Virginia Beach, Va. - In the heat of a tough workout, Holly Edwards doesn't have to look far for support. Her son Taylor is taking action to get healthy right along with her.
“You want to see the person that you love become healthy with you and make it a lifestyle change,” said the 38-year-old mother.
Last April, Holly and Taylor took action and joined Onelife Fitness on Virginia Beach Boulevard.
“[We were] just feeling unhealthy and I said we should join the gym, and he said, are you serious?” said Holly. “And he said, ‘You better go! If we sign up, you better go!’ And I said I'll go if you go! And we kind of hold each other accountable.”
Since then, the mother and son duo have dropped nearly 200 pounds together with the help of a trainer.
“Not only do they hold each other accountable, they told each other, let's do this,” said Kirt Lewis, a Onelife Fitness personal trainer.
Taylor has dropped more than 80 pounds, all while resisting major temptation as a chef at the popular restaurant Catch 31 at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
“It’s pretty hard,” said the 18-year-old. “I look at all the food I could eat whenever I take a break or something, and I’m like, man I want it. And then I’ll just ignore it. "
Holly is down more than 100 pounds from last year, going from 291 pounds to 191 pounds.
However, this isn't her first time on a weight loss journey. Several years ago, she had gastric bypass surgery and wasn't honest with doctors about changing her lifestyle.
“I was almost 400 pounds and I wanted a quick fix, and kind of decided I was going to tell the doctors whatever they wanted to hear,” Holly said.
“I went from almost 400 pounds to 173 pounds. About 200 pounds I lost in six months’ time,” she said.
Then, Holly had major complications with her intestines from the gastric bypass surgery, which led to more surgeries and weeks in the hospital.
“[I] kind of sabotaged myself after the surgery. I didn't exercise… I didn't correct my diet,” said Holly. “Put the weight right back on, now it's just starting my journey back over again.”
“I wish now that I had made the decision back then that I’ve made now to get healthy,” she said.
Holly said even all these years later, she is still suffering from complications of the surgery. This time, she said she isn't letting that get in the way of a healthier lifestyle for her or her son.
“I'm doing the right thing now and hopefully with my son and the support system I have, I'll keep it going,” she said.
“It's great!” said Taylor. “I see her do things that I never thought she could!”
