Teens From Fat to Fit

My name is Lucas MacDonald and I'm a 17-year-old health coach. For the majority of my life, I struggled with being extremely overweight, and for a long time, didn't do anything about it. My doctor would regularly speak to me saying that I needed to change my diet, workout routine, and make significant improvements to my health because if I didn't, I would be facing serious health implications as I continued to grow. Not only was my doctor concerned about my health, but my close friends were as well. They always offered to workout, or try to eat healthy with me, but it never worked. Although I had numerous positive influences in my life trying to help me, there were copious negative ones as well. I was bullied about being fat regularly at school, wasn't picked for certain sports teams, and was even laughed at by the girls. It eventually reached the point where in the 8th grade, at 5'6 and 245 pounds, that I decided to make a change. To be frank, it was quite miraculous. I honestly stood in the mirror one day and said to myself, "Wow I need to seriously make a change", and just that I did. Beginning in April, and concluding at the end of July, I changed my whole life. I managed my weight from 245 pounds to an astounding 154 pounds at my lowest. I currently stand at 6'2 and weigh 175 pounds and have never felt better. This experience for was entirely self-motivated, self-coached, and self-managed. Through my journey, I developed a serious interest in not only losing the weight but making sure I was as healthy as possible.  Additionally, I learned that I have a true passion for the art of weight loss, and helping others who are in a similar situation change their lives is a dream of mine. It is my full intention to combine all of the information that I have learned from my own experience to help other teenagers make a change for the better. To date, I have coached seven of my peers successfully with significant weight loss that they have sustained for 18 months at the longest. With this, I have created a charitable foundation that specializes in helping teens in underprivileged situations acquire the necessary coaching, training, and nourishment that they need to make this change. This charitable foundation is registered with the IRS and your donation is fully tax deductible.  Through this GoFundMe page, I am raising money/ looking for sponsors to support myself as I run in the 2018 High Rock Challenge. The race is a 10k and my goal is to run it in under an hour. The money that will be raised through this will go directly to purchase organic healthy foods and drinks on their journey, and new clothes for these kids once the weight is off. It is my goal to not only change these teenagers lives in the present day, but to change them for the better for the rest of their lives.