Let the Journey Commence

By Maks Karochkin

I've battled weight issues ever since my family moved to Florida when I was 9 years old. Out of fear that we’d get kidnapped, my parents kept us indoors. “If we’re not home, you can’t play outside,” they’d say. Life looked very different after my dad left the military and my mom started working. When we lived on a military base, she didn’t need to work—or only worked part-time while we were in school. But that all changed.

Fast forward to today, and I see how those early habits shaped my relationship with food and activity. Add in the classic Puerto Rican way of eating (hello, rice with everything!), and my sister and I never really learned what it meant to live a healthy lifestyle. My dad was incredibly fit—ran 10 miles a day—but he left when I was 14. After that, we didn’t really have a fitness role model.

Over the years, I’ve tried every diet under the sun. My biggest struggle has always been maintaining consistency long enough to reach my goal. In college, I tried South Beach and lost about 15 pounds. After my ex-fiancé, I turned to diet pills—they worked briefly until my body started doing scary things. During another relationship, I hit my heaviest weight: a size 16. Later, I dropped back down to a 10/12—again, through pills. A few years ago, I lost 20 pounds with Weight Watchers and felt amazing. But when I could no longer afford the meetings (which I believe are the magic ingredient), and I started a new relationship, the weight crept back on.

Now I’m at a crossroads again, and it’s time for a real change.

Lately, I’ve been following some inspiring fitness accounts online, and I finally asked myself: What am I waiting for? Sure, I love food. And wine. But are they really worth continuing to feel stuck in a body that doesn’t reflect who I want to be?

So last week, I reached out to a coach I found through Pinterest—SwiftFit—and asked about his program. After a few back-and-forth conversations to understand how it works, I took the leap. And today… is Day 1.

I’m using this blog as a public promise—to myself, and to anyone reading—that I’m committing to this for the next 90 days. Yes, I know it’s the holidays. Yes, I know there will be temptation. But if I can make it through this time of year, I know I can do anything.

Wish me luck. Let’s do this.