One of the most surprising things that I discovered while I was losing 159 pounds in fourteen months was finding out how interesting my weight-loss story was to people all over the world. Currently my weight loss story has traveled to twenty-six countries and I am always curious to see where it will go next! The truth is that no matter where people live, everyone wants to be healthy, more attractive and to have the opportunities that are given to people who have a slim figure. Because of this, when somebody is successful losing weight, people want to know how they did it!
Of course when I started my weight-loss program I didn’t have the slightest idea that anyone other than my immediate family would be interested what I was doing. I just wanted to be thin again! However, much to my surprise, my neighbors, coworkers, friends from church and friends online became fascinated with my weight-loss journey as they saw me getting thinner. In fact, they expressed so much interest that I have written a book that describes my personal weight-loss story and everything I did to lose the weight, so that my readers can try it. The name of the book is No Salads Required! How I Lost 159 Pounds without Salads, Celery, Sit-Ups or Surgery and How You Can Too! It will be available from Amazon.com and other stores in late summer or early fall of 2015. The following is a quote from the book that describes where and how my story traveled:
“Well, my first eight weeks flew by fast, and I was nowhere near slowing down. Instead, I was developing a following! Some of my neighbors even started walking with me from time to time. My Chinese neighbor, Yuwen, her American husband, Joe, and Yuwen’s sister, Yufen, walked with me often. Most of the time, they would bring Joe and Yuwen’s baby daughter, Sophia, along in a stroller. This family had been doing fitness walking long before I started, but when I got to know the ladies and they saw how quickly I was losing weight, they started walking even more. As we walked together, we developed a lasting friendship. Sometimes, my parents would join us too, especially in the evening. Yuwen and Yufen eventually became so excited about my weight loss that they called their family members and friends who still live in China and told them all about it. My story had officially gone international!
As time has gone by, my story has traveled to several other countries, thanks to the enthusiasm of my neighbors. America, my neighbor from Colombia, shared my story with her family members, who still live in her home country, and Ngwashi, my neighbor from Cameroon, found my story so inspirational that when she went back to her home country to attend her brother’s wedding, she made it a point to share my story with all her friends and family. “I told everybody!” she said. She also has shared my story with people she knows who live in Zambia, the Gambia, Nigeria, Israel, and the UK.
One especially encouraging arrangement Ngwashi has is with her niece, who lives in the UK. Every day while Ngwashi is walking around our neighborhood here in Tampa, she is on the phone for an hour with her niece, who is also walking somewhere in the UK. Ngwashi says these daily phone calls are very helpful for keeping both women entertained while they walk and motivated to keep walking every day. Ngwashi also spends a second hour a day walking around our neighborhood, and she is usually on the phone with other friends and family members. She says they all refer to their daily fitness walking as “our walk to ultimate beauty.” She recently told me, “Shelley, you don’t know how many people you have inspired!” Of course, she is doing her share to inspire those people too!
When I finally shared my story on Facebook, my friends in Canada and Australia also learned about it, and later my friends who live in India learned about it too. My story went even further after I started blogging. In my blog posts I have been sharing my personal weight-loss story, giving tips on how to succeed at weight loss, and also promoting this book. Much to my delight, my blog has attracted readers from several of the countries mentioned above in addition to Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Slovakia, Ukraine, Latvia, Russia, South Africa, Venezuela, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines. When you count the United States, the story of my weight loss is now in twenty-six countries that I know of, and it’s possible that after this book is published, my story could go many other places in the future. I am excited to see where God will send it next!”
I share this information about where my story has gone not to brag about it, but to bring up the fact that people all over the world are working hard to either lose weight or maintain a healthy figure, which means none of us who are dealing with this issue should ever feel alone! Instead we can make use of the internet to stay in touch with people who are also on weight-loss journeys and share success stories that will bring each other encouragement.
It is my hope that my weight-loss story has brought encouragement to you. Now it’s your turn! Do you have an encouraging weight-loss story to share? Feel free to post it in the “comments” section and share what country you are from. I look forward to hearing from you!
Shelley A. Sonnenberg 
