I Lost 100 Pounds and Found Something Very Important

James 1:12


"Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life."

On July 22, 2024, I walked into Planet Fitness committed to losing weight and getting back into shape. A few months earlier, I had walked away from a job I worked hard to get. I was struggling with feelings of failure, embarrassment, and the fear that maybe I would never get another opportunity to show I could do it. I was at one of the lowest points in my professional life, and I made a decision:

Control what you can control.


I could work to become the best version of myself. I remember telling myself, "You don't need anyone's approval. You don't have to be selected, liked, or given permission. You just have to be honest about where you've fallen short...and get to work." At the time, I didn't fully know what that meant. But I knew one place I could start. I needed to get back into shape. Over the years, I had reached 320 pounds. At my best, I had been 225. So I began.


In time, the changes started to show. People noticed. But the best part of the journey was still ahead of me. Losing weight without shots or supplements meant building a routine and committing to it over and over again. There were mornings—and there still are—when I argued with myself about getting on the mat, then the bench, then the treadmill.

During that process, I realized something important. If I wanted to become the best version of myself, I had to get on the treadmill no matter how I felt. There will always be reasons not to.

You're tired. Discouraged. Plateaus suck!

You cramp. You stop seeing progress.

If the goal matters, return to the routine.

When I say "get on the treadmill," I don't just mean exercise.

Sometimes it means trying again after an embarrassing failure.

Sometimes it means going back to the library to study.

Sometimes it means picking up the trumpet after you've decided to quit.

And sometimes...

It simply means getting back on the treadmill.

Trying again can be painful. But if you stick with it, you'll surprise yourself. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial..." James doesn't say blessed is the one who succeeds. He says blessed is the one who perseveres. The blessing isn't reserved for people who never fail. It's reserved for the people who keep getting back on the treadmill.

In March 2025, I was talking with a friend about my progress. At the time, I had lost about 40 pounds, but I was frustrated by how slowly it seemed to be happening. He had a different perspective. He said, "Next time you're in the gym, pick up two 20-pound dumbbells and hold them for a minute. That's what you've accomplished." The next time I was at the gym, I did exactly that. As I stood there holding those weights, my shoulders started burning. My grip got tired. Then it hit me. I used to carry that weight every hour of every day. For the first time, I wasn't measuring what I had left to lose. I was seeing what I had already lost. A wave of emotion came over me.

When I first started, I didn't have a target weight in mind. I just wanted to walk into a clothing store and buy something off the rack. What never occurred to me was that I'd eventually need an entirely new wardrobe. For the first time in my career, I couldn't wear a suit on the first day of school. I had a suit, but I hadn't tried it on since my interview. The first day of school, I put it on and looked like a little kid wearing his father's clothes. I felt pride and embarrassment at the same time. Pride in what I had accomplished. Embarrassment that my suit no longer fit. Thankfully, pride won. I laughed at myself, put on a polo shirt, and went to work.

In September 2025, I took over the Lone Pine High School football team. I hadn't coached football since 2000. The game had changed. I was in a new environment with new people, and honestly, I wasn't sure how it would go. But it was a risk I needed to take. One of the people who reminded me that not every treadmill has an on/off switch was Max. Max was one of our managers.

He probably weighed about 100 pounds soaking wet with combat boots on, but every game he carried water buckets to the sidelines, made sure halftime snacks were ready, and handled all the little details nobody notices unless they don't get done. It's a thankless job, but Max took pride in it. He lived out Maria Serena Diokno's words: "The position does not confer honor; you bring honor to the position." Max showed up early. Handled his business. Stayed until everything was finished. He just keeps getting back on the treadmill. And because of that, he earned everyone's respect—not because of his size or title, but because of how consistently he did the little things well.

One day, later in the school year, I told him how much I appreciated the example he set. Later that same day, he had one of those very human moments that reminded me of something important. Consistency doesn't require perfection. It requires getting back on the treadmill.

Losing 100 pounds didn't fix everything. I can still be impatient. I still have habits I'm trying to break. I still have apologies I need to make. That's the beauty of the treadmill. You can make mistakes. You can fail. You can get discouraged. And tomorrow... You can get back on. Looking back, I wouldn’t erase that painful season because it forced me to become someone I might never have become otherwise.

No matter how painful, embarrassing, or difficult it is to begin again, just do it. Get on the treadmill. Write the book. Take the course. Apply for the job. Ask for the promotion. Have the difficult conversation. In the end, it's just you, your treadmill, and the life you're building. Nobody is standing there cheering for you. Nobody is thanking you for putting in the work. Nobody can do your repetitions for you. Most days, nobody even notices. It's just you and the treadmill.

And then, one day, you realize something. Your life changes when you keep promises to yourself. Your life changes in those quiet moments when nobody is watching. I thought I lost 100 pounds. What I really lost were excuses. And what I found was that the person I'd been trying to become was waiting for me on the other side of one simple decision.

Get on the treadmill.

I got my second chance in the Lone Pine Unified School District where I get to work with some of the most inspiring people in the Owens Valley. You can be one of them, give us a look. Lone Pine Unified Job Portal

 

William A. Brown, Superintendent/Principal

Lone Pine Unified School District https://sierrawave.net/i-lost-100-pounds-and-found-something-very-important/