds. By May I was down 20 pounds. People kept asking me what I was doing to lose weight, and honestly I felt a little embarrassed. I wasn’t used to positive energy about my body.

I started kickboxing, and eventually joined the gym Body Revolution (BodyRev) in Freeport PA. I pretty much just ran, took class, and did a few leg machines until Sept. 2017 when I had to quit because of dance. At this point I began to get called out on social media (Sarahah app) for “Still being fat”, and “acting like a fitness guru”. I personally took this as a sign to work harder. I also received messages from people saying what an inspiration I was.

I missed BodyRev so much I joined again in Dec. This time I started experimenting more with dumbbells and got more creative. I started making friends with the owner and other members. At this point, I had lost over 30 pounds. I was googling nutrition facts about different foods, because I was obsessed with the way food effected the body. I was sitting as lunch with my best friend, junior Abby Yoder (who had supported me the entire time), when I realized this is what I want to do with my life. I had decided, it’s selfish for me to not share this with everyone. I wanted to be a dietitian. I want to help others achieve their health and fitness goal. Food is medicine.

By May 2018 the dance season was over and I had adapted to a regular workout split. Summer 2018 was all about working out, and doing intermittent fasting. I felt so good and was so happy. Counting macros and calories had begun to be too stressful. I was hungry and just wanted some dang veggies and peanut butter.

I got stronger every day, not just physically, but mentally too. I was so happy. I was allowed to wear a full bikini for the first time since I was 6.  My best friend, Libby McKivigan (from Freeport) and a couple of our friends took some pictures at her pool. The pictures made their way to Instagram, and I received messages saying I looked awesome and I was an inspiration. My heart melted there was so much love and support.

When school started I begun to hit a plateu. I was experiencing bullying from some girls and it was taking a tool on my mental health.

In Dec. 2018, I was scrolling through insta stories, when a girl put on her story how she works from her phone, Arbonne, for a health and wellness company. She put a poll on her story asking if anyone was interested. I said yes, assumed I was unimportant, and didn’t expect anything to come of it. She direct messaged me, gave me some info, and invited me to join a zoom call with her sponsor.

Arbonne is a health and wellness network marketing company that has been around for almost 40 years. They sell nutrition products, skincare, makeup, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and even baby products. Everything they sell is made with botanically based ingredients. They ban over 2,000 ingredients when the FDA only bans 14. All of their products are pure, safe, and beneficial. (For more on Arbonnes ingredients policy visit https://www.arbonne.com/discover/promise/index.shtml .)

As well as just selling amazing products, there is a business opportunity. Arbonne has a very generous compensation program for its consultants. There are different levels and as you promote up, you can earn cash bonuses, a Mercedes Benz, incentive trips, and that’s along with your Arbonne paycheck. Some consultants, who have promoted up, have been able to walk away from their full time jobs.

As soon as I heard about this I was ready to hop on, but I wasn’t old enough. They offer a 30 days to healthy living challenge. The girl who I found on insta, Abby Bastaja (a senior at Freeport), and her sponsor Emily Caporili made a group with a lot of people in the area and we all did the challenge. I realized dairy made my stomach hurt and it really got me out of my plateu.

I went to a meeting at Starbucks with them and they gave me even more information on Arbonne. I was counting down the days till my 18^th birthday because I was so excited to join. The day I turned 18 I signed up to be a consultant. (May 13^th) I am in love with the products and I try and find creative ways to promote my business. It’s giving me a way to share what I love with anyone and everyone who will listen.

(Check out my bizz https://www.arbonne.com/Pws/CelesteBeacom/store/AMUS/default.aspx )

So being healthy and losing weight has led me to find my passion, learn how to cook, and an amazing business opportunity. I truly believe that if I wouldn’t have gone through my struggle, I would have never found my strength. No matter what you want to achieve in life, as long as you have passion, and willing to work, you can do it. I don’t know where I’d be if that stupid boy wouldn’t have called me fat in the 8^th grade.