Medical condition can be a real motivator

Trainer: Patrick Stille

Struggling with Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years gave Sharon Miller serious motivation to apply for the 2016 Fittest Loser Competition.

"This disease has taken it's toll on my life and I desperately needed to lose weight," she says. "For me, the next step was insulin to control blood sugar and I really didn't want to go down that path!"

Sharon decided her success hinged on bringing the entire family on board with the Push Fitness food plan. "Now I shop and cook per the program's nutritional guidelines, for everyone," Miller says. To prevent a culinary mutiny on the home front, Sharon infuses creativity into her cooking. "I bake fish in parchment paper and the family loves opening their own dinner package."

All the culinary knowledge gained during the contest has given Sharon a powerful tool to help fight diabetes. "This is a food plan I will follow for the rest of my life," says Miller.

Eating smaller and more frequent meals regulates her blood sugar. "The most challenging part of changing my eating habits has been measuring food and dealing with situations where family manages to sneak our old bad food favorites into the house!"

Trainer Patrick Stille helped ease her reservations about of weight training. "Yes," Miller admits, "On my first workout at Push Fitness, I did mention my fear of weights to Patrick." Sharon credits him with helping her overcome gym fears and a very rocky start holding planks.

"After 12 weeks, planking is so much easier now," Miller says. "Patrick is an amazing instructor and I am truly blessed to have had him as my trainer."

As someone who started at ground zero with gym experience, Sharon has grown leaps and bounds since Stille began her re-education in fitness training. Surviving the "stairs" on Saturday boot camps meant getting in touch with her spiritual inner self. "Prayers always helped," she says.

With Stille's guidance, Sharon learned to use the power behind her determination as she shed 32 pounds over the course of twelve weeks.

While she'll never look at a flight of stairs the same way again, Miller will miss the positive energy at Saturday boot camps.

"Push Fitness has such motivating trainers, you can't help but succeed," says Miller. "This has been a life-changing event for me and I am very grateful to everyone for helping with my fight against diabetes."

- Annie Overboe

Sharon Miller, 59, Elk Grove Village

Height: 5'4"

Starting weight: 243

Final weight: 211

Pounds lost: 32

Percent lost: 13.17

Starting BMI: 41.7

Final BMI: 36.2

Waistline inches lost: 7