“I came to The Human Form completely broken, inside and out, and they saved me.
Physically, I have a rare birth condition that makes everyday tasks difficult and causes chronic pain throughout my body. Emotionally, I’ve battled anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and self-image issues since I was a little boy… I was the chubby gay kid who found every way out of gym class. I started yo-yo dieting in 6th grade. And I became obsessed with counting points, calories, and fat grams at an age that would make any parent cringe (including my own).
So when I stepped inside The Human Form in February 2015, it wasn’t to get a beach body or to lose a quick twenty pounds; I was on a fight to save my life.
In the beginning, I could barely get up and down from the floor without screaming in pain. My progress was achingly slow, but then about three months in, something happened: I started moving faster, easier, and with less pain. From that point on, good things started to snowball for me.
What I found on Chesapeake Avenue wasn’t a gym; it was a community. I met the best physical therapist who gives me additional support for my chronic pain. I met my functional medicine doctor who helped correct a myriad of vitamin and hormone deficiencies and helped fix a years-long gut issue. I met Stephen and Michelle, who offered me kindness, support, and nutrition coaching. And I met James (Jimmy). He’s not just my trainer… Jimmy is one of the smartest people I know, and he cares about me more than I can describe in this little paragraph. He’s helped me navigate through all the pain—both physical and emotional.
In a little over two years, I’ve lost 70 pounds and two pants sizes. But for me, it isn’t about what I’ve lost; it’s about what I’ve gained. I’ve gained the confidence to eat real food and to not be hungry. I’ve gained the ability to look myself head-on in the mirror for the first time in my life. I’ve gained the confidence to stop counting anything. I’ve gained ridiculous amounts of strength in muscles I never knew I had. I’ve gained back control of my mental health. And most of all—I’ve gained back my life.
I still have a long way to go in my journey to good health, but I sure am glad I have my friends at The Human Form to be there with me.”