When You're Ready To Escape...

I describe the experience of a woman's weight struggle to a P.O.W. camp. And that is exactly what it is like.

You feel like a prisoner, completely imprisoned and trapped inside a body you can't get out of. 

When I was 220 lbs., I intuitively knew that, no way, no how, no matter what I did, right now, at this moment…could I be thin tomorrow. 
 
And it was the overwhelming frustration of that truth that paralyzed me and kept me inside this prison. 
 
But one day, I eventually took one leap of faith and got out.
 
And I'm here to tell you, "It's this way..."

How did I get out? 

Honestly, at the time it happened, I had no idea what I was about to do.
 
That's why it was a real leap of faith. 
 
When you are imprisoned in a prison camp for as long as I was, you really don't know where you are, or what route will lead to freedom.  
 
I knew there were risks and dangers in leaving the camp…I didn't know what was out there, what wild animals would attack, or what storms would hit.  I knew I would be completely alone to fend for myself…no guarantee of food, water, or shelter. 
I had to trust I would figure it out, because I knew that if I stayed, I would die. 

So, I asked a friend to come with me.  She refused. 

With or without her, I had to get out.
 
So, I waited until it was the right time.
 
When was that?
 
When I finally reached the end of my rope and realized all hope was lost. No one else was going to rescue me.
 
My “Will I make it out?” was answered with “You won’t make it in here.”
 
All my “but hows?” were answered with “I don’t know.”
 
All my “what ifs?” were answered with “Doesn’t matter!”
 
All of my fighting and resistance had ceased. I gave up!
 
I surrendered.
 
This is when I could finally make my escape.
 
And so all alone, secretly and silently in the middle of the night, I crawled beneath the fence to face the darkness alone. It was “Do or Die!”

I bolted like a bat out of hell and ran as fast as I could.

I didn’t have a clue about where I was going. I didn't know the route in such unfamiliar territory. 

I could hear the bullets flying overhead and voices calling me back. 

Yet as I continued to keep my eye on the freedom I longed for, pressing forward, and staying low, the clearing got wider.
 
The voices dimmed. And eventually, darkness turned to light. 
 
I weathered a few storms and survived to make it to complete freedom and safety. 
 
I got out!
 
Unbeknownst to me at the time, I had found the escape path out of obesity.
 
Some say I was a pioneer.  Some say I got very lucky.  Some say it was divinely inspired.  
 
I only know that I got out, and now, I knew the way out, a safe way out, and I held the map to this escape route.  
 
What happened next paints the picture further.

Erin, an old friend of mine from elementary school, called me. She was amazed at what I had done. She went on and on about it. I could see she was still imprisoned.

So I could only assume she wanted out too, so I asked her if she would like me to help her get out. 
 
Pridefully, she said, "Oh no, I'm fine!"
 
She had tried so many times before to get out, to no avail, so she had come to accept her imprisonment as her lot in life. 
 
But then I promised her, "I can help you." 

See, I absolutely knew that I had found the way out, so I could promise her. 

She said no again. 
 
But despite her words, I heard her heart screaming, "YES!" 
 
I touched her hand and said in a very quiet voice, "Trust me, it's this way..." 
 
And simply by hearing my voice say, "Trust me, it's this way...”  she too crawled underneath the fence, in the middle of the night, onto the same escape route.
 
I was there to guide her, to say, "Stay low, the bullets won't hit you."  
 
"Do not pay attention to the voices calling you back."  
 
"Don't worry, the storm will pass."  
 
"The clearing gets wider, and light is coming soon." 
 
So, she followed, and she too found freedom! 
 
She said to me, "Shelley, this is the path to freedom! This is the way! This path is one every woman can take to get out and get out safely. You have to go back and help as many women as you can! This is your calling." 

I will go back for ANY woman who wants out. 
 
Just listen to my voice, "It's this way..."
 
This is the story of Losing Coach, simply me coaching women on this escape path out of obesity.

When you're ready to escape... READ NOW

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