By Elizabeth Bradley|

Jillian Michaels, a personal trainer, fitness-reality show personality, and talk show host once said, “it’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.” Students at The Morgan School have managed to implement this statement in their every day lives, therefore making incredible changes. Several students volunteered to share their weight loss story with the readers of the PawPrint.

Senior, Robert Cullen, is preparing to go off to college, but with this new start, he is much more confident. Robert proudly admitted he has lost 55 lbs as of  this date. When asked what the hardest part about losing the weight was, he said, “the hardest part was staying with the strict diet and workout plan.” I also asked him what he did to shed the pounds, and he said, “I worked out on a daily basis. I watched what I ate, and I didn’t eat after 7 p.m. I don’t eat when I’m bored, and when I am bored, I will just do some push-ups or sit ups just to get my blood flowing.” Student at The Morgan School and friend of Robert’s, Allie Rivas, said, “Robert’s been like a second brother to me for forever. Every summer since we were young, he would do belly flops in our pool, and we’d all call him Shamoo because he could make the biggest splashes. This summer, I don’t think anyone will be calling him Shamoo. Robert has lost a ton of weight this year just by working out and eating healthy, and he looks great!”

Travis Cochrane,  Joseph Marino, and Steven Jara-Torres, representing the junior class, have dropped the weight and now play their sports and do activities with more ease and confidence. Travis Cochrane confessed he wanted to lose the weight for some time, but he didn’t get serious and take action until last winter.  Travis has currently lost 30 lbs. When asked whether he focused more on healthy eating or exercising he said, “I had always tried exercising regularly, but it was the eating healthy that made the biggest difference.” Travis also jokingly said, “I also shaved my beard, which was probably 10 lbs. alone.” After losing 25  lbs Joey ‘Dan’ Marino says, “I focused more on eating healthy and staying away from junk food. ” His advice to people trying to achieve weight loss: “Keep trying and don’t give up, even if it doesn’t look like you have results. Stay confident and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.” When Steven came to Morgan freshman year, he weighed in at around 215-218 lbs. At the end of the 2013 wrestling season, he weighed in at 140 lbs which means he has lost around 70 pounds! Steven told us his weight loss was a gradual process, specifically over the past 3 years. When asked what the best thing about losing the weight was, Steven said, “Just the confidence I gained with the weight loss because it allowed me to be more open and gain some of the friendships I share today.”

Sophomore, Dwight Carmona, always wanted to lose a couple of pounds, but never “got around to it” as health teacher, Mr. Redes, would say. Dwight admits he faced a big challenge with running, especially before he lost any weight. He said, “Before I lost all the weight I did, I had such low stamina, and now that I’m healthier I have gotten better. I was running over a 10 minute mile, and now I’m in the 7 minute range which I consider really good.” When you hear about the terms ‘losing weight’, ‘getting fit’, or ‘getting healthy’ many people realize just how hard it is and lack the motivation. When asked what the hardest part about his journey so far is, he said, “The hardest part about losing weight was the motivation. Some days I just did not feel like doing anything, but those days are the ones that count the most.”

Dan Hua and Nick Bradley embody the term “the big freshman transition.” Dan Hua is about to wrap up his freshman year, and he has a lot to brag about. After losing 31 pounds throughout the year, Dan is ready to take on the next 3 years with even more confidence than before. Dan told the Pawprint, “The hardest thing was keeping down the weight and eating right. When I was chubbier I’d eat everything, and now I’m a calorie counter.” Dan took a chance this year, with the idea of trying something new, and joined the Morgan Wrestling Team. When asked what his advice to others was he said, “My advice to anyone trying to lose weight is to join The Morgan Wrestling team, or really any sport. Wrestling is fun, and you’ll shed the pounds you want to lose!”  Nick Bradley can also relate to his fellow wrestler, Dan. Instead Nick started wrestling in the 7th grade with an outside club and started dropping the weight that way. When asked what his workout and eating regimen was, he said, “Tuesday and Thursday I go to an outside wrestling club for about an hour and a half. We do conditioning and work moves all night, and I’m guaranteed to sweat and get a good workout in. On the weekends, I usually have one tournament that lasts all day. In the summer and fall, I am dedicated to The Morgan Football Team, and in the winter, my time is invested in The Morgan Wrestling Team. As for eating, I try to avoid junk food, plain and simple. Every once and awhile I’ll drink the occasional milk shake, but I don’t let it ruin my entire diet.” Nick has lost 20 pounds of fat to this date and is proud to show off the muscle he has gained.

Jayde Forbes, freshman at The Morgan School, has managed to inspire many other females to get healthy and fit. Jayde was happy to tell us she has lost 42.8 pounds and still counting! The PawPrint asked her whether she focused on eating or exercising more. She  said, “I would say I’m more focused on my eating because it’s easier to slip up on eating, and if you don’t exercise for a couple of days, it’s okay, but if you eat horribly for a couple days it can get really bad. The hardest part for me was watching all of my skinny friends eat whatever they wanted and me having to be on a diet.” Friend of Jayde’s and student at The Morgan School, Kate Mozzochi, had this to say about Jayde’s hard work, “She is truly an inspiration and seeing her working hard and getting results is amazing! I am so proud of her!”

Like Kate, everyone here at The Morgan Pawprint is super proud of our students!